Never Blu

Tonite I went to my favorite restaurant in Durham. It is called Blu Seafood and Bar. It may not be the best restaurant, but it is definitely my fav.

I have a rule where I only order food at restaurants that I cannot make better than they can, which is why I love eating seafood. A restaurant's ability to procure and serve an abundance of fresh seafood is far greater than the home cook. Such is true for all cuisine, but especially for the fruits of the sea. One of my favorite ocean delights are oysters.

And on Tuesday nights at Blu they have half priced oysters. They always have a variety of gulf coast and cool waters. Tonite I had half a dozen Apalachicola and half a dozen Blue Points. There is a reason that cold water oysters cost twice the price of gulf coast. The briny flavor far outweighs the half fresh water taste of the gulf coast. I love oysters in general, but cool water is the way to go. Tonite both selections were delicious, but as always, I preferred the blue points.

Another great thing about Blu is the fact that they have 5$ appetizers from 5 to 7, if you eat at the bar. After my oysters I had the beef carpaccio. It was covered in arugula, Parmesan and capers. Out of this world. My roomate had the mussels, which come in a spicy chile and lime broth, amazing when sopped up with their buttery bread. He also had the oysters Rockefeller. They were fantastic, but the cheese, bacon and pesto completely muted the flavor the oysters. He loved them, as did I, but if I am going to eat oysters I want to taste oysters, which is why I only eat them raw.

As is always the case, Blu was a great meal. It is perfect for cocktails and appetizers after work, or for a real meal. Along with their every day menu, there is a fresh catch of the day and a whole fish of the day, so you can never get tired of the selection.

With my meal tonite I had a few cucumber martinis. Blu is where I discovered this delicacy, which I have spoken about before. I have had many recreations, and even attempted them in my own home, but cucumber martinis made by Megan at Blu are by far my favorite drink.

-Jonathan