By JOHN & STACI GEIGER
Food & Dining Reviews for Everyone
The story behind the 9th Street Bistro, 56 S. 9th St., Noblesville, and its changing menu attracted us to dine here.
Husband-and-wife owners, Rachel and Chef Samir Firestone Mohammed moved from Denver, Colo., to Noblesville and began their restaurant endeavor in January 2020. They allotted three months to remodel and were to open in April, which was also the beginning of the COVID pandemic.
They faced that challenge by offering a “Supper Club,” a menu of ready-to-heat dishes that changed weekly, for customers to pick up and enjoy at home. They still offer the Supper Club with orders accepted by 8 p.m. Friday for pickup on Sunday afternoon.
Exposed brick and Edison-style bulbs hanging from the ceiling make for a warm and welcoming decor. The dining area is small and intimate with 35 seats. Due to the ongoing pandemic, they are serving approximately half that number. Bookshelves are used as a clever and cozy way to divide the tables into nooks to practice social distancing.
Seth introduced himself as one of our wait staff and explained that all the servers handle all the tables, so that you can grab any server anytime – Staci enjoyed that aspect of it, I didn’t.
Enough with the background – let’s talk about the food!
The menu is “globally-inspired” with influences from all over the world and even offers gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options. Almost everything is made from scratch, and they pride themselves in utilizing local ingredients for their dishes. The menu changes periodically and is influenced “by the seasonality of local produce.” They offer daily specials and a “Fried Thing of the Day,” which was an apple fritter the night we were there.
We shared a bottle of house white wine, Pesce Mercato from Veneto, Italy. I’m not much of a wine drinker, but Staci, who is particular about the wine she drinks, liked it quite a bit. On Wednesdays, bottles of wine are half off.
Photo provided by JohnGeiger.com
We began our dinner with a sharable dish, “Housemade Burrata.” It’s mozzarella wrapped around a creamy cheesy filling and arugula pesto smothered around. We both found it very creamy with a rich buttery taste. This was Staci’s favorite dish.
In addition to six menu entrees, I was excited to see that one of my favorite dishes, Cioppino – a seafood and fish stew – was offered on the nightly specials menu. It was nicely presented with the freshly grilled swordfish, scallops, shrimp, and mussels strategically arranged so that each was visible. It was topped with gremolata and lemon. My only reservation about the dish was that the lemon slightly overpowered the stew. After my taste buds acclimated to the citrus, the rest of the dish was excellent.
Swordfish steak is particularly difficult to cook as it needs to be cooked through medium-well, but still juicy. Mine was perfectly done with it flaking apart with a fork. The texture and taste of the scallops and shrimp were spot on. Individual mussels can easily be bad if not scrutinized by the chef, and each one was just as good as the last.
Personally, next time, I’d ask to hold the lemon or put it on the side for me to squeeze, but all in all, I was very pleased.
Photo provided by JohnGeiger.com
Staci chose the Butternut Squash Risotto. A gluten-free and vegetarian dish that is made from “7-year-aged risotto, cooked with local butternut squash, garlic, shallots, and white wine, topped with aged gouda, pepitas, and toasted pumpkin oil.” The risotto was cooked to perfection, and the squash was tender and sweet. It was absolutely phenomenal!
Dessert is Staci’s favorite course of any meal, and she was excited to see that they offer one of her favorites: a Vanilla Crème Brûlée, which was drizzled with local honey from Eagle Creek Apiary and served with two shortbread cookies on top. Chef Samir delivered it himself. Staci called it the best crème brûlée she’s ever had!
As far as beverages, they have an extensive wine list, cocktails, and mocktails. The Bistro is a great place to go for special occasions or if you just want a quality meal in a cozy atmosphere.
Photo provided by JohnGeiger.com
Overall, it was a wonderful evening, with a great atmosphere, and delicious food. If you’re not familiar with it or if you just haven’t been there yet, try it out, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.
9th Street Bistro is located at 56 S. 9th St., Noblesville. The Bistro is open from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For reservations, call (317) 774-5065.