Ron W.
Yelp
No dry eyes tor two at Blue Eye. Blue Eye is also known as Trevalla but here it is more a trevail.
This is a cute place right on the wharf with a nice view and comfortable seating both in the main dining room with tablecloths or the front room with wood tables as well as outdoor seating which is subject to the wind coming off the harbor.
The hostess was terse and and was as enthusiastic to help as a flayed flounder. Okay, we had no reservation on a Thursday night at 6:15, but a half empty place should have engendered a warmer "Welcome to Blue Eye, and of course we will find you a nice table". (That would have been at Smolt up the street). It's certainly acceptable if a hostess explains that the house will be full but that a table can be yours for 1 1/2 hours. (So, shovel it in. No problem). Here, all we got was a sigh and a "Just a minute" for five minutes while a six top became a two and four top. Fine. "Could we have that table by the window if we promise to eat like we had a plane to catch or chew like chipmunks?" "No this is your table and that's your only option. Take or leave it." Yes, boss. Should I be made to feel like I am doing them a favor to leave my Pensioners fixed income there? Does a server argue with a another server in the dining room about slowing the service because the kitchen is slammed? You decide.
The bread course ($7 extra) was simply sour dough, made off-site by others, comes with a little cup of Salsa Verde. "Could I try the Aioli as well?" "No", was the clipped reply, "You only get one". Okay, I didn't come to be charmed. I came for killer seafood.
The Main Platter for two contains Mussels, Oysters Kilpatrick, Battered Fish, a Blue Eye filet, a small Salmon steak, breaded Scallops, Baby Shrimp, Chili Squid, and Octopus. That hit all the high notes...on paper.
The Mussels with a cream sauce that was beginning to congeal were just okay. The Oysters Kilpatrick with diced chorizo, garlic and a splash of white wine and lemon were still warm when delivered and both oysters got passing marks. The Battered Fish should have gone to a shelter. Both pieces had passed their prime time just out of the fryer and had been waiting around cooling their jets before delivery. The one Blue Eye filet was decent but nothing spectacular. The small Salmon steak had gone a click too long in the over or carry-over had carried it over the done just right line. Same with the Scallops. They should have gone right from the fryer to the plate to the table. Alas, they too circled the airfield before landing. No real complaints about the Shrimp, but they were just shrimp (just a quick turn in the pan and then stacked up) and nothing to write home about, so I am writing you about them. The Chili Squid had the right idea but they were cold and as chewy as a dog toy. The Octopus was Octo-Chewing gum and most of those pieces were still clinging to the plate when the bill came.
The Main Platter comes with a small cup of Tartar Sauce as well as the aforementioned Salsa Verde. Now, recall, if you will, the conversaton reagarding the extra cup of Aioli with the $7 bread service to which I was told "Nyet". What if I had asked for a little extra Salsa Verde or Aioli to go with my $100 Main Platter? It's a small thing but it makes a big difference in the dining experience. It makes the difference between a second chance and a 2 star rating on Yelp.
The fish all sat on top of nicely done plain green beans and broccolini spears. A coffee cup of salad greens fit for feeding a pet bunny without so much as a radish joined the party. The cup of French Fries, thin and crisp were very nice with a tiny cup of Ketchup but as was said I didn't come for vegetables and spuds. If I wanted that I could have had dinner with Mum in her flat...for free.
So, here is place, on the water, at a harbor on the sea where the World's best seafood comes from, boasting local caught, fresh seafood and for the same $100 I could have gotten the same quality meal in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, maybe even better there. In fact, I had better seafood in the Outback.
If the kitchen is so overwhelmed, maybe the answer is another line cook. Fish is difficult to do right on a good day and here the fish all finished at different times and some of it had to wait while other componenets of this heroic platter played
catch-up.
Blue Eye gets black eye for less than gracious service and lack luster seafood. You want excellent seafood in Hobart? Keep fishing.