Otto and Blue is the Italian concept in the Blue Restaurant Group. The restaurant’s website wins the “least information” award. It provides an attractive logo and a link for reservations, but not an address or phone number, much less a menu and hours. Management should do better than this. Inside the restaurant, however, the staff shows solid performance.
Google says that Paul and Katie Riggan own the group, which also includes the elite Blue Water Grille, plus Blue Rock Pizza and Tap. Chef-proprietor Riggan trained at Johnson and Wales, a bit of information gleaned from previous articles I have written about these enterprises.
You park around back, then walk around front and enter into an attractive lobby where you are greeted by gracious hostesses who guide you to your seat. Take note of the lighted wine cabinet along the way. That cabinet holds a wide array of very well-selected offerings, focusing primarily on Italian, with a smattering of California and Portugal along the way. The by-the-glass selections are not separated into reds and whites, they are just listed by name and varietal, but as long as you have some semblance of knowledge about your grapes, you shouldn’t have any difficulty ordering. I have tried several, with good results every time.
Cocktails and beers are well represented as well, of course. My wife especially enjoyed the Blush and Basil, a watermelon juice and lemon concoction — light and herby and refreshing on a summer evening, earning particular compliments to the bar for creativity.
Shrimp Aqua Pazza
Because of my highly positive experiences with Calamari in other Blue restaurants, I started one meal here with that selection. I would argue that almost all calamari served in Triad restaurants is a frozen product, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Freezing ensures freshness and often contributes to crisp texture. Here, however, if my perception is correct, the baby squid and sliced rings are fresh. They certainly taste fresher, with just a higher level of natural squid flavor than usual. Browned a bit on the dark side, with a panko breadcrumb coating, they are served with a moderately spicy arrabbiata sauce (tomatoes and chili peppers) and a basil pesto aioli. The texture is a bit softer than usual.
I love good homemade Italian meatballs. In restaurants, however, the inherent saltiness in the usual host tomato sauce is often supplemented with salt on the meat, which results in more salt flavor than I can stand. Here, the kitchen gets it right all around in their Polpetta, a blend of ground pork and veal, baked and served with a rich tomato-basil sauce, dusted with grated Parmesan cheese. Among the best in the Triad.
Cioppino
Shrimp “Aqua Pazza” translates “crazy water,” a term used for several forms of poaching liquids in Italian cuisine. Here, the vibrant red liquid is developed from charred tomatoes and Calabrian chili peppers, plus roasted garlic and shallots, dusted with Parmesan cheese. The kitchen earns praise for the texture of the large shrimp. It would have been all too easy to overcook them, but not here.
Prince Edward Island Mussels appear in the “For the Table” section of the menu, but the portion is certainly adequate as a main course for an individual. Their pleasant, fresh flavor is enhanced with shallots and garlic, plus strips of pancetta, in a white wine-butter broth, decorated with clipped parsley. Crusty slices of ciabatta bread are great for dipping in that broth.
Cioppino adds a few of those mussels to an assembly that also includes shrimp, real lump crabmeat, and a slice of fresh mahi mahi, all resting in a tomato-saffron broth flavored with fennel and joined by a few small potatoes. Grilled ciabatta bread slices soak up some sauce, drawing out the pleasures of this classic dish.
Pork Milanese
Salmon Piccata is an especially flavorful way to prepare this popular fish. The tender salmon is presented over deep green broccolini, surrounded by a lemon-butter sauce, studded with capers and diced roasted red peppers, plus shallots simmered soft. There’s an abundance of flavor here in enjoyable interplay.
Reluctantly leaving the seafoods, fowl fare fared just as well. Chicken Parmesan uses Joyce Farms breast meat — a superior product, in my estimation, pounded thin and tender, presented over capellini pasta, ladled with arrabbiata sauce. The tomato flavor of the sauce is assertive, but the kitchen balances it well with the crisp chicken. This gets smoked Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses melted on top, decorated with clipped parsley.
Pork Milanese is structured with a tender, thin slice of tenderloin, coated with panko breadcrumbs and sautéed, for a crisp effect. This is topped with arugula and strips of fennel, lightly dressed in lemon vinaigrette, which play off the pork flavor quite well. Parmesan potatoes round out the presentation.
Scallopini is veal tenderloin crusted with herbed panko breadcrumbs and sautéed, again to a just-right crisp texture, augmented by a complex interlace of shiitake mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts. Smoked mozzarella cheese and prosciutto, all bathed in marsala sauce, presented over capellini pasta, yields a rich interplay of pronounced flavors.
I enjoyed the food on all my visits to Otto and Blue. I made my first visit shortly after they opened, and experienced service glitches that were, in retrospect, predictable. I have cautioned readers not to rush to judgment with new restaurants. Give them time to gain the experience they need in order to establish a rhythm. I should have taken my own advice. It’s easy to recommend this place now.
Dining and Cooking