Blue Island Oyster Bar’s new Lone Tree location sets the bar high. After one visit, you could tell their dishes and drinks perfectly complement its classic, casual environment.
GM Jeff Mahony says Blue Island was born out of memories of growing up in coastal towns with families of oyster farmers and fishermen. “Like them, Blue Island strives to bring you superb hospitality and delicious food with a commitment to the freshest seafood at reasonable prices.”
It’s also one of the only restaurants with its own dedicated oyster farm out of Long Island, NY. “Blue Island Oyster Farm is home to private oyster beds, where it spawns, farms and diver-harvests its oysters, and is a preferred supplier for numerous James Beard and Michelin-starred chefs around the nation.” No wonder Lone Tree has been packed since its opening (their original location is in Cherry Creek).
Some of the dishes that my party had the pleasure of tasting were the Lobster Roll, Fish and Chips, Miso Seabass, and of course, tons of oysters! “We employ a kitchen staff of about 20 cooks and shuckers with several stations for frying, saucing, salad tossing and oyster shucking,” says Owner and Chef Sean Huggard. “We’re so happy to have top-notch cooks who truly care for the food. They make it happen day-in and day-out and it’s a pleasure coming to work every day because of this team.”
On the raw, chilled and rolled side, we tried the highly recommended Movie Night Roll consisting of spicy salmon tartar, avocado, cucumber, popcorn shrimp, Thai butter, jalapeño and cilantro—and then the coveted Crispy Trio (jalapeño-Hiramasa, truffle- salmon, spicy tuna tartar and crispy rice blocks). The restaurant’s famous Clam Chowder is also a must-try and so is the Grilled Spanish Octopus. Other fan favorites include the Dynamite Shrimp Tacos and Crispy Brussels Sprouts, which go well with the Tropical Poké Chop Chop Cocktail. For mains, the Crispy Fish Sandwich was a nice surprise and so was the Miso Salmon Bowl.
“We really wanted to bring the same incredible dining experience to another Colorado neighborhood,” adds Mahony. “So the menu is similar, with the addition of new sushi rolls and crudo dishes.”
