These days, diners aren’t surprised to see a list of local providers on their menu. But a couple of decades back only a few people concerned about what industrial food production was doing to the land, to rural communities and to family farms were talking about something called "sustainable agriculture." At the same time, at the corner of Patterson Avenue and Bardstown Road, Kathy Cary started a restaurant with exceptional dishes featuring ingredients from local farmers — and wound up gaining national attention and a devoted following.
She continues to move on without abandoning her initial mission. Like the local farmers she celebrates, Cary takes pride in both sustainability and freshness. So while Lilly’s menu retains long-held favorites such as creme brulee and chicken pot pie — and familiar murals still grace the main dining room’s walls — there’s now Yellow House at Arles-inspired paint on the walls and (as always) a menu that changes by the week. Spain is the latest influence. "I was fortunate enough to both travel and enjoy good food from a farm," says Cary, whose recent travels to Basque country gave her the idea to start a line of "Kentucky tapas." This menu addition, with dishes like a bison burger or poached organic egg and rock shrimp on pappardelle pasta, is an invitation for grazers and cocktailers to join the Lilly’s dining crowd.
Cary says these "small bites get people to share, to try new things," such as the croquettes featuring Boston, Ky.-raised Duncan’s rabbit ($7) that I ordered on a recent visit. Their crisp panko coating, rich with garlic and rosemary, surrounded tender, juicy chunks of rabbit in a surprisingly delicate bourbon sauce. My frog legs ($9) were also crispy and succulent, with a potato-caper medley and a bit of house-made Green Goddess dressing adding some extra zip.
I enjoyed the taste of a Kentucky Lake catfish spring roll ($9) — although it was the least successful plate of the night. While the mild flavors of fish and scallion were quite pleasant, I found the texture of the finely ground bottom-feeder a bit too pasty. My meal of small plates extended beyond the tapas menu to incorporate (at my server’s suggestion) an excellent grilled lobster tail and crispy shrimp ravioli ($14), which consisted of fried shells containing, and surrounded by, seafood in a rich, almost bisque-like brandy lobster reduction.
During a return visit for lunch, I felt compelled to sample the chicken pot pie ($12), a dish so popular that Cary says regulars complain when it takes a brief summer vacation "because it’s too hot for chicken pot pie." (She offered a deconstructed version this past summer.) This dish was as good as always, with pieces of chicken and vegetables — baby green beans, shiitake mushrooms, red and yellow peppers, onions and sun-dried tomatoes, to be exact — bathed in a creamy, tarragon-laced sauce under a light pastry crust. But the real standout was a slow-roasted pork loin sandwich highlighting John Medley’s Washington County Heritage Meats ($10). Showing an understanding of how great ingredients don’t need much assistance, the kitchen gave the tender pork slices the slightest of accents with Dijon mustard and grilled onion, allowing the main condiment to be the meat juices soaking into the crusty bread. A poached pear and cherry side dish was tasty and well may have added a sweet-tart contrast to the sandwich — if the pork hadn’t been devoured before the idea occurred to me.
On another night, I had a more "traditional" tour of Lilly’s menu. I’ve always found its soups to be among the restaurant’s best creations, and my curried cauliflower serving ($8) was no exception. I liked the presentation — a bowl containing a pyramid of roasted apple compote and pieces of caramelized Newsom’s country ham from Princeton, Ky., was set before me, with my server pouring the main ingredient from a small pitcher after I’d taken a good look. While a bit heavy on the curry, the balance of bracing cauliflower, tart apple and sweet, smoky ham was a pleasing take on some fall flavors.
I very much savored my lamb special ($36), a substantial portion of perfectly cooked lamb loin slices and lamb sausage, with Brussels sprouts and onion pudding. (While not local, Cary assured me that Jamison Farm, the Pennsylvania lamb producer, meets her standards for sustainable, organic foods.) The fennel in the sausage wonderfully set off the rich meat’s flavor, enhanced by a silky lamb demi-glace, with the onion pudding adding even more creaminess to the hearty dish. 
Big taste on a small plate: Lilly’s lobster and shrimp ravioli.
For those more inclined to sip ’n’ dip, or who prefer a sweet drink over dessert, Lilly’s has added a cocktail menu that includes related sweets, such as a creme brulee martini ($10) accompanied by a mini creme brulee. If you’re an after-meal abstainer, you may still be tempted by a petite chocolate lava cake ($5) with velvety molten center.
These days, more people understand that how food gets to you is as important as how it looks on your plate — and that it’s better appreciated when part of a renewable system. Ever renewed itself, Lilly’s has not compromised basic principles of quality. Indeed, it is a place where business people, formal parties and casual diners can happily coexist, each relishing the atmosphere and flavors in their own way.
If You Go
Lilly’s Bistro, 1147 Bardstown Road, 451-0447. Lunch Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m-3 p.m.; dinner Tuesday-Thursday, 5:30-10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 5:30-11 p.m. Reservations recommended.
