The half whiskey bar half absinthe lounge caught my personal attention when I read a small article about the new Time restaurant opening up on Samson street.
Located just west of 13th, it’s shadowed by the looming (but fabulous) Elvez. From the front, the exterior feels like standing at someone’s house. A big thick wooden door with a wrought iron handle is delicately accented by a small window placed oddly in its upper right corner. But the feeling disappears when you glance immediately left where the windows show off the large bar room and the huge illuminated sign reads “TIME.”
When we let ourselves in, we made a beeline into a small (packed) side bar that was very busy and a little uncomfortable. The sea of tables hid the small back bar - and the poor waitresses were wading through the mass of people attempting to take orders at the booths set against the front window.
The atmosphere was off.
We moved to the large (more pristine) bar in the left wing of the restaurant: the “whiskey” side of things. The bar itself was roomy and filled a good half of the room. Tables were against the windows facing the street placed next to the live band set up in the corner of the room.
Feeling safer in this room, we made ourselves comfortable at the end of the bar.
An impressive list of tap beers was offered, Domestic included: Dogfish 90 minute, Victory Prima Pils, Rogue Dead Guy Ale (among others).
And of course at a Whiskey bar I naturally ordered a beer...
My companions order an appetizer: a beer battered vegetable sampler. Quite frankly, it was very unimaginative: some horseradish sauce, some deep fried onions and green beans, not particularly tasty.
But the rest of the menu seemed palatable.
This is a total digression:
We had been drinking and dining for about an hour when three professors from U Penn decided to join our little party (note: these men could be our fathers).
Well, we humored their company for a while - when one offered to buy some champagne. Not just any champagne, the most expensive bottle at the bar - like 100 dollars worth, though the name escapes me.
Not to sound too pedestrian, but I am not much of a champagne drinker - I couldn’t have cared less about this purchase. To me, it tasted like moderately good champagne (just like most expensive champagne tastes to me.)
We drank it. Thanked him. And left them.
Another successful night of drinking in Philly.
