Time Restaurant

Tonight I went out for restaurant week at Time in Center City Philadelphia.  It was seriously some of the best eats I have had in a long time, even with my yummy farmers' market excursions and other miscellaneous foodie adventures. Since it was restaurant week, the chef was truly in charge of what we received; we only got to choose three of the five courses, which is all the better for me!

We began the evening's culinary affairs with beverages and a plate of soft bread and fresh, extra virgin, and quite fruity olive oil, infused with dollops of aged balsamic vinegar.  Now I am not necessarily a fan of balsamic vinegar, but this really was not so bad.  Unfortunately the bread did not have a crispy crust as I have come to require all breads I enjoy to muster; however, the olive oil penetrated the somewhat fine crumb well and allowed for a delicate rush of fruitiness and sweetness in the process of chewing.  It was a nice way to prep the palate for other mediterranean affairs to follow.





The first actual course was a set of three hors-d'oeuvres chosen by the chef, which were downright fantastic.  From right to left we ate the following: a morsel  of creamy smoked and chopped salmon nestled delicately on a thin slice of refreshingly cool cucumber, a trifecta of olives arranged as a salad, and a luscious carrot slaw - by far my favorite flavor of the three.   The salmon was rather creamy in its paste-like consistency, and was downright delectable.  As salty as cured salmon tends to be, this side-effect of the wonderful culinary process was mollified by the refreshing moisture content of the cucumber.  It essentially diluted the salmon to a tolerably salty level to bring out the creamy notes just a tad more.  It also provided a nice contrast to the richness of the topping.  We all agreed that the salmon could have used just a touch of fresh dill sprinkled over the concoction in order to introduce a tantalizingly herbal aspect to the dish as a whole.  Who doesn't love cold salmon and dill together, I ask you?




Olives have never been and probably never will be my thing, so I decided I would give them a shot and pass them on to my mother, if she were so willing to indulge in a second mouthful of salty bliss.  And that she did.  I know it's a problem to turn down any dish regardless of preconceptions, so I gave it a shot.  A shot was all it took for the salinity of the olives and the rich oiliness to satisfy whatever particularly miniscule craving I did have for a dish of that nature.  If you like olives, that dish is for you.  It was not bad, just very salty, and it really, really smacked you in the face with its flavor.  What a wake-up after the creamy and decadent salmon!


The carrot slaw was simply to die for.  I know I am a lover of all root vegetables, specifically carrots, but this was truly fantastic.  The carrots were julienned very finely and placed ever so humbly on a ceramic spoon.  It was dressed with some sort of vinegary concoction to marinate just as any other slaw would be, yet it was topped with a light, airy dollop of Madras curry cream....  What is that, you may ask.  Well, it is just about the most refreshingly creamy (yes refreshing and creamy and decadent all in one) counterpart to the still-crunchy carrots underneath, all beautifully tied together in unctuous goodness.

The second course was an opportunity for decisions, so I decided upon the salmon raillettes, which upon questioning the waiter I was informed were not traditional in that they were smoked salmon in a sort of pate style on toasted baguettes and sprinkled with microgreenery.  The crispy toasted baguette rounds were wonderful and gave the dish quite a crunch to contrast the yet again creamy nature of the (this time) smoked salmon.  It was very salty, but in the best way possible.  Everyone loves a nice salty bite of salmon now and again, offset of course by the bread underneath and the herbs with which the salmon was prepared.  It was definitely reminiscent of the Mediterranean world with a sort of Northern European twist.  I really enjoyed it and it's incredibly fishy flavor.  Unfortunately there was no lemony essence to offset the olive oil and the fishiness of the raillettes, but the contrast among the bread, salmon and microgreens was enough to make any foodie's night.  I also sampled the tomato-basil salad with lovely fruity olive oil and balsamic viinegar and tangy pickled Spanish onions.  It was fantastic with three different kinds of tomatoes and wonderfully fresh and considerably potent basil.  Both appetizers were winners, though the salmon trumped.

Our third course was presented without selection, and turned out to be one of the best things ever: a mussel--herb risotto.  Who doesn't love a nice starchy, creamy, herbal risotto with just a touch of sweetness from the juicy mussels whose liquor is overflowing from their parted shells?  Not only was it creamy and decadent, but the fresh sea-breeze taste of the mussels took away some of the jaded richness that tends to accompany such dishes.  I doubt the use of cheese due to the seafood nature of the dish, but I can't be entirely sure, since it was noticeably saline in its content.  The oysters needed the herbal notes of the risotto, and as I mentioned, their refreshing juiciness and sweetness cut the salt and the cream right out of the rice.  The rice still had a bit of an al dente quality as far as risottos go, which was all the better in my book, and the herbs spiced up the dish rather nicely: parsley was particularly potent.

For my fourth and main course of the evening, I rather enjoyed a stuffed and roasted yellow pepper served with the top sliced through yet remaining on the pepper for presentation.  Inside of this already gorgeous meal were white and black beans, wild rice, barley, and a mirepoix of veggies, which was then topped with toasted breadcrumbs and chopped herbs.   This was a masterpiece that I savored through every bite.  The starchiness of the rice contrasted with the crunch of the breadcrumbs and the bite of the beans lent itself to send me to cloud nine.  I swear this was what I had been dreaming about since I made the reservations and looked at the menu a week prior.  The barley was rather nutty, which I love, and complemented the sweetness of the yellow pepper.  I love yellow and orange peppers the best, and roasted, they take on such a sweet and rich character than the grains inside only helped to tone down and blend into a seamless, flawless Mediterranean vegetarian presentation.

Finally I ended my evening of pleasant tasting with an espresso that accompanied my also long-anticipated fresh fruit soup.  Chopped strawberries and pineapple bits, balled bananas, and shredded honeydew rind were placed in a cute bowl in front of me, and from a teapot our server poured a concoction of simple syrup and lime juice infused with the essence of banana....  I really enjoyed playing with the idea that I was eating a banana and lime sugar stock similar to letting a chicken bubble away in a pot all day.  The soup was served chilled, exactly how I like my fruit, and provided a nice sweet note on which I ended the evening's festivities.  The lime accentuated the sweetness of the simple syrup, and the rind with the fruity bits floating in the bowl allowed for a fibrous, grounding aspect to what would otherwise be simply too sweet without substance to accompany it.  What a flawless presentation, and I recommend this wonderful establishment to all in the Philadelphia area.  They present an amazing atmosphere, and owner chatted with us pleasantly on our way out.  The sever was very aware of all of the information he presented and really took it upon himself to see that we enjoyed our evening.  We will not forget this awesome establishment for a future restaurant week!