No. 9 Park

[liamdc]

As a native Bostonian, it's been wonderful to have business bring me back to the city on a regular basis from Washington, DC. I intentionally stay at the Parker House when I'm in town in order to be a stone's throw from No. 9 Park at the corner of Park & Beacon.

The quality of the food and the hospitality of frontman Eli, and bartenders John and Ryan keep me coming back. Each time I've eaten at the bar, and enjoyed conversations with the bartenders and fellow diners.

Last visit I enjoyed an exquisite dish of chestnut ravioli (made w/ duck proscuitto) along with a surprisingly delicious Napa pinot noir, the 2000 Cote de Carneros (juicy cherry palate, remarkably spicy finish). I had the black pepper cheesecake for the second time - and it didn't disappoint. Next time I may have to have the truffled gnocchi once again.

During my second to last visit, a colleague and I split the seven-course tasting menu. Stand-outs included the razor clams and scallops. And the half bottle of Rafanelli zinfandel was one of the best wines I've ever tasted.

Bravo!

[9lives]

I think the bar at 9 Park is 1 of the best spots in Boston. I recently shared a meal of sweebreads, roast duck, lobster cassoulet, and a roast chicken.

[pattimw]

I'd really like to check out Barbara Lynch's new ventures - B&G Oysters and, The Butcher Shop (is that right?). Anyone tried those yet?

I've never been to No. 9 Park (have heard mixed reviews), but the bar is a good idea. I'll have to check it out sometime.

[joshlh]

I tried the Butcher Shop for lunch a week or so ago and had a very nice time. Probably my favorite item was the figs poached in honey with fennel (both the seed and the vegetable I think), included on an appetizer platter along with some meats, nuts, and olives, which all sounds sort of pedestrian, but was all very good. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. I enjoyed getting up and browsing through the meats and cheeses in the retail section. I believe I overhead the waitress telling another customer that he could order a selection of tastings of cheeses, pates, etc. from there to have at his table. They also had a small but nice selection of beers to choose from.

[liamdc]

Was in Boston over Memorial Day weekend and my girlfriend and I ate at No. 9. Thanks again to Eli for securing us two seats at the bar on a busy Saturday night and to Ryan for his hospitality behind the bar, as always. It was another enjoyable and delicious meal at my home away from home in Beantown.

Sara and I shared the chef's seven-course tasting menu ($85) which consisted of Oregon Morel (foie gras farci, spring pea foam), Seared Black Bass (bacalao ravioli, confit tomato, saffrom aioli), Pasta Alla Chitarra (littleneck clams, pancella, pepperoncini), Sweetbread Schnitzel (spiced cabbage & celery salad), Niman Ranch Pork Belly (spring dug parsnip puree, rhubarb confiture), Selles-Sur-Cher (fermier, Loire Valley, roasted beet & wild flower honey terrine), Tropique Sorbet (4 citrus flavors including kumquat & lemon), and Honey Phyllo Napoleon (early summer blueberries, fresh ricotta, lily white). For me, the highlights were most certainly the pasta and the sweetbread schnitzel, with the pork belly finishing just behind, much like Smarty Jones in the Belmont. We shared a half-bottle of our favorite wine, the 2001 Rafanelli Zinfandel, and a taste of the 2003 Saracco Moscato d'Asti with dessert.

[Artichoke]

I travel to Boston alone twice a year and always go to No. 9 Park to eat at the bar. My primary reason for going is to have what is one of my all time favorite appetizers, the prune stuffed gnocchi. Extremely light and soft gnocchi with a strip of pureed pune through the middle, each one topped with a piece of seared foie gras, resting on a sauce made from reduced Vin Santo. It is a phenominal dish. I will say however that a roast duck I had as an entree the last time I was there was severely overcooked.

As an aside, I also like the chef and owner, Barbara Lynch's story. She was raised in the projects of South Boston, got turned onto cooking in her high school home economics class and slowly worked her way through various Boston area kitchens and Europe where she honed her cooking style.

[hshiau]

I was in Boston this past week and dropped by No 9 Park on the many recommendations I had read. I stopped in around 7:30 to see if I could get a seat at the bar, which was packed. I was told the wait would probably be about 20 minutes so I took a walk around first. Came back and prompty got a seat at the bar.

The bartender recommended a light red wine: 2001 Firriato Chiaramonte Nero d'Avola. Very nice. Just what I was looking for.

It seemed most of the folks seated at the bar were there to drink only and not eat. One woman that was sitting near me was trying to figure out what to order and we started talking about the various items we wanted to try. We ended up sharing 4 items so we could sample each one.

We started with the Prune Stuffed Gnocchi and the Seared Sea Scallop. The gnocchi was delicious as advertised but the portion was a tad small (5-6 gnocchi). I could have easily eaten twice the amount. The scallop with corn blini and black summer truffle was also very good and, again, the portion too small...just ONE scallop. The corn and truffles complemented the taste of the scallop quite nicely.

We then had the Crispy Sweetbreads with English pea puree and lardons and the Truffled Gnocchi with lobster, peas, and mushrooms. The sweetbreads were a complete disappointment. The bacon taste completely overwhelmed the taste of the sweetbreads, which seemed a bit overcooked. We didn't even finish this one.

The truffled gnocchi was amazing. Practically melts in your mouth. The only negative was the presentation. It looked like everything was just thrown onto the plate.

I had the black pepper cheesecake with roasted pineapples, green apple sorbet, thinly sliced pineapples, and crystallized rum. The pepper made this a striking dessert.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal. The service was excellent....bartender and maitre d were both very nice. I had great conversations with both of them. I don't know if Barbara Lynch was there that night but the food and presentation seemed a bit inconsistent. I'll go there again the next time I'm in Boston.

[Zip]

Right on!! No 9 Park is fabulous!

Have a red hook at the bar and an order of the lobster gnocci.

zip

[slbunge]

<bump>

We had another great meal in the cafe area of No. 9 Park this past weekend. We had an out of town guest with us and waited about 15 minutes for a table. Wines were unremarkable, not because they weren't good, but because we had a few glasses before arriving so we stuck with the simle house red. For starters, one had the bibb salad with manchego and the others had a fantastic sort of antipasto with squid and a stuffed piquillo pepper. For entrees two of us had a fantastic piece of black bass with morels and one had the lobster gnocchi. Desserts were the black pepper cheesecake with shaved pineapple for one and the three icecreams: green almond, moscovade (a sugar), and the third I can't remember.

I'm a huge fan of the cafe at No. 9 Park. I think the food is executed as well as in the restaurant, the service is decent (not overwhelmingly wonderful but certainly nothing to complain about), and it is all about value. I felt I paid too much for my one meal in the restaurant. For those of you who can't decide between the cafe menu and the restaurant menu, you can actually order off either if you are sitting at the bar.

As an aside, while we were waiting for dessert Barbara Lynch out and about in the cafe and when she stopped by our table to ask about our food we casually asked about green almonds which, in addition to the ice cream, figure in an amazing dessert that my wife had there last year (and continues to artfully obsess about). She left the table but then returned shortly with a bowl of them and a pairing knife, then sat down and peeled a few so we could try them unadulturated. Very nice touch.