Blue River Bistro serves generous portions of Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Marsala, and Homemade Meat Lasagna, as well as Mujadara and Penne Roberto with marinated flank steak and spicy chipotle-cilantro pesto. Add a Kale Salad with currants, toasted pecans, basil-infused quinoa, and feta with Dijon dressing, and you have a restaurant that begins with Italian and incorporates a wealth of flavors from other culinary traditions.
The Appetizer menu has a number of intriguing selections, including a trio of sliders: choice of Kurobuta pork with pickled carrot and daikon with cilantro-sriracha mayo, Meatball with marinated peppadew and mozzarella, and Shrimp Taco option with red cabbage, cilantro, and peach & tomato salsa. Other choices included Baked Lahvosh, Escargot, PEI Mussels with applewood smoked bacon and a roasted tomato & pear sauce, as well as Honey & Cashew Encrusted Brie.
In addition to classic lasagna and pasta dishes, the menu features lime-seared Atlantic Salmon with a citrus mirin sauce, a New York Strip with a sherry steak sauce, Ruby Red Trout with sage & shallot and beet beurre blanc, coriander-dusted Ahi with garlic cashew sauce, and a Braised Pork Shank with a garlic and Pinot Noir demi-glace. It will take multiple visits to the restaurant to eat our way through the menu.
A basket of warm bread arrived first, followed by a Classic Caesar and the Kale Salad. The flavors in the Kale Salad were a delicious blend of zippiness and texture.
Kudos to a chef who can modify a pasta dish to replace the pasta with grilled vegetables. The bed of grilled asparagus made for a tasty contrast with the gooey deliciousness of the Chicken Parmesan. The New York Strip was tender and hearty, even without the optional addition of three tiger shrimp.
Blue River Bistro is one of the first restaurants when you drive into town from I-70. It is worth a stop to join the vibrant bar scene, sit at a table in the contemporary dining room, or relax at a table on the side patio. They have tables on the sidewalk out front to pique the interest of passers-by.
Until our next adventure in wine and food…
Blue River Bistro
305 North Main Street
Breckenridge, CO 80424
970.453.6974
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