Robin Garr's LOUISVILLE Restaurant Reviews

82	Timothy's 214 Court Ave. Jeffersonville, Ind. (812) 282-2202

When I last reviewed Timothy's in its original location on Broadway in Louisville, I observed that this popular spot was about as comfortable as an old shoe - specifically, an exotic old Turkish slipper, made of red velvet with bells on the end of its curled-up toes.

In the wake of its somewhat unlikely move from funky East Broadway to Ray Parella's old quarters across the Ohio in Jeffersonville, Timothy's is still old-shoe comfy. But now it strikes me as something more akin to a sensible old wing-tip or oxford.

Sure, you'll still see an occasional winking allusion to the wild-and-crazy decor that the late Tim Barnes brought to the original Timothy's in the early '80s after he and Bim Deitrich went their own ways after the closing of their Cherokee Triangle landmark "Formally Myra's." There are still a few fringe-draped lamps and fustian oil paintings to evoke the old scene, and the familiar leopard-skin carpet has been replicated in the new spot's main dining room. The familiar logos remain, as does the tongue-in-cheek "Now Sauteing" sign flashing in red neon in the kitchen window.

But the overall ambience - and the menu - seems just a bit more American-style, just a whiff more down-home than the gently eclectic and pleasantly eccentric feel that informed the original establishment.

Still, as noted, it's just as comfortable as ever, and the happy crowds that are streaming over to Southern Indiana to enjoy it (even on a drizzly Monday evening) demonstrate that management hasn't done anything to lose the affection of Timothy's loyal clientele.

The "business casual" mood begins in the large, comfortably furnished lobby with its overstuffed furniture. There's a large, well-lighted bar and a smaller dining room toward the rear (where there's also ample parking out back); the leopard-spots carpet adorns the main dining room up front with its row of picture windows that offer a close-up view of the bright and angular neon buildings of downtown Jeff - a Hardee's and a Thornton's - with the Kennedy Bridge (still needing paint) and the Louisville skyline in the distance.

The walls are a discreetly textured cinnamon color with a couple of large oil portraits at one end of the room and a pair of funky lamps at the other. Imposing side chairs are well-padded with maroon plush upholstery; a beige banquette runs along one side of the room with a short satellite bench around a corner. The 20-or-so tables are draped in white and furnished with burgundy cloth napkins, simple flatware and flickering votive candles; wine glasses appear to be the same squat little goblets used at the old quarters, good enough for quaffing but not really ideal for enjoying quality wines.

The new menu seems just a bit more down-home American than the trans-Atlantic Continental style at the old place, but some Italianate pasta dishes and a quartet of pizzas have been added, perhaps in homage to the venue's former service as Ray Parella's long-time home. It's significantly less pricey than the last Timothy's menu I reviewed, with main dishes now from $8.95 to $26.95, in contrast with a $34.95 top end ($42.95 for rock lobster tails for two) at the old place.

A dozen appetizers range from $4.95 (for tobacco onion rings) to $9.95 (for smoked salmon wraps, a carry-over from the old menu, or fried green tomatoes Santorini, a odd conceptual blend of the Mediterranean and the rural South). Traditionalists will be delighted to learn that Timothy's trademark white chili is still on the menu, at $2.50 for a cup, $3.95 for a bowl. A half-dozen salads range from $4.50 for Timothy's house salad to $6.50 for Shayne's sauteed spinach salad served with Tuscan beans and fresh rosemary.

The main-course list is exceptionally long, including 17 entrees plus six house specialties (it's not immediately clear what distinguishes these separate categories) and a quartet of pizzas. On the budget end of the "entree" spectrum you'll pay $8.95 for Timothy's fried cod platter or a 1/2 pound prime beef T-burger. On the blowout end of the scale, a 9-ounce center cut beef tenderloin filet is $26.95. Spaghetti Bolognese is $13.95, blackened swordfish is $17.95 and Timothy's seafood trio is $19.95. A $22.95 investment will bring you the macadamia-nut-crusted sea bass with passionfruit sauce or a hulking 20-oz beef prime rib.

"House specialties" range from $8.95 (for 1/4 of a Southern-fried chicken, $10.95 for a half) to $19.95 (for jumbo coconut shrimp with grilled pineapple, rice and spicy peanut-butter sauce. Bowtie pasta tossed with smoked salmon and peas is $17.95; linguine con pesco with clams, mussels and fish in a tomato sauce is $18.95. Pizzas are $11.95 for a 12-inch pie and $15.95 for a 16-incher and come in Greek (chicken and olives with feta cheese), vegetarian, Italian or all-American with beef and cheese.

The wine list, as at the old location, isn't overly long with about 30 items, many of them mass-market labels including Brown-Forman's Bolla and Jekel brands. They're generally affordable, though, from $5.50 to $9 for a glass and most bottles in the $30-and-under range. Domestic beers are $3.50, imports $4; again, these are mostly mass market brands, with nothing more crafty than Bass Ale or Sam Adams for the "connoisseurs."

Good wine buys include Boutari Nemea, an intriguingly fruity red wine from Greece, $23 a bottle or $6 a glass, or the food-friendly Bodegas Norton Malbec, $20 a bottle or $5.50 glass.

I sprung for a little more to enjoy one of the most interesting wines on the list, Zaca Mesa 2000 "Z Cuvee" from Santa Barbara, California, $30 for the bottle ($6.50 a glass). A Chateauneuf-du-Pape-style blend of 48 percent Grenache, 22 percent Mourvedre, 12 percent Counoise, 10 percent Syrah and 8 percent Cinsaut, it's a fruity and complex mix of ripe raspberry fruit from the Grenache, earthy and grapey notes of Mourvedre and a dash of fragrant black pepper from Syrah, nicely structured with a tart edge of acidity unusual in a California wine, making it a first-rate match with both our main courses.

In honor of tradition, I started with Timothy's original white chili. I asked for a cup ($2.50) but got a bowl ($3.95), a minor lapse since I ate it all. It was "white," all right, or pale tan anyway, a ration of white beans, tender but not overly cooked, with chicken shreds in a salty broth, topped with shredded white jack cheese and small dabs of sour cream and red salsa. It seemed a bit toned down from the original version, which I recall as a more complex and spicy blend of green chile peppers, red onions and spice. The dominant flavors here were cumin and salt. A couple of cello-wrapped packets of saltines on the side were left unopened.

An appetizer order of fried oysters ($7.95) hit the spot. A large bowl was filled with a sizable portion of bright-green deep-fried spinach leaves, crisp and salty, a tasty thing to do to spinach, serving as a bed for a half-dozen juicy fresh oysters deep-fried with a thick, crunchy breading. It was delicious, if a bit on the greasy side; don't count the calories!

Simple but appetizing small white French rolls, warm and crusty from the oven, arrived with fresh butter in a napkin-lined wicker basket just before the salads were served.

Shayne's sauteed spinach salad ($6.50) offers an odd but intriguing twist on the usual rabbit food: Fresh spinach leaves were sauteed until hot, bright green and barely wilted, served in a warm olive-oil vinaigrette, with a small dish of tender Tuscan-style white beans on the side. The menu mentioned fresh rosemary, but we couldn't find the elusive herb on the salad plate.

The "traditional" Caesar salad ($4.95) was large but a bit pedestrian. It seemed more like a tossed vinaigrette salad with croutons than a Caesar: Chopped romaine lettuce, crisp and fresh, was bathed in a dressing more tart than creamy, tossed with a few tiny croutons and no hint of Worcestershire or anchovy flavor.

Timothy's Southern fried chicken ($10.95 for a half chicken) hit the spot. A half proved to be a lot of chicken indeed, sizzling and tender; a breast-and-wing quarter and a leg quarter cloaked in a thin, simple but crisp breading.

My main-dish choice, the mustard-crusted veal chop ($23.95) was lightly breaded with a crisp coating touched with just a hint of Dijon mustard; sauteed until brown, then baked for a twice-cooked treatment that took the meat far past rare. It was juicy and flavorful, though, and plenty tender.

Both entrees came with the same accompaniments: Garlicky mashed potatoes weren't as obscenely buttery or creamy as some, but still very good, dense and flavorful; they were laced with a surprising amount of pungent black pepper, but the garlic component was more muted. A rich, creamy milk gravy accompanying the portion on the fried-chicken plate was a definite plus. The vegetable of the day, green beans, were cooked through if not quite falling-apart, flavored with salt and a bit of onion.

There's no printed dessert menu, and offerings appear to change daily; the choice this evening included pumpkin pie, butterscotch pie, Italian cream cake, orange cake and vanilla ice cream.

We shared a slice of butterscotch pie ($5), prettily presented on a clear glass plate painted with a decorative Jackson Pollock design in dark chocolate. The crust was decent short pastry filled with a dense, sweet butterscotch custard, garnished with a dollop of whipped cream and a fat, red strawberry. Espresso ($3) was fine, dark and properly bitter, topped with a golden crema.

Service was friendly and attentive, if a bit enthusiastic at times, sometimes interrupting conversations to determine whether each and every course was to our satisfaction ... still, I guess that's better than erring on the inattentive side. A good-size dinner for two, with appetizers, salads, main courses, coffees and dessert plus a mid-range wine, came to $104.47, to which we added a $20 tip. You could easily get away for a lot less by skipping some of the extras and choosing wine by the glass. $$$$

(October 2003)

ACCESSIBILITY: Two steps bar wheelchair access to the restaurant's lobby entrance, although a long ramp allows access to the entire building through the separate bar entrance. Restrooms are fully accessible to wheelchair users.