No. 9 Park – Nine Reasons I’ll Be Back

9. Location: Inside a historic townhouse at the corner of the Boston Common, it’s an ideal setting for No. 9 Park.

8. Reputation: Barbara Lynch is a celebrated chef in the Boston area – a James Beard Award winner and chef/owner of several restaurants in the city. Fortunately, this restaurant did not suffer from her expansion to so many different establishments.

7. Ambience: Although the entire restaurant had an elegant charm, I liked sitting in the back dining room. It felt more warm and cozy – lush neutral colored fabrics and dark woods lit by a soft golden glow.

6. Menu: The cuisine is both Italian and French inspired. There were so many enticing options on the menu that it was difficult deciding what to order. Had it not been a Monday night, I probably would have gotten the 7 course tasting menu instead of the 3 course.

5. Roasted Ribeye with Braised Oxtail and Potato & Truffle Mille-Feuille: While I wish the beef had been more tender (still can’t get that Saga beef out of my mind!), I still enjoyed the components of this dish. The braised oxtail was rich and comforting, chanterelle mushrooms were earthy and succulent, and the potato truffle mille-feuille was moist and buttery with a perfect crispy crust.

4. Wine List: The wine list contained many interesting varietals of wine – including some grapes I hadn’t heard of before. Our waiter wanted to make sure we found just the right wine and graciously poured us a few tastings before we made our decisions. I was impressed by the unique flavor profiles and complexity of their wines.

3. Prune Stuffed Gnocchi with Seared Foie Gras: Much larger and less dense than traditional gnocchi, these soft pillows were laid on a small pool of Vin Santo sauce. I couldn't really taste the Vin Santo; it was lost amidst the stronger flavors of the other components. I usually find prunes to be quite unappealing, but thoroughly enjoyed how their sweet tartness cut the richness of the foie gras.

2. Concord Grape Clafoutis: This dessert was out of this world! The clafoutis was cut into small cake wheels which were dense yet creamy and had a rich nutty flavor. The dessert also contained stewed concord grapes, grape gelée, caramelized peanuts, and peanut ice cream – mixed together it was an explosion of flavors and textures. What a sophisticated and decadent play on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

1. Service: I’ve found the service at many fine dining establishments in Boston to lack the professionalism and finesse of their peers in San Francisco and New York; however, our waiter at No. 9 Park was one of the best I’ve had in a while. He was very knowledgeable about the food and wine, yet came across as very unassuming and hospitable. He was extremely helpful in selecting our wines and gave superb recommendations on foods that were new to us (loved the cafloutis and B’s sunchoke velouté soup!)

I will definitely return for the 7 course chef’s tasting menu!

BITE METER: No. 9 Park – 4.0 bites (out of 5)