Nightshade Noodle Bar: A Birthday Celebration

It was one of my top dining experiences of the year, a 14 course extravaganza which occurred this past weekend. In a recent article, Choosing a Special Occasion Restaurant, I provided some recommendations for excellent restaurants for celebrations. On Saturday night, for a special dinner to celebrate my birthday, I chose one of my own recommendations, Nightshade Noodle Bar in Lynn.

Over the course of nearly four hours, five of us thoroughly enjoyed 14 courses of delicious and inventive food, along with wine and cocktails. Although we had only ordered the 12 course dinner, Chef Rachel Miller served us two additional courses in honor of my birthday. Service was excellent, attentive and accommodating, and we were never rushed. Although we had a primary server, MJ, other members of the Nightshade team assisted at times, and each one of them provided top-notch service. 

There are roughly 25 wines on their list, and it's a well-curated list with plenty of interesting choices. We began with some celebratory bubbly, the 2019 Avinyó Brut Cava Rosé, a delicious choice which helped to set the festive mood of the evening. We also later ordered the 2021 Troupis Moschofilero Hoof & Lur, a Greek Orange wine, which was intriguing and tasty, pairing well with many of the dishes.

The food! The dishes are inventive and well-composed, delicious and intriguing. We enjoyed quite a variety of dishes, our palates tantalized by such a diversity of flavors and textures. When you order a tasting menu, you can mention two dishes from the menu which you'd like to be included, and the rest is selected by the Chef. So, nearly every dish is a surprise when it comes to the table, and a very pleasant surprise it is. This is a dining experience which will long live in my memory.     

Here are photos of all of our dishes, but please note that some photos don't do proper justice to the exquisite taste of the food.

Nightshade Caviar Service, with bowfin caviar, eggspuma dip, crispy garlic, and potato chips (like kettle chips). A decadent and fun way to begin your dinner. 

East X West Coast Oysters. Acadian Pearl (NB) oysters with black truffle mignonette, & lemon. Shigoku (WA) oysters with roasted coconut, grape, & aloe. A nice comparison of the differences between East and West Coast oysters.

Chilled Portuguese Percebes with a black pepper and lime dipping sauce. It's rare to find Percebes at local restaurants, and they are quite tasty. 

Grilled Coconut Sticky Rice Pop, with tamarind brown butter pork floss. A decadent treat.

Kabocha Squash Bot Chien, with rice cakes, green chili sauce, fried duck tongues, & pickles. The duck tongues are delicious! The flavors in this dish work so well together.

Tamarind BBQ Moulard Duck, with braised yuba in a smoky hu tieu broth. One of the dishes I chose and it was a great choice. 

Live Santa Barbara Sea Urchin Brûlée, with a red curry hollandaise & torched cinnamon. A creamy and briny with hints of sweetness.

Grilled Striped Bass, with a sherry & smoked raisin glaze, peanut romesco, and grilled garlic scapes. Tender and flavorful, with an excellent romesco sauce.

Australian Black Truffle, with red crab, pho broth, parmesan, and fresh pho noodles. It may not look attractive but it's rich in flavor.

Roasted Gulf Shrimp, with a super lemongrass cajun butter. Plump and flavorful.

Shredded Cabbage, with green apple, mistake mushrooms, mint, and a buttermilk-maple nuoc cham. 

Garlic Noodles, with angel hair, parmesan, candied lemon, & fennel pollen. Another well-composed and delicious dish.

Lobster Glace, with smoked vanilla chili vinaigrette & sea foam. Another dish where the photo doesn't do it justice. Excellent flavor with pieces of sweet lobster at the bottom of the glass.

Lemon Verbena & Aloe Palate cleanser

With a candle within it, I received the Honeydew Froyo, with a magic shell and watermelon pop rocks. Creamy and crunchy, with rich honeydew melon flavors.

We also received their Salted Chocolate Mousse, made from 66% Valrhona Caraibe with Cognac. Sweet and salty, with intense chocolate. 

As for the photo at the very top of this post, it's from the Sin City Superette, the market connected to Nightshade. They have renovated the market from its previous incarnation, and now it offers various prepared foods for lunch and other times. Baguette sandwiches, a Steam Bar, Bahn Mi, Po Boys, and more. Various desserts are also available, from Sweet Bread Pudding to Chocolate Fish Sauce Caramel Tart. I need to stop by at lunchtime and check out their offerings soon. 

Final Note: Today, Nightshade has opened up reservations for October. If you want to dine there, make a reservation here ASAP.