Willie R.
Yelp
I had a nice birthday dinner at Nine and was excited to see everything refreshed from the No. 9 Park days. One of my dear friends was in town and took me here for the evening.
Upon arrival, we were greeted and the host staff offered to take our coats, which we reclaimed quickly upon departure. I appreciated that the dining room was contemporary without being overly modern--it felt perfect.
We were brought a nice, light potato soup as an amuse bouche--finally a Boston restaurant bringing back these touches that elevate a dining experience! We started with the Roasted Arrowhead Cabbage as an appetizer, which I must say is probably the best cabbage I've ever tasted. It came out in a wedge, like a wedge salad, and the chili crisp gave it a kick that I've never seen anyone apply to cabbage before. I might even say it was...fun cabbage?!
French Onion Soup has long been a dish that I use to compare different restaurants, and this one was a star. It was full of oxtail and absolutely DELICIOUS! The cheese was the perfect consistency and I just wish everyone everywhere made this unique preparation of French onion soup!
I moved on to have the Rohan Duck Breast, which was enjoyable, although it was a bit on the chewy side and the skin could've been crispier for me. I paired this with a glass of the 2020 Cuvee dev Ambassades Côte de Brouilly, a Beaujolais that paired really nicely with the duck. When I scanned the bottle in my Vivino, it was fun to see I had enjoyed the 2015 vintage somewhere else years before. I'll also note they had some inventive mocktails, which I would love to return and sample.
My friend enjoyed her carrot cavatelli, and our server was great at explaining which items could be made vegetarian.
The standout of the meal, though, was the Cranberry & Ginger Vacherin, which had a sort of matcha reduction around the border of the plate (which worked nicely) and great texture. I LOVED this dessert! They also brought little chocolate bites as an endcap to the meal.
Service was quite attentive throughout the evening, and they did a great job accommodating our allergies. The soup and dessert were truly standout dishes, with unique preparations that weren't over the top.
There were several other dishes that I'd be interested in trying, so I'll likely be back soon!