Floating on Cloud 9
Last Friday, I met up with a couple friends
for an early dinner at Cloud 9 Restaurant. Well, we thought it would be an
early dinner; we met early and ended up lingering and staying late. It was
a wonderful evening of laughing and chatting over good food. We sat in a
corner booth by the window and tried to signal to passers-by what a great
time we were having.
We started by sampling three very different
Martinis. Carissa (whom many of you know from her excellent local Karaoke
and theatre performances) had the special Passionfruit Martini, which was
tropical and made me long for summer. Deb had the Blueberry Martini, which
was sweet and beautiful, but not overly syrupy. It had fresh blueberries
gracing the bottom of the glass, and I wanted to reach in and eat them
first. Deb said they were the best blueberries she’s ever had, and when
she finished the cocktail, she said, “I’ll definitely be having that
again!” I had the Grapefruit Martini, which was my favorite. The
grapefruit flavor was refreshing and light, with every sip being just as
wonderful as the last. I think each of us thought our Martini was the
best.
For appetizers, we split the crab dip and I
had a cup of the soup of the day. The crab dip was delicious—velvety
smooth and full of crab. It was served with multicolored tortilla chips
that added a wonderful salty crunch to go with the silky dip. The soup was
a homemade mushroom bisque that had me groaning in delight. Creamy
mushroom soups are such a pleasure when prepared well—the earthiness
offset by the cream, wine and hint of pepper is delicious. I can never
resist a creamy mushroom soup—and this bisque was one of my favorites
ever.
For our entrees, Deb had the Filet of the
Day, Carissa had the Spicey Strip Steak and I had the Risotto. How can you
resist a “filet of the day?” The filet mignon is sometimes served with
shrimp or scallops or with whatever strikes the mood of Chef Chris Teal.
On this particular evening the filet was topped with an eight ounce
lobster tail. Both were delicious and served on asparagus and mashed
potatoes. The Spicy Strip Steak was also delicious in a fabulously spicy
garlic bourbon sauce, topped with grilled shrimp over fresh spinach and
mashed potatoes. Carissa could only eat about half of it, so I had the
leftovers for dinner the next day—it was one of those dishes that was
even better on day two. The Risotto was cooked with butter, wine, bits of
lobster, sundried tomatoes, fresh spinach and herbs. It was topped with a
generous portion of seared scallops. They were yummy.
If a “filet of the day” is not enough
motivation for you to visit Cloud 9 soon, let me tell you about the
desserts. The desserts were absolutely divine. The lemon sorbet was so
tart that the muscles in my cheeks contracted; it was perfect. The crème
brulee was a piece of art. The rich custard base was wonderfully
fresh-tasting with bits of actual vanilla. They slice the strawberries
very thinly and spread them out on top of the custard. Then on top of the
strawberries is a thin carmelized sugar coating. It was gorgeous and
delectable.
Owners Kelley Harp, John Berdini, Bill
Raucci, and John Keefer have worked hard to create a pleasant
Mediter-ranean atmosphere with a variety of menu items. Currently, they
are open Thursday through Sunday evenings starting at 5 p.m.
On Thursdays, Cloud 9 offers a
buy-one-get-one free entrée special for those paying cash. At the
beginning of May, Cloud 9 will start being open during the week and will
offer half-price pasta entrees on Monday evenings. These discount evenings
are especially popular, so I would recommend calling for reservations.
If you see someone gesturing to you in the
window as you stroll by, it’s probably just me or one of my friends
encouraging you to come enjoy a meal at Cloud 9.
Cloud 9 is located at 234 Rehoboth Ave.
They can be reached at 302-226-1999.
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