Cadence

25598747

Cadence, in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
300 S. Broad St. (at Spruce)
215-670-2388
Credit cards accepted
Wheelchair-accessible
Reservations a good idea

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts celebrated its first birthday last month. For years, Philadelphians lamented the city’s lack of a true performing arts center. New York has Lincoln Center. Washington has the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Our Academy of Music is an opera house, a replica of La Scala in Milan. It was the home of the Philadelphia Orchestra for more than 100 years. Now ensconced in Verizon Hall, the magnificent cello-shaped concert hall fashioned from rich South American mahogany, the orchestra’s famously lush sounds are enhanced by state-of-the-art acoustics.

I’ve visited the Kimmel Center on a number of occasions. The glass and steel roof permit the stars to shine through once darkness comes. Architect Rafael Vinoly designed a vast open first floor, without escalators, which would have interrupted the flow of people. Elevators take us to the second floor, specifically to Cadence, the Kimmel Center’s sleek, modern restaurant.

A friend and I decided to go for dinner because dining in unusual spaces is a favorite with me. The room’s minimalist décor, with comfortable granite-topped tables and crisp white linen napkins, is a relaxing environment. Glass windows that run the length of the room lead to a long terrace, with Parisian heat lamps, affording a breathtaking view of City Hall and the Avenue of the Arts. There’s outdoor dining, weather permitting of course.

I savored a glass of 1999 Côtes du Rhône Gabriel Meffe Laurus ($9), which warmed me up on a bitter cold evening. Warm bread arrived and we perused the menu of mostly classic French brasserie/bistro dishes.

There was a bit of a twist to the lobster bisque ($8). This soup is usually prepared with fish stock, lobster meat and cream, but chef Ron True cut down on the cream and used slightly sweet butternut squash to thicken the mix. Small chunks of cooked-just-right lobster meat were added to the seasoned stock.

Top-quality ahi tuna has become ubiquitous on restaurant menus. It’s usually seared rare or served raw, in slices. At Cadence ($12), it is prepared à la tartare. The plate contained a good-sized mound of immaculately fresh, raw ahi tuna, which had been chopped into tiny cubes. I particularly liked the crème fraîche sauce, studded with minced chives and wasabi, the hot Japanese condiment that often overpowers sushi-quality tuna. The crème fraîche reduced the hot flavor and added a little creaminess to the sauce. The tuna arrived with gaufrettes, which are waffle-shaped crispy potato chips.

We shared a salad ($8) of buttery Bibb lettuce topped with cashews and an unusual dressing prepared with buttermilk and Roquefort. I liked the contrast of tastes in the dressing, as buttermilk is slightly sour and the cheese added a bit of salt and piquance.

Morocco has had a strong influence on French bistro and brasserie cooking, so I was not surprised to see tagine of lamb ($26) on the menu. Tagines are rich stews and can be prepared with myriad ingredients. Here, cubes of lamb were braised until fork-tender. Preserved lemons gave the tagine a delightful slightly spicy flavor. Lemons are preserved for at least a month in a salt-lemon juice mixture, often with cinnamon, cloves and coriander. The tagine came with couscous and almonds.

Bouillabaisse ($27), like tagine, also can be created with any number of fish and shellfish. At Cadence, salmon, shrimp, mussels and clams were steamed in a saffron broth with a dash of pastis, a licorice-flavored liqueur. I found the fish to be slightly overcooked. A red-pepper rouille went well with the fish and also was tasty spread on bread.

From the desserts ($6.50 each), we selected tarte tatin and a trio of crème brûlée. Tarte tatin is a warm upside-down apple tart. The ingredients caramelize in the oven in such a way that a delicious syrup forms on the flaky pastry and sliced apples. A small scoop of rich, homemade vanilla-scented crème fraîche ice cream came with the tart.

Crème brûlée is on many menus, but I’ve never tasted one prepared with pistachio nuts. The sampler consisted of three small round ramekins of creamy custard. The pistachio flavor was delightful, but the coffee-flavored crème brûlée was light on the coffee flavor and the vanilla also lacked.

Service was professional and attentive. Staff served and cleared with ease and changed the silverware for each course. I found a few kinks, however. The hot food could have been hotter. I also think Cadence is pricey, although many restaurants on the Avenue of Arts –Avenue B, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, the Palm, Pompeii, Capital Grill and The Fountain in the Park Hyatt at The Bellevue — offer entrées in the $20-$27 range.

Cadence is open for lunch, dinner and a $26 pre-fixe Sunday brunch. The more moderately priced lounge menu features a fromage burger ($15), beef satay ($7.50), a Monte Cristo with onion rings ($12) and an Asian duck salad ($14).

Two tips of the toque to Cadence.