Before going any further in this review, let me set the
scene for visiting Noord at the absolute best time of year-the holiday season.
For starters, anyone who has been to Passyunk square during
December can tell you that the simplicity in the "tree" at the center
of the square speaks volumes about the restaurants surrounding it. Simple,
innovative, and elegant. Turning your back to the tree and looking around the
square, no matter what direction you turn you see warm-looking elegant
restaurants in every direction. A few blocks away is the lovely Christmas light
show known as The Miracle of S. 13th Street, a great post-dinner walk for the
exterior illumination enthusiasts out there. But of course all this visual
stimulation begs for the other senses to be compensated as well. And in my
humble opinion, none of the nearby restaurants fits the atmosphere as much as
Noord. Yes you have Fond, Laurel, Stateside, and Townsend near by; but none of
them say "Holiday Cheer" like the Nordic comfort food of Noord
eetcafe.
The
tree in passyunk square with Noord in the background to the rightMiracle on S.
13th Street
A week and a half before Christmas was our night to go.
Having been there a few times before, we were not going to be in for any
surprises unless some of my favorite dishes were gone from the menu. Being a
BYOB, we brought one red and one white wine as we commonly do. As the server
comes up, he barely has time to say hello before I am asking him if they have
butter cake for dessert. He assures me they do. A little concerned I will miss
out, I ask him if he can put aside a piece for me. He responds that he will
scope it out and returns holding an entire butter cake, saying that was the back
up. Reassured that my favorite dessert of all time is safe, we proceed to take
in the menu and the atmosphere.
Simple decorations with mild candle lighting make the the
place look more intimate than the bustling noise makes it sound. Its a small
restaurant with no more than 40 seats. The space is well used to maximize
seating without feeling crowded. Large windows span two walls, the best seats
in the house since it makes for great people watching on the busy street and in
the square.
Before going into too much detail on our dinner, let it be
said the bread with homemade butter with fresh garlic is one of my favorites.
That is all.
As far as appetizers go, the Bitterballen is a staple and a
must-have for your first trip. In order to have it fresh in my mind, I passed
up some of the other more recent additions to be able to give the Bitterballen
the credit it is due by having it fresh in my mind. Served with a size of
greens and some top notch mustard, bitterballen is a fried pork meatball. The
dish comes with two generous portions lightly fried and plenty of breading. As
dense as it sounds, it pairs well with the mustard, the pork and herbal flavors
of the bitterballen complimenting the mustard seeds excellently. A new
menu item was Mustard Soup with seared diver scallop. This was absolutely
tremendous. Don't think you're eating hot yellow mustard. The
mustard seed lend flavor to the dish but the winner is the diver scallop.
Impeccably prepared the mustard does not even come close to overpowering the taste
of the scallop. Mildly savory, briny with a little intertwined caviar
this is a must have.
Mustard
Soup with diver sea scallop
A special on the main course was Slavnik, Dutch meatloaf
wrapped in bacon with roasted potatoes, raisins, vegetables and tumeric
aoli. Salty, sweet, and heavy enough this dish would not be very
enjoyable in the middle of July. The stuffed rainbow trout is the deboned full
fish. Perfectly done, the fish goes well in the champagne cream sauce, which is
just as savory as it sounds. Paired with sunchokes and kale it is a fairly well
balanced, if on the heavy side. A mildly disconcerting moment was my first
impression of the dish that was covered with dill. One nose-full had me a
little scared, but on further examination I realized the dill had more bark
than bite and was not in excess on my first mouth full.
Dutch
meatloafStuffed rainbow trout
If there is one thing that needs to be said about the
entrees here, its that they really know how to make their veggies work with the
dishes. Being a person who does not always appreciate root vegetables as much
as I should, I can say that this place makes them the best I have ever had to
the point that I some times crave them.
A couple notes on past visits. We have had the rabbit leg
confit with smoked sausage, which is probably the best entree item on the menu.
If your tastes run toward the seafood department the shellfish waterzooi and
salmon "Lohikeitto" are both solid well-rounded choices.
Now for the important part-getting to rave about my favorite
dessert of all time, the butter cake. Let it be known that I am a chocolate
lover for life with a serious sweet tooth problem. Which is why it is
surprising even to myself how much I love the almond butter cake. It is
perfectly dense and slightly dry taking away some of the "cake" feel
to the batter, which is perfect for me since I don't really like cake. The
amaretto/almond flavor brings back such lovely memories of my college days in
the chemistry lab doing my organic chemistry research project (one of the
chemicals I used was benzaldehyde, which smells like amaretto). Topped with
homeade cream and paired with a vanilla custard, this dessert is heaven if you
have tastes that don't run to your traditional desserts.
Almond
Butter Cake
Our recent trip here does not change its position on my top
10 list, but does solidify it more at the number 3 spot. I think it may have
moved up for Rob due to his mustard soup and scallop. A great restaurant in an
even better location, Noord is a must try. It allows you to be a little
adventurous with your dining without going too far out of the comfort zone. I
will admit, though, that this is not the best place for vegans or vegetarians
to go for a wide variety of options. You are basically limited to one appetizer
and one entree. Maybe.
Enjoy!
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