[DFW] Dallas – N9NE (Steakhouse)
Visited: 3/19/07, 8 women ~ 6:00pm
Ambience: Contemporary and modern. The seating was well arranged, but due to solid floors, high ceilings and almost zero fabric, the room was very noisy which caused us to have to shout at each other across the table. Beautiful lighting. Definitely a see and be seen kind of place. I would not say it was romantic in any fashion, nor would you want to go if you really want to talk to the people next to you.
Service: They accommodated us even though we were late for our reservation (we did call and let them know). The wait staff was very competent. Food was timed appropriately and delivered hot, even though I ordered an unusual arrangement of foods. The only complaint I have is that at the end of the meal, they invited us back for after concert drinks in the lounge. We made a reservation to come back, but when the concert ended ~ 11:00pm, they were closed. The guy with the silly little CIA earpiece did contact his manager after a barrage of complaints from all of us, and the manager was nice enough to walk us to the Ghost Bar across the street at the W (which N9NE also owns). Strange, I thought… The American Airlines Center is PACKED with people, and you close your bar after the concert. Bizarre marketing to me… Not to mention the confusion of their staff, inviting and making reservations for guests wanting to return and then turning them away.
Price: ~$75/person for salads/apps and drinks – no entrees ordered
FOOD:
(Cream of Garlic Soup) – Garlic cream soup, with chive oil and lump crab meat. This was one of the specials of the night. The soup came out in a creamer and the bowl arrived separately with the lump crab and chive oil. Unfortunately, the lump crab meat was chilled, so when the garlic soup was poured on top, it made the whole dish luke-warm, but the centers of the lump crab stayed cold. The mix of luke-warm soup and cold crab didn’t sit well with my pallet and the fact that the soup was a tad too sweet made for a disappointing dish. I never did taste the chive oil.
(Mixed Green Salad) – This consisted of mixed greens, wasabi peas, sweet Thai chili sauce as the dressing and Asian pears. “Not Great” sums up this salad. The greens were a little out of date, wilting around the edges and the spinach a bit slimy. The dressing was sweet Thai chili sauce right out of the bottle… I guess I was expecting some kind of dressing make with a concoction of the chili sauce with other ingredients. The wasabi peas were great, but hey, those come from Central Market like that. The Asian pears were grated on top of the salad, which really added no flavor at all. Chunks or slices of the fruit might have negated the extra sweet dressing, but the shreds were just too flimsy to hold up to the sauce. I wouldn’t eat it again.
(Sashimi Sampler) – I was remiss in my duties to record the types of sashimi, but from what I can remember there was Maguro, Shiro Maguro, Sake, and Hamachi. It was served swimming in ponzu sauce, topped with jalapeños and served with sides of wasabi and soy. The fish was cold and fresh. Not the best sashimi I have ever had, but enjoyable. I ended up picking a lot of the jalapeños off so I could enjoy the fish and not the burn. I would order this again.
In the bread basket there were soft pretzel sticks mixed in with a variety of other breads. I mention these because they were stellar. Served with a side of whole mustard that complimented the taste – I should have eaten these all night!!
I also had two cosmopolitans, seeing as I was out with the ladies and not driving. They were made properly, cold and strong. Kudos to the bar tender.
I guess overall I felt like this was an interesting place for cocktails and I was disappointed with the sides. To judge it fairly, I would need to go back and order an entrée or two, including a steak, seeing as they say that all their beef is prime. I look forward to a yummy filet!!
3090 Olive Street #110
Dallas, TX 75219
www.n9ne.com
Happy eating!!
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They were reviewed today by the new food critic at the Dallas Morning News, didn't go so well...
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