Blue Lagoon

Stopped in for dinner on Tuesday, which was opening night, and loved it. Menu is small plates all listed on 3 cards mostly seafood with some veggies and lamb. We tried the oysters, shrimp, salmon, persian flatbread, and gator - not going into detail just let me say it was all delicious, fresh and prepared exceptionally. Beautiful surroundings, nice beer and friendly staff.

Go give them a try - you'll be happy you did.

Sounds great. We can practically walk from here. But it's more likely we'll drive.

gator

NICE. Love gator. I'll be there soon.

[Robin Garr]

NICE. Love gator. I'll be there soon.

We went to a horrible little Chinese place in Titusville, Fla., while I was visiting family last week, and noticed to my delight that they had Kung Pao Gator on the menu. I was sorely tempted, but given the overall quality of the place, decided against it ...

NICE. Love gator. I'll be there soon.

We went to a horrible little Chinese place in Titusville, Fla., while I was visiting family last week, and noticed to my delight that they had Kung Pao Gator on the menu. I was sorely tempted, but given the overall quality of the place, decided against it ...

Heh. Probably smart. I've only had it in Florida. My grandfather had a house in Port St. Lucie when I was growing up, and there was this little seafood shack place halfway between his house and the beach, on the water. Excellent gator, and I'm proud to say I tried and liked it at 8 years old. You could actually see gators swimming in the swampy area next to the ocean - I always wondered if those were the gators we were eating. . .

We stopped in Friday for dinner, and were very happy with the experience. I don't have a lot to add to Amy's comments, other than to echo that the menu is a very nice selection of small plates ranging from $4 to around $12 for the lamb. The food was very fresh and well prepared, with some interesting and innovative flavors. They encourage ordering one dish at a time, which we followed. Each successive dish's arrival was well timed. We split 4 dishes, and were comfortably full (total food cost was around $30).

The space is very nice, highlighted by an impressive bar. Service was very good. My only gripe is that with the beautiful bar, Blue Lagoon needs to get a liquor license. The atmosphere there is more upscale than Zaytun, even bordering on modern, and the inability to get a cocktail is frustrating. Their wine list is okay, but I found the beer selection to be sub-par, with a number of mass-market swill options but very few craft or local options.

Overall, they're doing good work at Blue Lagoon. I wouldn't change a thing with the food - just get liquor and improve the beer selection. The bar area coupled with the small plate formula lends itself to people stopping in and lingering at the bar over drinks and small plates - this just won't work if liquor isn't an option.

It's doubtful that they will ever be able to get a drink liquor license because they are to close to the Left Field Lounge. I don't remember the figures but maybe 700 feet away. Another example of the total idiocy of Kentucky's liquor laws.

My mom and I dined at Blue Lagoon last night. The food was tasty and the service was good. There was a little confusion when we didn't receive the Mahi we ordered, but that was easily rectified. There's definitely a certain balance is needed to wait at a "small plates" place - the wait staff needs to be present for additional orders but, at the same time, you don't want someone hawking over your table. I think our waitress (I forgot her name) worked this balance well.

So, the food. We, in order, had the saffron shrimp, the fried oysters, the mahi skewers, and the lamp chops. The chops were definitely the highlight of the evening. Not sure what seasoning is used on the meat, but whatever it is, it is presented with a nice balance and compliments the meat well. I also was happy to see that the oysters were lightly breaded which made them light and crunchy while keeping the focus on the oyster. The Mahi was slightly disappointing. I found the Mahi a little oily and the veggies on the skewers a little mushy. This might have been a result of the service oversight; maybe the plate sat in the window for too long.

Having dined at Sharom's and Zaytun's in the past, my mom and I had a nice talk with the owner. He told us he has plans for a liquor license, but he first needs to meet a minimum seating number (100 seats?). He is going to do this by inclosing the deck on the north side of the building. He said he wanted to get the (kitchen and front of the house) staff in tune with the menu and the small plates concept before going to a full bar. But it does sound like a full bar is coming.

I would register 2 complaints and 1 other comment.

1. The tables are too close. Reminded me of Mojito's which I avoid because I found the space too busy. It's not "too too close," but I do think they could lose a few tables. I mention this as a favor to people like me who seemed to really be bothered by this (am I the only one?).

2. Pointless TV in the dining room. Although I can accept the need for a TV in the bar area (like at Lou Lou), I don't get why there is a TV in the corner of the dining room. As it was in my sightline when talking to my mom, this annoyed me to no end. Once again, more a pet peeve than a true critique.

3. I would like to see the plates to include portions divisible by 2. The place is steup with 4-tops to accommodate couples and four-person groups, so it might make sense to make the plates work better for such dining groups. Both the shrimp and the oysters featured five items on the plate. As I was with my mom and she is the person who taught me how to share, we were able to battle through this small annoyance without either of us stabbing the other over the "final" portion. Is there something aesthetic about odd numbers and plating that I am not aware of?

Good food, good service, good prices (although like any small plates place the charges do add up). We had water and 4 plates and I think the final tab was mid-30s. As my mom paid, I never saw the bill. I remember the cops being 12 or 12.50. They were worth every penny.

So, the food. We, in order, had the saffron shrimp, the fried oysters, the mahi skewers, and the lamp chops.

I assume the chops were on the "light" menu.

3. I would like to see the plates to include portions divisible by 2. The place is steup with 4-tops to accommodate couples and four-person groups, so it might make sense to make the plates work better for such dining groups. Both the shrimp and the oysters featured five items on the plate. As I was with my mom and she is the person who taught me how to share, we were able to battle through this small annoyance without either of us stabbing the other over the "final" portion. Is there something aesthetic about odd numbers and plating that I am not aware of?

Yes - I've heard this from chefs before... plate odd numbers.

So, the food. We, in order, had the saffron shrimp, the fried oysters, the mahi skewers, and the lamp chops.

I assume the chops were on the "light" menu.

hilarious!

So, the food. We, in order, had the saffron shrimp, the fried oysters, the mahi skewers, and the lamp chops.

I assume the chops were on the "light" menu.

It was the first time I enjoyed lamp chops - sure was an illuminating experience.

NICE. Love gator. I'll be there soon.

We went to a horrible little Chinese place in Titusville, Fla., while I was visiting family last week, and noticed to my delight that they had Kung Pao Gator on the menu. I was sorely tempted, but given the overall quality of the place, decided against it ...

With just a few exceptions, the space coast of Florida is foodie hell.

can someone tell us where this is??? it's too new to be listed in most places where I normally look . . .

can someone tell us where this is??? it's too new to be listed in most places where I normally look . . .

It is the location where Diamante was. Next to the Left Field Lounge. On Bardstown Rd across from Woodbourne, a few blocks north of Taylorsville Rd.

[Robin Garr]

With just a few exceptions, the space coast of Florida is foodie hell.

Thou joketh not, Mark, although I'm stuck, as that's where my family is. There are a couple of good spots in Cocoa, although that's not very close. We'll generally head over to Little Vietnam in Orlando for the best shot at serious foodie sustenance. There are a couple of places there (Lac Viet on Colonial in particular) that I might rate ahead of Vietnam Kitchen, even.