Inside: Blu Smoke Island Grill

(Credit: BluSmoke Island Grill )

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Blu Smoke Island Grill

Blu Smoke Island Grill is a refreshingly new addition to the...

Blu Smoke Island Grill

Blu Smoke Island Grill is a refreshingly new addition to the restaurants along Avenida Messina on Siesta Key.  Serving hickory and applewood smoked barbecue, seafood, and steaks, with home made and signature bleu cheese sauces with many of the menu items, it's American Cuisine at it's finest.

The Ambiance:  With booths that are as deep as they are wide, seating offers privacy and sound reduction, enhanced by the extremely impressive LED lit tables with flowy sea green and blue phosphorecent-esque colors.  Drop lighting and occassional bursts from the fog machine, give Blu Smoke an artistic flair.  Very "middle of the road" in terms of attire and entree' price points, it's a best bet for great food with casual dining.  You could just as easily walk into the island grill for a Bison Burger in jeans and a t-shirt as in a dress shirt and slacks for a NY Strip Steak.  Close to Lido Beach and area shops on Siesta Key, it's an "anything goes" atmosphere.

The Starters:  Of the three sampled, my favorite is still the Blu Cheese Chips ($6) made with house fried potato chips, a bleu cheese sauce and balsamic reduction.  Unlike similar appetizers from other restaurants, Blu Smoke serves it in a blended cream sauce without the thick chunks of crumbled bleu, giving it a more balanced texture and flavor.  Also noteworthy is the Blu Que Sampler ($10) a great choice if you can't decide between the Texas Brisket, Smoked Chicken or Pulled Pork.  Paired with a chipotle, honey mustard and BBQ sauce, mix and match flavors, though I opted for the chipotle for everything but the chicken (honey mustard all the way).  Lastly, the Fried Calamari ($9)  was daring, topped with a spicy sweet chili sauce vs. a marinara, with red onions cutting out some of the sweetness of the sauce.

The Entrees:  The Pasta a la Blu Smoke ($17) was served with a smoked chicken and thick bleu cheese sauce with fresh asparagus mixed in. Probably the most unique item on the menu, be prepared for unusual flavors and textures, as it is not a traditional chicken and alfredo dish.  There's the smokiness from the chicken, coupled with bleu cheese that is often paired with beef instead.  If I were to adjust for my taste, I would have opted for grilled chicken (vs. smoked), a thinner sauce, and more tomatoes and asparagus to balance out the heaviness of the pasta and cream sauce.  The Bison Burger ($9) is made in house (NOT frozen!) and topped with red onions, lettuce and cheese of choice (swiss, cheddar or bleu cheese in house) and is best enjoyed medium rare, and if there were a "Best Bison Burger" contest, the Blu would most likely get the award.

The Sides:  Entree's come with vegetables and a choice of one additional side.  You can't go wrong with the Blu Slaw, served with (you guessed it) crumbled bleu cheese, or the Cheddar Cheese Grits.  Both were...well, pretty fantastic (no further eloquence needed).

The Sauces:  Among the dishes, there were six sauces sampled, two bleu cheese sauces, a chipotle, honey mustard, barbeque and sweet chili sauce.  ALL about the sauces, the favorites here were the chipotle, honey mustard and bleu cheese balsamic, followed closely behind by the sweet chili.

Overall:  If there were awards given for best bleu cheese chips, best coleslaw, best grits, best burger and best BBQ and best sauces, I suspect BluSmoke would be at the top of the list.  Excellent service in a fun atmosphere, with the added bonus of live music every night.

Open 7 Days A Week
12:00 pm to Close