38643194
In my review of Rouge several weeks ago, I wrote Matthew Levin is the chef of the moment. He developed the new menu at Rouge and was in charge of the kitchen while waiting for Adsum, his Queen-Village bistro to open.
I anticipated my visit to Adsum because Levin wowed me when he was executive chef at LaCroix at The Rittenhouse. From a chef of his high caliber, I expected only the best.
I invited my friend Harry, who was a server at Le Bec-Fin for a number of years, to join me. He was to mark a special birthday in a few days and I looked forward to a celebratory dinner.
What ensued was one sorry, forgetful meal highlighted by mostly bland food and amateur service.
Poor ventilation is not nice when dining in hot weather. We found the coolest table in the room and settled in. Harry and I noticed the black tabletops were dusty and showed scars of the former tenant’s glassware ring marks.
I sipped a Bombay Sapphire martini ($10), which was served in a small coupe. Our server placed it to the left of me not to the right. Since I am right-handed and it was filled to the top, it was difficult for me to pick it up without spilling it.
Harry and I knew we wanted to try the foie gras, octopus, salad, skate and sweetbreads. He asked our server for bread and it took about 10 minutes for it to arrive. We received four small slices of dry, toasted challah. Since the servers did not watch the tables, it took a little while for Harry to get her attention and ask for butter.
The foie gras ($15) was as small as half a premature baby’s foot. We evenly divided it between two share plates and found it OK, but just too small. The french fries fried in duck fat were tasty, but could have been crispier. They required salt.
Octopus ($12) is a staple in Mediterranean restaurants where it is usually served in a red wine vinegar sauce. Levin looked to the American South for his version. He bathed the mollusk in a slightly sweet barbecue sauce and added a wedge of lime on the side of the plate.
It cut the sweetness a bit, but I found the combination of tastes a little bit weird.
Harry asked for more bread. It came just after we divided the Bibb lettuce salad ($10). We thought this dish was the highlight of the evening even though it is rather common. The presentation was eye-appealing since Levin scattered black sesame seeds over the salad. It contained walnut pieces, thinly-sliced pears and bits of slightly tangy blue cheese.
I make skate at home. I always dust it in seasoned flour and sautè it in a white wine sage brown butter sauce. At Adsum ($17), it is merely sautèed and placed on the plate.
It also was cold. Our server apologized and brought out another which was piping hot. The texture was a little off, sort of mealy. We asked an assistant server for lemon and lime wedges. We doused the skate in salt, pepper and lemon juice. Bits of cool broccoli were included on the plate.
Regular readers of this column know I adore sweetbreads. I was curious to see what Levin’s KFC sweetbreads ($21) were to be. I looked at my plate and there was as best that can be described as three golf balls coated in crumbs.
They were dry as dust. It was the bland leading the bland.They were not piping hot. The risotto with peas was toothsome, but could have been hotter.
Harry noticed the service was amateur through more than half of the meal, but became more professional as the evening wore on. Bus help arrived so clearing the table was not a problem during the final quarter of dinner.
Desserts were banana bread pudding, donuts and crëme brulee, poor choices for a hot summer night. Ice cream or sorbet would have been perfect.
By the time we left, the room was so filled with horrendous noise no human could enjoy a glass of wine or a meal.
The sign outside says Adsum is a refined neighborhood restaurant. I guess it depends on the definition of what refined is.
One tip of the toque to Adsum.
Adsum
700 S. Fifth St.
267-888-7002
38645904
38643179
