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| Blue Point Grill~ Fresh Seafood & Raw Oyster Bar |
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Three words for Blue Point Grill: Believe The Hype. The buzz about this place is all good, and all well deserved. The Man and I have found our new “go to” spot for celebrating our anniversary in central New Jersey…
 After perusing various online resources to find an interesting seafood restaurant, (after all, not every suburb has an Aphioni.com--- YET.) Blue Point Grill showed up repeatedly as the top recommendation. It has a lot going for it before you even step through the doors: a raw oyster bar, a fabulous selection of fresh fish dishes, and my favorite feature- BYOB! From all accounts, on the weekend you should be prepared to wait up to 2 hours. So, we left my mother-in-law’s (about 20 miles away in Piscataway) before we were even hungry, hit a wine shop and picked up our favorite German wine, a 2004 Dr. Thanisch Riesling, and drove to Princeton, marveling at the crazy number of furniture stores on Route 1- what are these people doing to their sofas that there is a furniture store every ½ mile?? I digress… we arrived at Blue Point Grill and got lucky- only a 30 minute wait. The hostess brought us a bucket of ice for our wine to chill while we did the same. Service is key here- some folks came in after us, got on the list, said they were coming right back- so the hostess requested their cell number so she could call them when they were just about up- nice! I suppose we envisioned the sprawling seafood houses we used to eat in when we lived in Florida, but Blue Point Grill is quaint, and presents a charming, slightly nautical theme; the delightful ambience is enhanced by an open kitchen behind the glass raw bar. It smells- wonderful. An excellent seafood restaurant using fresh fish never actually smells like fish. We caught whiffs of only mouth-watering aromas like garlic, lemon and dill… good grief- this review is half-written and I haven’t even touched on the grub! We started with Florida Stone Crab Claws, huge, succulent knots of sweet crab meat served cold with cocktail and dijonaise sauces. Absolutely delicious- we pulled out hunk after hunk of solid crab meat, and our amicable waiter, Simon, brought them to us pre-cracked so we had less work to do- the first of many points he scored with us. He uncorked our wine while we chatted about the menu, and guess what- no corking fee! The points just kept adding up for this place. Next came steaming bowls of Lobster Bisque for The Man, and Manhattan She Crab Chowder for me. The Man was impressed with the bisque, said it was creamy, flavorful, and chock full of lobster to the last bite. My Crab Chowder was crammed with carrots, celery, peas, tomatoes, and shredded crab, all simmered in an herb-rich tomato base complete with a bay leaf. It was a meal in itself! We decided to share an entrée since we had to save room for dessert, and easily agreed on the Monkfish Medallions. Pan seared with a light demi-glace, and it simply melted in our mouths. Thick, tender medallions of monkfish wrapped in so many light yet distinctive flavors- we hardly believed we were eating fish! It was spectacular- hands down the best fish dish we have ever had. It was complemented by garlic smashed redskin potatoes- rich and creamy- yum!- and the wilted baby spinach- just slightly steamed and accented with grape tomatoes and fresh parmesan cheese- with a squirt of fresh lemon juice it was fabulous and fresh-tasting. This meal paired seamlessly with our Riesling, but it would have also matched up well with a pint of amber ale. Or two. Okay, three- tops! The whole meal was flawlessly paced, never rushed, yet barely a wait from course to course. Simon is a true pro- ask for him when you go. We begged Simon to wait 10 minutes before bringing dessert, and asked for his recommendations. One was a no brainer- the Key Lime Pie. They are known for it, and understandably so- it is almost white, creamy, tart and sublime perfection with a homemade graham cracker crust that compels you to smash the remnants onto the back of your fork- don’t act like you haven’t done it! The other- something we completely over looked on the menu: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Caramel and Sea Salt. Simon said “Just trust me on this one- if you don’t like it I’ll take it back and bring you something else…” needless to say all Simon brought back was an empty sundae glass- what a delicious idea! If you are like me and already eat Raisinettes with popcorn, or bread pudding with bacon- the bliss of sweet with salty is already on your palate. Those globs of caramel were a bonus that made me giddy. It was original and truly decadent like everything else we devoured here. You don’t need any other reason to visit Princeton, NJ- if you are in central New Jersey for any reason at all- take a culinary journey that will beckon you to return again and again, because~ Blue Point Grill Passes with Flying Colors!  258 Nassau Street Princeton, NJ 08542 609-921-1211 www.bluepointgrill.com ADDITIONAL INFO: BOYB, no corking fee New menu items and Fresh Catches Daily Call ahead seating Monday - Thursday
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