When I heard that Executive Chef Michael Shrader changed the menu at N9NE Steakhouse (440 W. Randolph St), I was a little nervous. N9NE has been one of my favorite restaurants since I moved downtown nearly 5 years ago, so I sat down to dinner on Friday night a little apprehensive but eager to try, well, everything really.
And that's exactly what we did. My brother and his best friend, who we'll call "DISH", gave me the great honor of letting me order our entire meal. With so many exciting new items to sample, I decided to approach our dinner tapas-style by ordering rounds of dishes for us to share.
Round One started with La Quercia Prosciutto, shaved extremely thin and served with spiced pears and country toast. The spiced pears were wonderfully fragrant and the aroma smelled like Thanksgiving dinner. Prosciutto is a pretty strong staple in my Italian diet, but the spiced pear compliment was a (delicious) first. We also sampled the Rock Shrimp, served with a horseradish tobiko sauce and a spicy red sauce, and the Wild Mushroom Risotto, a deliciously creamy and extremely rich dish. Round one ended with the bacon-n-eggs, a breakfast-at-dinner appetizer that was definitely a Knock Out. The perfectly poached duck egg was drenched in a savory truffle hollandaise and served with hickory smoked bacon and brioche. I was perplexed by the combination of flavors and, as we "dinged" our bread in the remaining hollandaise sauce, I couldn't help but daydream about coming back to have this for breakfast the next morning.
We moved into round two with the Braised Oxtail Ravioli in a Barolo reduction. Dish and I both enjoyed the simplicity of the ravioli that truly highlighted the oxtail flavors, but my brother preferred our next dish, the Steak Tartare. Though sometimes the idea of raw meat can seem kind of gross, Chef Shrader's tartare was delicately flavored- definitely the winner of the round.
Our excellent server, Dave, recommended the Magret Duck Breast for our entree round. The roasted duck was succulent and juicy- not at all game-y like duck can sometimes be. Served in a wine reduction with sweet cherries and wild mushrooms, all we could say after each bite was "This is SO GOOD."
As we finished my brother said, "This is a great way to do dinner. I feel completely satisfied but not so full I feel like I'll explode." And then they brought dessert. The Pecan Square, drizzled with warm caramel and served with vanilla bean ice cream was delicious, but the Could 9- freshly spun cotton candy with three types of mini ice cream cones and a chocolate covered pretzel- was absolutely sinful. Knowing that "once you start you just can't stop", my brother resisted the Cloud 9 for about a minute before he started tearing the sweet cotton candy apart, as he said, "I could shed a tear for how good this is." Our mouths turned blue as we shared stories of childhood trips to the carnival and circus. As adults, we sometimes take simple childhood pleasures for granted. We indulge in rich, fancy desserts and treat ourselves to dark chocolate and creamy custards. But sometimes, its fun to be a kid again. Chef Shrader's dessert took us on a fun trip down memory lane, one we don't take often enough.
Although I was a little disappointed that my beloved gnocchi didn't make the cut, overall, Chef Shrader's new menu is a total knockout. N9NE definitely remains in the Top 5 Steakhouses Chicago has to offer.
Footnote: My sincerest gratitude goes out to the entire staff of N9NE Steakhouse for their tremendous support during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The traditional purple lights have been changed to pink in recognition of survivors everywhere and the dazzling white server coats are adorned with pink ribbons. Thanks for all of the wonderful support!
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