New Blu Desserts!

This evening, my parents and I went to Blu. I'd gotten the impression that my mom had been drooling over my last blog post about Blu Seafood & Bar for most of the afternoon in preparation. I would have probably been doing the same thing, had I not been at work.

We sat in the new sun room for the first time, which was very pleasant. They have updated the menu with the change of seasons and the new offerings reflect the availability of autumn fruit and vegetables. The salad that I enjoyed so much has been replaced by one with salad greens, crumbled blue cheese, apples, bacon and caramelized onions. As much as I liked their summer salad, this one is really good.

My dad ordered the shrimp and grits and this entree was way better than when my mom ordered it before. At that point, the dish was extremely lemony, which I liked quite a bit, but this time it had only light lemon flavor and was superb. Some of you will remember from my review of Watts Grocery's brunch that I dislike grits. Well, Blu's grits are creamy and fantastic and I am really eager to go back soon and order a plate of the shrimp and grits for myself.

I ordered two diver scallops, each wrapped in bacon. They were so smooth and delicious, it was almost as if they were made of butter and the bacon was nice and tender. This appetizer is too small to replace an entree, but ideal if you plan to mooch off your fellow diners' plates and then eat dessert. I recommend limiting the mooching to your own table.

Dessert was delightful. Some, including Greg Cox of the News and Observer, have complained that Blu's desserts didn't match the fine quality of their savory offerings, which has surprised me, but I'd only had the chocolate fondue previously and that was wonderful. Tonight we tried two of Tim Lyons's brand new desserts and they were by no means ordinary. One dessert was peach cobbler, topped with vanilla ice cream. My mom, who has over sixty years of peach cobbler eating experience, described this as, "the best peach cobbler I've ever eaten in a restaurant". It was that good. It's not heavily spiced, which I think is a failing of many peach cobblers that one finds. Good peaches are flavorful enough on their own such that they don't need to be overwhelmed by adulterating spices.

We also shared an ample slice of Blu's new key lime pie, which is perfectly tart and difficult to stop eating even after the last crumb is gone. There might be one molecule left, after all. It was served over fresh tasting raspberry sauce and with just the right amount of very good whipped cream.

I want more.