Review of Tucson's Blue Point Restaurant

I'm WAY behind on my food blogs, but I've been out eating a lot so I promise I'm going to spend more time blogging my food experiences over the next few weeks.

Last Wednesday night a girlfriend and I decided to head out to La Encantada to do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat. Whenever I dine at La Encantada I usually go to North Restaurant, but I eat there so much and I've already done a review for them and it's always great so I figured I better try something else. Blue Point in located in the upper east end of La Encantada across from North, and I've enjoyed dinner or drinks there before because of the fun location and atmosphere. Blue Point specializes in seafood and steaks, but they also have an array of other specialties on their menu. They have a really neat bar area with quite a bit of space and TV's for those that can't go out for fear of missing a sporting event. Still it's a classy bar area that's inviting and relaxing. The bar at Blue Point does get busy on Friday and Saturday nights just like the other restaurant bars at La Encantada because the location is a real "hot spot" for the hip crowd. Blue Point has a great drink and wine selection; prices are pretty reasonable across the board and they specialize in martinis so they have some great concoctions to try.

On past visits to Blue Point I've had some great food and some average food, but for the sake of time I'll focus on discussing this specific visit. When we entered the restaurant on Wednesday night we were surprised to find the place packed. I mean standing room only at 6pm in the middle of the week. I didn't bother to make a reservation because I've never needed one when dining during the week, so this crowd really surprised me. The hostess then explained that Blue Point was celebrating their fifth anniversary and providing free drinks and appetizers to guests until 7pm. I was handed a certificate to receive $25 off my next lunch at Blue Point. Yes, I did say $25 off; there's no minimum purchase and I just need to use it by February 8th. Not a bad deal! No wonder the place looked like a singles bar during happy hour! I'd never seen so many people standing in line waiting for their free shrimp cocktail as they checked out the opposite sex. Blue Point is a classy restaurant so this night was an exception. Anyway, I didn't feel like mingling in the bar so we sat down in the dining area for dinner. The waiter greeted us by explaining that in honor of the restaurant's anniversary we could get free drinks, which I thought meant house wine and beer. I was surprised to find that we could order any drink from the bar and it would be free, which was great because Blue Point has some really good wines by the glass. So my friend and I took advantage. I must remember that Wednesday January 16th is Blue Point's anniversary and that I should be there next year for the free stuff!

After reviewing the dinner menu I decided that I would start with the Pecan, Pear and Bleu Cheese salad, which I've had before and always loved. It's mixed greens with candies pecans, crumbled bleu cheese and sliced pear with dried cranberries and a lite cider vinaigrette. It's a bit sweet but usually small so it's not too much before dinner. On this night I was shocked when the salad came out and was about four times it's normal size. I'm not sure if the cooks were being generous because of the anniversary thing or if they just didn't care about food waste; either way my friend and I got to split it and still had left overs which was great.

Ever since Blue Point opened they've had this great dish that I always recommend to others because it's so wonderful. It's one of those foods you just can't forget because it's comforting and delicious and makes you think of mom's cooking. The Seafood Mac and Cheese is that dish; it's cork screw pasta, shrimp and lobster that's baked in a rich, creamy mascarpone sauce and topped with some Creole spices and baked cheese. Originally it was baked in the oven until the cheese on top was golden brown and bubbly. In my opinion it used to be the best food in the world; it's been awhile since I've had it and something has changed that's not good. This time the mac and cheese tasted like it came from a box; the sauce was thin and flavorless and there were barely any shrimp or lobster to be found. It was just spooned into a bowl and was hardly warm. It was devastating! Needless to say I will never recommend this dish again. It seems that too many good restaurants change their menus/ingredients due to food/labor costs over time and they lose what makes them special. Oh well.....

My friend decided to order the fish and chips, which made me happy because I love fried fish and I figured I could snack off her plate. The fish is tempura fried cod that's served with french fries, a small side of cole slaw, cocktail and tarter sauce. The fish looked great when it came out; perfectly fried to a crispy golden brown. Unfortunately Blue Point's fish and chips suffers from the same problem that plagues many other fish and chips dinners; lack of seasoning in the batter. Don't get me wrong, the batter was cooked to a perfect state of crispiness, but it had no seasoning what so ever so it tasted pretty bland. I'm not one that likes to season my food with salt, so it your one that doesn't mind throwing some extra salt on your food I would highly recommend the dish because seasoning is it's only flaw.

I guess I was a little disappointed with my dinner that night because I was really looking forward to enjoying the mac and cheese; but I'll know better then to order it next time. Blue Point still has a great selection of fresh fish and steaks which is a much healthier route anyway. Next time I'll visit for lunch when it's not so busy and I can enjoy their crab cake sandwich. I enjoyed it the last time I had so I'll give it another try.

Blue Point is open for lunch and dinner Monday thru Sunday. Dress is "Foothills casual", and if you're going for dinner on the weekend I would suggest making a reservation.