07/21/08

Barbara Lynch's labor of love maintains its destination status by combining a stylish setting with award-winning, inventive cuisine.

by Eric Grossman

The Scene
For the foodies, powerbrokers and well-informed tourists who make reservations weeks in advance, one bite of Barbara Lynch's ethereally light, prune-stuffed gnocchi is worth the wait alone. The restaurant's interior is likewise understated in a classy way, the better not to distract from the food. Service in the two minimalist dining rooms and casual bar is attentive and well-informed. Inventive house drinks (passion fruit margarita) and a truly eclectic wine list leave no patron parched.

The Food
Lynch has won national acclaim from the likes of the James Beard Foundation, and a visit here only confirms the wisdom of that award. Her signature crispy duck has become a baptism by calories for local gourmands. Other standout dishes include the aforementioned gnocchi (topped with foie gras) and a "duet" of Niman Ranch pork (flavorful bacon and buttery tenderloin). Typical of the breathtaking desserts is a coconut meringue cake served with rhubarb marmalade and lime sorbet.

Photo by Justin Ide

06/04/08

Delicious, but not worth the hype.

by kspindle

I have been a consistent Barbara Lynch fan, and have been to the bar at No. 9 Park before. Tonight, my husband and I made reservations at the restaurant and were looking forward to a delicious meal. The food and service were decent, but I was very dissapointed that the 7 course tasting menu (for $90) can neither be shared nor ordered by just one person at the table. I was interested in trying the tasting menu, but my husband was less intrigued. It seems strange to offer the option if only available for the entire table. I think the restaurant needs to reconsider the elitist perspective that everyone who wants to enjoy delicious food can afford a $90 meal. We each ordered an appetizer and entree instead, and although the food was very good, there are plenty of places I would rather go and feel more comfortable spending the $250 for dinner.

06/04/08

Better than the Boston Common (restaurant)

by kmc1128

Went to No. 9 Park for our wedding anniversary. It was amazing. My husband had arranged for a fresh flower arrangement at the table which was presented when we sat down. It was beautiful. Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, which was a perfect complement to fantastic food. I definitely recommend the prune-stuffed gnocchi for an appetizer. The restaurant even decorated our dessert dish with a "Happy Anniversary" and provided a complimentary serving of dessert Italian wine. I also have to say, while taking a quick look around the room, all of the other patrons were smiling and looked very happy to be there. It is a great restaurant... very beautiful, very professional. For the other reviews below, I suggest giving it another chance... you may want to "waite" before posting and "pare" your posting against spell check. Or next time, simply speak up if you're not happy. The restaurant seems to be accomodating to dissatisfactions.

• Pros: Ambiance, Food, Professionalism, Catering to Special Occasions
• Cons: Too many pros...

05/25/08

Toss Your Money Out a Window.

by katw234

I spent my 27th anniversary at 9 Park,looking forward to a wonderful time with my husband and son, who flew in from San Diego for the event. 9 Park had always been a favorite of his. Our evening was ruined by a clumsy waiter, who kept bumping our table,thus spinning it around,without any apologies. When the manager came over, he spoke only to my husband. He totally ignored anything I said and never made eye contact with me. Totally demeaning. His only condolence was to move our table in the middle of our meal.

The food was fine. No better than any other restaurant of that caliber in the city.

After our $500.00 check arrived we went home having a very disappointing anniversary.

• Pros: Small,romantic room
• Cons: Lack of respect for customers

03/28/08

Awards? They should be cited!

by Kristi74

My husband and I went to Boston for a couple of days...it was our first time. We were told to go to No. 9. We did not bring dress clothes with us and called to see what the code was. We were told that it was a casual place. We wore jeans, nice sweaters and dress-casual shoes. When we got there we were told that there was nothing available in the dinning room even though there were only two tables occupied....the dinning NEVER filled up. We were told to sit at the bar. The food was average at best and I hae created better in my own kitchen. This was not the worst part! After paying $200.00 for average food we went back to the hotel and went to bed. At 2:00 in the morning I woke up violently ill. I spent the last day and a half of our short trip in bed. The doctor told me that it would have come from whatever I ate 6 to 8 hours earlier. Need-less-to-say I was at No.9 seven hours previously. I would like to publicly thank No. 9 for ruining my vacation.

• Pros: I don't work there
• Cons: I had to eat there

03/11/08

Try getting a reservation!!

by Bostonroman

Talk about frustrating.....I have atleast on different 5 occassions called for reservations atleast 30 days out and the standard answer I get is......sir, I can offer you 5:30 or 9:15 and later.

I get it......Barbara wants to hold on to all her tables for the Boston brahmins or her Beacon Hill set.

Food is good but getting a reservation has turned me off the restaurant.

Sorry Barbara, I know all your tables are not booked 30 days in advance. Come on you are not Nobu and Robert DeNiro does not dine her a few times a week.

• Pros: Food and cocktails
• Cons: Reservations and pretentious front desk

02/12/08

Never Again !

by irish123

My Husband & I went to No 9 on the recommendation of a friend who is a chef....

Very disappointed, We chose the tasting menu which I feel is very over rated, and $$$$ the portions are extremely small and not at all what I expected, the wine was not pared with the menu and and the food was undercooked. I really feel that Barbra is also over rated and the staff must be reading old reviews because they could of cared less about the diners who were there on the night we were there. We were not the only couple to complain about the meal. Waiting 45 min in between courses is a bit much... even for NO 9.

WE WILL NEVER GO BACK .. there are so many nicer places in Boston. With out the attitude!

• Pros: none
• Cons: Waite staff with attitude!

01/30/08

Underwhelming

by halvo

We were hoping for so much more. Stayed in the city to celebrate my husband's birthday and couldn't get a reservation at No. 9 for 4 on a Tuesday until 8:30 so we ditched our friends and went solo at 6:45 pm. The place was busy, and while I told them we were having a special night, ended up at a booth next to the busy kitchen and heavy foot traffic. Sat there for 20 minutes waiting to be served, even though I had told them ahead of time we were doing the tasting, so by the time the first course came we were dying for a drink. Dressed up thinking it was a suit /dressy environment only to have the table next to us in blue jeans and fleece jackets which took our experience down a notch. Ordered the tasting with wine, and were underwhelmed. Food was VERY small portions on huge plates. Expected mid range wines at $60/pp, but found out later (Google) that retail bottle price was $10.99, $15.99 and $19.99...we could have ordered a $120 bottle and had a nicer time. Food was not memorable and we left after 2 hours, hungry and annoyed. Boston has so many options for fine dining, next time we'll go elsewhere.

12/21/07

Excellent experience

by dryflie

Christmas lunch at No 9 Park is a different and over all pleasant experience. Costly yes but tasty as well. The service is exceptional, clearly heads and shoulders about the standard fare. We reserved for lunch and received a confirmation call the day before, another nice touch. The decor is muted, smooth and soothing, noise levels even with a full dining room are unobtrusive. The lunch menu is diverse and inviting, choices are tough but the staff is helpful. Wine advice from the wait staff is intelligent and expert. The opportunity to test taste a wine selection is another service point. One comment only, the on line menu and the actual menu differed so call ahead if you're expecting a particular dish.

Overall a great experience and hopefully the start of a Christmas tradition.

11/03/07

Super slow service but ok food.

by justsomelimey

I've been in Boston about 18 months and had heard various opinions about No 9 Park so thought I'd check them out on a 3rd date (my date was raving about the place as well). We were there on a Thursday night - I'd tried for a table at 7:30 but was told they were fully booked but could do 8:45 instead. We got there and the place was pretty busy. We were seated in a couple of minutes, given a couple of menus and then ignored for the next 20 mins so we didn't get round to ordering cocktails and just dived straight into the menu. The food is pretty good although the portions are fairly small. It's quite rich though so even though you don't get that much it still seems to fill you up. I sense the place is trying to be very high end because of the location but it doesn't quite manage to pull it off. The service is polite enough but grindingly slow - we waited about an hour between appetizers and our entrees arriving which is just too long. Also the cheeseboard had about 15 cheeses on it which is fine but when the waiter is giving you a 60 second biography on each cheese it's going to take a quarter of an hour just to order some cheese so you get the picture. We left the restaurant at 11:30 having arrived at 8:45 (and this is a Thursday). I've eaten in quite a few similar places cost-wise in London and New York and the experience here was nowhere near as good. Basically they need about twice the number of staff who, to their credit, were very friendly and plenty busy all evening.

• Pros: Location, ambience
• Cons: Service