Navy Blue

"This chicly designed seafood restaurant wouldn’t be complete without its seafood gumbo that’s plentiful with crab, shrimp, and clam, and topped with charred okra for added texture. The interior takes a cue from its name with rich blue walls and banquettes, as well as mid-century modern design details that codify it as a big-night-out destination. Don’t leave your bowl unaccompanied — order a healthy pour of wine to go with it." - Brittany Britto Garley, Minh T. Truong

"Chef Aaron Bludorn and his team follow up the dining mainstay Bludorn with this Rice Village restaurant. New York chef Jerrod Zifchak steers the menu, offering top-notch service and creative seafood dishes such as crawfish risotto, squid ink linguine with rock shrimp, prosciutto, tomato, and rosemary, and special fish preparations like blackened red snapper served with aji amarillo and delicate dover sole with meuniere. Diners shouldn’t miss the hot biscuits served with seaweed butter or the baked clams. Find paella, served on Mondays and Tuesdays, which feeds two to three people for $65. Diners can also venture out to the Bludorn’s other restaurants, including the tavern-style restaurant, Bar Bludorn, tucked into Memorial." - Brittany Britto Garley

"Chef Aaron Bludorn’s elegantly understated seafood restaurant in Rice Village is the ideal setting for any gathering. Tucked behind the bar, this secluded and sleek space seats up to 40 and features a striking mural by Austin artist Emily Eisenhart that evokes the sea and waves — appropriate, seeing as though chef Jerrod Zifchak dishes out excellent versions of seafood gumbo, a grouper sandwich, squid ink linguine, barbecue shrimp, and Dover sole meunière." - Marcy de Luna, Brittany Britto Garley

"This sleek seafood restaurant from chef Aaron Bludorn is an apt place to fuel up during a day of shopping in Rice Village. Lunch service is offered Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., during which diners can indulge in favorites like the grouper sandwich, the raclette omelet, oysters and clams prepared three ways, crawfish risotto, and the new seasonal tagliatelle pasta made with chanterelle, corn, and basil. Don’t miss out on the warm, doughy biscuits, which are served with umi-loaded seaweed butter." - Brittany Britto Garley

"Pasta has always been an exciting feature on the menus at chef Aaron Bludorn’s restaurants, and at Navy Blue, it’s particularly satisfying, considering seafood pairs well with Houston’s almost-always-summery climate. Though the menu does still rotate seasonally, the current lineup includes a punchy crawfish étouffée, a squid ink linguine with rock shrimp and linguine, and a buttery pasta with black truffles shaved tableside that’s served as a special." - Brittany Britto Garley