You're going to like Bleu. Probably a lot.

If the other brand-new tapas place downtown is an earnest Triple-A team learning the ropes, Bleu Restaurant is the Yankees, all class and professionalism and easy elegance. After admittedly just a single visit, Bleu looks and tastes ready for prime time.

Some purists may scoff at the menu's global approach to tapas (fried green tomatoes, lemon-marinated olives and steak frites all adorn the same menu) and wonder where the Spanish stuff is. Me? I'm just looking for something good to eat. And at Bleu, it looks like that will be just about everything.

The lunch menu is extensive, offering everything from two-dollar pickled vegetable plates to hanger steak and fries. A selection of sliders - pick any three for nine bucks - jumped out at me immediately. I chose the apple and housemade chicken sausage, the beef and muenster and the bison with balsamic onions gorgonzola and arugula. Each one is served on a rich, buttery brioche bun that resembles a biscuit in texture and flavor but manages a certain lightness at the same time. They also each had a well-executed contrast of textures and tastes (heavy gorgonzola cheese and snappy onions, earthy mushrooms and melty muenster, tart apple and sorghum mustard). The whole effect was thrilling.

A bit less successful was their cured salmon carpaccio, which came out with a lemony olive oil, capers and rather punchless arugula. Salmon can be a pretty assertive fish and this was a case in point, enhanced by the intensifying curing process. Salmon aficionados will be right at home but fence-setters should beware.

At this point I was having so much fun I ordered the marinated olives as well (c'mon, they're only three bucks). Out came a bowl of pitted Spanish and kalamata olives tossed with lemon, olive oil, garlic, rosemary and dill. Bleu's own pita slices came on the side. The olives were so bright and summery that I hated to not be sitting outside, catching a few rays and swirling a glass of Cotes du Rhone or something.

That brings up the wine, the second half of Bleu's resume. The by-the-bottle listing is fairly extensive, if a little heavy on the domestics. Still, most are affordable and a few treasures can be found (I've never had anything I didn't like from Thorn-Clarke's Shotfire Ridge operation, for instance). And I only see one Cotes du Rhone on the menu, though it is one of their by-the-glass offerings.

The partners behind Bleu endured countless delays and barriers to getting this place open. But it's clear they weren't wasting their time. My server had actually tried the food and wines and could discuss both with confidence. Food came out quickly and was excellent. One minor mishap (the computer at first double-billed me for my sliders) was handled quickly and with an apology. A general sense of self-assured competence permeates the place. Things may hairy for their first few busy Saturday nights, but there's no question a strong hand is at the wheel.

Columbia, your dining options just got better.

Bleu Restaurant and Wine Bar
23 S. 8th Street
Columbia, MO
(573) 442-8220
www.bleurestaurantandwinebar.com
(website's not yet live...perhaps casting some minor doubt on my Yankees/professionalism comment)

Blue, open.

The long and harrowing process of renovating the southeast corner of the Tiger Hotel is completed. After a few trial runs last week, Blue Restaurant and Wine Bar will officially open today, beginning with lunch.

From the sidewalk, the place looks gorgeous, equal parts elegance and comfort. Blonde wood floors in the bar area give way to tightly-woven tan carpet in the dining areas. The lighting, the gently curving room dividers and the twin rows of wine globes give the space a modern feel that still manages to look comfortable and inviting. Just getting to this point has been far more of an exercise in patience than the owners expected; now, the real fun starts.

See you at lunch.

Chinese Wok Express

One of the most reliably tasty and imminently affordable places in Columbia is Chinese Wok Express. It looks dingy from the outside and not much better in (the owner of another one of Columbia's Asian restaurants loves the food at CWE but claims to eat there with eyes closed). No matter, the food is excellent. I generally order from the Vietnamese side of the menu, sticking closely to the noodle bowls (I've found the Chinese platters on the other side of the menu decidedly so-so). The numbers 15 and 17 are personal favorites, and come out with thin rice noodles covered with shaved beef, cucumber, mint, carrot and and lettuce, all of it bathed in a light (lemongrass?) broth. The vegetables are fresh and crunchy and wonderful. Throw a little extra chili sauce and you've got the makings of a perfect summer lunch - even if they're open until 9pm every day but Sunday, when they're closed.

Chinese Wok Express
422 E Broadway
Columbia, MO 65201

(573) 443-5099

Room-38: First Take

Room-38, Columbia's new tapas restaurant, is officially open. A "soft opening" they call it, meaning, I guess, that you're supposed to forgive the inevitable early delays and glitches from the kitchen. You don't get a discount but hey, at least they're being up front about it.

The interior is fairly dim and private, the banquettes set off by black composite countertops. You will not forget that you are in a lounge at Room-38. Lots of mirrors and soft lighting and black-clad servers. The hipness and bottle service may turn some people off, but everyone seems pleasant enough as they scurry about, taking and placing orders, explaining that they're out of this or that, and so on. The wine list is impressive and for the most part, free of the usual suspects (are you listening The Rome?). Virtually every bottle is under $25. The menu is broken into flatbreads, salads, small plates and, for lunch, sandwiches.

I ordered three small plates: sesame crusted ahi tuna, thai chili spare ribs and rosemary chicken kebabs. All were eight to nine dollars, but only the ribs were outstanding. The chicken consisted of five small skewers of tired, rosemary-scented chicken breast. They were a bit dry but came with some very nice sweet potato fries. The tuna did nothing to make me rethink my "no tuna in Columbia" rule just yet, though a gentle shake of salt improved it considerably. The "thai peanut sauce" was thin and punchless, the seaweed salad replaced incongruously with fried wontons.

The chili ribs were the best I can remember having, however; a celebration of the ancient art of balancing sweet and spicy. I could have opted for a little more of the latter but I do run a little hot in my preferences. They were tender, plentiful and if the wine list and novelty aren't reason enough to go back, these would be.

So, an understandably mixed bag so far at Room 38; they've been open three days, after all. But there is an experienced crew behind the effort and they've navigated the maze of city codes and ordinances for a smooth renovation of Otto's (one reason could be the presence on the ownership team of Shan Rich, owner of Enrich Construction). My advice? Drop by one day after work and grab a glass of wine. Decide whether the scene is your bag or not. And do yourself a favor; don't forget the ribs.

Room-38
38 North 8th Street
Columbia, MO
(573) 449-3838
http://room-38.com/

The Rome: First Take

The Rome, occupying the former home of 9th Street Billiards, opened Saturday. And judging by the menu, not a moment too soon. The owners seem interested in keeping a foot each in college bar and homestyle Italian restaurant. The first nod to the college crowd (starting back up at Mizzou in a mere three weeks) is the aforementioned menu, which is heavy on bar-food appetizers (hot wings, chicken tenders, etc.). Beers on tap include Boulevard, Blue Moon, Guinness and Bud Light (bottled options are more extensive). Wine options are sadly limited to little more than the usual suspects (three of the six whites are pinot grigio). With Top Ten Wines offering Columbia's best wine selection directly across the street, wine fans can hope for better variety in the future.

There is, however, an impressive array of traditional Italian-American favorites. Lasagne, chicken piccata and marsala dishes of all kinds dot the menu. Harder to find are more ambitious items, though "marinated snail salad" does make an appearance. For lunch today I ordered a small antipasto plate and the lasagne. The antipasto, promising garden-fresh vegetables, salami and ham is a forlorn-looking salad of chopped iceburg lettuce topped with a couple cucumber slices, salami and supermarket tomatoes. The ham is on par with Oscar Meyer and the provolone is as tame as most. Served alongside is a ramekin of bottled Italian "vinaigrette." No olives, roasted red peppers, real tomatoes, mozzarella or really anything else that suggests antipasto in my mind (and $8 to boot). Not a good start, but I held out hope.

The lasagne, however, was excellent. A giant brick of surprisingly light texture and flavor. The tomato sauce is bright and flavorful and the pasta perfectly cooked. Ricotta and chewy mozzarella were in perfect, complimentary opposition. I had to deploy willpower I lacked over the weekend (mmm, gravy-covered pork tenderloin in Lexington, MO) and managed to take a third of it home.

As far as service goes, if The Rome fails it will not be for lack of enthusiasm. The hostess was friendly and introduced herself after I asked how the opening weekend had gone. The bartender was pleasant and attentive, if absent-minded. The throngs of opening-weeks waitstaff standing around will - as always - be winnowed down to a level less numerous than diners at some point soon. The space itself is alarmingly cavernous - it just might be the largest dining room in the downtown - and feels more like a bar than the red checkered tablecloth place I had in mind.

Still, my guess is that Columbia now has the solid, mid-dollar Italian-American restaurant we've been clamoring for all these years. Only time will tell whether Rome can consistently find enough Romans to make it worth it.

More on The Rome

From a September Columbia Business Times article:

Cory Hodapp and Dan Colace said they believe their family-style Italian restaurant called The Rome will fill a gap in the local market. It is modeled after the Colace family's Italian restaurant of the same name near Boston, which has been in business since 1965.

"It was always our dream to eventually end up here and do a project like this," said Hodapp, who befriended Colace when they were on MU's wrestling team in the late 1990s.

And from the Tribune in May:

For the most part, The Rome will feature family-style Italian "comfort" food, Hodapp said, sticking close to the menu at the other Rome, which Colace’s Italian immigrant parents opened in 1965.

Once open, "we will focus on mastering the entrees and sandwiches," he said. "We hope to launch the pizza part of the business sometime in the fall," he added.

For a sneak peek at The Rome, go to www.the-rome.com. Just remember, he said, "the prices are inflated. They won’t be that high in Columbia."

Sounds promising.

The Rome Restaurant

As Marcia Vanderlip reported on the Trib's food forum today, Columbia's only family-style Italian restaurant is slated to open on south 9th Street this Saturday, July 26th. That puts the tally for independent downtown restaurant openings for the next month at four (Rome, Room 38, Bleu and Mississippi Catfish). A good development for us, but who will remain standing in two years? Let the voting begin (at left).

Bleu Restaurant Opening (?) August 18

I had the pleasure of meeting Tina Patel, one-half of the ownership team opening (at long last) Bleu Restaurant, at an event last week. She's a whipsmart little firecracker of a woman, all passion and hands-waving and wide eyes. She's deeply invested in seeing Bleu open and become a success and is rightfully peeved that it's taken a year and a half to (almost) get it off the ground. Her months-long battle with various confused and inconsistent city and county codes was well-chronicled in Vox a while back.

(Aside: Bleu is not the only small business that's had to jump through extraordinary hoops just to get started. KoJaBa and Carlito's spring to mind, among others. In conversations with her and with other local business owners recently it's become clear how strongly many of the locals feel the deck is stacked against them and in favor of chains.)

As for the restaurant itself, seasonality isn't going to be a focal point. Wines will be front and center, showing up even in the infused signature cocktails the bar will feature (some will even benefit from frothy egg whites). All involved assure me they will be opening the week of August 18; take a trip over to the Tiger Hotel and see if you think this is doable. I see a lot more than three weeks of work remaining but they desperately want to be open before Mizzou starts classes again. Stay tuned. If Bleu Market (their takeout operation on the other side of the Tiger Hotel entrance) is any indication, it's going to be a wild ride.

Uprise Bakery

Uprise Bakery
10 S. Hitt Street
(573) 256-2265

Uprise Bakery, located in the spiffy new Ragtag Cinema location, is home to the best bread in Columbia. The whole spelt and honey wheat loaves make for flavorful, dense sandwich bread. The batard is a simple joy sliced, splashed with olive oil and salt and quickly grilled. You can buy their loaves at the farmer's market or Clover's, but the quality is far higher if you drop in to the Hitt Street location itself.

The clientele is predictably aimless and Macbook-y; lots of tatoos and Sartre-reading going on here. But if you can get past the stuffwhitepeoplelike.com vibe, you're in for a real treat. Lunch options are light and salad-oriented - a good place for those on a diet. Pizzas change every week. Right now it's a four cheese offering; the bacon and bleu cheese version I had a while back was commendable, redolent with the tang of the cheese and the fatty crunch of crisp bacon. The house-made crust was tender and pleasantly toothsome.

Bleu Market: or, wanting something to be better than it is

Bleu Market represents phase one in the 8th St. takeover plan being launched by co-owners Travis Tucker and Tina Patel. A takeout-driven installment, Blue Market will be joined on the other side of the Tiger Hotel entrance by Bleu proper, a tapas-style restaurant and wine bar. If early performance is any indication, they're going to have some kinks to work out of the main event.

The prosciutto, sliced turkey and Lorraine swiss I bought for sandwich making at home were all dried out, tasteless and tossed shortly thereafter. A "La Havana" sandwich of the day (seemingly styled after the iconic cubano) featured the wrong kind of ham (Really? Prosciutto on a cubano sandwich?), a weak bun and was served cold. They also forgot the cheese at first. The pickled onions and jalapeno added a vinegary kick; the mustard packed a punch as well.

A side of white beans, feta and cherry tomatoes was fresh tasting but in dire need of a good salting; the beans themselves were moderately overcooked, bordering on mushy. And then the bill: my lunch ran almost ten dollars, and that's without a drink. Not sure most Columbians would pay ten dollars for a mediocre sandwich and better luck next time.

So, Bleu Market gets an "A" for potential and a gentleman's "C" for execution. Here's hoping the restaurant gets off to a better start.

In Bleu's defense, I had a cubano at Miami's landmark Versailles Restaurant a few weeks ago that wasn't much better.