Alison C.
Yelp
I was so eager to try Blu and was thrilled when my boyfriend surprised me with a celebratory dinner there. We bypassed the valet by taking an Uber, but if we had driven, that service would have at least prevented us from having worry about finding parking. The restaurant was stunning! When you first entered the space, there was a large lounge area with a fireplace. Just beyond that, there were a variety of dining rooms with different vibes, as well as a large square-shaped bar that was completely full.
Thankfully, we had a reservation, because the place was packed, and it assured our seating at one of the quieter tables away from the bar area. We first checked out the cocktail list, which had a tropical, mythical vibe, with each drink's description sounding like an inspirational poem. My selection, the Dragon Bluud, arrived in a smoking pitcher that looked like a dragon. The drink was bright blue and poured into a small sake cup. The zesty beverage consisted of cardamom-infused Kettle One Vodka, spiced pineapple syrup, lime, and ginger beer. It was very enjoyable. A sip of my boyfriend's Mixed Emotions provided a multi-layered punch of smoky tequila, sweetness from bloody orange and prickly pear, and peppery notes from basil.
The vast food menu offered something for everyone, being not exclusively sushi-focused or meat-centric. I started with the Truffle Rainbow Naruto Roll as my appetizer. It consisted of a thinly sliced cucumber replacing seaweed and rice as the outer layer of the roll, which was filled with raw bluefin tuna, hamachi, salmon, and shiso leaf. The sliced discs were laying in a thin amount of truffle-lime sauce and were topped with regular and black sesame seeds for an added crunch. Unfortunately, I was not blown away by this dish. The fish was fresh, but there was not enough of it in the roll to really be impactful. The sauce was like a watery soy sauce with only the slightest hint of truffle. Overall, I found this to be rather bland and mild.
My entree, on the other hand, was much better. The Branzino was served alongside a baby eggplant caponata salad with sprigs of fresh basil. The Mediterranean-style accoutrement was excellent, and I enjoyed the fish as well, though I thought it could have used some salt. I sampled a bite of my boyfriend's Whipped Potatoes and was in awe of how smooth and creamy they were. Lastly, for dessert, we ordered the Flourless Chocolate S'mores, which was so incredibly rich and sinfully delicious! Its gluten-free graham cracker base was topped with a dome of chocolate mousse and marshmallow, which was then further coated with a chocolate ganache. And as if that was not decadent enough, the entire plate was covered in burnt marshmallow, and there was also a scoop of salted fudge cream. It was heavenly!
The trendy atmosphere, beautiful people, sexy cocktails, and flavorful food lived up to all of the hype that I had heard about the place. It was perfect for a classy, celebratory dinner, but would also be great for a night out at the bar. Just keep in mind that reservations are key!