As a wedding gift, some friends got us a gift certificate to No. 9 Park, which was awesome. They very thoughtfully got us exactly the right amount for two tasting menus, wine pairings, tax, and tip. But, since we're ingrates, one of us got the pasta tasting menu instead (with the obligatory fois gras & prune gnocchi, it was about $20 cheaper) with cocktails instead of wine (another $40 off), so now we get to go back for drinks a couple of times.
Some standouts:
A's salad had confit hearts of palm over a tarragon ash with charred grapes, which she liked. Basically I hate hearts of palm, which is why I got the pasta one instead. Which was the right choice.
I started with a sunchoke soup with fancy mushrooms, which was outstanding. Just so much butter. So much.
I also quite liked the sweet potato gnocchi with lobster and crispy kale. The gnocchi basically collapsed under their own weight they were so pillowy, the lobster was sweet, and the kale was perfect - it turns out that everything, even leafy greens, are better when deep fried.
The famous fois gras and prune gnocchi wasn't that good. The butter sauce was obviously great, but there wasn't enough fatty richness to match the prunyness of the gnocchi, so it didn't totally make sense to me. I would rather have spent $10 more, and got much more liver, but it didn't feel balanced as-is.
We both got dishes with pork belly. The foursome in their late-30s on a double date next to us was apparently unfamiliar with the ingredient - strange, since they seemed wealthy and kept talking about the fancy restaurants they had been to - and it's delicious but a bit like cheating. You don't have to be a genius wizard to make pork belly taste good.
On the other hand, A's main course was some sort of seared + slow cooked lamb that was out-of-this-world tender and gamey. Plus it was served with a deep-fried lamb's tongue. You do have to be a genius wizard to make a tongue have a crispy exterior and a creamy interior. Sometimes we go to fancy restaurants and try something that we think that we can try to replicate at home. This was not one of those things. We'll always have it in our memories, I guess.
The cocktail pairing was the right choice. I was thinking about ordering drinks on my own, but decided to put myself in the server's hands (other than the milk punch, because I will always order a milk punch). But he got me the conquistador, which was amazing.
1 1/4 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1 1/4 oz Soberano Spanish Brandy
3/4 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao
2-3 drop Thai Chili Extract
1 dash Bitter Science Mole Bitters
Some standouts:
A's salad had confit hearts of palm over a tarragon ash with charred grapes, which she liked. Basically I hate hearts of palm, which is why I got the pasta one instead. Which was the right choice.
I started with a sunchoke soup with fancy mushrooms, which was outstanding. Just so much butter. So much.
I also quite liked the sweet potato gnocchi with lobster and crispy kale. The gnocchi basically collapsed under their own weight they were so pillowy, the lobster was sweet, and the kale was perfect - it turns out that everything, even leafy greens, are better when deep fried.
The famous fois gras and prune gnocchi wasn't that good. The butter sauce was obviously great, but there wasn't enough fatty richness to match the prunyness of the gnocchi, so it didn't totally make sense to me. I would rather have spent $10 more, and got much more liver, but it didn't feel balanced as-is.
We both got dishes with pork belly. The foursome in their late-30s on a double date next to us was apparently unfamiliar with the ingredient - strange, since they seemed wealthy and kept talking about the fancy restaurants they had been to - and it's delicious but a bit like cheating. You don't have to be a genius wizard to make pork belly taste good.
On the other hand, A's main course was some sort of seared + slow cooked lamb that was out-of-this-world tender and gamey. Plus it was served with a deep-fried lamb's tongue. You do have to be a genius wizard to make a tongue have a crispy exterior and a creamy interior. Sometimes we go to fancy restaurants and try something that we think that we can try to replicate at home. This was not one of those things. We'll always have it in our memories, I guess.
The cocktail pairing was the right choice. I was thinking about ordering drinks on my own, but decided to put myself in the server's hands (other than the milk punch, because I will always order a milk punch). But he got me the conquistador, which was amazing.
1 1/4 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1 1/4 oz Soberano Spanish Brandy
3/4 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao
2-3 drop Thai Chili Extract
1 dash Bitter Science Mole Bitters
I would have ordered that on my own for sure. I would have preferred a bit more spice, and maybe some lime acid, but would order again for sure. Also I got a drink that was red wine with angustura bitters - also a great combination.
A didn't like the desserts because it was a cheesecake and a panna cotta. But since I don't get to eat either of those things generally, I was super excited about it.
It was a great night, and I was in a happy/plastered mood.
Hooray for being married.
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