5:01 Downtown
37 N. Second Street, Harrisburg
233-1501


by Sue Barry
Can the food really outshine the contemporary setting and sleek big city feel of the 5:01 Downtown? Can it rival the rest of the Renaissance-dining scene in this swanky neighborhood? Can the kitchen at a trendy restaurant that turns dance club after the hunger pangs are gone produce great New American cuisine with a Mediterranean twist? Indeed it can.

Enter through the double doors of this renovated townhouse and are immediately greeted by a host waiting to seat you. At the long, polished bar to the left are patrons who stopped in for a bite of lite fare and others who extended their happy hour stay that began at 5:01 p.m. (hence the name of the place). Cherry wood with black accents, chrome, and mirrors here and there give the 5:01 a fashionable feel. Tables are draped in crisp white linen, place settings are rolled in matching napkins, and servers dressed in basic black are scurrying around the dining room.

Wines are varied and reasonably priced but the beer selection could use some work. At the cosmopolitan 5:01 Downtown, it may be a Cosmopolitan that is your drink choice as it is arguably the best Cosmopolitan in downtown.

The 5:01 has a nice selection of appetizers to choose from. An absolute standout is the Grilled Cornmeal Crust “Pizza” ($6). Whole roasted garlic cloves are dotted around the pizza teaming with asiago and Gorgonzola cheeses and extra-virgin olive oil. To get the most out of this dish, mash the garlic cloves with the back of your fork and drag the bits of garlic easily around your slice. You will have a delightful taste of the mild melted garlic in every bite.

So, you think crab dip is passé? The Spinach and Cheese Crab Dip ($8) is anything but old fashioned at the 5:01. As crab can sometimes be overpowered by other flavors, the sweet lump crab meat comes through as it is subtly blended with three cheeses and served with crusty bread slices.

If you are ordering the Steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels ($9), ask for dinner rolls ahead of time so they reach your table at the same time as the mussels. The thin toasted crostini that accompany these firm mussels are enough for the limited number of mussels in this dish but you will want to soak up the delicious broth left over from the steamed mussels with some hearty bread. The mussels arrive in your choice of spicy red sauce or an outstanding herb sauce heady with garlic.

Speaking of dinner rolls, fresh from the oven, herb studded round rolls come to your table steaming hot served in a black wire basket with an accompaniment of tapanade, cured black olive and anchovy spread. There is no need to test your memory here, as a recital from the wait staff of the daily specials consists of one soup and one entree.

Regular soup features include Black Bean Chili ($3.50), “vegin” style according to their menu (however, I do believe they mean “vegan” style in vegetable broth), and a truly seductive signature traditional Seafood Bisque ($5) made up of shrimp, scallops, and white fish enriched with cream and cognac.

House salads do not come with dinner entrées but you can order off the menu from a select few specialty salads. You won’t go wrong with any one of the salads that you may choose: In a roasted garlic vinaigrette, sweet and crisp Boston Bibb ($5.50) lettuce shines, accented with mandarin oranges, roma tomatoes and goat cheese. Salad 5:01 ($5) features a crisp and fresh mixture of baby greens with seedless English cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, sprouts and spiced pecans in a balsamic vinaigrette. The Traditional Caesar Salad ($5) with housemade dressing ranks high among romaine fans. Remember, though that soup and salad are not included with your dinner, so when the waitress takes your order and asks you if you would like soup or salad, it is a la carte.

A traditional dry smoked, house cured Atlantic salmon is featured as an appetizer ($7.50) and also shows up in a linguini dish ($15.50) with garlic and herbs, white wine, and plum tomatoes. You will get that hearty, lush smoked salmon flavor with every twirl. The unadventurous pasta person can stick with pasta with meat sauce in the Penne Bolognese ($13.50). An interesting pasta dish, Chicken and Wild Mushroom “Lasagna” ($14), resembles cannelloni more than lasagna (save the tomato sauce), and features sautéed chicken and mushrooms in a rich herb white cream sauce folded in fresh, airy pasta.

Chicken Hunter Style ($16.50), is featured with wild mushrooms, green onions, tomato, and garlic in a satisfying, earthy brown sauce, paired with creamy herb risotto. Deep, dark grill marks adorn a rich, sweet and spicy Curry Glazed Atlantic Salmon ($17.50) filet, paired with jasmine rice and sautéed spinach.

Rainbow Trout ($15) is often delivered to the table at restaurants as the entire fish — head to tail. At the 5:01, the kitchen does all the work and you end up with a clean and deboned whole trout shy of the head, pan seared and crisp crusted in a proscuitto wrapping topped with hazelnut butter. Extra-thin sweet potato fries and sautéed spinach round out this choice dish nicely.

Raves come in loud and clear. Not from the dance floor below, but for the 10 oz. grilled Filet of Beef ($22). Take the challenge and prove that this extra thick filet at the 5:01 rivals any filet mignon at any of the steakhouses in town … or in the region … or in the state. Velvety, smooth, delicate and juicy, served perfectly cooked medium rare, it is a beef-eaters delight. Nicely complemented by caramelized sweet red onions, grilled asparagus, and herbed red bliss potatoes, this blissful meal is complete.

In the manner typical of Italian desserts, the subtle and not too sweet Berries Sabayon ($5.50), features toasted champagne enhanced Italian custard, served chilled with fresh berries and white chocolate. An eggy Crème Brûlée ($5) sports an extra-thick crown of seared sugar. Usually liking a touch of crust with every bite of the creamy custard, the thickness of the caramelized layer did not enhance this version of the French “burnt cream.”

If you’re there late in the week and your dinner lingers, you will see the dining room clientele slowly change from the casual sophisticate to young party goers, with another scene starting to happen. That staircase centered in the middle of the dining room descends to the dance club below.

At the 5:01, I’m content to stay upstairs and party with my taste buds.