N9NE closed down after dinner last night according to multiple local dining blogs. Well I always enjoyed stopping down here for do it yourself smores for dessert. The one time I had dinner here… I came away unimpressed and can safely say that it doesn’t compare to Bob’s, Nick & Sams, etc.
Maggie T.
Place rating: 3 Grapevine, TX
My Sister and I went to the N9NE steakhouse strictly for dessert after Craft didnt have anything appealing to offer. I was really impressed with the atmosphere and the food. I wasnt as impressed with the service level as it took probably a good 15minutes before our waitress came to take our order. After we received our food we never saw her again until it was time to pay the check. Perhaps I was a little more desperate about the time because we had the Celine concert to hurry too… but she wasnt the most attentive waitress. We were sitting in the bar so I would think our 9.00 desserts would suffice some respectable about of service. However the food redeemed everything! My favorite dessert is Crème Brulee and they served a great portion and perfectly done. There was no suprises or «twists»…it was classic crème brûlée which I created appreciated. I would have given them 4stars but the service had to be noted I have to say a major highlight was we saw Emmitt Smith and his beautiful wife that night! I think we were just as excited to see him as we were to see Celine.
Kristen B.
Place rating: 2 Dallas, TX
AWFUL. UNREAL. I was so amazed buy the lack of culinary fortitude. The fish was so dry it was like can tuna. The steak was weak and flavorless. The salad was so overdressed it was«drunken» I couldn’t believe we were in Dallas still. This place won’t last with titans like Bob’s, Nick’s, and Pappas. This place purely relies on the location and Las Vegas rep. I took my mom before the Celine Dion concert and I was so embarrassed. I won’t go back except to drink before I go get a real meal. I must say though, the front of the house is fantastic, including the bar staff. My favorite of any upscale place in town. Therefore, they get 2 stars instead of zero.
Ryan B.
Place rating: 5 Richardson, TX
For most, this is a «speical occasion» restaurant. I went for New Years and we had great steak, immense side dishes, fresh, ice-cold shell fish, and the servers weren’t just workin’ to get through school. These were pros.
Tori W.
Place rating: 2 Dallas, TX
Ugh, N9NE is seriously overrated. I would probably give it 4 stars if you got the same food for about 1⁄3 of the price. I have eaten here several times(mostly because out-of-town clients always want to go there) and have a tried a lot of the menu options. I think I can honestly say the fries were the best thing I have tried. I can get better fries at Whataburger, though, people! The atmosphere is what you would expect for an expensive restaurant in Victory Park. Plenty of people eating on expense accounts(guilty as charged) and one too many women resembling plastic blow up dolls!
Karen C.
Place rating: 5 New York, NY
One of the best meals I’ve had in awhile. I’ve been to tons of fancy steakhouses and this was one of my favorites. I liked that the menu was a little eclectic with things I wouldn’t necessarily put together. My first course, the Wedge salad was great. Next was an 8oz filet. I order steak rare and when I cut into mine I thought it *might* be a little over done, but when I tasted it I quickly forgot. Perfect. I tried the gnocchi with truffle cream sauce for a side… mmm…I am a sucker for anything with truffle flavor though, heh. Oreo ice cream pie for dessert was the perfect ending to the meal! Waitress was nice and made good suggestions. Restaurant was a little on the loud side but it didn’t bother me. I liked the modern and minimialist décor. Had a drink at the bar afterwards and had encountered yet another friendly staff person.
Nichole H.
Place rating: 3 Joshua, TX
We had an office party here in April or therabouts. We had a private room and dedicated servers, so the service was probably above average. The only thing that really stood out for me was the desserts. The drinks were average, and honestly, I was more interested in socializing with my co-workers than eating my food… which is unusual. I think this is a place to be seen, but I felt it was overpriced and annoying.
Just K.
Place rating: 3 Dallas, TX
Finally tried this place and was lucky enough to get in for restaurant week. My first thought when walking in was«what a cool atmosphere». It is kind of dark but has white lights on the booths and the columns are plastered in little mirrors like a disco ball. We were seated and could tell right away that this was one of the trendier places in town to be seen. The restaurant week menu was limited and for an appetizer I had a wedge salad. Kind of difficult to criticize a salad but also difficult to get excited over it. The bread they brought out with the salad was very good(and I forgot to ask if they make it themselves or buy it like so many places). I got the steak for my «meal» and was surprised that if I wanted a side dish, I would have to order that separately(all the other RW places actually give you a meal and not just a piece of meat). I went with the grilled asparagus and it was delicious with a slight balsamic sauce. The steak was very good but here again, it’s very difficult to find a bad steak, especially when there’s a sauce on it. For dessert, I had the cheesecake and it was good but here again, cheesecakes are difficult to find bad and difficult to get excited over. My friend that I went with ordered entirely different items and raved about his meal so I took this into account when giving my rating. He had a tomato mint salad for an appetizer(I don’t like tomato so I didn’t try it). For his meal he had some salmon with a potato salad underneath, which he said really just tasted like potatoes but the fish was very flavorable(the best of the 3RW places we got salmon this year(Nove and Abacus). For dessert he got a lemon raspberry bar that was very lemony and refreshing. My friend was enamored with the restaurant and said he would put it on his list to bring someone from out of town for a cool place to go. He was much more into the«scene» of the restaurant than I was. I thought the food was pretty good but understand that the food I ordered really limited my ability to critique it. The waiter was very nice and even gave me a free token to go check out Ghost Bar.
Grumpy G.
Place rating: 2 Dallas, TX
I have this image of what it must be like in the kitchen of a decent restaurant just before the start of Restaurant Week. I suppose I’ll never know, but in my mind here might be the message from the head chef. «Ok, here’s how I want y’all to prepare this entrée. As for the sauce, make it like this. And the presentation, I want it to look this way. Ok, does everybody get it? Good, cause I’M OUTTAHERE!!!» Four of us went to N9NE during RW at the request of my daughter(a.k.a. «the OTHER princess in the house.») Walking in, the place exuded a noisy, dark immensely posh air about it. Walking out, we were happy to be done with it. Our party was on time for our reservation but the hosts were sure we needed to spend part of our paycheck at the bar before we begin our meal. So we dodged a couple of cougars and lounged in the bar area. The princesses ordered champagne while the guys drank their scotch and bourbon. Coincidentally, as soon as our drinks finally came, the hostess wanted to seat us. Tired of this ploy, I suggested that we finish our drinks, then sit at our leisure. When the hostess came back for us, she took us to one of those trendy c-shaped tables. I asked for a normal square table, but was told that would require another cycle in the bar before one would be ready. Opting, instead, to pay the mortgage this month, we took the c-table. Our waiter was most bubbly and hard working although his personality probably got him the job as poster child on a Ritalin ad some years ago. We persevered, hollering out small talk above the din as we waited for our meals. Since it’s a steak place and RW offers a limited menu, three of us ordered the steak. Two of the three were good and the third was simply a poor cut of meat. The gnocchi side, raved by some Unilocalers, was truly exceptional, shaped like tater tots but simply scrumptious. The lobster mashed potatoes were sticky and lean on the crustacean. The wine pairings were basic at best. Help me here. How can a place have 8 Unilocal reviews with three 1’s and three 5’s? Is this restaurant really that all over the map? Maybe so. Admittedly, a crummy meal during RW should not deep-six a place, but clearly others were unimpressed as well. Exactly what were the three Unilocalers drinking(or eating) who gave this place a 5?
Kelly M.
Place rating: 1 Redwood City, CA
I was visiting Dallas from San Francisco last weekend and went to N9NE for what I was hoping would be a mouth-watering experience. Unfortunately, they missed the mark. I ordered a classic Caesar salad which was drowning in dressing. Then I had the Port Tenderloin dish… the presentation was sloppy and unappetizing… they put half the tenderloin uncut on top of cabbage. It was also very dry. My friend ordered the chicken dish which was so salty it was inedible. She sent it back and ordered a burger… but after 20 minutes, we just canceled the order. Now some people would ask why we would go to a steak restaurant and not order steak… but steak should not be the only good thing on the menu at a nice restaurant like N9NE. On a positive note, the General Manager came over to see how our meal was. When we told him we were disappointed in the meal, he apologized and without any hesitation took care of our tab. Now that’s service!
Matthew M.
Place rating: 5 Houston, TX
I really enjoy this steak house. I dint know whether its really close to my place(uptown) or I get treated like a king or that the steaks here are amazing! Probably the steaks. The food here is always made perfectly. The salads are great and they always use the freshest ingredients possible. The wedge salad is a staple at any steak house and this one is especially good. The lobster bisque is also bomb and I would like it in an IV. The steaks are aged and perfect. The chefs always prepare it to the way I like. The sides are where its at though. The gnocchi are out of control good and the lobster mash potatoes also are something to write home about. Also, the other entrees beside the steaks are amazing. The Sea bass is great! Of course in true steak house fashion this place is huge and gawdy. Def a scene. I’m pretty sure I have seen several celebrities here and athletes. The wait staff doesn’t care who you are because it is top notch. The waiters here are professionals and not some college kid trying to make a buck. The wine list is superb and have a great selection of Californian varietals. If you wanna feel like a celebrity while gnawing on a piece of beef come here!
Christi R.
Place rating: 2 Dallas, TX
As far as Dallas steakhouses go, this place has an interesting atmosphere(and by interesting, I mean loud and full of plastic women looking for rich suckers) but it lacks in its attention to detail. We made on-line reservations, they called to confirm them, but when we showed up… on time, our table for 5 had been given away, and we were asked to sit in a booth for 4. Typically, not the best way to make an impression. On a night where we were immediately going to the AAC after(a major reason we chose this particular place) and had alerted the waiter to that fact, the service was incredibly slow and we ended up being late to our concert. I suppose an hour and a half isn’t enough time to push a table through. Especially when it’s apparently mandatory to wait at least 30 minutes between an appetizer and the main course. I was unaware of this fact until I dined here. Whoops. The waiter paid attention to the person he thought was paying the bill, but tended to neglect the other patrons, screwed up two orders; we had to beg for refills and didn’t get them, but the water boy was very attentive. The food itself was decent, but I’ve had better. The sashimi was probably the highlight of my personal dining experience. Overall, I would advise you to avoid N9NE… unless you’re desperate for a night of attention given to only the most vain, feel free to indulge.
Francesca L.
Place rating: 3 Los Angeles, CA
I agree with all the previous reviews, but I didn’t think my steak was that great… the gnocchi was good and the wedge salad was nice. Cannon is right about the other patrons – i don’t like the atmosphere and overly loud music. The service was pretty good, not stuffy at all, pretty chill.
Clare D.
Place rating: 5 Dallas, TX
Last night we had reservations for Restaurant Week at N9NE, the posh new steakhouse down in Victory Park. True to its Vegas roots, N9NE is all about appearances(don’t get me started on the way it’s spelled). I don’t mind places like this, as long as the food is good enough to back up the show. Boy, was it ever! Nevermind the white-jacketed waiters, weird blue lighting and cold stainless steel décor, it’s all part of the game. Most of my friends(your average 20/30-somethings who aren’t on Daddy’s payroll) aren’t into that scene, but I get that there is a certain segment of the Dallas population who enjoy pretending like they live in LA. These are the same people who actually like the idea of bars with memberships(memberships! to a BAR!) and bottle service. They have deep pockets and tons of free time, so you might as well cater to them I suppose. But this was the nice thing about N9NE. Yes, they are all about the glitz and glamour of high-dollar clientele, but I never once felt like I wasn’t good enough to eat there last night. Our server Karen could not have been more friendly, informative and accommodating, the manager stopped by mid-meal to check on us and even the person who brought out our food was cheerful and attentive. Even though there is a fixed menu for this event, she still showed us the normal menu and told us all of their best-sellers and her favorites. We weren’t rushed through our meal(SO annoying when this happens during Restaurant Week), but encouraged to sit and enjoy each course at a relaxing pace. We started with a wedge salad which was perfection, then a main course of sliced tenderloin au jous with mashed potatoes which was just delicious. Upon our server’s recommendation, we ordered an extra side outside of the fixed menu(mac and cheese) and it was excellent. After our main course, we finished with bananas foster for dessert. I’m not a huge fan of bananas foster, and this was the only course where there wasn’t a second option to choose, but it was actually very good. We chose the menu with wine pairings which perfectly complemented each course. Even the muscat(a dessert wine, which I normally don’t like) was enjoyable when combined with the sweetness of the ice cream and bananas. My fellow diners all agreed that it was a superb experience from the food to the service and we’ll definitely be going back. A word of caution: Karen told us that it does get very loud towards the end of the week and on the weekends, so try going early in the week(we went on a Tuesday at 6pm) and you’ll enjoy your meal without having to yell over music and noisy diners.