Blue Water Bistro not just another fish in sea of restaurants

Blue Water Bistro not just another fish in sea of restaurants

Those familiar with the Collier County dining scene know the Culinary Concepts chain for its energy, creativity and emphasis on good service. Yabba Island Grill, Pazzo!, and both Chops City Grills (Naples and Bonita) have enjoyed long, successful runs, which is a rarity in today's fickle restaurant business.

With the opening last year of Blue Water Bistro at Coconut Point in Estero, it's likely the group is attracting new fans from more northerly parts of Lee County.

Blue Water bills itself as a casual bistro specializing in seafood, but it's more than that. A large and handsome bar makes an inviting spot at which to while away some time enjoying a creative cocktail or a glass or two of wine — there are about 30 choices by the glass. What's more, you can hang at the bar indoors or out, as the management has thoughtfully placed heaters outdoors to chase away whatever chill might dare try to ruin a star-studded al fresco meal or drink.

Even with heaters, it was bit too cold for this subtropical flower to sit outside on a recent evening. Leaving that domain to visiting northerners, we headed into the dining room, which has the look and feel of gently rippling waters. The walls are Gulf of Mexico blue and curve into a semi-circle, creating an impression of movement. Fish sculptures mounted here and there add to the sea theme.

The restaurant's vegetarian plate is a lovely mix of well-executed side dishes that combine to form a satisfying and inexpensive meal. With about half of the tables occupied, there was a fair amount of noise. In some places that would mean a deafening cacophony, but Blue Water's soundabsorbing ceiling tiles, linen tablecloths and other soft surfaces help diminish the din.

We'd barely settled in at our table when our server appeared to describe the specials and take drink orders. The last part took some time as we perused a wine list that far exceeds the usual bistro selection.

We finally settled on a Pascal Jolivet Sancerre '06. The wine list stated it came from the Les Caillottes vineyard. What we received, however, was a Pascal Jolivet without the Les Caillottes designation. Why does that matter? Because singlevineyard wines are generally more desirable — and more expensive — than those in which grapes from throughout the region are used. Our server went back to the bar to try to get us the one we'd ordered, but there didn't seem to be any. And although we got a less expensive wine, the price we were charged wasn't reduced.

For a rich dessert that's big enough to share, consider the dark chocolate cheesecake with Oreo crust. Some may think this is splitting hairs, but it isn't. If you order a premium beer and get a regular one, you'd expect to pay less. The same goes for wine. This is a group whose restaurants routinely rank among the Wine Spectator award winners, so this sort of mix up shouldn't happen here.

We nonetheless decided to keep the bottle. It was a citrusy, dry wine with a classic mineral finish that tasted better with food than on its own.

Blue Water offers a goodly mix of appetizers, salads, burgers (for which you can substitute chicken, if desired) and entrees. The back of the menu serves as a glossary of fish, with names and descriptions of each. Not all are available all of the time, but it's a good reference.

Appetizers of king crab and lobster pot stickers, crispy crunchy calamari and morning-after mussels (in a bloody Mary sauce) all arrived hot and attractively plated. The calamari was the best of the bunch, consisting only of rings, no spindly little legs. It was tender as well as crispy and crunchy, and the creamy, sweet- and-sour citrus sauce accompanying it was a nice departure from the standard marinara.

One companion tried the nightly special, a trio of Hawaiian fish (thresher, monchong and mero). He selected a mango sweet-and-sour sauce from several available and Yukon mashed potatoes. While it sounded good, what arrived was disappointingly monochromatic. The plate was white. The fish were white. The potatoes were white. Only the little cup of sauce added a spot of color. A sprinkle of parsley or a few green beans would have vastly improved its visual appeal for next to no additional cost. The fish were moist and properly grilled, but the nightly special didn't have the pizzazz of other dishes we ordered.

The chicken aqua limone combined tender chicken scallopine and red bell pepper with a tangy lemon sauce, resulting in a simple dish with lots of flavor.

My favorite entrée was the veggie plate. Pick seven vegetable dishes from the list of 14 and small portions of each come beautifully grouped on a rectangular plate. I feasted on broccoli kung pao, onion rings with chipotle barbecue sauce, green beans, mac and cheese, tomatoes with olive oil and basil, potatoes au gratin and sweet potato fries. No, I didn't select two potatoes. I'd ordered zucchini and mixed veggies, but wound up with the sweet potato fries and green beans instead. As it turned out, the potatoes au gratin were just fair, but the crisp sweet potato fries were the best I've ever had. For $14.90, this is a real bargain.

We finished with warm pineapple upside down cake with rum raisin ice cream and a dense dark chocolate cheesecake with caramel and chocolate sauce. The cheesecake was good

but somewhat heavy after a big meal. We all preferred the lighter pineapple cake.

We ran into another bar-related problem when we inquired about ports. The server returned with a few names, but didn't have the ages or whether they were vintage or not. She gamely went back to find out, but it would have been quicker and far easier for everyone if they'd been listed on the dessert menu.

There's plenty to like about Blue Water Bistro — the lively and sophisticated ambience, the hospitable service staff and the imaginative menu. With a little work on the bar issues and some fine tuning of the menu, this restaurant should do swimmingly.