When I want to evaluate the quality of a particular lobster bisque, I compare it to the bowls served at Blue Point Grille. Ever since my earliest visits to the Warehouse District mainstay, I’ve used those memorable sips as a benchmark by which all others are judged. A recent visit confirmed that the bisque ($14) is every bit as blissful as I recall. The crimson broth is deeply flavorful, clearly made from rich seafood stock. It is velvety in texture, studded with heaps of sweet lobster meat and garnished with an artistic scribble of crème fraiche.
Even after more than a quarter century, Blue Point Grille continues to draw crowds thanks to stellar seafood, stunning surroundings, and an old-fashioned level of hospitality that grows rarer by the day. For those celebrating a milestone, Blue Point sits top of mind, as evidenced by the number of party-size tables in the main dining room. But in between those boisterous 8-tops cheers-ing the man or woman of the hour are smaller tables occupied by locals who know that their hard-earned money will be well spent.
With a name like Blue Point – a tribute to the mild, popular East Coast oyster – you’d be wise to start any meal with a selection of bivalves. Our sampler ($28) featured four varieties of deftly shucked oysters presented on a bed of ice in a silver platter. Oysters Rockefeller ($19) can go south a million different ways, but these are exceptional. Beneath a golden-brown crust, plump oysters and creamy spinach are bathed in a silky Pernod-scented sauce.
There’s nothing wrong with the crab cakes ($21), a fine example of the form with a crusty exterior giving way to a nicely seasoned cake with minimal filler. But for a couple dollars more you can enjoy a crab cocktail ($24), which is nothing but fat lumps of downy-white Maryland Blue crab meat. You can dip the shellfish into the accompanying honey mustard or cocktail sauce, but why cover it up.
It’s hard these days to find a restaurant that still knows how to course out a meal. Instead, we’re left with places that “send out plates as the kitchen deems appropriate,” causing congested tabletops, cold food and undesirably rushed meals. In between our oyster and crab courses and the main event, we had space to enjoy salads like a cold, crisp wedge ($14) and peppery Caesar ($13) featuring quartered romaine hearts and white anchovies – alongside that famous lobster bisque.
When it comes to fish and seafood, Blue Point covers a lot of ground – or should I say sea. Options include tuna, swordfish, salmon, grouper, sea bass, scallops, king crab and lobster – plus daily specials. The Nag’s Head grouper ($49) is a house staple. Only at the thinnest point was the fish a touch overcooked. But the bulk of the very large filet was moist, flaky and mild. Given its petite size, a snapper special ($45) appeared to be the last piece in the house – a portion inversely commensurate with its price.
Lobster bisque fans will appreciate the lobster Bolognese ($36), penne pasta, Maine lobster meat and spinach tossed in an indulgent cream sauce. Compared to the pasta dish, the famed lobster mashed potatoes that join many plates lacked the usual spark. Other sides are solid, serviceable if not thrilling, with sauteed spinach, tender fingerling potatoes and roasted broccoli making appearances.
Diners in the mood for meat have a choice of quality cuts that include filet, strip or ribeye.
Blue Point has always maintained an award-winning wine cellar, appropriately front-loaded with bubbles, whites and lighter reds. We enjoyed bottles of Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis ($60) and Goldeneye pinot noir ($72) from the Anderson Valley, both opened, presented and poured with professional care.
Locals know that the bar at Blue Point – located through the brick archways in a woodsy saloon that looks ripped from the Pacific Northwest – is where to happy hour. You can still score $2 oysters here (even cheaper when you get a half dozen) and $7 martinis. There’s a reason why this place flies through approximately 75,000 fresh-shucked oysters per year.
A lot has changed in the Warehouse District since Blue Point Grille welcomed its first guest in 1998. Even more has changed within the industry that it operates. But Hospitality Restaurants, which began with Cabin Club in 1991 and charged ahead with Salmon Dave’s, Blue Point, Delmonico’s Steakhouse, Rosewood Grill and Kingfish, is steadfast in its commitment to do right by every customer, which sadly no longer seems to be the norm.
Blue Point Grille
700 West St. Clair Ave., Cleveland
216-875-7827
bluepointgrille.com
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This article appears in Cleveland SCENE 3/27/25.