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Blue Grill House and Wine Bar
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
13 reviews for Blue Grill House and Wine Bar
The epitome of overpriced "fine" dining.
Let's be clear...the food is good, the wine selection is great, and the service get's no complaints....but if you can explain to me why it deserves the pricing it get's, I am all ears.
The place is very nice, beautiful decor, very trendy setting. I believe they even have or had a cigar bar...cool, if you're into it.
Have been three times, just to make sure I wasn't missing something. Once with another couple, who raved about the place, and we found it to be just alright. Second time was with a buisness function, so the check was picked up by the company...and I still felt like the place was suffering from delusions of grandeur. Last time was a few of us, for a friends birthday...we all had a great time, enjoyed a bit of wine, light fare and some deserts. Now I no wine is not cheap when purchased within an establishment, but 125% mark ups on a same bottle I purchased the day before at the local wine and spirits!?!? Oh well, I suppose some people just enjoy the feeling of dumping tons of money on a dinner/evening at places like this...a false sense of satisfaction, for having indulged in something so pricey in a upscale setting maybe?
I finally had lunch here - I had a client in town on business and needed a quiet place to have a "getting to know you" lunch. It was a fantastic choice!
Our only "complaint" was that it took a while to get seated. Not a huge issue (the girl at the desk was on the phone), but when you are there before anyone else but after opening, it seemed a bit strange. Especially since she didn't really acknowledge us until she got off the phone. Anyways...
After we were seated, our server got to us pretty quickly to get our drink orders & run through the specials. Someone at our table ordered tea and was surprised to find out they had about 6 or 7 varieties (organic bottled teas). Drinks came out pretty quickly & she took our orders: two southwestern chicken paninis & a ribeye sandwich. Obviously not as cheap as, say, Ruby Tuesday, but I though the pricing was on par for the type of restaurant ($10-$15 for sandwiches w/a side - $15-$20 or so for a big lunch entree). Our food came out pretty quickly & was piping hot. The fries were some of the best I've had in the area - very mealy with a good crunch. Our server was good at keeping us happy without being overbearing.
Lunch for three was $65 including a 20% tip. Not an everyday option for me, but a great place for a "special" lunch. It's an affordable way to try Blue, if you aren't up for dinner prices (expect at least $100 for two at dinner). Lunch dress is casual-esque...dinner can go either way.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
5/1/2008
My husband & I had dinner here a few weeks ago. Drinks, soup/salad, entrees & dessert for under… Read more »
Blue turned out to be better than I expected, given some of the other reviews.
I went with some friends on a Friday evening. First we tried the happy hour specials in the bar, which was pretty busy. They discounted some glasses of wine and beer by a few bucks, and had some good appetizers for $5-7. We then went into the dining room for our dinner, which was pretty empty. Oddly empty for a Friday night. The atmosphere/design in both the bar and dining areas is pretty cool.
The prices on the menu were actually slightly less than I had anticipated. Steaks and sides are cheaper than Shula's or Emerils. If I remember correctly, a 8-oz filet was $28, sides maybe $5-$6. I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup that tasted great, but the bowl it came in made it very difficult to eat. The steaks were excellent, and they give you several sauces on the side to try. I was too stuffed to try dessert.
They do have a huge wine selection, probably better than any other local restaurant.
The service was great, but probably because the place was empty.
As far as expensive restaurants in the Lehigh Valley go, I think Blue is a pretty fair value for what it is. I'll be back.
The food here is better than at sister restaurant Melt, but they both suffer the same problem, the emphasis is on decor/looks. Not that a beautiful restaurant is bad, I think Blue looks great, but don't rest on your visual laurels!
The appetizers are, for the most part, good. Both times I've gotten the cheese plate I've enjoyed it. Most recently it featured not a single blue cheese, major plus.
I've gotten the steak once and fish once, I think they do steak better. However, someone else ordered the ahi tuna and had nice things to say about it.
The biggest disappointment for me was a crab mascarpone and orecchiette side dish. It was far and away the most expensive side at $15 and had about as much flavor as one of the 99 cent Lipton sides you can get at the grocery store. You know the ones, a dab of butter, a 1/4 cup of milk, cover and simmer for 11 minutes.
Naturally a good wine/drink selection and I think if I chose to go there it would probably be for drinks and to enjoy the music. Nice selection of lounge and chill out music earns them a few points, I enjoy a little Nina Simone with my dinner.
I am not speaking from a food point of view, but from a bar/loungie place...this was a great place to go for a few hours with some friends and listen to good music and enjoy a few nice drinks. I am usually a beer person, but I decided to try their espresso martinis and they did not disapoint. The wine selection also seems pretty decent.
All in all I would at least recommend it for that.... in the summer, there is also a small patio where you can enjoy the weather and your drinks outside, it's also not nearly as loud out there.
I had hesitations about eating here, it is afterall, the freaking Candlelight and anyone who grew up here has been forced to eat here for some occasion or another.
I was impressed by the wine selection, I will give them credit for that one. The food however, was nothing to write home about. The steaks were pretty good, I had tuna 2 ways...horrible. Terrible cuts of tuna, horrendous sauces.
They do the whole, "sides to share" for the table. I'm not a fan of this...I don't want steak sides with my delicate fish dinner, thanks anyway.
Unimpressed, should have listened to my brother on this one.
There seem to be some wishy-washy reviews here for Blue, and I'm not quite sure why. I have never had a bad meal here, and it makes me wonder why the owners couldn't replicate the Blue quality over at Melt. I've been to other major steakhouses, like Capital Grille in Philly, and Blue remains my benchmark of quality steak joints.
This is, first and foremost, a steakhouse. The cuts are great. The bone-in NY Strip is fantastic (when available on special), as is the prime rib (special), which warranted a photo with my mobile phone it was so huge. Sides are family style, typical for a steakhouse. I've found the fish dishes to also be quite good, from the tuna steak to the scallops.
This is my splurge place in the Valley - I go on New Year's Eve every year and run the full menu: appetizer, salad, entree, dessert. I'm stuffed, but it's oh-so-good.
Table service is always very good, although a few members of the staff are better than others. Shortly after Melt opened, I suspect that some of the long-time staffers made the jump over there. I've found the meals to be very well-timed - everything makes its appearance just as it should, and nothing feels like it's been under a lamp or sitting on a counter. Kudos to the kitchen staff on that.
The bar area is rather nice. Bar service (mixed drinks) are good, and the wine list is nicely appointed. (A good selection of by-the-glass as well.) Draft beer selection is a bit limited, but a nice Sierra Nevada Pale Ale goes quite well with NY Strip.
Lunch is very good...and recommended if you can get over here during the week. Most of the crowd goes for dinner, so lunch is usually quite sparse. But trust me, it's very good, and great for a business lunch if you can swing it.
Attire is technically casual, but I usually avoid jeans for slacks and a Oxford shirt. I've seen guests in flip-flops and shorts, and I just want to punch them in the face. Don't make me do that to you - wear a pair of pants and actual shoes, please.
Blue is great for special occasions, and a good place for a date. Make reservations. (You can do so on OpenTable.)
This place is great for the Lehigh Valley because it's not a chain, and it's huge. As a former meat eater, I can say this place is pretty good.
Unfortunately, this is where I took my then-boyfriend (now husband) the first time he met my family. He has been vegan for about 10 years, so I was nervous about going here. But my mom had called ahead and assured me they had options for vegans and vegetarians alike. In reality, the waiter looked like a deer in headlights when we asked for vegan recommendations. On the spot, he thought of a dish called "The Tower of Vegetables," and swore up and down that this was one of the restaurant's best dishes. They must have had a chuckle about it back in the kitchen, because "The Tower of Vegetables" was more like a carrot on top of a piece of lettuce.
It's a funny story that we still laugh about to this day. It was our bad for thinking they really did have vegetarian options here. Why would they?
Upscale restaurant with excellent wine list. The largest wine selection in the Valley. Great for a lunch business meeting. Even has a back board room to close the deal privately.
Menu is american with unique twists including a Shrimp Lobster Reuben for lunch.
Large selection of steaks for dinner. Generally attracts an older crowd, but has a very hip, trendy appearance. Not for the budget-minded.
This place is so overpriced for what they have to offer, it's ridiculous. Its intention is upscale with a huge variety of wines. The steak I ordered was mediocre at best. My friend got the lobster tail entree and was served just that, $55 with no sides. What a waste. The bar atmosphere was nice but was filled with an extremely loud crowd of local car salesman. Save your money, go somewhere else.
I had lunch here in March 07. Excellent food and top notch wine list. It is one of the more expensive places in the area, but its worth it. The wait staff was very courteous and professional.
Came back to check out the bar one weekend night -- My wife had a very delicious pom martini and I had a glass of wine. Caters toward an upscale 45+ crowd, but we still enjoyed ourselves.
Will probably return for dinner some night soon.
Overpriced, overpriced, overpriced.
The steak is better at the newly opened Shula's in the Promenade. The wine here is good, but the meat is inconsistent. Don't come here unless you have a gift card, they try to squeeze every dollar out of every customer.
It's the in place to be in the Valley, so it gets a break from a lot of reviewers, but if you think about what you got and what you paid, it's just not special enough.
the best damn gourmet ribeye cheesesteak i ever had. juicy!
