Bluefin

Bluefin
135 S. Main
528-1010

It's been four years since we took the monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) to Bluefin. I still frequent it for lunch, but we decided it wasn't the best spot for monkeys downtown. However, last Friday, they had the Fushu Daiko Taiko drummers in town from Florida, so we couldn't resist making a special trip. Plus, the menu has changed quite a bit since my last review.

Since they we slated to play at 7pm on the Main Street Mall, we took a seat on the patio. The monkeys were very disappointed that we weren't going to eat on the "bed" in the lounge. They were both still very attracted to the waterfall wall near the sushi bar, despite being four years older and wiser. Sitting outside is definitely the way to go whether there are Taiko drummers or not!

We started off with some miso soup, which is fancier than you will find at regular old Sekisui. I requested it without green onion, per usual, but both monkeys would have preferred that I also get it without mushrooms. No worries though, Warren happily ate them.


For their dinner, I went pretty simple. They had both snacked extensively prior to dinner, so I ordered Jiro his favorite crunchy shrimp roll and Satchel wanted the beef Teriyaki from the appetizer menu. On our last visit, I got them a pepperoni pizza. Bluefin still serves pizza and would probably still make a simple pizza for kids, but mine prefer Japanese food these days. (They've taken my all time favorite tuna pizza off of the menu, but the beef tenderloin pizza is a good second.)

We also had a crab ball appetizer that I thought the kids would eat, but they didn't. They were tasty, but a little on the creamy side. Oh well, definitely more exciting than edamame. Warren let me order the sushi. I went with the House Cucumber roll, our favorite, the Kracken (which is octopus, spicy lime, and sriracha heaven), and the Japanista (spicy crab and avocado topped with seared tuna and sweet chili sauce). It was our first time with the Japanista and it was good, but had a little too much sweet chili sauce. Regardless, we ate everything up. Yum! (If we had leftovers, they would have been put in an eco-friendly to go box since Bluefin is Project Green Fork certified.


Throughout dinner there was a constant stream of, "When are they going to drum?" Just as we finished our meal, they started. I thought it was pretty good timing! By then the patio was full and there was another table of kids next to us, which was great.

The drummers were excellent and played about 15 minutes. Oh how I wish they'd have them every week. It was just fantastic.


Once the drumming was done, the monkeys were ready to bolt, of course. It took me awhile to track down our waitress (another table inside was bombarding her with questions), which gave the monkeys a final opportunity to stick their fingers in the waterfall inside.

Our total bill was $57, which was a little pricey for a night out with the monkeys, but well worth it. I usually have a Restaurant.com certificate, but not this time. (I suggest you get one to help offset your costs!) I even forgot to use my Bluefin Bonus card which gives me a small percentage back in cash with each meal. (You save it up on the card and then cash it in. I also suggest you get one of these!)

Plan ahead, and treat your monkeys the next time you go to a show at the Orpheum or the FedEx Forum. Follow Bluefin on Facebook and find out about their upcoming special events.