One block over on 12th, thems folks are still looking for a voice like the one little brother shouts from a few steps away. They’re working on it though, and it’s coming along nicely. Finn McCool’s has been redone, TBar brings that loose-leafy sensuality and Blue in Green pours the best coffee in CC with a cast of characters/customers worthy of their own sitcom. But they don’t have a heavy bag, a centerpiece to call their own. Chef John Mims’ Les Bon Temps is trying to change that.
After the jump, Collin Flatt tells the rest of the story in words and pictures.
Les Bon Temps is cajun, creole, NOLA, whatever. Give it a name. Come for the menu, stay for the space. It’s drop dead sexy. A sprawling staircase awaits as you enter a very reserved and misleading storefront. With beautifully ornate woodwork around the bar and molding above it that leads towards balcony seats which are the best in the house. Any house. Large mirrors adorn the walls framed with dark stained cherry that create an illusion of infinite dining tables and infinitely hungry patrons. Up the staircase is an esplanade with more seating and a more intimate setting for those who want to chit chat over dinner and not ogle the architecture.
A dance floor is just up the next flight with purple walls, bejeweled mardi gras masks and a full bar. Leather sectional sofas and zebra-striped victorian style chairs are peppered throughout the room creating a speakeasy of sorts. The decor does not remove you from the fact that this was once someone’s living space. A homey feel washes over when you look out the bedroom window down onto 12th street. We were lucky enough to be shown the private bottle service room (still under construction) on the very top floor which has its own bathroom. It’s got wow factor out the yin-yang, and breaking the seal has never been classier.
With such amazing attention being spent on the interior design, I figured the food would be dynamite. While it’s definitely authentic Cajun/Creole, the execution of the dishes left a little to be desired.
I was ecstatic to see Duck Jambalaya Croquettes on the starter menu for a very reasonable $8. They were cooked perfectly, and not in the slightest bit oily as duck and croquettes tend to be. The shell was very crisp, and the mix of vegetables and meat was spot on. It was served with two sauces, a tomato-based and a butter-based sauce with the butter sauce mingling so much better with the duck. The problem with the presentation was that the food was served in a kidney bean shaped plate not much bigger than the fried beasts before me. It made for a messy dish that was not easy to consume. And while I like big food, the portion was out of control.
My dining companion had the Eggplant Beignets which was the Dish Of The Night. An interesting take on an underappreciated vegetable and what appeared to be clashing flavor profiles worked out quite well. The fluffy tempura-esque batter fried shell was a delight. It was finished with Tobasco and then powdered sugar, upping the ante on sweet/savory with an ass-kick of heat. A simple dish, simply done better.
Ok, truth time. I’m not order-what-I-want guy. If there’s a tasting available, make that choice, for a chef knows his best work, a menu tells you nothing. In the event of a non-tasting situation, your server is your guide. Eddie, our guide for the night said Courtbouillon. Not as convincingly as you might like, but he had an answer for me. The catfish was cooked quite well, but I could only taste it on the first bite because the sauce was so spicy hot it demolished my tastebuds and palette. It was served to me in a large bowl with no real attention paid to presentation. $28 later, all I could taste was pain.
All things considered, the space is already prepared to kick ass as a night spot. Happiness is a megaclassypartyjoint. Even if they just sold small plate Creole snack food it could work because it’s just so.damn.cool. What’s missing is a Specialty Drink menu. You paid for the liquor license, might as well cash in on the bitch. Philly has already admitted it’s willing to pay $13 for Tang and vodka. Give it a funky name, we’ll love it.
The prices reflect the decor, I wish the food did as well. Minor tweaks to seasoning and presentation will give this joint the finish it needs to be a contender. John Mims is thisclose to making a name/home for himself on 13th St and expanding the Renaissance. I’ve seen his presentation chops at Carmine’s in Bryn Mawr. He can make it happen. What Les Bon Temps lacks in polish, it owns with grandeur. I’m sure it won’t be long until he marries the two.
— Collin Flatt
Les Bon Temps is located at 114 South 12th St. (215) 238-9100
I don’t know how important the “Lucky 13th” motiff is for this review, but Collin’s got things backwards. The “New Kids” Bindi, Apothecary, and the “old heads” join Capogiro, El Vez, Lolita, and Vintage as the anchors of the 13th Street Experience. Finn McCools rebooted, Tbar et al. and the subject of your review are on 12th Street.
There was no specialty drink menu? Maybe they’re rebooting that, which would be a good thing. I was there once, prior to the grand opening, and the installation of their tap lines. All they had was beer in bottle and cocktails including a “specialty drink menu” that claimed to New Orleans cocktails. I think the only one they might have got right was the Hurricaine. Everything else was a mess and made me wonder if the bar manager had ever read a bartending manual, let alone been to New Orleans. Apparently the bar manager or cocktail designer’s theory was that New Orleans = sickly sweet. I can’t remember/willfully forgot most of the specifics on the drink menu, but their biggest howler was the Sazarac, built on the rocks with Jaquin’s Rock n’ Rye (the actual drink is neat — maybe 1 or 2 ice cubes — and calls for the best rye on hand. You can substitute a bourbon or a blend if you don’t have rye, but Old Overholt and Sazarac rye are the staples in “real deal” New Orleans). They might have even dropped a maraschinco cherry in it (actual drink calls for a twist of lemon over the drink but not dropped, though most of the NOLA bars I go to just put a bit of peel in for ornamentation/server marking). Only good thing about the experience is it got me over to Time (also opening weekend) to wash out the gross with their real whiskeys. I’ve actually been afraid to ask for a Sazarac, which I fell in love with back in New Orleans in March) in philly since, though I imagine Southwark, the Apothecary, or Time may have someone on hand able to whip up a proper one.
Capogiro, El Vez, Lolita, and Vintage are on 13th.