No. 9 Park
No. 9 Park is one of those places that appear on every “best of” or “must see” list when talking about restaurants in Boston. In addition to that, once Robert heard I was heading out East he added his recommendation to the lists I already had. Amazingly, though, I missed the one thing that would have sent me there right off the bat. Luckily for me, with so many recommendations I had a chance to redeem my oversight.
Monday night I first had a business meeting at the Bull and Finch, now known affectionately as Cheers. I met up with my group, spent 90 minutes or so talking business and then took off on my own as they set off to dinner.
It was a beautiful night and I thoroughly enjoyed my walk as I made my way past the Boston Commons to my destination. I had heard this place was nearly impossible to get a dinner reservation and so I was a bit worried the bar might not even have room, but I had nothing to fear. Although it is small and compact I found a spot with ease.
As I sat looking over the interesting cocktail menu, I really felt I was in Boston; the people sitting near me had words so thick I was amazed they could actually make it out of their mouths! And, as the night wore on, I learned that my bartender’s name was Ryan and two of the gents sitting near me were Francis and Danny - could there be any more perfect Bostonian names?
I stared off with a Pear Martini, which is pictured above. This cocktail is a combination of vodka, pear syrup and a particular type of pear brandy, which I did not record. It’s garnished with a paper-thin, candied pear slice. It was a beautiful drink. (Side note: It is so hard to get decent photos when in a nice place and trying not to interfere with others’ dining experiences. In most of these places the light is very low, as you know, and it’s a challenge to get any sort of shot. It’s frustrating because it’s hard to show how beautiful cocktails and food really are.)
It was about this time that I became aware of the oversight I mentioned in the opening paragraph; Ryan was one of the bartenders listed in the Food and Wine article called “Leaders of the American Cocktail Revolution” that I reported on back in December! One of my heroes! 
He didn’t actually tell me this driectly, but I fgured it out when he asked me if I knew Ben Dougherty, from Seattle and who was also featured in the article. We’d been discussing lots of different cocktail topics anyway, but that opened a whole other dimension!
By this time I needed to order something to eat. 
My plan was to order one or two appetizers so that I could check out a couple of tastes. I stared with porchetta, which was dressed with microgreens and heavenly slices of peach marinated in sherry and grainy mustard. The sweet-tangy peaches mellowed the rich porchetta perfectly!
I next ordered a Jasmine and Ryan, to his credit, admitted he couldn’t quite remember the formula and of course I didn’t quite either. He tried one combination that was just a bit off and he worked with me to get it to the correct balance. I don’t mind if someone doesn’t know a cocktail and I was glad he told me and let me make the decision to experiment or not.
Although I really wanted to try another menu item, the porchetta had been so rich and satisfying that I could not squeeze in another bite. Next time I’m in Boston I’ll have to go back, and preferably with a friend or two, so we can order a few things and try them all. And of course try another cocktail or two!
No. 9 Park
9 Park Street
Boston
617.742.9991
