No 9 Park and Toro Recommendations?

[Josh M]

I'll be going to Toro next Friday as a pre-theater dinner and Number 9 Park on Saturday to celebrate getting into law schoo. I was wondering if people had any particular recommendations for dishes to order at either restaurant. Also, does anyone have particular wine recommendations by the glass at Toro? Finally, what time should I get to Toro to get a table for two without having to wait on Friday?

[NANDY61]

omg! If you show up at Toro at 7pm, you will not be seated until 8:00pm minimum! Not a good thing if you have theatre tix. And even a seat at the bar will be hard to get. Never mind the bartenders' attention!

[pmac1964]

John and Ryan behind the bar are two of the best bartenders in the city, hands down. They're very entertaining, informative and great at what they do. I agree that you should avoid the fancy, foamy, "science project" stuff, it can be way over the top and you could pay for it later....

The skirt steak and tuna @ Toro are spot-on. "last call" for food @ Toro Sun-Wed is 9:45. I almost missed it last night!!!

[MC Slim JB]

Toro has done a nice job since its opening of making its wines a little more affordable. They usually offer a Jumilla or Yecla tinto by the glass for $7 or so, the kind of sunny, hot wine that I think goes well with a lot of the food here. I even like the heavy tumblers they serve it in. Their bartenders are surprisingly good with cocktails, too.

I had a very nice chestnut bisque and a decent steak tartare (not a contender for best in town, I'm afraid) at No. 9 recently. I recommend showing up early enough so that you have time for a cocktail at the bar, where they do amazing things. I'm less impressed with the molecular gastronomic stuff (nitrous-oxide foams on top of drinks) than I am with their classic cocktails. A fine combination of serious mixology, rare and artisinal ingredients, and great service. Given a free moment, you can get quite the cocktail history lesson from any of them, too.

[idreamofrivers]

If you do the tastings at #9, seven courses is more than sufficient but doing this paired with wine is a prerequisite. The wine simply had me smitten.

[tmab]

Yes, the seven courses is more than sufficient. It's been a while since I've had the lunch and dinner tasting menus, but iirc correctly, for at least one if not both of them, the larger tasting menu has some upgraded courses in addition to the extra two courses. And the upgraded courses have always been too tempting for me to pass up, so I always end up with the tasting menu with the larger number of courses even though I'm not a huge eater.

I agree that the experience is not the same without either the wine or cocktail pairings too.

But what a great suggestion, Clos! I never thought of adding in a signature dish course to the tasting menu.

[Rubee]

Re: No 9 Park, I'm a fan of the pastas. I was going to order the ricotta ravioletti with sage and chestnuts, but decided on the pasta sampler. This weekend, they were offering four. The three classics - papardelle with bolognese, truffled gnocchi with lobster (especially good this visit), and a couple of prune gnocchi with foie gras, along with duck confit risotto. Also recommend the hanger steak with frites, chestnut bisque, and the slow-cooked pork belly.

[pmac1964]

#9 has great pear martinis and I think the truffle, lobster gnocci is one of the best dishes in the city.

[chefboyardee]

Toro rec's have been excellent, so no need to add to them. No. 9 will usually do a pasta tasting appetizer, where they will have 3-4 different types of pasta> Well worth the try in my book.

[Alcachofa]

I'd recommend the tasting menu at No. 9--that's where it shines. The regular menu is good, but given the price point, can be a little uneven. The pastas are generally excellent. I do prefer the gnocchi with lobster. Others rave about the prune gnocchi; I didn't flip for it.

[jajjguy]

Everything I've ever had at No.9 has been astonishingly good. Order whatever strikes you, or throw yourself at the mercy of your server; you will be well taken care of in any case. I will say that the truffled gnocchi w/ lobster sticks in the mind. Enjoy indeed.

[heathermb]

I'll second all of Lissy's recommendation and add a few of my own: boquerones (white anchovies), beef short rib, mini-burgers, and double down on the corn! If you have room for dessert the churro with spicy dipping chocolate is great.

Enjoy!

[lissy]

My favorite dishes at Toro are the cod fritters, the corn, the pan con tamate and the serrano ham. I usually drink the rose cava when I'm there. I actually haven't ever had to wait too long at Toro, though often I end up sitting at the bar there (which I prefer). I have typically arrived there before 7.