17 replies to this topic

[mattohara]

The sign is up, the menu is here:
http://www.citypaper.../#comment-97127

and the inside looks great. For anybody that doesn't know it's in the old Ludwig's spot on Sansom and Juniper. Three very distinct new bars have been installed along with a lot of other cool decor. I know the Jason and Delphine and a few of the people working for them. I have to say that I think it's going to be excellent food (it's the same chef as Vintage and I love the food over there) and a great place to hang. One side is a ll about the brown liquors, with bourbon, rye, whiskey/whisky and single malts galore. The other side will be more about the restaurant and the food is modeled after country club chow but updated. Check out the menu above, I think it sounds fantastic. I hope they make your proper Maine Lobster Roll, Holly!

The upstairs is going to be a more late-night DJ spot with dancing. You'll be able to find me at the bottom of a scotch bottle on the first floor though. I'm pretty excited because I love the Brown Liquors and it's across the street from where I work. edit: inspection is passed! They will be open this week!

And no, I'm not getting paid for this*. :D

*Though I did drink a bunch of wine leftover from when all the liquor reps came by!

EDIT: (added in the menu and the fact that they just passed inspection)

# Jason Evenchik Says:
April 4th, 2008 at 4:25 pm

Here’s sneak peak at TIME’s menu:

Starters

TIME Shrimp cocktail- Chilled jumbo shrimp served grilled vegetables and a Bloody Mary sorbetto

Tomato Mozzarella napoleon Beefsteak tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves piled high with baby spinach fire roasted tomato coulis

Oysters Rockefeller Panko encrusted oysters fried and served with smoky spinach artichoke dip

Cucumber Salad Thinly sliced English cucumbers marinated in a dill vinaigrette, served with a lime sorbet

Steak tartar Finely sliced tenderloin served traditionally with toast points

The Country Club Braised pork belly, turkey bacon, and proscuitto served on toasted brioche with a roasted garlic aioli

Brandied Seafood Bisque Rich and creamy with a tarragon crème fraiche

Crab Cakes Crab Mousse, breaded and seared, served with sautéed leaks and pickled jalapeño

Antipasti platter A selection of fine cheeses and meats served with traditional accompaniments

New England Lobster roll Fresh tail and claw meat tossed in a lemon aioli, and served on a new England roll with sage brown butter

Dinner

10 oz. flat iron steak Rubbed in adobo served with hand cut fries tomato confit

Time’s Signature Burger 10 oz. sirloin patty, topped with crispy pancetta, Lancaster cheddar served on a whole wheat bun

8 oz. filet mignon Beef tenderloin encrusted with grated horseradish and served with a Creole bouillabaisse and scalloped potatoes

16 oz.Porterhouse Topped with a fresh gremolata and served with a butternut squash ravioli and peppered watercress

12 oz. NY Strip Served with grilled leaks, gorgonzola butter, seared risotto, and a fried quail egg

16 oz. Cote de Boeuf Bon-in rib eye served with Time’s signature mashed potato, haricot verts, and topped with marrow and red wine jus

Venison Tenderloin Marinated in aged bourbon and served with a celery root puree, pickled mustard greens and a raspberry-basil coulis

Braised Veal Cheeks Braised in a local IPA and served with fava beans, seasonal mushrooms and a bourbon glazed fig confit

Wild Boar Rack Encrusted in pine nuts and served with black olive fritters, tomato confit and black truffle oil

Mako Shark Filet of Mako shark served with shaved Brussel sprouts, pancetta, and lemon tarragon butter

Free Range Chicken Breast cut, served with sweet potato biscuits, creamed corn and a grilled leak coulis

-Vegetarian options upon request using seasonal ingredients-

Edited by mattohara, 04 April 2008 - 02:41 PM.

[philadining]

Is that really 5 steaks on the dinner menu? Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[mattohara]

haha, yes! that's a country club i want to belong to.

[Vadouvan]

Here’s sneak peak at TIME’s menu:

Starters

TIME Shrimp cocktail- Chilled jumbo shrimp served grilled vegetables and a Bloody Mary sorbetto

Tomato Mozzarella napoleon Beefsteak tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves piled high with baby spinach fire roasted tomato coulis

Oysters Rockefeller Panko encrusted oysters fried and served with smoky spinach artichoke dip

Cucumber Salad Thinly sliced English cucumbers marinated in a dill vinaigrette, served with a lime sorbet

Steak tartar Finely sliced tenderloin served traditionally with toast points

The Country Club Braised pork belly, turkey bacon, and proscuitto served on toasted brioche with a roasted garlic aioli

Brandied Seafood Bisque Rich and creamy with a tarragon crème fraiche

Crab Cakes Crab Mousse, breaded and seared, served with sautéed leaks and pickled jalapeño

Antipasti platter A selection of fine cheeses and meats served with traditional accompaniments

New England Lobster roll Fresh tail and claw meat tossed in a lemon aioli, and served on a new England roll with sage brown butter

Dinner

10 oz. flat iron steak Rubbed in adobo served with hand cut fries tomato confit

Time’s Signature Burger 10 oz. sirloin patty, topped with crispy pancetta, Lancaster cheddar served on a whole wheat bun

8 oz. filet mignon Beef tenderloin encrusted with grated horseradish and served with a Creole bouillabaisse and scalloped potatoes

16 oz.Porterhouse Topped with a fresh gremolata and served with a butternut squash ravioli and peppered watercress

12 oz. NY Strip Served with grilled leaks, gorgonzola butter, seared risotto, and a fried quail egg

16 oz. Cote de Boeuf Bon-in rib eye served with Time’s signature mashed potato, haricot verts, and topped with marrow and red wine jus

Venison Tenderloin Marinated in aged bourbon and served with a celery root puree, pickled mustard greens and a raspberry-basil coulis

Braised Veal Cheeks Braised in a local IPA and served with fava beans, seasonal mushrooms and a bourbon glazed fig confit

Wild Boar Rack Encrusted in pine nuts and served with black olive fritters, tomato confit and black truffle oil

Mako Shark Filet of Mako shark served with shaved Brussel sprouts, pancetta, and lemon tarragon butter

Free Range Chicken Breast cut, served with sweet potato biscuits, creamed corn and a grilled leak coulis

-Vegetarian options upon request using seasonal ingredients-

Matt.
The owners should hire proofreaders before printing this menu.
Hopefuly this was not the *actual* menu.
Don't take it the wrong way and I don't want to sound like a know it all but it's a bit rough around the edges and we on e-gullet would be remiss if we did not point out these embarassing typos and inconsistencies. Maybe I am bored today but here goes, better you read it from me than from Laban wouldn't you say ?

1.Why say "sorbetto" instead of sorbet if it's not an Italian restaurant, sounds pretentious.
plus "sorbet" is used for the cucumber dish.

2.The term "Napoleon" is only aplied to pastry.

3.Steak "Tartar" should be "TARTARE", "tartar" sauce is served with fried seafood.

4.Brandied Seafood Bisque Rich and creamy with a tarragon crème fraiche
Spring is coming.

5."Crab Cakes Crab Mousse, breaded and seared, served with sautéed leaks"
That would be "LEEKS".
" Leaks" are dripping fluids.

6.Shellfish and Sage are notoriously incompatible.

7."Flatiron" steak. One word not Flat-Iron.

8."Time’s Signature Burger 10 oz. sirloin patty"
Saying the hamburger is a "patty" seems fairly redundant.

9. "Creole bouillabaisse" maybe subject to interpretation but fine.

10. "peppered watercress"
Isn't that peppercress ?

11. "12 oz. NY Strip Served with grilled leaks, gorgonzola butter, seared risotto, and a fried quail
egg"
Again "leeks" not "leaks"
"Seared Risotto" sounds ? , say risotto cake.

12. "Braised Veal Cheeks Braised in a local IPA"
Redundancies read badly, it's assumed braised dishes are braised.
Rather say....
"Veal cheeks braised in local IPA"

13. As a whole every instance of the phrase "served with" should be removed.
Too many "ands"
It reads badly and distracts diners.
Simply say for example...

"Filet of Mako Shark, shaved brussel sprouts, pancetta, lemon-tarragon butter.

Edited by Vadouvan, 07 April 2008 - 12:53 PM.

[Holly Moore]

13.  As a whole every instance of the phrase "served with" should be removed.
      Too many "ands"
      It reads badly and distracts diners.
      Simply say for example...

    "Filet of Mako Shark, shaved brussel sprouts, pancetta, lemon-tarragon butter.

Amen to "served with" - not just many menus, but lots of restaurant reviews and write-ups too - including some of mine, I'm sure.

[zeffer81]

Matt.
The owners should hire proofreaders before printing this menu.
Hopefuly this was not the *actual* menu.
Don't take it the wrong way and I don't want to sound like a know it all but it's a bit rough around the edges and we on e-gullet would be remiss if we did not point out these embarassing typos and inconsistencies. Maybe I am bored today but here goes, better you read it from me than from Laban wouldn't you say ?

1.Why say "sorbetto" instead of sorbet if it's not an Italian restaurant, sounds pretentious.
  plus "sorbet" is used for the cucumber dish.

2.The term "Napoleon" is only aplied to pastry.

3.Steak "Tartar" should be  "TARTARE", "tartar" sauce is served with fried seafood.

4.Brandied Seafood Bisque Rich and creamy with a tarragon crème fraiche
  Spring is coming.

5."Crab Cakes Crab Mousse, breaded and seared, served with sautéed leaks"
  That would be "LEEKS".
  " Leaks" are dripping fluids.

6.Shellfish and Sage are notoriously incompatible.

7."Flatiron" steak. One word not Flat-Iron.

8."Time’s Signature Burger 10 oz. sirloin patty"
    Saying the hamburger is a "patty" seems fairly redundant.

9. "Creole bouillabaisse"  maybe subject to interpretation but fine.

10. "peppered watercress"
      Isn't that peppercress ?

11. "12 oz. NY Strip Served with grilled leaks, gorgonzola butter, seared risotto, and a fried quail         
      egg"
    Again "leeks" not "leaks"
    "Seared Risotto" sounds ? , say risotto cake.

12. "Braised Veal Cheeks Braised in a local IPA"
      Redundancies read badly, it's assumed braised dishes are braised.
      Rather say....
      "Veal cheeks braised in local IPA"

13.  As a whole every instance of the phrase "served with" should be removed.
      Too many "ands"
      It reads badly and distracts diners.
      Simply say for example...

    "Filet of Mako Shark, shaved brussel sprouts, pancetta, lemon-tarragon butter.

Ouch. You were *really* bored. While I agree with you on many of the items, let's hope the food speaks for itself. Perhaps they will take note and make adjustments accordingly, but in the meantime--best of luck to Jason and Delphine!

[Nipsey Russell]

sovalo always seems to have a fun typo slipped in there somewhere, perhaps time consulted on the menu with sovalo's chef?

[mattohara]

Wow. I just copied and pasted this from the other site, not really doing more than glancing over it. In my experience chefs are notoriously bad spellers. Maybe Jason is too! I'll ask Jason/Delphine to have me proofread the menu and look at this post before the official opening date.

So...what does everybody think? Besides the shellfish and sage combo?

[KatieLoeb]

It seems quite ambitious. I hope they can pull it off. It's easy for a diner with a huge staff to make that many different food items without having to concentrate on any beverages. Smaller restaurants with a beverage program and notions of finer dining have a lot more plates to keep spinning. I wish them luck.

[Vadouvan]

So...what does everybody think? Besides the shellfish and sage combo?

If the food is good, people will go.
Does not seem like much new or hardly reflective of spring but again if it's good, most do not care as long as it's tasty.

Have to agree with katie, a tad ambitious and tooooooo many steaks.

Shellfish and Sage works if Butternut squash and bacon are involved.

Edited by Vadouvan, 09 April 2008 - 12:26 PM.

[Rich Pawlak]

Seems awfully ambitious, I agree. I wonder why small places , when they finally decide to branch out to a second place, seem to go BIG instead of smaller or at least a similar size? I've always thought that was peculiar.

I know I may be alone in this sentiment, but I will miss Ludwig's. When I worked at The Bellevue, it was a frequent happy hour stop for the gang in my office, and I must say that for almost every year of my annual Golden Age of Beer in Philadelphia Tour, Ludwig's was our first stop, for a bodacious and overly generous lunch to get us off on the right stomach. And Paul Olivier, one of the owners, would always lead the group in a series of raucous German drinking songs. Great fun and always a great lunch.

[mattohara]

Rich I think the quick answer is that it was an opportunity that presented itself to the Evanchick's.

I also think the size of the menu is a reflection of the size of the space. It's a bigger restaurant and kitchen than Vintage so that same size menu wouldn't have worked.

Like I said in the initial post, I'm pretty excited to expand my rye and scotch knowledge. I will report back soon. Very soon...

[KatieLoeb]

I have to wonder if this is a "let's throw it all at the wall and see what sticks" sort of approach. Being a fine dining establishment with an extensive menu, a craft cocktail lounge, a scotch and whiskey bar and a beer geek joint seems like a lot to take on all at once. Please don't misinterpret my skepticism, I wish them no ill will. But it does seem like a lot to try and accomplish right out of the gate. I always wonder why folks don't choose to start off slow and build rather than go the other way.

[mattohara]

While they do have lots of beers and I'm sure a cocktail selection I really don't think they're going for a "beer geek joint" and "craft cocktail lounge" vibe. I think it's a restaurant on one side with aforementioned cuisine, a brown liquor bar on the other side and then a late-night, weekend dance thing upstairs. Each just happens to have its own, very nice and well-stocked bar.

[KatieLoeb]

Reports I have heard from other in-the-biz folks around town (some of whom will be working there) is that they are trying to do it all. Godspeed to 'em if they do. The separate nightclub-upstairs-from-the-restaurant thing is enough of a hassle. Just ask the guys at the Walnut Room.

[TarteTatin]

A.D. Amorosi's column today in City Paper says something about the chef who created the menu leaving already...

[KatieLoeb]

Yeah - I'd heard that too. Although chef turnover is not an unknown variable in these sorts of endeavors, I hope whomever comes in to replace them has a clear vision of what is to go on there. Again - LOTS of plates spinning....

[Vadouvan]

The place is very pretty but I think the fact that there is just WAY too much meat on the menu will hurt them.
Seriously WAAAAY too much meat.