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Blue Highway
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
13 reviews for Blue Highway
We went Saturday night at 8:20 (they close at 9). We ordered the antipasti plate and the Abruzzese thin crust and cannoli for dessert.
The antipasti plate was pretty good. Served with grilled focaccia with hummus, roasted vegs, marinated peppers meats/cheese, and small caprese salad. Nothing too special but if that's your sort of thing, by all means get it.
I usually order Margherita pizzas, but I wanted meat that night so I ordered the Abruzzese. The Abruzzese. My god. When it came to our table, there was a delicious roasted garlic aroma and plenty of it on the pizza. Probably not the best pizza to order on a first date but whatever, it was amazing and I will proudly display my stinky breath everywhere. The pizza had meatballs, roasted garlic, and lots of cheese. Like the other reviews mentioned, didn't really notice the sauce but there was plenty of cheesy goodness to make up for it. I am very excited for leftover pizza.
The cannoli was incredibly good as well. Served cold but the cream was sweet enough and had chocolate chips in it, not overbearing at all. I thought I detected a hint of cinnamon but couldn't see any in the cream. The shell was flakier than other cannolis I've had, but I enjoyed that.
The server was very sweet the whole night and very attentive even though we came in 30 mins before closing.
I'm super stoked to come back and try everything else. It's not THAT far of a drive, so get off your butts and go!!
Ah, I'm glad to see my hometown finally supporting restaurants! When I lived there, the Sunflower Cafe (I think that's what it was) was the only one there, and it struggled. But, that's done and gone, Blue Highway seems to be the star now. It's very homey and the staff is very friendly.
I've had the Pizza Blanco and another one that had lots of meats on it. I was surprised at the uniqueness of the ingredients used in the pizzas! Basil pizzas, more than just mozzarella cheese, real sliced garlic, pretty good anchovies (my dad's favorite, one bite of them is enough for me!) and my favorite was the salami on my meaty pizza. That was a refreshing surprise.
For anyone who is expecting this to be a high budget operation, please understand this is a LOCAL business in a town that is just now getting it's economy together. This is one of the first restaurants to ever stay open in Micanopy in a long time! The only other places to eat are a little cafe downtown that's just now gaining momentum, Pearls BBQ which is also new (and delicious) and Cafe Risque. Yes, Blue Highway doesn't have soda taps or other luxuries like that, but if that's what makes good pizza to you, you might as well eat at some fast food pizza place like dominoes.
So, if you love dominoes pizza, it's probably not worth the drive. But if you care about quality and want to take a little vacation to a simpler place, it's definitely worth it.
When I knew I was coming back to Gainesville for a visit, this place was on my list of places I had to have while I was in town. It is off the beaten path as it is about twenty minutes south of Gainesville itself, but well worth the drive down there.
The place is kind of crazy and wonderful. There are strange art pieces lining the walls and a true mix of cultures both working there and patronizing the establishment. The dining room is small and cozy, but acoustically works out so that you can't overhear everything the table next to you says. This is particularly good when you have a loud group (me and my friends) come in and sit next to you.
Blue Highway serves gourmet pizzas with combinations of toppings that you would have to be completely insane or just really high to come up with, but if you try them, you start to believe that maybe coming up with recipes while high isn't such a bad idea. I mean really, eggplant and prosciutto, who thinks this is a good idea? I do now, after trying it. Also their rosemary cheese bread is a great start to any meal in which you are going to stuff yourself to the point of having to unbutton your pants.
And while Blue Highway is known for their pizza, that is not all they have. Not by a long shot. They have some amazing salads. Amazing and large salads. And their sandwiches are pretty tasty too. Although I have to admit, since I only had one chance to go back, I didn't get a sandwich. I stuck with the pizza. It is cooked in a stone oven and I am not entirely sure what they make the crust out of, but it has almost a fizz to it. I am sure they aren't using live bees or anything, but the crust has a buzz. But in a really really good way.
As I have said, the place isn't that big, and so there isn't much to say about it. Well other than, they have great food and it is cozy. Oh, I also forgot to mention that it is locally owned and the owner is often in the restaurant and I have had many a conversation with him. Everyone that works there is really friendly and the service is fast. And have I mentioned that the food is great? Worth the short drive from Gainesville to try if you haven't already.
This was another food trip made while I was loafing from illness. The opportunity to pass through or by Micanopy almost never presents itself, so when I had a rare day off from work and nothing to do, I decided to make a drive to Blue Highway for breakfast / lunch.
The atmosphere is classic small-town and you may get "the eye" from the local patrons upon entering, but the pizza is genuinely delicious. I ordered a margherita and found it to be fresh, savory, crispy and very satisfying. The combination of roasted garlic, tiny meatballs, basil, cheese and sauce blew me away. At first I didn't give the food enough credit because I had been slowly starving for nearly a week, but it quickly became obvious that these people make a very good pizza, and that not nearly enough folks in Gainesville know about it. Shame.
The best part of the trip, though, was slowly driving back to Gainesville (55 mph on 441 is apparently slow) with nothing to do and nowhere to go, enjoying the sky and the breeze. I even stopped on the way back to town just to walk along the causeway to Payne's Prairie just to dawdle for a while and enjoy the marsh scenery. Find me a standard pizza that can inspire such productive idling.
Tucked on the east side of 441, on a lonely stretch of road in Micanopy, lies Blue Highway. I'd passed it about a thousand times and it always struck me as the kind of place that could be either really good or really bad. So after reading the Yelps (with sensitivity to who authored them) off I went.
For the app we got the Blue Highway Salad with their homemade Creamy Gorgonzola dressing. In fact all of their dressings are homemade. Verdict? Another pinch of salt and the dressing would be immaculate.
We also split a Chicken Rustico Panini which was the least impressive item of the meal and certainly not great. The bread was a bit too far removed from what I would associate with a panini-- think ciabatta with a crumb lost somewhere between spongecake and savory cornbread with a pale, no where near crispy crust. But what about the pie?
We ordered the "Abruzzese" thin crust.
First impressions? Good quality toppings: homemade meatballs, good cheese and fresh parsley. Unfortunately I have no recollection of the sauce since there wasn't much on the pie and the pizza was also in desperate need of salt!
Crust? The cornmeal was a major component and not just for dusting; it is intimately part of the crust. Personally I feel that so much cornmeal provides the illusion of a crispy crust when it would otherwise be soggy.
Deserts
Cannoli and Key lime pie.
The cannoli was excellent! The filling was a perfect balance between sensible amounts of sugar, a whisper of cheesecake-esque twang, and a slight vanilla finish. The shell was the weakest link but still up to par.
They also make a respectable Key Lime Pie.
What would it take for 5 stars?
86 the cornmeal (use flour for dusting)
Give the pies a little more oven time
And for heaven's sake don't be afraid to use salt.
Don't touch the deserts.
Definitely worth considering for first and future visits; I shall return.
Minus 2 stars from Blue Highway for:
1) Being in Micanopy
2) Giving you a can of Coke instead of splurging on a fucking tap. I hate that shit.
Minus 1 star from Robert Simmons for:
1) Once eating an entire pizza here in one sitting. I am disgusting.
When I came here to write a review, I was incredibly surprised to see this many already written? I'm equally surprised by the wide ranging opinions of it.
I would consider it a diamond in the rough. I looked at the menu and was told by my friend (a local), everything is soooo good and always very fresh. I scanned the pizza selection but opted for a Tuscan bean salad and a Cuban sandwich.
My 3 bean salad was tossed with a light Italian dressing and onions and served on a bed of raw spinach. Very fresh and tasty.
The Cuban on other hand, although good in flavor, the bread and sliced pork inside came off on the tuff side. Not horrible, or uneatable, I just would prefer it softer on the palate. I had to order a second beer to wash it down. Ahhh!, now I understand their motives.
My friends pizza looked scrumptious and apparently was... it disappeared. A small here is a medium anywhere else. They make their own dough and I've got to try it next time I'm in the middle of somewhere, like Micanopy.
This place was like finding a diamond in the middle of nowhere, OK somewhere, which is where most are found, and has great potential, but I think most locals think its the best place in town. I would be surprised if it isn't.
The ambiance was small town friendly, and fortissimo. Everyone knew everyone, except the SR441 travelers that happened by. I'll go back if the opp presents itself.
Loved the pizza here. It's in Micanopy which makes for a nice lunch destination when I go riding with my gang.
I don't get the Blue Highway/Satchel's comparisons.
They're strong where the other isn't.
Blue Highway:
Excellent Pizza
So-So Atmosphere
Satchels:
Awesome Atmosphere
All right Pizza (The salad is amazing)
Best Pizza List:
1. Blue Highway/Big Lou's (you'd have to eat a slice from each at the same time to pick a winner)
2. Satchel's
good? sure. worth driving out to micanopy? no.
to be honest, i was a little let down. and by "a little let down", i mean "incredibly disappointed." no atmosphere. no interesting people. no... plates. all i heard about was how awesome blue highway was. now i'm all for random amazing restaurants/stores/people in the middle of nowhere, but unless you're doing a bit of antiquing with your great aunt mary on a lovely saturday afternoon, there is no good reason for you to be at this roadside attraction.
i don't like to write a review of a place unless i've been there several times and tried a variety of things but thumbs down, blue highway, i won't be bothering to go back.
Mmm...pizza. I've had to cut down on my pizza intake of late, but we made an exception on game day to get out of town and try Blue Highway. How lovely! The waiter was incredibly attentive and the atmosphere was really warm and relaxed. D & I split an antipasti platter (with some of the best hummus I've had in a long time) and a build-it-yourself "perfecta trifecta" pie of garlic, (huge cut chunks of garlic are always a plus!) spinach, and mushrooms. A few complained of the cornmeal-style crust (nope, not like Zelda's) but I really enjoyed it. We'll be back!
For years now I've been hearing, "If you like Satchel's, you'd probably like Blue Highway." I never make my way to Micanopy, but this past weekend I was fortunate to finally go. I've heard this place was eclectic and I was expecting crazy paint colors, whirlygigs, string lights, sunflowers and art, but I didn't find much of the sort. Blue Highway is on 441 in what seemed to be a non descript little building painted yellow on the outside and dimly lit on the inside. I was a little disappointed in the atmosphere only because of the comparison to Satchel's. But Blue Highway holds its own because they have a more expansive menu than Satchels. The appetizers boasted a generous antipasti platter of meats, cheese, and veggies, and white bean hummus. There were salads and panini, which I'm hoping to try on my next visit. But the pizza is truly a winner. You can't order by the slice here because pizzas are made to order and are sized to feed one very, very hungry person, or two moderate people. I went with the classic margarita: fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and sauce. The crust on their pie is divine. It's thin, but not too thin and crispy, but not so crispy that it scrapes the roof of your mouth. By far some of the best pizza I've had. My friend ordered the Abruzzese which was their cheese pizza with oregano and meatballs, also very good. The have several other combos or you can make up your own combination. This place is definitely worth the drive to Micanopy.
While the service was great (the server had an enthusiasm that was almost overwhelming) the food was fairly boring and mediocre. We got their tossed salad and usually I think tossed salad means that the dressing is tossed with the salad but apparently that was not the case; although the balsamic vinaigrette was tasty and the greens and vegetables were nice (no iceberg lettuce). I did try a bit of Heather's hummus and it was really good with a nice hit (not hint) of garlic. But....the pizza at a pizza place should be the star, right? Well...I found their cornmeal crust tasteless, I know it's easier to make a crispy crust if you use lots of cornmeal but it doesn't necessarily make it more flavorful. The sauce didn't have much flavor (I prefer a spicier tomato sauce on my pizza, this tasted like canned tomatos to me) and the "fresh" mozzarella was most definitely not fresh mozzarella. I know it's nit picky of me but I *hate* it when restaurants give you paper plates and little plastic cups. Steve broke his plastic fork and it just feels wrong in a place that isn't a pizza counter or take out place to not have real utensils, plates and glasses. I doubt I'll make the trip out to Micanopy again when Satchel's is five blocks from my house.
