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New York Is Your Oyster at Blue Seafood Bar

New York is arguably the world’s preeminent coastal town. Case in point? Blue Seafood Bar. This Hell’s Kitchen hot spot offers fresh-as-it-gets seafood that’s also sustainably sourced, from local oysters to grilled octopus to 2-lb. branzino baked in sea salt. As a bonus, Blue also has a killer brunch! Read on for more about Blue Seafood Bar.

Blue Seafood Bar: Sustainable Seafood for Every Course

Blue sets its standards high, drawing on the fresh, the wild, and the organically cultivated. The crowning glory is the oyster menu, where each oyster (some from the East Coast, some from the West) comes with its own flavor profile, similar to what you’d hear from a sommelier. The Wellfleet from Cape Cod, for example, is “plump, mild & slightly sweet, briny & crisp, clean finish.”

blue oysters

We also recommend sharing the crudo plate with a rotating selection of three raw dishes, or raw bar treasures like Mr. Krabs, jumbo crab meat with aioli and shishito pepper, and the Platter of the Sea with crab, shrimp, half lobster, and one of every oyster variety. The grilled Spanish octopus appetizer is another must, one of the city’s best iterations of this of-the-moment dish.

If you’re wanting to share but less keen on raw fish, consider the mixed grill seafood platter. This bounty serves two guests easily with scallops, calamari, octopus, mussels, clams, shrimp, and a branzino filet to round it out. Perfect for a special night out!

Blue Seafood Bar: Weekend Brunch

You can do a lot with 90 minutes—like drink bottomless brunch cocktails and enjoy a frittata! Every weekend from 11am to 4pm, Blue Seafood Bar serves refillable drinks and an entree for $36 with a 90-minute window for refills. You can have a pear bellini with bacon and waffles or a screwdriver with the quiche du jour, among other options. As with the dinner menu, you can make a small-plate melange from oysters, a shrimp cocktail, and a seafood pizza, or have a big plate of linguini alle vongole with clams all to yourself.

Blue Seafood Bar: The Lunch Menu

Blue Seafood

Whether for business or pleasure, Blue Seafood Bar’s prix fixe lunch is only $20 and includes New England clam chowder, an entree, soda, and coffee. For entrees, we suggest the margherita pizza, baked in a brick oven. In addition to the excellent pizza menu (also available for dinner), there are sandwiches and paninis like an Angus burger with arugula and heirloom tomatoes, or smoked salmon with Greek garnishes like cucumber, dill, and feta.

Blue Seafood Bar: The Space

Blue Seafood main floor

If you’ve ever dreamed of climbing aboard a Greek steamship circa 1900, dream no more. The nautical embellishments around the dining room here add a magical feel to your dining experience. The fish-eye mirrors on the walls and copper hanging lamps, in addition to the white, U-shaped bar, complete the feeling that you’re somehow on the Titanic (or a similar ocean liner with a happier history). Blue will gladly speak with you about renting out the space for upcoming rehearsal dinners, business events, baby showers, or any other occasion where you need lovely surroundings, strong cocktails, and excellent seafood. 


 

856 Ninth Ave. (btw. 55th & 56th Sts.), 212-757-7511, blueseafoodbar.com.

About the Author

Merrill Lee Girardeau lives and writes in Brooklyn.

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