Blue Fin is one of those rare spots in Times Square that doesn’t make you feel like you are in Jumanji and running away from as many tourists as possible just to get to the 1 train. You walk inside and instantly feel like you are transported to some serene and elegant area of the city, where seafood is the name of the game and they are kings in terms of what they are able to do with each dish they provide. I stopped by there last week and was quite pleased with the entire experience.
The consistent problem that I have had with Times Square over the years, is that it has lost its originality and has become very hard to find one off’s that help make our city the best in the world. Blue Fin is one of those exceptions, as you can find it on Broadway between 47th and 48th Street, easily accessible from many different subway lines.
It is a two floor wonderment, as you walk in and are whisked upstairs to a beautiful space that is adorned with classic wood furnishings, and has a very classy vibe to it. I took my friend there during lunch, which had the usual business crowd inside as opposed to the pack of families with their fanny packs and Disney shirts (no shade), and got to experience what they actually do with seafood itself.
Executive Chef Juan Carlos Ortega and Executive Sushi Chef Boo Lim have developed some wonderful new items on the menu that showcase the sushi side and the seafood side incredibly well for each. Their starters happened to be some of the best food that we had there that day, with the Rock Shrimp Wontons being our favorite, and their Spicy Tartare Trio coming up from behind. The Wontons were swimming in a chili-soy broth with scallions that made it a delectable bite, and the Tartare Trio came with hamachi, salmon, tuna, crispy wontons & tobiko (fish roe). I have never been the biggest fan of Tartare, I don’t know if its the texture or something, however they did these justice with the hamachi being my absolute favorite. You get a real kick of spice in each of them, and they are fantastic crunchy bite option to begin your meal with.
As mentioned before, the sushi options really highlighted the individual seafood inside of them with a supporting cast of sauces and vegetables that made the rolls incredibly tasty. Our favorite from the lunch menu was their Lobster Royale Roll, which came with salmon, avocado, jalapeno & shiso. Lobster is already amazing, but when you combine it with another fish in the salmon and add some serious heat to it with the jalapeno, it really makes for quite the scrumptious item.
For their entree items, me and my friend went two separate ways as she went for a beautiful bowl of sorts and I beelined for their burger option. The latter here is simply called their New York State of Mind Burger, which came with Grass Fed Short Rib Blend, Great Lakes Cheddar, Schaller & Weber Bacon, NYS Skillet Egg, Devine Horseradish Pickles, Amy’s Organic Whole Wheat Bun, & l.i. Kennebec Fries. It’s a lot, right? But it all comes together so well. I am a sucker for pickles, and the ones on top of this provided such a zing and zest of flavor with its other components, as well as the Skillet Egg which just ran down the burger upon first bite and onto my chin. Yummy!
Chef Boo has come up with such a colorful and delightful menu item, you kind of want to stare at it for a while before eating it. This is their Charishi Bowl, which comes with salmon, tuna, Hamachi, Shrimp, Bbq Eel, Avocado, Ikura & sushi rice. Simply beautiful to look at as the pinks and oranges shine through, but this is also one tasty dish that is a healthier choice for anyone who is watching their calories this summer. Overall, this was a fantastic experience and I recommend anyone stopping by Blue Fin this summer.
For more information on Blue Fin, please check out their official website.