Never heard of the Bluestone Bar &
Grill?
Here’s the reason: The restaurant is in the Columbia Street Waterfront
District, a largely residential and maritime neighborhood in
the early stages of a culinary upgrade. Located on Columbia Street
at the corner of Kane Street, the only sign marking the restaurant’s
presence is a small, neon "Bluestone" in a corner window.
Vanessa Whalen, Bluestone’s owner, an English ex-pat who settled
in San Francisco before she drove cross-country, stopped in Brooklyn
for lunch and never left. She opened Bluestone’s doors in September.
Whalen relies on good word of mouth, not advertising, to draw
customers into her congenial place.
"Get the kinks out first," she says.
Few kinks remain in her comfortable spot, a neighborhood hangout
that appears to be populated with old friends and local foodies.
(Helen, of Union Street’s Helen’s Fabulous Cheesecake, sat nearby
eating fish and chips.)
The front room is low-key with a long bar manned by Stephen Church
who shakes a delectably frothy apple or raspberry Cosmo, forgiving
lighting and Whalen’s vintage 1960 Lambretta motorcycle parked
near the kitchen.
Curvy, high-backed blue banquettes that resemble waves border
the dining room, and the music (Santana’s "Black Magic Woman"
for one) is kept at a volume that makes conversation possible.
Around the entrance are blue-tinted paving stones, a relic of
the area’s sidewalks and the inspiration for the restaurant’s
name.
The hearty menu of American fare is nothing fancy, but satisfying
enough to make finding this out-of-the-way place worth the effort.
All the usual suspects – chili, Buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks
and burgers – that you’d expect on a bar menu are in place, side-by-side
with salads, sandwiches and simple yet well-made entrees.
Having had one-too-many lousy Caesar salads, I ordered the "Classic
Caesar," bracing myself for the worst.
I love a good surprise.
Bluestone’s Caesar is the real thing – the romaine chilled and
crisp, the dressing creamy and nicely coating the greens, the
cheese freshly grated, plenty of anchovies, and the croutons
straight out of the skillet – not the box.
Another appetizer, the grilled shrimp rolled in English bacon
had that "what’s the point?" quality. The salty bacon
completely overpowering the shrimp; the side of greens buried
in dressing.
But, why quibble about a few flaws when Bluestone’s entrees are
so pleasing? Take the rotisserie chicken. Like the Caesar, it’s
one of those dishes that promise so much and usually deliver
so little.
This roasted bird is flawless.
Crisp-skinned, well-seasoned, moist and with plenty of flavor
inside, Whalen scores big points for using top-grade, free-range
poultry and for standing vigil over the meat, pulling it off
its poker the moment the skin turns golden.
Whalen takes as much care with the generous sides. Mashed potatoes
are chunky and marbled with garnet thanks to beets that add only
their color; thick slices of yellow and green zucchini were charred
on a grill until soft. If you’re down, order this dish with a
glass of wine and you’ll feel like everything is right with the
world.
Three thin, grilled lamb chops, rich with flavor, were rare and
topped with melting slices of thyme-enhanced sweet butter. They’re
served with hand-cut, crusty fries, the grilled zucchini, and,
like the chicken, were as proper a meal as one could wish for.
The dessert roundup is small but contains two must-haves: Steve’s
Authentic Key Lime Pie and chocolate bread pudding. For anyone
who hasn’t tried Steve’s Key Lime Pie, made in Red Hook, it’s
the archetype for all Key lime pies. The graham cracker crust
is thin and brittle and the filling is sharply citrus with an
herbal note.
As for the bread pudding – somewhere between a warm chocolate
pudding and a dense souffle – this bittersweet confection puts
most chocolate cakes to shame. Served atop a puddle of creme
anglaise, the dessert alone is worth a trip to Bluestone.
At the risk of sounding hopelessly dated, I liked Bluestone’s
"vibe." It feels like an artist hangout without the
attitude: I don’t think anyone would notice if you wore a brown
sweater instead of a tight black T-shirt. It’s not a place I’d
venture to for an important celebratory meal, but I’d be happy
to honor the smaller moments of life there and taste that chicken
once again.
Bluestone Bar & Grill (117 Columbia
St. at Kane Street in the Columbia Street Waterfront District)
accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. Entrees:
$9-$16. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday.
Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday, from 11 am to 3 pm. Closed
Monday. For further information, call (718) 403-7450.
