Restaurant Review: XIX Nineteen
XIX NINETEEN 5940 Mullen Way | dinenineteen.com Instagram: @xix19 Co-Diner: The Husband
One of the top restaurants in Edmonton for many years, XIX Nineteen has become a destination for culinary old favourites and new discoveries. With Chef Andrew Fung at the helm (and now with a second location in St Albert) Edmontonians flock to the south suburban neighbourhood of Mactaggart for the restaurant's stylish setting and "new Canadian" fare. Named Best Restaurant South of the Whitemud in CBC Edmonton's Best Restaurants 2019, Best Fine Dining 2020 in the Edmonton Journal, and Favourite Date Night on the Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2022 list, Nineteen has made a name for themselves as one of the top fancy places in town. I hadn't visited in many years and was looking forward to a refresher on a Sunday evening. The drive south from my central location is a bit of a hike but always worthwhile in the name of good food. On this occasion my husband and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary and I'd heard that Nineteen excels at making these types of evenings special. You'll locate the restaurant in one of those modern strip mall complexes that are commonplace in all of the newer communities. Sleek on the outside, you'll find plenty of parking adding to the ease of the experience. Entering the space you will be greeted by a dim and modern dining room juxtaposed by a familiar vibe. White table cloths, leather-wrapped bench seating, and an eye-catching dividing feature wall. Large pieces of art decorate the room and deep, rich tones set the atmosphere. I also noticed that the contemporary pop music playing was quite good. The friendly and professional hostess ushered us to our table and in a short time we were met by our server. One of his first questions was to ask whether we were celebrating something. He was seasoned at his job, however as the night progressed and the restaurant became fully occupied with guests we did notice that the service slowed down substantially. Toward the end of our meal there were long stretches where no one checked on us at all and uncleared plates remained. As it was a celebratory night, we decided to act accordingly and ordered two glasses of Mionetto Prosecco Brut ($13.00 for 6oz).
This bubbly from Veneto, Italy was crisp and easy to drink. It made our evening feel special and allowed for cute toasting, which was the whole entire point. I had a thought that after my glass of prosecco I might order a craft cocktail but it just never got to that point. If I had done so, I was really interested to try the Dress to Empress which sounded like exactly my type of cocktail. The menu explains that Nineteen is proud to serve still and sparkling Q Water. This four-times filtered water supposedly results in the clearest tasting water available. We each started with one glass of water each (which we assumed was Q Water?) however they were never refilled and I think that if we wanted unlimited water throughout the meal it would cost $2. This was a bit unclear because no one ever asked us if we did in fact want more water. This felt like a way to be pretentious without the proper execution. If there's one dish that everyone talks about (and photographs) at Nineteen, it has to be the Ahi Tuna Twist ($27.00) from the starters section. If the restaurant had a signature dish this is probably it. I had to try it for myself!
On the menu since the beginning, I can see why this dish is so popular! Not only is the plating a ton of fun and interesting to look at but it was also my favourite dish of the night! Twists of noodles wind around each fork with a perfectly seared piece of ruby-coloured tuna placed on top. This type of plate is exciting to me and I couldn't wait to pop one of these bites into my mouth! We experimented with two different ways of eating these; put the whole fork into your mouth in one bite and a more "deconstructed" method. I would have to say that the first option is best even though it's a pretty big mouthful. I enjoyed the spice from the noodles, tender meaty tuna, creamy aioli, and crunch from the slaw. Different textures and colours join together to create something truly special. A must-order each and every time! I was also tempted to order the Bánh Mì Fung Buns with crispy pork belly but didn't get around to it this time. Instead, we opted for the Burrata Salad ($24.00) to bring some freshness into our feast.
This salad was excellent! I especially loved the use of abundant, bright and juicy tomatoes. The acidity in the dish paired well with the luxurious and creamy stracciatella and clotted cream from within the burrata. This plate was incredibly fresh and I could tell that it was made with high-quality ingredients.
The menu at Nineteen contains a lot of buzzwords. It's as if the chef brainstormed all of the classic (but also trendy) dishes that the average person might consider "upscale" and they're all here on the menu. I did really appreciate the use of many local producers, highlighting a lot of the area's amazing ingredients. For my main dish I was pretty interested in the Kurobuta Pork Belly & Scallops - the mustard spaetzle and hazelnut crumbs sounded great. Maybe I should have ordered this. However, I chose the Smoked Duck Confit Tagliatelle ($48.00) because I simply cannot say "no" to duck confit.
At first glance this dish seemed to be on the smaller side but it was an illusion! There was somehow so much hidden pasta and it created a rather large portion. There are many things that I enjoyed about this plate, first and foremost being the absolute generous amount of tender duck confit. There was no shortage and I truly enjoyed this protein in every single bite. The pops of sweet cranberries were lovely and contrasted well with the pungent pieces of roasted garlic cloves. I suppose that my main issue was the tagliatelle pasta - there was a lot of it and it was slightly over cooked. This resulted in a big heap that seemed a bit mushy and produced a dish that was somewhat one-noted.
There are a surprising number of desserts available at Nineteen but the one that everyone talks about is the XIX Signature Warm Butter Cake ($13.00). Delivered to our table in a flourish of sparkler light, we noticed many other celebratory desserts arriving at neighbouring tables throughout the night.
The "Happy Anniversary" sign written in cursive letters on a piece of white chocolate was a nice touch. The cake itself was small and perfect for sharing. I appreciated the awareness that many people (myself included) might only want a couple of sweet bites after a large meal and not something massive. The butter cake was warm (as advertised), moist, and I could really taste the unctuous use of butter. Overall it was a pretty standard dessert but cute that it was done up in a celebratory way.
Some restaurants are built for special occasions and Nineteen is certainly one of those places. The food was generally good but I did find it somewhat generic and predictable in some instances. The prices are quite high although the ingredients are seasonal, of good quality, and the portion sizes considerable. This place churns out birthdays and anniversaries but I do appreciate a locally owned option for such a meal instead of a chain. XIX Nineteen is a tried and true option, albeit overrated to a certain degree. You'll probably spend a lot of money but you'll know exactly what to expect.
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