Lovers of unique, delectable food should flock to Bluebeard in Fountain Square. It is certainly a new favorite of mine in town. The homey, rustic environment is complemented by the friendly staff, who seemed to genuinely enjoy working there. When my roommate and I were seated after a 30-minute wait (which did not feel unreasonable), we looked at the mouth-watering menu that featured an array of exotic ingredients—I was particularly interested in the ostrich dish. One regret I have about my experience is not taking advantage of the extensive cocktail menu because the prices were steep at nearly $10 for most drinks. To maximize the dishes we could try, my roommate and I split each one. We started with an appetizer: grilled Amelia’s bread and three spreads, including popcorn butter, roasted garlic oil and anchovy butter. I was hesitant about the anchovy butter; it seemed like a strange combination, but it turned out to be so full of flavor that I couldn’t stop myself from eating it all. Next we ordered a baby octopus dish, with seaweed, radish, scallions, sesame vinaigrette, yuzu aioli, black garlic and sesame crackers. Surprisingly, the octopus was not chewy at all and was absolutely incredible. I cleaned the plate entirely. For the final entrée, we ordered salmon with crawfish, bacon, corn, green beans, saffron and buttered ricotta. It’s hard to describe how amazing every facet of this dish tasted; the salmon practically melted in my mouth. The wait staff was also very accommodating, and the food arrived to our table within 15 minutes. One of the few downsides to Bluebeard was small portion sizing, and the price was a bit much for the student budget; our bill was $60 after tips, which we split. However, this did not dampen the amazing experience I had. Not only did Bluebeard provide me with a tasty meal, but it’s also named after a novel by Kurt Vonnegut (one of my favorite authors). This is a perfect restaurant for self-proclaimed foodies or people trying to impress a date.
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