Bleu Restaurant & Lounge
We never really thought ourselves foodies when we were younger. Well, I should say, I, David, never thought myself a foodie when I was younger. Middle-class Midwesterners didn’t really think on that kinda thing too much. I ate what my momma made me and we celebrated big events with Chilis or Texas Roadhouse.
Tasting menus felt like the epitome of food but I’ve never done one even after a year of doing this blog. Lo and behold, Lindsay surprised me with a tasting menu reservation at Bleu in De Pere for our anniversary. She immediately booked it after hearing great things from Dining with the Dillons on Instagram. I had lots of questions. Why does she love me so much? Will we finally be foodies? Or will Bleu leave us blue? Let’s find out.
In a Bite
https://goo.gl/maps/jdoZqCdmdhKGtdc17
Ambiance: Upscale Rustic
Music: Background Acoustic
Service: Warm & professional
Price: $$$
Food Style: Upscale American
What to Order: Try the tasting menu!!
Go Again?: Yes, so we can try something on regular menu
The Whole Plate
Ambiance
From Appleton, it’s a bit of a trek to Bleu on the far side of De Pere, tucked away in the corner of Schoolhouse Square. Pulling into the lot for dinner, you’ll immediately know which building to head towards by the blue up-lights.
Don’t be dismayed by the utilitarian exterior, through the double doors, rustic comfort awaits. Whole timbers support a ceiling covered with old, farm doors, creating a colorful quilt above your head. The thick wooden bar top runs all the way around a center chimney. Seating areas are separated nicely so even when its a full-house, you still get your own space.
The open kitchen is tucked into the back corner. If you’re fortunate enough to sit in the side section, it’s a joy to listen to artists work. There is additional seating on a porch which is obviously not open when it’s blistering cold outside.
If you do need to use the restrooms, they are located in the basement below and you have to take an elevator down to get to them. It’s kind of odd.
Service
The service was delightful. Our waiter was a lovely gent with good knowledge of the menu. He was friendly to the perfect degree, open to sharing personal quips and questions.
As it was a tasting menu, the chef himself came out to deliver our plates and explain what we would be eating. He was very kind to answer all our inquiries about ingredients and such.
Food
My impression of tasting menu food was you throw a month’s paycheck at an egotistical maniac with dry ice, tweezers, and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. That’s what I get for watching too much food TV. The five course tasting menu offered by Bleu was nothing like that. Seasonal ingredients, down to earth composition, and flavor to dazzle. In short, it was awesome. We ate every bite.
But before we get to the food, the drinks. Linds got the “millions of peaches.” She’s a sucker for herbs in her mixed drinks. I got the maple rye old fashioned. It was perhaps the best old fashioned I’ve ever had with the perfect balance of sweet, smokey, and whiskey flavoring. We both had a glass of wine chosen by our waiter for our main entrée.
Our first course was a togaroshi fried langoustine over a bed of coleslaw and Fresno chiles, topped with a remoulade. Langoustine is also called Norway lobster. It looks more like a crayfish to us but it tastes better than lobster with this preparation.
The second course was an apple, frizzay, and fennel salad with MoonRabbit cheese from Deer Creek Cheese and raspberry dressing. Light and refreshing. The fennel and cheese faded into the background little bit. The cheese was a new one; the greenish hue threw us off but now I know it’s because of the cheddar being soaked with a liquor.
For the seafood course, we were served a Chilean sea bass with grilled king trumpet mushrooms and celery root over a butternut squash puree. It was finished with a herbaceous chimichurri. The fish was fork tender with the crispiest sear. I would go vegetarian if I had those king trumpet mushrooms everyday. Celery root added a good crunch to contrast the puree but the flavor didn’t fit as well to me despite it’s subtlety.
Taking it back to the turf, our fourth course was a 30-day dry aged ribeye with caramelized onions on a bed of crispy potatoes and a Gorgonzola béarnaise sauce to dip. The perfectly medium-rare steak leads the béarnaise and onions across your palette with great refinement. We had mixed opinions on the cook of the steak. It was quite rare, and we can see how some would be turned off by this.
To finish the meal off, our fifth course was a chocolate pots de crème, smothered in reduced Kahlúa caramel. It was finished a vanilla bean Chantilly cream and extra crunchy, extra salty brioche croutons. One word: heavenly. The crème was silken. The caramel rich. The brioche crunchy. The only downfall of this dish was the caramel. It was extremely rich. Maybe we just got a heavy pour that night. The super salty brioche it balanced out though.
Taking It to Go
In the end, Bleu did the exact opposite of leave us blue. We walked away fully satisfied with our meal; eating every last bite and not feeling like we over ate. When the bill came, we fully expected to be paying over $300 for this experience. Nope. Under $200. We’re looking forward to going back and trying some of the main menu items. So next anniversary, birthday, or just because, treat your loved one to tasting menu at Bleu. You won’t regret it.
