Athens dining may have to make room for something a little more fancy.
Seated among a repertoire of grub-shack-style sustenance, Nine Tables is serving a prix fixe menu of steak, pork and crostinis — not far from the streets that pay similar homage to chili-laden hot dogs and plus-sized burritos.
Bill Justice, owner and head chef at Nine Tables, said his restaurant’s audience appreciates “the finer things in life,” an idea that comes to life at the first bite of his crostini appetizer, smothered in goat cheese and garnished with halved grapes.
Nine Tables might be one of the few places in Athens where residents can pull up a chair, order a glass of sparkling water and feast for hours on everything from steak topped with Béarnaise sauce to plump crab cakes dipped in a red pepper and garlic aioli.
The building formerly housed Mistretta’s Italian Market but was completely revamped. Crimson drapes and subtle lighting create a romantic ambience that’s enough to make you forget the establishment once housed spiced meats and subs.
The idea was to create a supper-club-style feel at Nine Tables. Justice dubs it the “dining destination” for a night out.
Each of the nine tables at the restaurant is filled through online or phone reservations and seat only a single party each night. Justice said he does not flip tables but instead allows diners to remain for three to four hours at a time.
Diners choose a five- or seven-course prix fix option, $50 and $75 respectively, that includes items such as seared pork tenderloin with a Bourbon shallot glaze and a crème brulee dessert.
Oh, and butter — lots of butter.
Perhaps the driving force behind Justice’s European-inspired cuisine is heavy cream and an abundance of butter. Thick goat cheese also makes appearances in many of the dishes, including the roasted red pepper soup, which thickens as goat cheese is stirred in.
But the current attraction at Nine Tables is the French-inspired asparagus salad. A bed of crisp asparagus mingles alongside diced tomatoes and is drenched in a thick mustard cream dressing.
But make sure you save room. Patrons are offered a cup of coffee to top off the meal, and an ample dollop of Justice’s frozen homemade cream will hit that proverbial sweet tooth.
sg409809@ohiou.edu
