Black + Blue (Dine Out Vancouver) – Perfect Menu for Vegetarians
For those of you who think Black + Blue can only satisfy a carnivore (and yes, I’m talking about the steakhouse), I am here to tell you that you’re wrong. I gave the Black +Blue $45 Dine Out Vancouver menu a try last weekend and I was pleasantly surprised with some of the vegetarian dishes.
First, I started with the Charred Winter Vegetable Salad. There was a variety of winter roots on top of a half grilled romaine, finished off with a pear dressing and pear slices. It was a pretty substantial starter salad and I definitely enjoyed it more than regular Garden or Caesar salads.
If you do enjoy seafood, I would highly recommend the Hot Smoked Salmon “Bagel” Tart. From the name itself I had no idea what to expect, but basically it’s like a little savoury tart filled with dill Greek yogurt sauce and smoked salmon. The salad also provided some unexpected flavours with a hint of cajun and paprika seasoning.
This is the Slow Roasted Rib Cap and and MR Rib Loin ($+15) with crispy mac & cheese balls, creamed kale, and truffle sauce.
This is an incredibly hearty dish that tastes exactly how it sounds. The crispy mac & cheese balls were a delight to bite into and provided some much needed texture to the dish. The steak was cooked to perfection and the truffle sauce was the ultimate accompaniment to round off all the flavours.
It took me a long time to decide but I ended up choosing the entree that I feel would most likely get the least love from the entree list. It’s the Vegetarian Mushroom Polenta and I gotta tell ya, this actually blew my mind over the Rib cap dish. Why? The whole roasted mushrooms were not just the typical button mushroom varieties. They used wood ear mushrooms (which is super common in Asian cuisine but not usually seen in Western menus), and shiitake mushrooms as well for a deeper depth of flavour.
That pecorino cheese on top was just the icing on the cake. Such a lovely dish. I’d eat this over and over again if I could.
I enhanced my vegetarian dish by adding a side of Lobster Tail (+$15). Even though the tail was smaller than I expected for $15, it tasted fresh, not frozen, and was incredibly buoyant in texture.
For dessert, they only have one option and that is the Dark Chocolate and Grand Marnier Cake. I had no expectations going in but the dessert also surpassed my expectations. The two decorative sauces (passion fruit and lemon) served a huge purpose and brightened up the flavours of the chocolate cake. https://maltakiss.com It allowed the dish to not to get too heavy bite after bite. Honestly, I’m still thinking about that passion fruit sauce… it’s so good.
All in all, I think Black + Blue is a solid choice if you’re looking to participate in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival. It’s the perfect spot to bring a first date or significant other.
Check out my other DOV 2019 posts!
My Top Restaurant Picks for DOV 2019
Atlas Steak + Fish (Dine Out Vancouver 2019)
Service Rating: N/A (media tasting)
Food Rating: 4/5
Price: $$$$$
Overall Rating: 4/5
Happy Eating!
