Celebrating at Lily's Bistro

329 E. 5^th Street in the Oregon District

www.lilysbistro.com

Three of five authors, Karen, Kathy, and Linda, celebrated the publication of Sophia’s Table at Lily’s Bistro in the Oregon District last Saturday evening. Marty is vacationing in Wales and Dodi lives near Oxford, so they were unable to join us. We wanted to support a local establishment and decided to go someplace new to us. What a treat we were in for!!  

Lily’s is a mother-daughter venture. Lily is a combination of their two names LIsa (mother) and EmiLY (daughter). Since the by-line of our book is Women’s Wisdom in Five Voices, we really liked that we women were honoring these women. 

In good “daring greatly” fashion, I announced to the waitress that we were authors who had collaborated on a book that had just been published. Before we knew it, Emily was gifting us with three glasses of wine to toast our accomplishment. They treated us like royalty. What fun.

It was difficult to choose an entrée because we wanted to try everything on the menu. Kathy chose Greek orzo spinach salad, Karen chose pineapple-chipotle BBQ chicken (free-range), and Linda chose vegan pesto angel hair pasta. We added two of their unusual and terrific sides. Be sure to ask about their sides. There were lots of “Yum yum, this is really good,” expressed round the table. We gave a thumbs up to Executive Chef, Mariah Gahagan, who has worked at several other quality restaurant kitchens in our area.

Lily’s is owned by the Mendenhall family of Dayton. Blind Bob’s across the street is their father-son venture. It is named after father, Bob, who is gradually losing his sight as the result of a degenerative eye condition. Nate, the son, is the general manager. Emily returned to Dayton to manage Lily’s after working in restaurants in Chicago and New Orleans.  

Lily’s seats about 80 in the dining room and 75 on two charming outdoor patios. There is a private room that seats twelve. Menus will change four times a year with the seasons and include vegan and gluten-free options along with a variety of small plates. In addition to an extensive selection of cocktails, the bar serves a rotating, seasonal selection of craft beers and wines.

The Mendenhall’s are noted for treating their employees well and for giving back to the community. When another Oregon District restaurant closed and checks were bouncing, Blind Bob’s threw a benefit for Sidebar’s employees. It’s fun to hear the stories of locals who take the risk to provide the rest of us with quality products and entertainment. Kudos to the Mendenhall family! And thank you to Lily’s for an elegant and scrumptious dining experience.