Last Night, It Was Time for Time

The ‘official’ opening is Saturday, but Time, the new restaurant/bar/lounge from Vintage owners Jason and Delphine Evenchik was wide open last night. There was no food yet (at least for the general public – it’s currently a ‘friends and family’ situation and we were told the menu would be ready to go on Saturday).

Let us be the first to say that it is almost unrecognizable inside, which is remarkable considering how gnarly Ludwig’s was and how little time has passed since the Evenchiks took over the space. Here’s a breakdown…

The Decor: On the right side, which is the bar specializing in brown spirits, you can see the ghost of Ludwig’s in the layout, but it feels entirely different. Some of the walls are painted a deep sapphire blue, some are exposed brick and the back bar has been completely re-varnished, so much so that we had to check with the bartender to find out if it was new or not. The signature whiskeys, ryes, bourbons, etc. were lined up and attractively backlit. There are still banquettes in the front windows.

The other side (the dining side) still has the freestanding bar, but it has also been cleaned up. Tables with tablecloths and a glass-doored wine storage unit in the back. We didn’t stay in here long – it’s less cozy than the right side.

The upstairs lounge is not open yet, but there were some interesting decals stamped or painted on the walls, creating sort of a damask feel.

The Smell: New paint. The signature Ludwig’s funk has been entirely eradicated.

The Crowd: A little bit of a sausage-fest. We got the impression that there might have been some guys who wandered in thinking Ludwig’s just got a facelift. The ghost of Ludwig’s was also present in the form of a sloppy-drunk elfin man in flip-flops toodling his way through the crowd. At this moment, we realized we were occupying the exact barstool where we saw a lady slump over in a heroin nod about two years back. Fun times! Two guys with professional cameras at the end of the bar… we’re going to go out on a limb here and say food bloggers.

The Beverages: An interesting selection of local and Belgians at not inexpensive prices. Drafts were running between $4 and $10, (most in the $6-8 range). The only $4 draft was, in fact, Lionshead, which is ridiculous for all sorts of reasons, but particularly because it can be purchased for $10-$12 a case and it’s not the sort of beer you feel okay about paying a premium for to drink out of nice restaurant glasses or in a stylish environment. The wines start at $9 a glass. We didn’t get into the liquors, but hopefully they’ll have a printed menu of them soon.

The Dirndls: No sign of them.

If you want to get a look at the first draft of the menu (accompanied by the persnickety commentary that egulleteers just can’t seem to help themselves from engaging in), click here.

Time
1315 Sansom St.
215.985.4800
timerestaurant.net