The
Blue Room: Melodies of Fine Food
By Pete & Mike/ foodie@longislandernews.com
Be it a blue moon, blue jeans, Picasso’s
blue period, the blue sky or just a blue mood, there is emotion
and strength in the color. There is feeling of calm; there
is serenity; there is comfort.
There is the “Blue Room.”
It is an oasis of culinary surprise and quality
which appears out of the blue in a most unlikely place. It
transforms East Northport’s Larkfield Road into a dining
destination that’s worth the trip from anywhere on Long
Island. Yes, the Blue Room is one of those places we’d
get in the car and drive for an hour to have dinner –
there are not many such places on the Island that would get
us to do that. But the Blue Room is different, serving up
cuisine that they call “New American” and what
we’d call “Creative Comfort.”
The stand-alone building is next to a number
of storefronts on one side and on the other is its large parking
lot with a big banner hanging on the building’s side
shouting “New York Times – Excellent.” That’s
the first sign of the wonders to come. The tiny restaurant
seating about 50 greets you, as you enter a blue weatherworn
door and blue curtains into the bar area, with a specials
board which sits atop a blue settee. Inside the simply decorated
room which is romantically lit by dim, curvy track lighting
and small candles, there’s a blue ceiling with recessed
blue lighting, blue (and white) tablecloths, blue napkins,
blue menu covers – you get the idea. Welcome to the
Blue Room.
The restaurant is the two-year-old creation
of partners Anastasia Barbatsoulis and Nicholas Litterello
who met while working at Bongo Bay in Port Washington where
she was General Manager and he served as chef. Nick got his
start as pastry chef at Panama Hatties. The two knew exactly
what they wanted -- a small, intimate space, exposed brick
walls, where they could serve good, inventive food, with a
background of their favorite music -- the Blues.
On Wednesday nights, they remove the settee
and Anastasia sings the blues from behind the moody mahogany
bar. In her other life, she is one of the Bartlettes backing
up comedian Rob Bartlet (of Imus in the Morning). We shall
return on a Wednesday to hear the gracious and attractive
hostess croon.
Our delightful server, Joan, presented us
with a moderately-priced, wide and varied wine list, an inventive
drink menu including a “Blue-jito” and a list
of clever, appealing martinis served in what appeared to be
drunken glasses with blue stems. The basket filled with corn
bread was the first sign of a southern influence that was
evident throughout the evening even though neither “Staje”
nor “Nick” spent time in the south.
The biggest problem we had all night was
that after reviewing the menu, we wanted to try everything.
Appetizers like: “Takeout” shrimp – Asian
glazed with pineapple, water chestnuts and peapods served
in a Chinese take-out container ($9); Creole style P.E.I.
Mussels ($9); Artichoke Frittes ($8); cucumber wrapped, scallion
and garlic sautéed Salt & Pepper Shrimp ($10) and
the Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Cake ($12) which the Times said was
the best outside of Maryland, were a few we passed up. Likewise,
raw oysters and clams may have been tempting, but we made
the tough decision and boy were we pleased.
Our “Crackling Duck Strips ($10) served
with a blueberry dipping sauce proved once again that duck
likes fruit, and our Popcorn Crawfish ($8), served in an inverted
rocketshiplike thingy with both chipotle and citrus aiolis
attached where you might find booster rockets, was as tasty
as it was fun.
The main course was not much easier to choose.
Ginger Crusted Salmon with summer veggie sauté, Florida
white shrimp and parsnip whip($19); spicy glazed Cajun Cast
Iron Catfish with sweet potato mash and veggie sauté
($20); pecan crusted African Snapper in a peach vinaigrette
with vegetables and wilted greens ($19); Seared Sea Scallops,
chilled hijaki, wakame and udon noodle salad, cashews, tofu-garlic-scallion
pan sauce ($22); Pan Seared Duck Breast, Yukon gold potato,
duck confit and summer vegetable cassoulet ($24) and Staje’s
favorite, Dixie Style Fried Chicken with jalapeño cheese
grits, sautéed collard greens, red eye gravy ($20)
were all tempting. And there were more. But we opted for the
sesame glazed Rare Blackened Yellow Fin Tuna with baby spinach,
tomato salad and wasabi roasted potatoes ($24) and a special,
fall-off-the-bone Braised Veal Short ribs over incredible
Truffles Cherry Tomato Risotto.
Wow! Our dishes were great and we wanted
to try almost everything on the menu plus several of the specials
-- Venison Loin and Roasted Wolfish both sounded good. Chef
Nick’s captivating menu leaned to the south with a combo
of Creole, Cajun and creative southern comfort foods but he
likewise shined with a perfectly seared tuna which swims in
the cooler northern waters. His tiny kitchen produces food
that sings while Staje orchestrates the dining room to perfection.
From the $6 dessert menu we chose Nick’s
Cheese Cake, made with white chocolate and caramel sauce and
a graham cracker crust, which won its way into our hearts
as well as the pages of Chocolate Magazine. Staje’s
Dream, a chocolate mousse torte, ganache glaze with fresh
whipped cream, demonstrated the skills Nick perfected as pastry
chef at Panama Hattie’s. We didn’t have room for
the tableside S’mores or the Zeppoles with a selection
of dipping sauces, but we’ll be back with a group to
try them. (Groups of 6 or more can get weekend reservations
which is our recommendation to avoid the wait.)
On a week night, stop in for dinner and get
down with the blues, the creative comfort and a meal you’ll
long remember.
The Blue Room, color it stellar.
The Blue Room
93 Larkfield Road, East Northport
(631)261-5761
Cuisine: New American
Atmosphere: Comfort and Charm with the Blues
Price: Expensive
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 4:30 – 10 p.m.; Friday &
Saturday 4:30 - 11 p.m.; Sunday 4:30 to 9 p.m.
Main
Menu
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