9 out of 10

I had purchased a Gilt City tasting menu for 9 Restaurant, so when a special occasion presented itself (The Mr's Birthday) it seemed like a good time to try it out. Oh yah, and I needed to use it before it expired as these special deals always seem to do so quickly.

Pretzel Bread with Mustard Seed Butter

Ooooh boy. I knew a big meal was ahead of us, so I was determined to taste the bread and move on, but they found my soft spot with this pretzel-like doughy bread served with butter filled with whole mustard seed. I had my half and would have had more...

Lobster Pigs In a Blanket

Brisket Sliders

For our appetizer course we went with an order of Brisket Sliders and an order of Lobster Pigs in a Blanket. They were both soooo tasty. I was convinced that the subtle lobster flavor would be drowned out by the dough and sauces, but thankfully it turned out to be quite the opposite. The lobster flavor shined through. The brisket was moist and tender, the bread fresh and tasty, and the mini pickle and cherry tomato just pushed me over the edge.

Pork Shank

I really wish we had taken this picture with one of our hands in it to be able to give you some perspective. You really don't get a sense of just how massive this pork shank is. It was so big that, truth be told, even The Mr was kind of thrown off. I really intended to try and make a soup from the leftovers, but unfortunately had a crazy week.

Skate "Schnitzel"
Background: Tempura Cauliflower

The Tempura Cauliflower was ridiculously good, the dipping sauce added the perfect amount of salt. Add to that how it was served in a mini fryer basket, and again, I'm a fan. It's my new custom to order skate any time it's on the menu, so I had to oblige. Thankfully, this time I was not disappointed. It was delicious and tender, with the caperberries and lemon offsetting each other for the perfect flavor accompaniments.

Front: Red Velvet Donuts
Back: Bread Pudding

By the time dessert rolled out we were already stuffed, so we really didn't appreciate them to their fullest. The dried, candied citrus was a perfect flavor, texture, and plating finish to the bread pudding. The donuts were more chocolate than red velvet to me, but were quite yummy.

The thing that holds this restaurant back from scoring a full 10 would have to be the ambience. For the first half of the meal the lights were really bright which gave the place a distinctly cafeteria feel and was really throwing me off. Finally, around 8pm they dimmed the lights. This is one of those places that effortlessly accommodates casual and dressy attire, but the mix of casual and fancy elements in the decor kind of threw me off. But I wouldn't let that hold you back, since this part is purely a vibe that I wasn't getting- maybe you'll click with it.