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What
the critics and our customers are saying about Café
Bleu...
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In The Neighborhood with
Larry Himmel, May 2008
"Among the fine dining choices
in Hillcrest, a new French bistro is creating quite a buzz.
Tonight, in our Dining Out with San diego Magazine segment,
Larry himmel profiles Café Bleu..."
ALONG UNIVERSITY AVENUE IN HILLCREST between Fifth and Sixth,
you'll find a little taste of France.
"The classic French bistro is a working person's place to
eat and specializes in hearty foods that are supposed to be
well priced," San Diego magazine restaurant critic Robin Kleven
Dishon said.
Café Bleu fits the bill, putting their spin on the time-honored
bistro entrée.
"Coq au Vin, which is the classic chicken stew with vegetables…
here, they're giving it an interesting twist. They serve it
with roasted root vegetables, as well as serving it with mashed
Yukon Gold potatoes; a little bit of an updated spin on the
classic bistro fare," Dishon said.
"Another dish, I think they do one of the best in town,
is a duck confit with both the breast and the leg of duck
served. The breast is nice and rare, as it should be. The
leg is flavorful.
"One thing that Café Bleu does nicely that I like for the
idea of just dropping in for a quick bite after work is an
onion tart - a gruyere and onion tart that's got a nice flaky
phyllo type crust and caramelized onion flavor.
"Café Bleu really has an astounding wine list for such a
small place," Dishon said. "One other nice thing they are
doing is offering wines by the half-glass, so you can put
together your own flight with say maybe two or three half-glasses
and sample maybe a white, red, rose that you haven't had before."
Neighborhood friendly and decidedly French. Get hip to Café
Bleu.
San Diego Magazine
-- May, 2008
Café Bleu by
Robin Kleven Dishon
THERE WAS ONCE A TIME in San Diego when you
couldn’t find two wine bars in the same ZIP code, let alone
on the same street. Our glasses may have been half-empty then,
but they’re running over now. Of late, Hillcrest’s vibrant
University Avenue offers new food-and-wine pairings extraordinaire:
two places specializing in the pleasures of both grape and
plate.
Café Bleu has a red-hot concept. It offers
60 wines by the half-glass (as well as glass and bottle),
so guests can sample their way through white, rosé and red
over the course of a meal without ending up in the pokey.
Owner Ric Libiran took over the former Crush
late last year and opened Café Bleu with two smart staffing
choices: his daughter Deyna as sommelier/manager and classically
trained Stephen Clickner as chef. Deyna, who’s finishing her
formal sommelier training, has assembled a thoughtful list
that ranges from Rioja, Rueda and Rhones to Pinots (Grigio,
Gris and Noir). With half-glasses (generous 3-ounce pours)
starting at $3.25, you’d be foolish to stick with your favorite
Chardonnay.
And while Clickner’s menu isn’t strictly French,
it’s got a great accent. His Gallic-style small plates and
entrées deliver authentic bistro flavors at prices as low-key
as the service and ambience.
For $17.50, you get duck two ways: rare roasted
breast and crispy leg confit, both impeccably prepared and
ample for two as a light repast. For $15.50, the long-simmered
coq au vin is also delightful, though you don’t often see
this classic stew paired with Yukon mashed potatoes and roasted
root vegetables. Believe us: It works.
Other notables include a phyllo tart topped
with sweetly caramelized onions, meaty olives and pesto ($7.50);
a terrific salad of spinach, roasted beet and goat cheese
($7.50); simple but capable takes on Caesar salad ($6.50)
and onion soup ($5.50); moist, meaty crab cakes (but a pretty
spendy side at $12.50); and steak frites ($16.50). Skip the
pasty heirloom tomatoes with mozzarella ($8.50) until summer
is in full swing.
Desserts go for $6.50, but we’d rather take
advantage of the ever-changing cheese selection. About a dozen
offerings are posted on the board; at three for $6.50 or five
for $10.50, it’s a fine way to dabble.
The updated surroundings include cushy couches
and sturdy wood dining sets, replacing the old bar-height
tables. The dramatically blue-lit bar, from the Crush era,
offers a full liquor selection as well as wines galore. Cheers,
Café Bleu, and welcome to the neighborhood.
San Diego
Union Tribune Night & Day -- March 6, 2008
"Café
Bleu is just what the 'dining doctor' ordered"
............By
Wolfgang D. Verkaaik, Dining and Entertainment Coordinator
Thank you Ric Libiran for taking your culinary
savvy to Hillcrest! A couple of months ago. Ric-who has operated
a very popular café and French bakery in San Marcos for several
years now-was expanding operations with some new concepts,
among those the brand new Café Bleu. It's a hip, chic, beautiful
little dinner bistro and wine lounged that opened just a couple
of months ago, and is already the talk of Hillcrest.
Here, in this intimate, beautifully designed restaurant, diners
can relax and sip a variety of outstanding boutique wines
by the bottle, glass or half-glass. Or they can savor martinis
and specialty cocktails like the mai tai or Bombay Dirty Bleu
Martini-and superb small plates or full entrées. Café Bleu's
environment is enhanced by shimmy hardwood floors, a blue
light bar back wall, and tiny candles and classic lamps.
"I wanted to create a restaurant for people to enjoy an intimate
dinner with their special someone or to take their friends
to a contemporary and casual setting," said Ric, who years
ago embarked on his restaurant career, first at Doodleburgers
and then evolving to the Market St. Café French concept. Now
he has his daughter Deyna working as the restaurant wine expert
and son Sean as bartender. Chef Stephen Clickner and Damion
Evans have collaborated on an interesting menu that encourages
experiencing small tapas, or more full-size entrées. Here's
a look at the hors d'oeuvres and starters. There's a plate
of olives, almonds, and dates; an artisan cheese plate with
either three, five, or seven kinds of cheeses served with
real honeycomb and crostinis; charcuterie of sausage and paté;
a cheese and meal platter and the Fruits de Mer (shrimp, oysters,
clams, mussels, lump crab salad, and sauces).
Among the "small plates" you will find Petite Gorgonzola Filet
Tips, Ahi Tartare, Mushroom Vol Au Vent, Crispy Calamari or
Sautéed Lump Crab Cake. Moving on down to the list of entrées
you'll find everything from superb burgers like "The Bleu"
and Chicken Pasta (with wild mushrooms, truffles and cream
sauce) to the awesome bouillabaisse. This famous concoction
features seafood delicacies that are all prepared separately,
then combined with root vegetables, and finally topped with
broth at your table, making for ultimate flavor and texture.
Also listed are Steak Au Poivre, Seared Ahi Nicoise, Salmon
Filet with Asparagus, Roast Duck, Bone In Pork Loin and the
Savory Beef Short Ribs and Rack of Lamb.
Café Bleu has happy hour, a Sunday brunch menu and on Tuesdays
offers all bottles of wine for half price. Enjoy this spot
at 530 University Ave. Call (619) 291-1717.
San Diego
Union Tribune Night & Day -- February 28, 2008
"Formerly
Crush, Hillcrest's hippest wine bar/cocktail lounge/restaurant
is now Bleu..."
............By
Erin Glass --
Our Pick
Tuna tartare is the new tuna
tartare, delightful delectable devourable thing.
Easily swallowed, easily
forgot. Enter Bleu, Hillcrest’s new wine and eats bar where
Crush once served its flights, and tuna tartare, minimally
dressed in obligatory dazzles — streaks of soy ginger, zest
of lemon, stick of chive and fried lotus root — is still tuna
tartare, same-old, redundant, production-line gourmet.
No complaints here, and to be sure, we are glad our little
beach city is beginning to shove bistro-themed eateries in
every spare space where wine lists are bigger than the menu,
and ordering tests your basic French pronunciation. At Bleu
you can enjoy French fetish fads in a moody, mirrored room,
executed with an irreproachable hand. Among their 30-something
entrees and small plates, twinkle charming tongue curiosities
such as charcuterie — a medley of duck pate, garlic sausage,
caper berries, Dijon aioli and saucisson sec — dried sausage.
Not to be missed by dual diners
are the canapés – the chef’s three-tiered tower of an even-numbered
amount of appetizers including steak tartare with cream, duck
with fig, and said ahi. Couples may dine without clashing
forks.
Well, almost. If anyone orders
the bouillabaisse, expect instant jealousy. Two chaise lounges
surround a back table for the serious epicure, and though
dinner date might ignore suggestion to share one plush, cheetah
chair instead of two, expect a quick change of mind and invading
cutlery when this gorgeous dish of poached fish arrives. Colorful
shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams and vegetables fill up the
bowl like grandma's jewelry box and the accompanying teapot
of broth only adds to the envy. Diverting date with cutie
pie cocktails like the candy cane or caramel apple martini
doesn't quite work.
Order the essencia royale,
make eyes with the European-looking diners next table over,
and sulk.
DiscoverSd.com
- Editorial Review - March 2008
Formerly the hip Hillcrest wine bar, Crush, Café Bleu
is the all-new wine lounge and dinner bistro serving Hillcrest
a new flight of style. Café Bleu offers innovative starters
and small plates, such as the Mushroom Vol-Au-Vent, puff pastry
with wild mushrooms sautéed in herbs, garlic and white wine,
mushroom cream, truffle oil and parmesan. For your entrée,
be sure to taste the Bleu Burger, an 8 oz. wagyu kobe beef
burger with point reyes bleu cheese on a house-baked roll
with French fries. Aside from the eats, Café Bleu is known
for their extensive wine list, to be enjoyed with dinner or
on its own in the lounge. Café Bleu's wine list offers fine
wines such as the Heitz Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon,
from Napa '98, as well as the Dauvissat 1er Cru Chablis Chardonnay,
from France '05. Stop by Café Bleu for $5 happy hour wines
by the glass, or on a Tuesday for half price wine
Nina F., Long Beach, CA 04/16/2008 - 4 star
rating  -
yelp.com
Being in San Diego the past few days made me miss living there
for a few moments, mostly because everywhere you turn there
is a new happy hour or wine bar to check out in SD while Orange
County suffers from a dearth of cool places to grab a drink
after work. When I lived down the street, Cafe Bleu was called
Crush and was one of my favorite local watering holes. I was
excited to take a co-worker there after work and did a double-take
when we walked up to find it had changed its name to Cafe
Bleu. Inside things are a bit different, but still with that
awesome PVC pipe-like wall, and thankfully, the drinks and
apps are still the same deliciousness I remember. We took
advantage of the $5 cocktails from 4-6 and sampled mojitos
and the pomegranate long island iced tea. Easily one of the
better mojitos I've had lately! Happy hour drinks deserve
food, so we placed orders for the Dijon salad and the cheese
plate, your choice of three cheeses from the chef's artisan
cheese menu. We chose the Midnight Moon, Purple Moon and Lambchopper
which were served with crostinis, honeycomb and a wonderful
berry dip. We had dinner plans down the street, but a sneak
peak at the menu has encouraged mental plans to return, and
soon.
Leslie V., San Diego, CA 03/20/2008 - 5 star
rating
- yelp.com
One of my new favorite spots! Cute place...comfortable and
great/simple decor. They have good food and a solid wine list...some
fun and different drinks as well. If you like cheese plates
and wine...this is your spot! The have several cheeses to
choose from...make your own plate-style...and you can order
1/2 glasses of wine if you want to try a few! Nice place to
hang out with friends or a sweetheart...
Elizabeth C., San Diego, CA 02/27/2008 - 4
star rating -
yelp.com
A few weeks back, after seeing the movie Juno at Hillcrest
Cinemas, my friends and I were in such a good mood, we thought
we might enjoy some wine and appies. So we headed around the
corner to what we thought was still Crush (hadn't been there
in ages). After the initial shock that it had changed names/owners,
we setled in and were promptly approached by our waitress.
She was very friendly and recommended some good wines. We
shared the mussels (yummy!) and the artisan cheese plate and
crab cakes. My friend had the onion tart and found it fabulous.
It was a great happy hour deal. Highly recommended.
So then, last weekend, we went back for
dinner on a Friday evening. Reservations were initially made
for four and I called a day before to make it for eight people
and Rick (the owner?) was very accommodating.
Well service was A+. Our server Brandon was
great... knowledgeable regarding wines and recommended some
great ones... and I must say very easy on the eyes.
The ambiance was nice... a great vibe
to the place. We arrived there at about 630 pm and was not
too noisy. By the end of the evening it was considerably louder
but we were still able to hear one another and not yelling
to be heard.
My husband had the dirty martini, with "bleu
cheese" stuffed olives. He thought it was dirty enough and
the olives were excellent.
The seating was very comfy. Lighting great.
Decor was nice, but more than one of us felt that the wall
directly in front of us could use some artwork... too bare.
Now for the food...A+ too. The bleu cheese
salad was good and the dijon salad was quite tasty.
Entrees: Three of us
had the bouillabaisse... which I don't need to describe here...
it's been described in other reviews. I have to say it was
quite good. The salmon in it was a nice touch. The coq au
vin was quite good and the chicken nice and moist. The Costa
Rican mahi mahi (special that night) was enjoyed by my brother
in law. My mom's salmon was great. The mashed potatoes that
came with the fish and the coq au vin were oh so yummy! Everyone
was very happy with their meal. The only one that was maybe
not so great was the lobster special with lobster risotto.
The risotto was a little too al dente and had a pecuiar sweet
taste to it.
Desserts were okay. My daughter felt the
creme brulee's crust was not crunchy enough, and Brandon was
very pleasant about taking it back to the kitchen. It came
back perfect. I have had better flourless chocolate cake and
the coffee was a little too strong for my taste, but other
than that, the evening was a wonderful time spent with family
and friends... and I have to say - for the food we had and
as many bottles of wine we consumed... the price was right!
Next time, I'll have to go there for brunch,
which looks absolutely yummy.
Greg B., San Diego, CA 02/19/2008 - 5 star
rating
- yelp.com
We love this place and have eaten there
the last two nights! It simply a great addition to the Hillcrest
culinary scene. The restaurant is remarkably warm and inviting.
When you go make sure request a table with the leopard print
chairs. Mega comfy!!
The food is fantastic and incredibly reasonable. We have so
far sampled several of the fresh cheeses (which rotate often)
and consumed our fair share of yummy wine. In fact they have
an amazing Pinotage which is quite difficult to find on any
wine list. The steak was amazing and cooked to perfection.
My girlfriends salmon was excellent. We both inhaled our food.
Service on both occasions was spot on. Helpful, informative
and very pleasant. Right now this place is a deal. A split
salad, 2 entrees, 2 beers and 2 glasses of wine came out to
68 bucks. Nice! Check this place out - its perfect for a night
out or a great spot to hang out before a movie over at the
Hillcrest Cinemas.
William C., San Diego, CA
01/24/2008 - 5 star rating
- yelp.com
The best meal we have had in years. Entering Cafe Bleu last
Saturday night, we were welcomed as if we were returning favorite
customers. It didn't take long for the decor, the service
and the ambiance to make us feel as if we were having dinner
somewhere in the south of France.
The wine list is eclectic,
cordial and very reasonably priced; we later learned that
the owner's daughter, a sommelier's apprentice, created the
well-balanced wine list. My wife and I each had their signature
crisp Bleu Berry martini.
We then each had two half glasses of wine to accompany our
starters of dates wrapped in smoked bacon, imported olives
and almonds, and a small plate of canapes. Then came the Roasted
Beet salad and the Dijon salad, both are "must haves". For
her entree, my wife selected the Bouillabaisse (the best she's
ever had, she said) and I had the Rack of Lamb which was absolutely
delightful. Both our meals were paired with excellent wines,
our server's suggestions. We then selected three cheeses from
their extensive cheese board which were served with crostinis,
honey comb and fruit compote.
Needless to say, we were both ecstatic with our dining experience.
The restaurant opened only
six weeks ago and it was already packed with diners waiting
to have a table or have dinner at the bar. The owner orchestrates
the dining room in a very eloquent manner. We will soon return
to try the Bleu Burger and the Steak Frites and hopefully
will have enough space to try their dessert creations, all
made on the premises.
Thanks Cafe Bleu for a memorable evening!
Curt T., San Diego, CA 01/20/2008
- 5 star rating
- Yelp.com
We went last night and are still raving
about our experience. The wine selection was WONDERFUL and
our server, who turned out to be the owner Rick's daughter,
was very knowledgeable and every suggestion she made was perfect.
The lamb was the best I've ever tried. The NY steak was also
phenominal. Also, don't miss the peach melba dessert. It's
simple, yet the perfect end for a lot of food and wine. Also,
our server (wish I had gotten her name so I could reccomend
asking for her) suggested a dessert wine that was amazing.
We both love Dolce, but this actually surpassed it in our
minds. Again, something we probably wouldn't have selected
just by looking at the menu but glad we did. Rick (I apologize
Rick if I am getting your name wrong) mentioned that his daughter
choses all the wines for the restaurant so having her help
us was a treat, not to mention she's pretty cool. Anyway,
we look forward to many more nights out at Bleu. The only
downside is parking. I usually drive around looking for street
parking because I hate to pay high rates such as they are
downtown, but if you park in the garage under 24 hr gym, it's
only $6 for the evening I found out. I can live with that
:^)
Melissa L., San Diego, CA
01/20/2008 - 5 star rating
- yelp.com
One night, one of my girlfriends and I walked to another wine
bar in neighborhood. We were really looking forward to sitting
down and having a glass of wine but we could not find a seat.
We decided to give Bleu a try and we are so happy that we
did because this bar will no longer play second fiddle!
Bleu used to be Crush, which
was another wine bar that we enjoyed a couple of times. The
remodel was a great step because the table/chairs were shorter
and a dark wood, giving more of a classic, elegant look, juxtaposed
nicely against the contemporary, "bleu" look of the bar. There
were also some comfortable looking couches too in the back
and overall, the space really opened up with the shorter tables.
We sat at the bar and our
bartender was friendly and attentive but not overly attentive.
The wine menu is quite extensive and range in price, from
cheap to expensive. Although flights are no longer available,
half glasses are an option so we both started off with half
glasses of wine. My glass was the Ash Hollow Cabernet Sauvignon
which I highly recommend. We also asked for the dessert menu
and it was so difficult to make a decision because everything
looked enticing.
Just when I was beginning
to wonder if our caramelized fig creme brulee was forgotten,
it was served to us. It was delicious, not too heavy and the
fig flavor really penetrated but did not overwhelm the creme.
At this point, we'd finished our wine and ordered a second
round.
When the bartender gave us
the menu a second time, it was covered in something and upon
putting it down on the counter, he immediately acknowledged
the dirty menu, throwing it away and giving me a new one,
all without me asking. To our surprise, there are many original
options for mixed drinks so for my second drink, I chose a
Creamsicle martini. It really did taste like a Creamsicle
- I don't know if it was the Cointreau or some ice that helped
froth the drink but it was delicious.
The next night, I went to
dinner with some of my girlfriends and I raved about it.
We are really looking forward to paying Bleu a regular visit!
Kristin F., San Diego, CA, 01/21/2008 - 4
star rating
- yelp.com
I had just got my hair done. Stopped off at Buffalo Exchange
and decided I wanted to go to Crush which is now Bleu. I was
looking forward to their "In n Out" burger salad (yeah, that's
what the bf thought it tasted like), but sadly it was a different
menu.
However, I did have a nice time by myself (kind of).
It was quite early. It was happy hour. Good
wines for $5 a pop and some food items for the same price.
I had something steak-like. I can't remember because I started
to feel ill. But, I know I didn't get nauseated from the food.
I had some kind of flu. So, I was bummed and had to run out
of there (literally). Wished I could have enjoyed my experience
a little longer because the wine and food was good especially
at those good happy hour prices.
Anyway, thanks sweet bartender. Good service.
Oh, and I vaguely remember seeing that they
have Sunday brunch with free flowing mimosas for, I believe
,7 bucks or something like that. And, I saw a list of different
kinds of cheeses written on the board for tasting. All seemed
worth coming back for.
Leslie V. , San Diego, CA 03-20-2008 - 5 star rating
One of my new favorite spots! Cute place...comfortable and
great/simple decor. They have good food and a solid wine list...some
fun and different drinks as well. If you like cheese plates
and wine...this is your spot! The have several cheeses to
choose from...make your own plate-style...and you can order
1/2 glasses of wine if you want to try a few! Nice place to
hang out with friends or a sweetheart...
Natalie T., San Francisco, CA 01/04/2008
- 4 star rating
- yelp.com
So Crush is now called Bleu and boy was I tres crushed when
I found out that they weren't serving flights anymore! Nevertheless,
the $5 glasses of wine and small plates during happy hour
and the attentive service by a cute bartender definitely made
up for my disappointment. Great place to go if you want to
chill and enjoy the finer things in life.
Frank Sabatini Jr. - Riviera
Magazine - 11/15/07
In addition, the neighborhood says goodbye to Crush, as new
owner Ric Libiran prepares to open Café Bleu, a supper bistro
and wine lounge slated to offer a homier menu of small plates
and full entrees. Chef Stephen Clickner arrives from Soleil@K
to head up the menu. 530 University Ave., Hillcrest (619)
291-1717.
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