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Patrick Phelan and Megan Fitzroy Phelan in the Lillian space during construction (Photo by Fred & Elliott Photography)
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Lillian is located at 3001 W. Leigh St. in Scott’s Addition. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Sweet Petite and White Stone oysters served with mignonette, hot sauce and Marie Rose sauce (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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A 52-foot-long bar is the focal point of Lillian. There are also a number of high-top tables and one six-top available for reservation. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Scallop crudo (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Among the refreshers is the Rebujito, a blend of manzanilla sherry with lemon, lime and soda. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The owners plan to add outdoor seating at the restaurant in the warmer months. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Spouses Patrick Phelan and Megan Fitzroy Phelan are no novices when it comes to opening restaurants. The entrepreneurial chefs garnered national press before they even had a physical space for their boundary-pushing pop-up turned brick-and-mortar, Longoven. They navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most gut-wrenching periods to be a restaurateur, then in early 2023, they divided their restaurant into two distinct spaces: Longoven with its tasting menu in the back, and rustic Italian Lost Letter in the front. Last summer, they decided to shutter their ambitious fine-dining concept and instead let Lost Letter shine, simultaneously parting ways with co-owner Andrew Manning.
But those struggles, uncertainties and moments of reflection, personally and professionally, have laid the foundation for something sustainable, wildly new and perhaps even more exciting. On Friday, Jan. 19, the Phelans will debut Lillian, a modern yet mature spin on an oyster hall, in Scott’s Addition.
“All that scar tissue, all that learning, was what kind of freed us to get to this spot and embrace it as Lillian, as our daughter’s name, and bring it as close to our family as possible and live it that way,” Patrick says. “I think Lillian has been more about us actually opening a restaurant, our restaurants, for the first time. This provided an opportunity to take a second look at everything we did.”
Located on the ground floor of The Gem development at 3001 W. Leigh St., the space by Fultz & Singh Architects is less than 500 feet from Lost Letter. Inside, a grand 52-foot-long wraparound bar encompasses nearly the entire space. The action, from shucking bivalves to slicing mortadella, unfolds behind the tiered counter seating 23 with glass tiles as the backdrop. The experience blends the up-close intimacy of an omakase (chef’s choice) sushi experience with the communal comfort of a neighborhood diner.
Trays of White Stone and Sweet Petite oysters on crushed ice, accompanied by ramekins of white peppercorn-cilantro mignonette, hot sauce and Marie Rose sauce may arrive via a server or simply be passed over the bar by a member of the culinary team. Breaking down the barrier between front and back of house, it’s a seamless operation where interaction is welcomed, but not forced. Phelan says of the cooking crew, “There’s an opportunity to forget about us 100%.”
If Longoven was the butterfly stroke, Lillian is the freestyle, a far cry from the rigid tasting menus of yesteryear. The offerings present an approachable assortment of regional fare from Virginia waterways and beyond combined with the musings of the chefs who are steering the ship.
Of this more laid-back venture, devoid of constraints and punctuated by a poised and professional team, Patrick says, “It’s kind of fun to have this place that’s not Italian, not super precious, we can kind of just unload out of here. We weren’t really stressed about staying in any lane. … The connective tissue, I think, is the people prepping it and their kind of point of view.”
Helming the kitchen is chef de cuisine Chris Morina, whose history with the Phelans began in 2021, experiencing the journey of Longoven to Lost Letter to now. Patrick says, “His style of food has a rustic detail that will fit this place perfectly. It will be easy and accessible, but all of the detail’s there.”
The dishes at Lillian are described as being what the team enjoys eating, and a smattering of fun items for Richmond and the growing neighborhood. Expect a rotating variety of oysters by the dozen, from Minnie Pearls plucked from the York River to Sweet Petites out of Katama Bay in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, down to the Gulf of Mexico and all the way to the West Coast. Raw bar items may include middleneck clams, peel-and-eat shrimp, scallop crudo, and lobster tails.
Two-tiered and grand three-tiered seafood towers stack oysters, shrimp, clams, shooters, skewers, crudite, pickles and tartare. Guests can also discover tinned selections such as spiced sardines, along with cured meats from hot coppa to mortadella. Snacks include smoked bluefish and trout roe with chips, while larger plates range from potatoes with mussel escabeche and Dijon to a beef cheek vadouvan with celery root to fluke with tomatillo, avocado and housemade tortilla.
As for dessert, Megan says she’s approaching it playfully. For now, a bright and refreshing olive oil-citrus parfait and a towering chocolate velvet mousse cake serve as send-offs. “I smile when I make [the chocolate mousse cake] because the recipe came from the same chef I got the tiramisu recipe from at Lost Letter, so kind of full circle,” she says, teasing floats, sorbet, and cloches of coffeecake and cookies in the future.
Balancing between casual and carefree and elevated and refined, the Phelans envision Lillian as a spot where people can stop in for a dozen oysters and a sherry-spiked spritz or Miller High Life, or stay for hours, slowly working their way through the menu after popping a $400 bottle of bubbles.
“I love how you can bounce between those worlds,” Patrick says. "I think we wanted a place that always felt full and busy, and I think there will be an energy in here.”
Drinks are unfussy and straightforward. Refreshers include sessionable sips from a Suze N’ Tonic to the Nordic 75 with aquavit, lemon, Herbsaint and sparkling wine. Boozier cocktails are under the “bracing” section of the menu, from a house martini to the Absinthe Frappe. White and German sparkling wines, along with crisp beers, are also available, while a nonalcoholic seltzer presents a blend of cucumber, celery, grapefruit and ginger.
The name for Lillian came to the couple after Julie Roberts, an interior designer also in charge of the restaurant's branding and responsible for the revamp of Lost Letter, posed the question, “What are some things that are most important to you?” The answer: family. “Lillian is our lightning rod,” Patrick says of his daughter, who was born three and a half months early. “She’s just this miracle.
“We are in this spot where our restaurants have to be extensions of our family,” he continues. “We have two young kids, and I don’t think those can be two different worlds. I can’t park my car every day and feel like I have to become someone else before I get to that door, and that’s not a lightbulb thing, and not a bunch of pressures, it was a realization that there has to be a different way of doing this to make it sustainable and enjoyable and fulfilling.”
There is also an understanding that family extends beyond his core unit, encompassing those who have worked with the couple for years — a trusted support system that also includes Grayum Vickers, director of operations and sommelier, to Sarah Coates, general manager; Ocean Moore, sous chef; and Chris Pollard, beverage manager.
“It’s been great to step back and let people kind of run with their vision, and start to just kind of release people’s potential,” Patrick says. “Again, why did we want to do this? If we’re going to do it, let’s try to bring something to this city that we feel like enriches the experience.”
Lillian will be open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
