So a couple weeks ago my friend and I were in the mood to see a show – we didn’t really care which show, as long as it was pretty cheap. We started talking about it on Wednesday night and bought our tickets on Thursday night… for Friday night. Spontaneous planning is not often my thing, but it worked this time: We used my HIPTIX Gold membership with Roundabout Theatre Company to get us two $25 floor seats to the Harold Pinter play, Old Times.
If you glanced back up at the subject for this post you have already realized that this is not a review for that play, because my two-line review would be, “Wow, that play was really weird – I’m glad it was only 65 minutes long. I still have no idea what actually happened.” So instead of trying to explain this play to you, I want to tell you about the gorgeous place my friend suggested we go afterward, where we spent a solid hour and a half discussing the play and trying to decide what it was about: Lillie’s Victorian Bar & Restaurant.
Lillie’s has two locations, one in Union Square and the one we went to, in Times Square. Named after a famous British actress, Lillie Langtry, from the Victorian period, the bar’s super cool décor comes from an Irish ballroom built in the 1800s. Everywhere I looked there was something interesting, from pictures on the wall to the ornate ceiling to a gorgeous stained glass window.
We ordered the truffle fries and fried mozzarella balls, neither of which were exactly as delicious as I’d hoped, but for a post-theater treat they worked just fine – and while not cheap, the prices weren’t terrible considering the Times Square location. Even as the bar started to get crowded, we were able to sit and eat and drink and chat about the play.
I can’t say that we managed to hash out what exactly was going on between those three characters on that stage, but I can say that by the time we left we’d come up with a few solid options. We both felt that if we’d headed right home after the play without talking, our outing would’ve fallen a little flat. But eating and talking about the play made going to see it in the first place waaaaay more worth it.
Have you been to Lillie’s? What did you think? Do you have a favorite post-theater bar or restaurant?
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