There are no hallucinations or wild fits of creativity stoked by the budding new generation of legalized absinthe recently pouring into the country. But one might need a little of absinthe's still-potent charm to get a handle on the jumble of concepts that coexist at Time.
Is it a beer bar? An updated chop house? A late-night "Bohemian absinthe" DJ lounge? There is a room designed for each at Time, which rambles through the multilevel, multi-mood Sansom Street space that once housed Ludwig's Garden. Jason and Delphine Evenchick, who also own the nearby Vintage wine bar, obviously just couldn't decide. So they built them side-by-side - the warm wooden-planked taproom to the right, the sleek leather dining lounge with cafe windows to the left - with sliding barn doors between, and the funky, fabric-draped absinthe lair tucked upstairs.
The incoherence could become an identity crisis if the individual parts weren't worthy. But in most respects they are, especially if you appreciate Time's one unifying theme: a dedication to resurrecting retro pleasures like brown spirits, live music, and country club cookery. Not to mention the "Green Fairy" of the Belle Epoque.
I'm all for another whiskey bar - and Time has a growing 75-bottle list of quality single malts, bourbons, and ryes that already ranks it alongside Mahogany, Southwark and the Dark Horse. The international wine list is substantial, and carefully avoids overlap with Vintage's French-centric list. With the added draw of a serious beer bar with 20 taps and 40 bottles (backed by that wall of whiskeys), this should quickly become a thinking drinker's happy haven.
Time is also one of the rare venues that manage to book serious live music - an impressive jazz trio on our Wednesday night - that complements the meal rather than crushes it.
