Blue Hill Tavern
By Rezina Siddique
At the corner of South Conkling and Dillon Street, next to the glowing red Natty Boh Tower, sits Blue Hill Tavern. With inventive, comforting dishes and complimentary valet, it is a great choice for date night or friend night.
The modern décor strikes you almost immediately. The inside of the restaurant feels hip without being pretentious, with high ceilings, bold accent pieces, dim lighting, and excellent music played at volumes low enough to carry on conversations. In warmer months, the second floor balcony provides comfortable outdoor seating and decent views.
Reservations are recommended on the weekend, so I made one with a friend for a Friday night. We arrived fifteen minutes late, and were told to wait at the bar. It took another fifteen minutes to seat us, but we didn’t mind. The bar itself is interesting, with a waterfall on the wall, and a wide selection of drinks. My friend tried the “inspired old fashioned”, which was sweeter than expected but not so sweet as to be off-putting.
The menu was on the slightly pricier side, with a burger and vegetarian dish as the only entrée options under $20, but not extremely so, as the only dish over $30 was meant to be shared. Groupons for the restaurant are also regularly available, and may be a good idea for graduate student wallets.
For an appetizer, we tried a foie gras dish, which was a special that night. It was a small portion, but due to the richness of the liver, it was enough for two people to share. The liver itself was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It was served with a fig, stuffed with more foie gras. It was an interesting idea, although the liver stuffed inside the fig was overpowered.
We needed some advice on choosing our entrees, and our waitress was very knowledgeable, friendly, and quick to help us with our selections. We decided to try the seared pecan crusted tuna and the 48 hour sous vide short rib. When we told her that we would be sharing both entrees, our waitress helpfully offered to split them each into separate dishes and serve them as two separate courses. She was also able to suggest wine pairings by the glass that would be go well with both courses.
Our entrée portions, even though they were split, were very generous and filling. The tuna, like the appetizer, was also perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked, seared outside and pink in the middle. It was served with brussel sprouts and a butternut squash sauce. Neither of us wanted brussel sprouts. My friend thinks they usually taste like cabbage, and I think they usually taste like feet. We were pleasantly surprised that the brussel sprouts in this dish were excellent and had a good carmelization. The butternut squash was sweet and earthy, and so good that I had to ask the waitress what was in it (nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, and aromatics for anyone interested). We both agreed that the tuna was the best dish of the night.
The sous vide short rib was very good but the protein itself was not as well seasoned as the other dishes, and not what I was expecting in flavor or texture. My experience with short rib is that it is generally very flavorful, especially when braised, with a fall-apart texture. In this case, the short rib itself was somewhat lacking in flavor, and the texture was very different from what I was used to from braising. With the sous vide technique, food is cooked over extended cooking times (up to several days) at temperatures lower than those typically used, in order to cook the item more evenly. My only prior experience to sous vide cooking was from a home jerry-rigged sous vide contraption, so that may be why the texture felt off to me. The terrific sauce served with the short rib, a Flying Dog oyster stout, was deep, tart, and greatly compensated for the short rib’s lack of flavor. The sides were also excellent, with mashed potatoes peas and carrots, rounding out the profile of a faux Shepard’s pie.
For dessert, we tried the special that night, which was a goat cheese mousse. The dessert was perfectly balanced, with the right amount of sweetness provided by honey, crunch from candied walnuts, creaminess from the mousse, and tartness from the goat cheese and poached pear. It was not overtly sweet and very light. My friend was talking about it for days.
Dinner at Blue Hill Tavern was an enjoyable experience, and it is a restaurant that I would not hesitate to recommend or come back to myself. The ambiance is modern but inviting, with friendly, helpful service and interesting takes on familiar food, all of which contribute to its comforting yet eclectic vibe.
The modern décor strikes you almost immediately. The inside of the restaurant feels hip without being pretentious, with high ceilings, bold accent pieces, dim lighting, and excellent music played at volumes low enough to carry on conversations. In warmer months, the second floor balcony provides comfortable outdoor seating and decent views.
Reservations are recommended on the weekend, so I made one with a friend for a Friday night. We arrived fifteen minutes late, and were told to wait at the bar. It took another fifteen minutes to seat us, but we didn’t mind. The bar itself is interesting, with a waterfall on the wall, and a wide selection of drinks. My friend tried the “inspired old fashioned”, which was sweeter than expected but not so sweet as to be off-putting.
The menu was on the slightly pricier side, with a burger and vegetarian dish as the only entrée options under $20, but not extremely so, as the only dish over $30 was meant to be shared. Groupons for the restaurant are also regularly available, and may be a good idea for graduate student wallets.
For an appetizer, we tried a foie gras dish, which was a special that night. It was a small portion, but due to the richness of the liver, it was enough for two people to share. The liver itself was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It was served with a fig, stuffed with more foie gras. It was an interesting idea, although the liver stuffed inside the fig was overpowered.
We needed some advice on choosing our entrees, and our waitress was very knowledgeable, friendly, and quick to help us with our selections. We decided to try the seared pecan crusted tuna and the 48 hour sous vide short rib. When we told her that we would be sharing both entrees, our waitress helpfully offered to split them each into separate dishes and serve them as two separate courses. She was also able to suggest wine pairings by the glass that would be go well with both courses.
Our entrée portions, even though they were split, were very generous and filling. The tuna, like the appetizer, was also perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked, seared outside and pink in the middle. It was served with brussel sprouts and a butternut squash sauce. Neither of us wanted brussel sprouts. My friend thinks they usually taste like cabbage, and I think they usually taste like feet. We were pleasantly surprised that the brussel sprouts in this dish were excellent and had a good carmelization. The butternut squash was sweet and earthy, and so good that I had to ask the waitress what was in it (nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, and aromatics for anyone interested). We both agreed that the tuna was the best dish of the night.
The sous vide short rib was very good but the protein itself was not as well seasoned as the other dishes, and not what I was expecting in flavor or texture. My experience with short rib is that it is generally very flavorful, especially when braised, with a fall-apart texture. In this case, the short rib itself was somewhat lacking in flavor, and the texture was very different from what I was used to from braising. With the sous vide technique, food is cooked over extended cooking times (up to several days) at temperatures lower than those typically used, in order to cook the item more evenly. My only prior experience to sous vide cooking was from a home jerry-rigged sous vide contraption, so that may be why the texture felt off to me. The terrific sauce served with the short rib, a Flying Dog oyster stout, was deep, tart, and greatly compensated for the short rib’s lack of flavor. The sides were also excellent, with mashed potatoes peas and carrots, rounding out the profile of a faux Shepard’s pie.
For dessert, we tried the special that night, which was a goat cheese mousse. The dessert was perfectly balanced, with the right amount of sweetness provided by honey, crunch from candied walnuts, creaminess from the mousse, and tartness from the goat cheese and poached pear. It was not overtly sweet and very light. My friend was talking about it for days.
Dinner at Blue Hill Tavern was an enjoyable experience, and it is a restaurant that I would not hesitate to recommend or come back to myself. The ambiance is modern but inviting, with friendly, helpful service and interesting takes on familiar food, all of which contribute to its comforting yet eclectic vibe.