Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/395149
26 nshoremag.com November 2014 Food ne Appetizer: Today's House Made Dip ($6), Grilled Octopus ($14), Cured Meat Board ($25) Entrées: Truffled Chicken ($21), Gnocchi "Chowda" ($18), Pan-roasted Cod ($24) Dessert: Chocolate Cake ($8), Pistachio Cake ($8) Location: 37 Main St., Amesbury, 978-792- 5476, no8kitchen.com The Menu pea purée or a summery zucchini and lemongrass. Another entrée, the in- tensely flavored truffle chicken, has become a menu staple for good reason— gently poached breast meat is wrapped around a forcemeat (lean ground meat emulsified with fat) permeated with truffles and black trumpet mushrooms. The chicken is roasted to order, crisping up the skin and giving each bite a tanta- lizing mix of crisp, tender, and truffled. The dish is served with kale, chanterelle mushrooms, and a chicken demi sauce. For heartier fare, the gnocchi "chow- da" is a fun take on the New England standby—fluffy potato dumplings are tossed with a creamy sauce reminiscent of classic clam chowder, then topped with chunky celery, mussels, clams, and crispy pancetta. The highly seasonal craft cocktail list is overseen by general manager Erica Pe- tersiel, who honed her skills at the now- defunct Red Rock Bistro in Swampscott. Drinks run the gamut from Shoot the Tall Boy—Bulleit bourbon, pickle juice, and a Pabst Blue Ribbon chaser—to the light and fresh 1862, a delightful mix of gin, mint, absinthe and lime, or the aforemen- tioned No. 8 Gin and Tonic, which might feature anything from a lavender infusion Mill Remade: Clockwise from top left, cured meat board, three cheese tortellini, chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream, owners Rich Gehrlein (left) and Sasha Nisenbaum to peach purée, depending on the season. The bar also offers a large array of craft beers and one of the few fine-wine-on-tap programs on the North Shore. House-made desserts are sophisticat- ed yet approachable. At one visit, a sliver of intense chocolate cake seemed more like a brownie on its way to becoming fudge. The richness was complimented by salted caramel ice cream. Another of- fering, the exotic crumbly pistachio cake, topped with elderflower buttercream, evoked the Middle East. The restaurant's cosmopolitan design is a nod to the mill building's industrial past—soaring ceilings, exposed brick and metal factory chairs simultaneously re- flect the space's original life while lend- ing an urban vibe. All these free-form influences combine to bring new spice to the Amesbury dining scene.