9 Elm American Bistro — Restaurant in Danvers

Pretty good stuff. A couple "ehhhhhh" dishes, but overall more hits than misses.

I got 6 apps here:

Blue Cheese Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Dates: A bit too sweet - barely any blue cheese stuffed in the middle, but otherwise good.

Onion Soup: SPOT ON! Not too salty, not too bland - hit that hard-to-get-just-right saltiness. Used Gruyere like they should. If a restaurant uses Swiss in their onion soup, don't even bother. My favorite dish of the night.

Lobster Ravioli: Good. Wife said she got a big piece of lobster in her ravioli - mine was less noticeable lobster, but still tasted good.

Yellow Beet salad: On the whole, pretty good, but man they are stingy with only three beet slices, and not much goat cheese. A bit of a miss due to the stinginess on beets and goat cheese.

Seared Scallops appetizer: The orzo was absurdly garlickly to me, but more importantly the scallops were cooked wonderfully. Even though the orzo was too garlickly for my taste, it still was good otherwise, and it was negated a bit when eaten with the scallops simultaneously.

Seared Ahi Tuna app: I get this dish a lot at many restaurants, and this one is definitely "up there" in terms of quality taste. The wasabi paste is "coconut wasabi", and is milder than I was expecting but still quite good. Pickled veggies were sparse but quite tasty, and the tuna itself was great with a nice black sesame coating.

For dessert, we got the creme brulee. Unfortunately, it was not the superior warm, liquidly kind of creme brulee, but instead the pre-prepared cold, more solid creme brulee. Wasn't bad, but not great either.

Overall, pretty solid place, but a couple nitpicks with the dishes prevent a 5-star rating. Still worth...

Wow!!! That is what I kept saying after every bite of food I had here. I went with my girlfriend and have heard great things about it. We got French onion soup, and butternut squash ravioli for appetizers. They both were outstanding, the broth in the soup was so flavorful and it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet like some onion soup can be. The butternut squash ravioli was most definitely homemade and was served in a brown butter sauce that was to die for. For our meals, she got the filet mignon that was cooked to perfection with mashed potatoes, and vegetables (carrots, asparagus, green beans) served with a red wine reduction. YUM! I got the pan seared duck cooked medium-rare, with bacon butternut risotto, vegetables (carrots, asparagus and green beans) served with a orange-soy reduction. The duck had a nice crispy skin and literally melted in your mouth, the risotto was so good I could have eaten a bowl of it alone. AMAZING. My girlfriend and I were elated with the food and the experience as the hostess which I believe is one of the owners, bartenders and staff were happy to be there, friendly, and attentive. All what you would want while you are dining out. You could also tell they were all very passionate about the food they serve there. Hands down the best place to eat in the area. Can’t...

We went to 9 Elm on a Wednesday to celebrate a family event, and we are so happy we checked them out! The food was impeccable!

My wife got the wedge which was fresh and cold, with a marvelous homemade bleu cheese dressing. Their signature french onion was LOADED with onion and had a wonderful wine flavor. It was perfected seasoned and salted, with a great crouton sopping up that wonderful broth. Did I mention the flamed slice of Gruyere? Just outstanding! As for dinner, our dishes included a perfectly cooked, huge grilled pork chop, medium rare duck breast sliced over creamy risotto for my wife, and one dish of bolognese which was literally the best I've ever had. Since the pasta was mine here's more - it was perfectly al dente, with a pork/veal/lamb slow-cooked bolognese finished with just a hint of cream......delicious. Shaved parmesan topped the huge dish, with plenty for dinner and enough leftovers for a great lunch. Chef Matt and his team have created a fantastic menu that they execute flawlessly. My son has peanut/nut and shellfish allergies which they accommodated without hesitation. Drinks are priced modestly and their signature cocktails are excellent. What's not to love? It's a new go-to restaurant for us - looking forward to our next visit!

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