Friday, February 14, 2014

#28: Time

Yesterday was my 6th snow day of the year, and Brendan's 1st. Selling Flyers tickets apparently qualifies him as essential personnel- but not yesterday! So we decided to brave the city streets in the 8 inches of snow.



We were planning on going to Oyster House for their happy hour special, but they were closed, so we ended up at McGillans. I feel like we always somehow find ourselves there. We stayed for a few drinks (pitchers, maybe) and then headed to Time for dinner.


 For all of you who think Time is simply a late night spot to rage and dance in the sweaty upstairs bar room, you are wrong. This place is a hidden gem. The food was marvelous. And I can say with almost certainty that it was not just the PBR pitchers talking.



We just ordered off the bar menu, and started with the Mussels. Basic mussels sauce- white wine, tomatoes, garlic, but just simply amazing. I'm salivating right now as I type this and it is 10AM in the morning. This was Brendan's first time trying mussels, ever, and he said "why did you never make me eat mussels before?" Win!


Brendan got the Burger- bacon, jack cheese, onions fries. I got the Fried Chicken Sandwich with apple and cabbage slaw, chili mayo, fries. I can't say enough about this apple slaw. It made the sandwich. Ate the entire thing. I can say that that was probably a result of the PBR pitcher.



The best thing about Time last night had to be the atmosphere. It was slightly comical, actually. There was a drunk, drunk girl sitting on the other end of the bar with a guy who she made very clear was not her boyfriend. Something about something with her sister? Who knows, but she provided the entertainment for the night. In addition to that show, we also were serenaded by a one man band who turned Top 40 hits into a slow songs.. he reminded us of the wedding singer from The Hangover.



Great impression of Time last night, I enjoyed the bar scene as well as the food. Highly recommend if you are looking for a bar atmosphere type restaurant.  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!





Monday, February 3, 2014

#27: Butcher & Singer


First of all, let me say that I apologize for my absence, it has been a busy couple of months, and frankly I am poor. I also would like to warn you that I took no pictures during my visit to Butcher and Singer so I hope that my beautiful, eloquent words can paint the picture for you. 

As most of you know, last week was Restaurant Week in Center City, so Brendan and I decided to take advantage of this and make reservations for one of Philadelphia's most loved steak houses, Butcher & Singer . I was really looking forward to this night out and all of the delicious food that comes so highly recommended. I was ready to eat, that's for sure. 

B&S has an old time steak house appeal to it. We walked into the front entrance through thick, velvet curtains. There was a small bar to the left when you first walked in, and then the rest of the floor was filled with tables. The high ceilings and the ornate fixtures really made this place come alive. The waiters were dressed very Gatsby-like and our waiter in particular was pretty amazing. He really took his time to explain the restaurant week menu and to orient us to B&S. Brendan and I hadn't been out in a while, so we decided to make the most of it. That being said, I decided to stray from my typical drink order of Merlot or Chardonnay and go with B&S's featured drink, the Brown Derby (honey infused bourbon, grapefruit juice, and agave- I mean how good does that sound?!) I've never been a big bourbon drinker, honestly that may have been the first bourbon I've ever ordered. After that drink, I know why. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I probably could've fallen asleep at the table and I lasted maybe 30 minutes when we got home before I headed to bed. Anyways less on my light-weightness and onto the food...We each ordered our 3 courses and we just had to add the Stuffed Hash Browns. We've heard from multiple people they were a definite must-have and the way our waiter explained them, it was a no brainer. The dish came out and it was as big as the plate. Picture a huge hash brown stuffed with cheese, sour cream, and more potatoes. Yup. 

My Meal:
  • Oysters Rockefeller : Oysters topped with spinach, parmesan cheese, and other greatness. I ate these in 7 seconds. I think I got anxious or I was just that hungry. Sometimes I forget restaurant etiquette. 
  • 8 oz Filet: Ugh. The center of my steak was cold. I never send my steak back, but this was cold and I was too excited for this meal not to have it be perfect. My thought was that since it was restaurant week they had all meals massed produced and sitting out under a light, which is why the center of my steak was cold. When I told the waiter, he said okay let me throw that back on the grille for you. I think he mistook my cold steak as me not knowing how I wanted my steak done. The steak was done perfectly, it was just cold. So he brought it back 5 minutes later and it was charred on the outside and more of a medium than a medium rare that I ordered. And this is why I typically avoid ordering steak. 
  • Creamed Spinach side: Very tiny, thank god we got the hash browns or we might have left hungry. But the side was great. 
  • Bread Pudding: Another Ugh. They got my order wrong and brought me out the Blood Orange Sorbet. Another issue to be solved.
Brendan's Meal:
  • Potato Leak Soup
  • 8 oz Fliet: His filet was cold too, but since the creamed spinach and the hash brown were so hot, he just topped this filet with those sides and called it a day.
  • Creamed Spinach side
  • Chocolate Caramel Tart

Overall, the meal left me wanting more. Again, I don't want to judge a restaurant too hard during restaurant week- but isn't that the point? To make patrons want to come back? 

Even though it a less expensive meal as a result of restaurant week, we still paid a pretty penny. Total bill was $114. Minus $50 + tip = $85. We were a bit surprised that we didn't get at least a drink taken off our bill because of the few mishaps, and they even overcharged us $2 for Brendan's drink. I am trying not to let this night ruin my perception of Butcher and Singer- would love to go back but know that it probably won't happen for a while. Final thoughts: Great hash brown.