Blue Water Grill

First of all, I need to apologize for the food pictures taken with flash--Blue Water Grill is one of those pretentious NYC restaurants that is too cool for proper lighting. However, this restaurant would make for a really great romantic date spot, since all your flaws are hidden in the dark.

Our appetizer was the fried calamari with zucchini and chilis, which was my favorite part of the meal. The calamari was perfect--so tender and not greasy at all. The batter was a little less crispy than I would've liked it, but the texture of the calamari itself makes up for it. If you can take spicy food, try the fried red chili! They deseed it anyway, so it's not really that spicy.

In general, I would call Blue Water Grill inconsistent. Just on one plate, you get a mix of good and mediocre elements. I got the scallops, shrimp, and gnocchi. The scallops were nicely seared (a bit too opaque in the center, though), the gnocchi had a great fluffy texture, but the shrimp were rocks--literally rock shrimp. I mean, it was just cooked to death and hard and crunchy.

The lobster mashed potatoes were, again, mixed. The potatoes were so nice--perfectly smooth and buttery--but the lobster, which sat on top of the potato, was cold by the time we got it. I was also really confused by the single cilantro and tarragon leaves just floating on top; nothing agitates me more than nonfunctional garnish. I understand that color and presentation are important factors in a dish, but they could've used a garnish that both looks good and makes sense, flavor-wise. I expect a lot more from a BR Guest restaurant, especially when I'm paying $12 for a tiny plate.

I didn't even bother taking a picture of the profiteroles I got for dessert, because they were covered in chocolate, and under flash they would've just looked like mounds of poo. So basically you get three cream puffs without the cream, with vanilla ice cream, strawberry compote, and chocolate. The profiteroles were really, really not good--the puffs themselves were dense and dry, the ice cream was crunchy and grainy from all the ice crystals, and the strawberry compote had a strange, bitter aftertaste. I'm usually never this disappointed with dessert. When I think of profiteroles, I think of moist, airy puffs, and I got the opposite. I would be a lot more forgiving if Blue Water Grill just called it brioche with ice cream.

I'm not sure if the chef just had an "off" night, because BR Guest restaurants have a really good reputation; however, for the price point, this was really a disappointment, and I would have to think long and hard before coming back.

Blue Water Grill
http://www.bluewatergrillnyc.com/
31 Union Square West, at 16th St.