Imperial No. Nine (CLOSED)

We were sat right away for an 8:30 pm reservation on a Saturday night. The execution of the meal was fine, cocktails good, and the service attentive. The food, however, is just not very good. The mussel special was fine, but the garlic bread it's served with is dripping with oil. The striped bass has no taste. The worst offense, however, is what they're doing to the octopus - they're taking the skin off, grilling it like a sausage and covering it in a sickeningly-sweet sauce. It's barely recognizable as octopus and left a terrible taste in our mouths (literally and figuratively) for the rest of the evening. The prices are way too high for recipes that just don't work. I guess someone's got to pay for the huge and beautiful space, but it won't be me (again). I definitely won't be back.

Went to Imperial No.9 last night for my friend's birthday dinner and had an amazing time. Because we were a party of 9 we were seated at the long table front and center of the restaurant. The ambiance is very chic and modern and the space is simply breathtaking. The food was solid with a stellar presentation. I had the scallops and little neck clams which boasted amazing flavors. The cocktail list is charming. Love the number system. The dessert menu is somewhat lacking and I wasn't thrilled with the chocolate and caramel pie. Service was great and our server was attentive. Larger parties can be challenging at times but she was on top of everything!! This is definitely going to be a destination spot for the summer. There's a garden outside that looks so enchanting. I can't wait to come back. Overall just fabulous!!!

Imperial No. Nine has yet to work out the kinks in their service. At first, the waiter and servers stopped by too often. The food arrived way too quickly, within 5-10 minutes of ordering, and it arrived all at once even though the waiter had told us we were effectively ordering several appetizers, entrees and sides. Once we had the food, some dishes were good, some were just okay. I would not recommend the skirt steak but would recommend the cauliflower fritters. After eating for 10 minutes, servers started stopping by every two minutes to see if we were done with anything. We told them all no but once the third or fourth one asked us, it really started to disrupt our meal. Then they all disappeared. The last course we ordered did not arrive for another 35-40 minutes and by that time we were ready to leave. There was an error on the bill but the waiter promptly fixed it with an explanation that they did not yet know the computer system. Overall, I would give this place some time to work out some opening issues.

I cannot say enough good things about Imperial No. 9. I went on Friday night with a few girlfriends and the service was impeccable from start to finish. Our waitress was extremely attentive and very helpful with the menu and wine choices. The ambiance in the restaurant was modern and sleek but we were very comfortable at our booth-like table (in the dining room section of the restaurant). As for the food, every single dish that came out was wonderful. We had the cauliflower fritters, raw tuna, roasted squash, king crab legs, shrimp dish, striped bass and the salted caramel ice cream dessert. I think we sampled a good portion of the menu and all of the the food was unbelievably fresh and the flavors in every single dish worked so well together. Sam didn't hit a wrong note on anything. The highlight of the night was Sam coming out to our table. We thanked him for the great meal and he even sat with us for a few minutes. It was a very nice personal touch and it really enhanced our evening. But even without that we would have left more than satisfied. We finished the evening with a few drinks in the bar room. And of course we enjoyed the drinks as well! I know this restaurant opened less than a week ago but if I hadn't known that I would never have guessed it.