It's a Lemon

The Blue Lemon received a warm welcome when it opened in 2003, replacing the French restaurant, Tartine. They even garnered a review in the New York Times, an honor shared by just a handful of local restaurants. And the Times rated them "very good," at that.

I wish I could share the same enthusiasm for the downtown spot, but today it seems a bit faded and out-of-date.

What's off-putting straight away is how maddeningly slow it is. It takes quite a few minutes to even get a menu or a glass of water, even, when there are only four other tables occupied in the dining room. After sitting down, a full 30 minutes passed until we tasted our first bite of food. All in all, a simple lunch on a slow weekday afternoon took an excessive 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Maybe it's just Blue Lemon's style.

As for the décor, the dining room is a pale yellow and navy and decorated with artwork, currently, from Pink House Painters, all of which is for sale. Because there are so many different artistic styles represented, it lends an eclectic, grandma's cottage feel to the place. (As do the appetizer plates which are decorated with little yellow and blue flowers.) The surroundings are much more enjoyable in the warmer months when you can sit on the patio surrounded by potted plants and hanging baskets of impatiens.

We started with the clam chowder, which was refreshingly light for a cream-based soup. The bowl was filled with nice chunks of clams, carrot and potato floating in a milky broth and brightened with the addition of fresh herbs. The second appetizer was a warm round of herbed goat cheese surrounded by a tomato-basil puree. The combination of flavors was perfect, and the portion was certainly enough for two people. Oddly, though, it was served with just two small wedges of bread, leaving me with ¾ of the goat cheese left over.

The Crab Spring Rolls ($12) were subtle and nice but uncomplicated. This Asian appetizer was served with a small salad heavily coated with balsamic dressing, which didn't suit the rolls. The Tartare of Yellowfin Tuna ($12) disappeared quickly at our table. It was a generous portion of raw fish, mixed with cubes of avocado, and delicious ginger/chipotle marinade. Just like with the goat cheese, we ran out of wonton chips long before the fish was gone. Despite the presence of a cherry tomato on the plate (why?) I was about to declare this my favorite dish -- until I bit down on a small square of plastic that had gotten mixed in with the yellowfin. 

The full-bodied and juicy Hangar Steak was topped with a spicy cilantro sauce, but was a bit stringy for my taste. On the side, the chef served a potato and broccoli hash, which had been either overcooked or parked a while under a heat lamp. The Grilled Vegetable Sandwich ($10) was quite good, if a bit heavy on the melted brie. "Sandwich" was a bit of a misnomer, as there was just a slice of foccacia on the bottom. There was no way to eat it with anything other than a fork and knife. The roasted vegetables were served alongside crispy, decadent fries and a salad of mesclun greens dressed heavily in balsamic. (Maybe eating lettuce with the fries cancels out the calories? A gal can dream.)

Finally, we tried the Seared Diver Scallops ($27).  The generous portion of five scallops could have been seared over a higher flame to produce more of a crust, but they were tasty nonetheless. They were served on top of a wonderful butternut-squash puree which was rich and filling. The plate was a bit bi-polar, however. Along with the autumnal flavors came springy, grilled asparagus drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette that had the appearance of melted sherbert. Raspberry and butternut squash together were all wrong. In this dish as in a few others, the sauces and dressings clashed with the food they were designed to enhance.

All was not lost, however. At the end of the meal we were served a complimentary plate of addictive almond, chocolate and raisin biscotti. And our dessert, the Warm Chocolate Lava Cake, was exactly as we hoped — rich, gooey and warm. Our spoons clanked against each other as we raced to snatch another bite or two before it disappeared.

Now that I think of it, maybe I should have just come to the Blue Lemon for cake and coffee. On a day when I had some time to kill.

Michelle Bowers is a Westport resident. The opinions expressed in her review are hers alone. Anyone wishing to submit a review can do so by e-mailing liz@patch.com, or simply commenting on this article.

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Blue Lemon

7 Sconset Square

203/226-2647

www.bluelemonrestaurant.com

Hours:

Monday – Thursday

Lunch: 12 pm - 2:30 pm

Dinner: 5:30 pm - 9 pm

Friday and Saturday

Lunch: 12 pm - 2:30 pm

Dinner: 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Sunday

Dinner: 5:30 pm - 9 pm

Major credit cards accepted.

Take-out available.