Dining Out
Lilly’s Landing Family Restaurant
210 Airport Boulevard
Gander
Ph. 256-3500
Gander - a.k.a.
“Crossroads of the World” - loves to celebrate its aviation history. Streets
have names like Yeager, Earhart, Bishop, and Rickenbacker – famed aviators all.
No surprise then that Lilly’s Landing Family Restaurant, 210 Airport Blvd. does
its bit to remind us about airborne heritage. Scale models of various military
aircraft hang from the ceiling. Conspicuously, two fighter jets (possibly F-16’s)
patrol the area just outside the kitchen, perhaps to ward off any customers who
might want to quarrel with the cook. Meanwhile, their menu features categories
like Bomber Burgers, Concorde Dinners, Sea Otter Platters (??), and my
favorite, 747 Steak Dinners.
I was hoping they hadn’t gotten so carried away with the
aeronautical theme that they were attempting to emulate airline cuisine these
days (much of which reminds me of frozen microwave entrees). At any rate, I
began with a French onion soup ($4.50). It was a large portion. Floating
majestically on the top was a robust slice of toasted white bread covered in
lots of hot, soft, creamy mozzarella cheese. The soup had a nice strong, beefy
taste but it could have used just a little more salt.
My friend started with a basic garden salad ($2.95) of
iceberg lettuce, romaine, tomato, green pepper, celery, and (of course) bacon
bits. Bottled Italian dressing was provided in a small disposable cup. It was
pretty much the standard salad you’d expect in a diner like Lilly’s. This was
not “white cloth” dining. Lilly’s is one of those reasonably priced friendly
diners, with familiar wait staff, where you’ll find some good home cooking. In
other words, “comfort food.” I even found something oddly comforting about the
1960’s décor, a blend of booths with wooden lattice dividers, arborite
tabletops, glass and chrome sugar dispensers on every table, and walls laden
with lots of touristy photos of Newfoundland.
While waiting for a chicken stir-fry ($9.95) and my 747-steak
dinner (a 10oz. peppered striploin with Bursey sauce) ($13.95), I passed some
time observing my fellow diners. In keeping with the tenor of Lilly’s, they
seemed like nice, everyday folk. No doubt, many were area regulars who maybe
didn’t feel like cooking that night. Three women, who looked like they could
rustle up some pretty good grub themselves, sat in the middle of the
restaurant. I think they may have arrived from bingo for a quick coffee and cut
of pie. A chatty waitress appeared at a booth behind me to give seconds to a
man in a baseball cap, saying, coyly, “There was only a little bit left in the
pot, so I figured you might as well have it.” I sipped on my cold Black Horse
and returned to wondering what might be contained in the Bursey sauce that came
with my peppered steak. (Did they mean Bercy sauce, one of the ‘quick’ sauces
that are made by adding scallions and white wine to some demiglaze, instead of
Bursey (sic) sauce?) The waitress was not able to give me a satisfactory answer
when I enquired. The suspense was killing me. Thankfully, our plates arrived in
timely fashion.
The medium-rare striploin was cooked perfectly. The baffling
Bursey sauce seemed to be a beef broth reduction with lots of black pepper and
a few dice of red bell pepper, thickened with cornstarch. It had that very
glossy finish typical of cornstarch. The baked potato (probably Russet) was dry
and floury. It tasted beautifully nutty and rich with the real butter that came
from one of the Farmer’s packets provided.
The chicken stir-fry had its moments. There was plenty of
breast meat, and vegetables like: red peppers, celery, broccoli, carrots, and
onions. However, for my taste, the chicken was cooked a little too long and the
overall dish had a slightly burnt taste (which may have been from the addition
of too much sesame oil).
When I was a kid, we would often head for The Pioneer, a
diner that used to operate on Portugal Cove Road in St. John’s. They had the
best coconut cream pie I’d ever tasted. I’m salivating just thinking about it.
Well, Lilly’s Landing serves a coconut pie ($2.75) to rival The Pioneer’s. It
was a thing of beauty, a wonderful combination of flaky pastry, super creamy,
yellow-colored filling, and a whipped topping decorated with loads of toasted
coconut. It went really well with my steamy cup of orange pekoe tea.
This Lilly’s Landing meal for two (including tip), cost me
$57.52.
Best Points:
They know how to cook a
steak properly and the service is friendly.
Areas for Improvement:
The waitress forgot to
bring the garlic bread (as promised) with the stir-fry. Also, the dirty dishes
from the main course were left on the table a tad long.
Ratings Category:
For its good diner fare, Lilly’s Landing Family Restaurant
rates 7.5 points out of 10.