Fusion bistro sticks to American tradition

My companion to Twenty Manning on a snowy Sunday evening described the restaurant's ambience as "Asiany."

That's not a coincidence.

The medium-sized bistro outside Rittenhouse Square aims for Asian fusion eclecticism but doesn't allow the culture clash to erupt into garishness. The dining room's class stems from its simplicity -- black, white and steel are the major color schemes, leaving the many candles plenty of room to work their magic.

TM's fusion flagship is its dim sum appetizer for two ($13), two sets of six classic Asian dishes with a unique spin on each. Highlights included the crispy shrimp with unspecified tangy sauce and the duck spring roll. On the other hand, the szechuan crab cake's crust proved too thick and the inside too mealy. But each of the six earns points for coming with its own compliment, be it a slaw, sauce or seaweed bed.

The dinner options -- at least those we sampled -- downplayed the dim sum's obvious Asian flair for a more heterogeneous mix.

The grilled venison meatloaf and mashed potatoes ($20) was rooted more deeply in the American meat-and-potatoes tradition, but the Japanese shiitake-rosemary sauce and bok choy greens spiced up the formula. The venison, however, was grilled a touch past perfect, sucking away some of its tenderness.

Similar to the meatloaf dish --but even tastier -- was the grilled angus clod tenderloin ($23), a showy display of prime beef, butternut squash, stir fry boy choy and fontina gratina, all coated in a green peppercorn cream sauce. The medium-rare tenderloin lived up to the billing; even its more well done tips were dense with flavor. The butternut squash, diced into cubes, proved a nice blend of home-cooking and metropole prestige.

The dessert courses packed twice as much flavor in a third of the size one would usually expect. Although the Vietnamese coffee creme brulee ($6.50) banked on the "coffee" part more than anything else, sacrificing creme brulee's usual thick texture for a less desirable soupy feel, the chocolate fondant ($6.50) was the richest chunk o' choc ever conceived. Though it didn't have any room for flour, with a melted chocolate center and a dab on ice cream on top it was a fitting (if not overbearing) close to the evening.

Twenty Manning, like its sister restaurant Audrey Claire, excels at being a hip restaurant with enough humility not to flaunt itself. Some may find this off-putting -- that its appeal for subtle, middle-ground accessibility dilutes its excitement -- but any place with a steak this good wins my vote.

And now that TM offers BYOB Thursdays, it's establishing itself as a pinnacle of Philly's A-list restaurant circuit. It's "Asiany," and a whole lot more.

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