Blue Fin

Occasion: Lunch with Nellie
Location: Blue Fin on B'way at 47th (brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/blue_fin/index.php)
Edibles: tomato and fresh mozzarella salad; soft-shell crab BLT with sweet potato fries; almond cake with stewed plums; Nellie had watermelon gazpacho, the BLT and a white chocolate cremeux with fresh berries

Musings: The Restaurant Week 3-course prix fixe offers great value at $24. You just have to resist all the add-ons they push, the bottled water, wine and cocktails, coffee, etc. I was very pleasantly surprised by how refined and delicious the food was, given the neighborhood.

The salad starter was good. A little stingy with the mozzarella, perhaps, but the basil aioli dressing was fantastic. I tasted Nellie's gazpacho as well, and found it cleverly seasoned - it was distinctly a savory dish but didn't taste salty.

We both agreed that the open-faced BLT was a home run! The battered and deep-fried soft-shell was crispy, but still meaty and succulent. Three strips of perfect bacon, a fat slice of tomato, a few leaves of butter lettuce and sweet garlic sauce. And don't even get me started on the sweet potato fries on the side. Perfection. (I couldn't bear to leave any on my plate even though I was full, so I smuggled the leftover fries into my purse and ate them later that afternoon. Even cold, they were yummy.)

The desserts were beautifully made and presented. The fruits provided a nice acidity to balance the sweetness of the main component. A graceful finish to a wonderful meal.