The two best weeks of eating new things in my life took place on a trip to Armenia in 2021, and I was hoping - though frankly doubtful- that I could recreate some of the same feeling here at Lilya’s.
As soon as we walked through the door, it was a transportive experience. We got there at 6:15pm on a Saturday night. Although only two table were occupied, the host asked us if we had reservations, and got a bit of a worried look on his face when we said no. We got seated, and at about 6:30pm, people started streaming in. Not a big group, but one by one the tables got filled very quickly.
There is some room for a dance floor, and a woman played music and sung MOR standards in a lovely and unobtrusive voice. People came with their liquor bottles, including several elaborate bottles of Armenian brandy. All the men had pretty much the same style of short sleeved shirt; a thin material with an interesting weave, untucked, with an open collar. Almost like they coordinated.
The food was indeed transportive. Two of the dishes had simple, spot-on flavors, one was regrettable, and two were all-out impressive. Worth an exclamation mark or two.
We started with a Ukranian Borscht (usually marked that way in Armenia) and a plate of dolma:
The borscht featured a huge heap of shredded beets. It was simple and satisfying. There are as many diferent dolma in Armenia as there are cooks. These were slender yet very juicy, with great texture to the leaves. Again, simple flavoring.
We then got a julien, a mushroom and cheese dish. I had a great one in Armenia. Here it was too salty and nothing special. I also ordered this at Gamarjoba (Georgian) in Philly, and again it was nothing special. I am going to stop chasing this dish. I doubt I can can recreate the experience.
Our last two dishes were sensational: a whole trout wrapped in lavash and the ‘chef’s special smashed potatoes.’
We got the trout with grilled vegetables, which are essential for an Armenian meal. The fish could serve four. It tasted as good as it looked. The smashed potatoes were equally awesome and no garlic was spared in a mayo and dill sauce.
It was a trippy experience and we felt thrown into another world. They have a big menu and I’d gladly return to explore more.
