NINETEEN (XIX)

Next time I'm not going to be so lucky.

Once again I found myself making a last minute reservation at a popular restaurant. After being told there were no tables available for the evening, my friends and I decided to risk it and hit the lounge (we heard lounge patrons can order from same dinner menu – very cool). Entering XIX through the tall, glass doors into the dark modern décor entrance way, a hostess greets us who I ask with no hope if any tables are available. It just so happens that there's one table left - let's get to it.

Looking around if you're from Edmonton it will quickly remind you of similar restaurants like LUX, Joey's, etc - modern, dark lit, glass, wine walls and simplistic design. Here, the menu changes with the season as any restaurant of this calibre should. It was late March so the winter menu was in effect.  So we begin with a few appetizers - we ordered both the Prosciutto Wrapped Scallops and Gorgonzola PEI Mussels.

The three large scallops were cooked to a medium-rare finish leaving them tender and juicy with the prosciutto giving the edges that fatty, pork taste you expect. The mustard cream was ridiculously good; I ended up rubbing the truffle pierogi all through it to make sure it lasted. The apple puree and cauliflower were unique to the dish delivering a delicious palette cleanser.

The mussels were cooked with a Gorgonzola cream - an awesome pairing I have never tried, somehow missing this throughout my long maritime history. But how could steaming hot, cheesy mussels be a bad thing? They came with salt and peppered hand cut fries that were a delicious addition.

On to the main course...

I was fixated on trying the duck but when our server rattled off that the daily catch was Chilean Sea Bass I just had to sink my teeth into that. It turned out to be a good choice. A palm-sized portion of sea bass had a light, citrus crust on top that really complemented the fish well. The fish was very tender, almost melting in your mouth. Veggies on the side, I finished my meal too fast - a good sign.

I also tried my friends dishes – the Blue Crab Crusted Grouper and Brome Lake Duck Breast. Much like my dish the grouper had a delicious crust, this being crab, that really worked. The creamy mushroom fricassee was absolutely exquisite – just another really, really good sauce from the kitchen.

The duck was recommended medium rare, which is how I hope anyone would eat a duck breast. I just can't imagine how tough a well done piece would be! Juicy and tender, the taste faintly reminded me of liver. One cool thing about the dish was the addition of hoisin chicken confit ragout – kind of like pulled pork but with chicken and asian style. It was really, really good. 

This is not to say the entire experience was fantastic. I had to ask our server three times for our appetizers and he even said to me when I asked the third time that “we hadn’t ordered appetizers”. Luckily I had been about four pints of beer deep so I let it slide without saying some asshole remark. Other than that and that they need a few more beers on tap it was a great time.

Overall, Chef Andrew Fung is doing great things at Nineteen. His dishes are unique, decently priced and his flavours are amazing. Edmonton seems to be very pleased adding this restaurant to the roster. I simply cannot wait to try the new Spring/Summer menu.
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http://dinenineteen.com/