Blue San Marco

Our waiter was excellent - there when needed but not intrusive. One of 2 hold overs from Bistro X. Had a nice reasonable priced red J Lohr Paso - very tasty. For dinner we shared the burrata with fried green tomatoes. Burrata lovely but difficult to eat with tomatoes we they fall apart. Sauces are underneath which makes for a pretty plate but doesn't help with enhancing the pairing. Scallop entre and risotto delicious. The lamb shank fall off the bone tender but needed more seasoning or a sauce. The polenta cake yummy with a crispy crust and soft center. Closed with bread pudding which was oh so yummy. Parking still available behind and the restaurant pretty much the same decor as Bistro X. Wonderful to eat in a place you can carry on a conversation across the table though. Our friends had the escargot special with mushroom sauce and loved it. They also had mussels and frites and halibut which was catch of day. Both very good.

Oh man, this is painful to write. I have avoided bistro mix for years as we all know it went downhill. Well, my husband suggested we try it now that's it's Blue. I was so hesitant, but didn't want to shoot him down as he never makes suggestions. Let's start with we made a reservation for the 15th of February. Still valentines weekend but not the big day. The ambiance is somewhat alluring, much brighter but still it's not quite right. We sat in the back( private dining) There's large TVs on the wall as living artwork. Really seems it's for work luncheon. No problem. The damn chairs They are cute and are reminiscent of the aix. Hell, they may be salvaged from the old restaurant. They were so uncomfortable wobbly, creaky. The couple next to us were playing musical chairs to find one he wouldn't sink through. Not a large fella. On to the food and drink. The drinks were "Spirit forward" on the menu. Holy crap, straight syrup! We ordered half a shot more to simmer it. Still both drinks were not finished. The apps. We ordered fried green tomatoes and the Pimento roasted oysters. The flavor was ok not the Pimento was just soupy, no char from roasting and too much. Completely masked the oyster. No bread as they ran out the night before. Understandable. The fried green tomatoes lacked any seasoning or flavor but the chores served along side was fresh and flavorful. Our dinner was next. He had the halibut in a chowder sauce. Nice flavor but oh so small for the price point. Even for us, we are slim people with a bid appetite. I had the scallop with risotto. Once again, descent flavor but I did come home and snack. I get the vibe they are trying for but this will not last either unfortunately. We have so many wonderful restaurants downtown but this just isn't one of them.

While the food was great, minus the one empty clam shell on my fish dish.... Yes out of 5 clams they served one empty shell on my plate. Not sure how you miss an empty shell on a nicely plated dish beats me but our waitress was non existent and we waited for 40-45 mins for our entrees while tables around us who were seated after us and ordered after us got their meals and finished or were almost finished by the time we got it. Not to mention they were busy but not insane and on a limited menu due to Valentine's Day. No apology nothing. Oh and be warned there is a technology fee. Will I go back ... maybe because the food was very tasty but the service is severely lacking and would be a cause for hesitation. I use to work in the service industry I understand things happen I'm not hard to please but like maybe an apology not just a "ugh I'll check on that" and then avoiding us

Very honest review Pros: This restaurant can accommodate large parties. I celebrated my friend's birthday and we were a party of 15 people. Next to us was a party of 25 and in the back there was a party of 20 people. They had various cocktail options. Very clean bathroom and spacious to take group pictures. Cons: Menu had limited dinner items as well as appetizers. The food was lacking flavor and spice (especially my scallops). The serving size was a bit on the smaller side. Many of the specials ran out and the service was lacking and took a long time. We arrived around 7:30/8:00 pm and didn't leave until around 11:00/11:30 pm. We ordered bread pudding for dessert and it was so cold. Prices were a bit on the higher end as well ranging from $20-35.

Street parking was easily available but I went on a Tuesday night.Our server, John, was prompt and polite. The restaurant offered the typical American fine dining fare and they made the dishes well.The ambience was cosy and a little loud but not overbearing.I accompanied a loved one for a birthday but I didn't feel her day was acknowledged by the team. Most restaurants would stick a lit candle in a dessert but I felt that extra special touch was missing. I was impressed with the dessert offerings I think this restaurant is a good choice for a date night with decent food.

Blue is a place to celebrate. Best drink: Moka Pot - Coconut treated Charanda Uruapan, Lugo's Craft Riskey Rum, Café Bustello Espresso Syrup, Whiskey Barrel Bitters Best app: Burrata with Fried Green Tomatoes *must order Best main: I loved the crab and fish with curry special they served that night. On the menu, the braised lamb shank was also delicious. I love meats that fall off the bone. Desserts: We ordered the cookie platter, the spice cake bread pudding, and the vanilla crème brûlée. All the desserts were solid, but my favorite that night was the sesame cookie on the cookie platter. The sauces that came with all the dishes were excellent. Blue has great ambiance. Sometimes, at San Marco restaurants, I feel like the tables are so close together, and I can overhear conversations all night. Blue does not have that issue. The service and the care for details were 5 stars. I like when restaurants reset the silverware from first bites to mains. I also liked how knowledgeable our server Tony was. He made the best recommendations to our preferences. One girl is a bourbon girlie and he recommended the Fly South. The chocolate coin on each dessert was my favorite detail of the entire meal

The better half and I hadn't been out for an upscale dining experience in some time, and we heard Blue had recently opened. We visited on a weeknight. It didn't seem to be busy at all and yet there were longer than expected delays between courses.We enjoyed the smoked arancini appetizer. Subtle smokiness from the gouda and a surprising small bit of heat on the back end. The lamb entree seemed to be braised for less time than I'm accustomed to. The meat was not fall off the bone tender. In fact, it is served with a knife. The sauce accompanying the fresh snapper catch was curry based; very tasty, but so strong it overpowered the entire dish. The bread pudding was nice but not wow worthy.Service was very attentive. So, a pleasant night, but not 5-star worthy. We will give them another opportunity once they've been open a bit longer.

Overall, this restaurant experience was positive, but certainly not perfect. As a new restaurant, I still think that they're getting their footing. The environment is lovely. It's very attractive and there are many pops of beautiful blue everywhere.The service was friendly and prompt, and we were treated very well, and it was very clear that the restaurant tried very hard to give us a positive experience. My friend ordered the scallops and said that her dinner was really fantastic, and that the scallops were perfectly cooked. It was plated very nicely, and it was certainly very attractive. I ordered the lamb shank, and while it was very beautifully plated, the polenta cake had some really good flavor, and the lamb itself had really good flavor, I don't think that it was braised long enough. It was impossible to get off the bone. I was given a butter knife instead of a steak knife, and I had to saw and saw and saw it. I finally had to ask our server to bring it back to the kitchen and have the kitchen cut the meat off the bone for me so I didn't ruin my outfit. They were kind enough to do it.We got the white chocolate Panna cotta, and it was outstanding. It was the highlight of the evening. Flavor, texture, presentation, everything. The only thing that really got on my nerves was this. When I arrived, there was a bottle of Saratoga water on the table, and one would expect to have to pay for it, but nothing was said to notify us that the bottle of water was $8.00. It's water. I get that the water bottle is blue, but maybe don't put it on the table until the waiter touches the table. I don't mind paying for a bottle of water, but this just seems like price gouging. They took it off the bill, which is of course very kind, but I'm not sure that's what I even necessarily needed. Just charging a reasonable price for it, that's all. There was a mistake on the check, and our server was immediately able to rectify that. No issues there. Mistakes happen.Ultimately, I think I would probably chalk these up to new restaurant challenges. I gave it a five star rating because new restaurants go through growing pains, and I have faith that my feedback was heard, and I was very well taken care of. I don't need a place to be perfect. But I need people to care. And they did In the long run, I think they'll figure it out and this will be a favorite for many people.

Friends and I went to Blue last night and it did not disappoint! The staff was very friendly and they sat us right away (I did have a reservation). We started with the stuffed mushrooms and the smoked arancini- both were outstanding. If I were to pick one to recommend over the other it would be the smoked arancini but you really can't go wrong. For our main course two of us had the steak special, one had the cauliflower steak and I had the fresh catch. All dishes were outstanding and we loved the flavors. I'm very happy I took Thomas's recommendation on the fresh catch and can't wait to go back soon and try the moules frites. We finished with the profiteroles and WOW. The homemade ice cream was outstanding- especially the mint chocolate chip. The pastry chef there is truly an artist. The restaurant has a great, upscale ambience and the noise level was ideal for conversation. I loved being able to see the kitchen and look forward to checking out the lounge more the next time I visit. It's beautiful. Will definitely be adding this to our restaurant rotation!

We had an incredible meal last night! Large party, complicated orders and a time constraint were all handled incredibly well. The staff is very professional and knowledgeable. The food was absolutely delicious and we loved our patio experience. Very well done! We will be back.