EVEN SMALL TOWNS HAVE BIG TASTE - NINE ELM

As I always say, your stomach feels only as good as its last meal. And while my meal at NINE ELM fell during the holiday break, and it's now the beginning of a new year, my stomach and palate still fondly recall the meal I was served at this small, intimate restaurant in the heart of Danvers, Massachusetts. Chef Matt Sanidas owns this sweet little American Bistro and while it's not new to the culinary scene of the NorthShore, it was new to my list of the tastiest places to visit just north of Boston. 

Bacon Wrapped Dates

It was a blistery weekday night when I chose to visit the establishment and I was thrilled upon entry to find a heavily draped curtain half-mooning the door. It was to shield the draft from entering into the small 34 seat dining area. A nice, thoughtful touch by the owners, considering I found myself shivering at many venues on my trip. I must say, there is nothing more uncomfortable than being forced to wear your heavy puff coat while forking into a puff pastry! But thankfully the warmth of this venue carried over with the hostess who quickly checked off our reservation and seated us promptly. Our waitress was equally as nice as she gave us ample time to eye the extensive wine list. I was happy to see not one but two Rieslings, served by the glass. I opted for the Bogle California and was pleasantly surprised by the crisp and mildly sweet taste. It was a good choice indeed. Next we scanned the delicious-sounding list of appetizers that included Crispy Tempura Shrimp, Sauteed Mussels in a wine butter broth, Butternut Squash Ravioli and Bacon Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates with Apple Chutney. We chose the latter. If it tasted as good as it sounded, we were in for a real treat. Prior to ordering, I was assured by the waitress that the blue cheese wasn't "overpowering". I was happy to hear this since I am a fair weather blue cheese fan. Upon arrival, the dates looked hearty on the plate, wrapped up in smokey, fatty goodness and in the center of it all was the sweet tie-in, just waiting to make love to it's savory counterpart. I've had MANY stuffed dates in my years of culinary exploration and this particular dish was top-notch. Of course with such a tasty beginning we couldn't wait for our next course.

Swordfish with Lemon Risotto

Entree options ranged from Filet Mignon to Cider Braised Pork Chop to Free Range Duck. I was happy to see that truffle oil was also a friend of our Chef's. It appeared not only in a potato side dish but also in the vegetarian option on the menu, Artichoke & Fontina Raviolis with Pesto Cream, Portobello and ahhh Truffle Oil. My dining companion and I were feeling in the mood for seafood so we opted for the Seared Scallops and the special of the evening, Grilled Swordfish over Lemon Risotto. The Swordfish was a beautiful piece that was neither too meaty or too flaky. But what made this fish pop was the most delicious parsley, shallot butter. Without it, the dish would have been up to par, but with the addition of this flavor, it really brought the fish to a whole new level. Just underneath was another flavorful punch of lemon risotto. It rounded out the plate nicely. The Seared Scallops, like the Swordfish, were also cooked to perfection but the Lemon-Chive Beurre Blanc was extremely mild and lacked any flavor. This was disappointing because such beautiful scallops deserved to be given a more flavorful sauce. They were however resting on a delicious mound of truffled mashed potatoes. One minor criticism on the plating -- both dishes were given identical roasted vegetables. Asparagus and carrots. While I like both vegetables just fine and while I agree that they too were cooked to perfection, I'm not a fan of glancing at my dinner companion's plate and seeing the very same side that I have when we've ordered two completely different dishes. If I'm paying for a "unique" entree, then I'd like for that dish to be accompanied by the flavors and textures that uniquely suit that dish. If we're all getting french fries, then I would have just ordered a burger. You get my drift.  

Seared Scallops with Truffled Potato

But our haze of veggie depression did not stop us from exploring our sweet side. Based on the recommendation of our waitress we opted for the White Chocolate Bread Pudding. While we waited for our dessert, we noticed the Chef step out and talk to some folks at the bar. It was nice to see him out of the kitchen and making the rounds. Our dessert arrived and we dug into the somewhat thin, square-shaped pudding that had clearly just been heated. It was piping hot. Giving it a moment to sit, we attempted again and found ourselves enjoying but inquiring whether this dessert was really bread pudding. It was sweet and tasty but without a doubt had more of a custard texture to it. We asked our waitress if our Chef was toying with a reinvented version of a Greek dessert, Galaktoboureko, sans the top layer of phyllo dough. She wasn't sure where we were going with this but said she would ask the Chef since he IS Greek. Upon returning she said that he had "no idea" what we were talking about but he would try to visit our table and talk about the dish. I wasn't sure if there was some offense in my statement. For the record, my thoughts on the dessert were meant to be a compliment only, as I think a reinvented version of bread pudding would be genius as a Topless Galaktoboureko. As we finished the last remaining bites of our dessert, we were kindly thanked by our waitress. I eyed the back of the house one last time with the hopes that Chef Sanidas would come out so I could not only talk dessert but thank him for leaving me with a memorable meal. Unfortunately, he did not step out to see what all the Greek fuss was about but I hope next time he will.

For menu and reservations visit: NINE ELM