Blue Star Bistro & Wine Bar

Was thinking about where to have dinner. Thought of Blue Star. It occurred to me that I had not seen any Facebook announcements from them in awhile. I half closed my eyes when waiting for the search result here. Closed. So sad.

I am surprised I never wrote a review for Blue Star! Honestly, I LOVE this place. I’ve been here four times now, and each time the food has been fantastic. The restaurant is a decent size, pretty quiet, and good for date night. I’ve had great experiences with the wait staff as well — all knowledgeable and sweet. It’s usually not too busy also, which I appreciate. Pretty easy to get a reservation compared to some other places around here. Anyways, I highly highly recommend Blue Star! :)

Blue Star is a charming, unpretentious wine bar that has easily become one of my favorite date spots. The wine list is notable with a solid variety from Europe, South America and California and is broken down by light, medium, and full bodied whites and reds. I recommend the Latin Lover wine flight.
Blue Star’s food is definitely above-​average, and the menu is great for sharing plates. I am still dreaming of the cappellacci with butternut squash, ricotta, manchego and nut pesto which I am plotting (to attempt) to recreate at home. Also, pro tip: 1,000 point OpenTable ressies on Wednesdays. I will be back to Blue Star, likely sooner than later.

so my girlfriend and I went here last night for dinner. We went around 8, there were 7 – 8 other people dining here at the time but nowhere near packed. The food was outstanding, I wish we could have ordered everything on the menu but decided to share several small plates. The large plates sounded great too. we ordered the hash, scallops, quiona, brussel sprouts, and croquettes. I don’t even like seafood and the scallops were outstanding. The blueberry sauce that comes with the croquettes was a great touch as well.
Service was top notch, Tilly I believe was our servers name. Very friendly and guided us through the menu. Seemed to always come back at the just the right time. Owners — If you read this, do something nice for her! she deserves it, after all the staff is the front face of the place and she is representing very well.
would highly recommend to friends to visit here. We liked it so much decided to write a Unilocal review and I rarely do this.

Purchased a 2-​course meal for four via
and it did not disappoint.
For appetizers, we had croquettes with goat cheese and blueberry jam, bacon wrapped dates, and jumbo shrimp with toasted bread. There were no complaints with any of them. I liked how they served the bacon wrapped dates with some greens and sliced green apples in the middle. It provided a good balance with the sweet dates.
Our entrees consisted of duck leg confit, double pork chop (medium rare), cappellacci, and rainbow trout. I had the duck leg confit and the tender meat was very flavorful. If you’re a petite person and/​or not looking for a very heavy meal, the duck leg confit would be a good choice. Other than that, I highly recommend the double pork chop which came in a ginormous portion with a small side of waffle pieces. It would be the best choice for meat lovers who don’t mind a few extra calories. The meat was particularly juicy and tender. It came with a side of sauce but I thought it was flavorful as is.
As for dessert, we ordered the vanilla cheesecake and the server accidentally added a signature dessert combination to our order. The vanilla cheesecake was soft and excellent when paired with the raspberry sauce. The melted brown sugar atop was just the right amount. The signature dessert combination consisted of a nutella ball with cappuccino pudding in a small cup. My parents adored it! This will be a must order the next time we return.
(FYI The server realized her mistake but served us the extra dessert anyway and did not charge it to our bill. I’m more than pleased that she owned up to her mistake so I upped the gratuity to show my appreciation.)
Reservations were made for a Tuesday evening and business was rather slow. There were only a few tables and we had a whole dining area to ourselves. Their menu isn’t very diverse but they do have an expansive wine list. There is free parking around the corner and it wasn’t difficult to find.

Very good food! All their small plates looked amazing so I’ll have to go back and try them! We did have one, the hash. which was amazing! The beef was so tender and juicy.
From the larger plates we had the burger and trout which were also very good.
For dessert we had the cheesecake which was super tasty but far too small.

Took advantage of the Livingsocial deal to come here, and after our experience we’ll be coming back, coupon our not!
Very romantic setting without being too serious. Service was prompt and attentive.
We had the bacon-​wrapped dates for our appetizer, and they were delicious. Nicely balanced between the sweet and savory. For entrees my wife got the scallops and l got the pork chop– both were so flavorful we over-​ate and barely had room for dessert (fried Nutella– yes!).
All in all, this place is a wonderful find for us.

I went to Blue Star for an adult beverage after dinner. They had a good wine selection, made better by the flights. I built my own flight based on recommendations from the bartender, and my friend had the white wine flight. I absolutely loved the wines the bartender selected for me. I thought the flights were very reasonably priced, especially for such a heavy pour.
The inside is a little larger than I expected with plenty of bar space, and tables. The staff was friendly, and all the patrons were having a ball. I heard from a bird that they have some delicious dessert, which I will definitely try when I go back.

They were able to get us in as a party of 5 in 5 minutes. The burrata small plate was so delicious, I will be back for that for sure… They also have a great selection of drinks.

Amazing! Awesome Martinis, cozy fireplace, attentive servers.
** ½ priced wine bottles on Mondays or Tuesdays? ***

This is a hidden neighborhood gem! Probably one of the best dining places I’ve been to. Their bacon wrapped dates is the best one I’ve tried.
This place is very romantic, perfect spot for a first date.
You really have to see this place!

Perfectly crafted menu for the foodies, excellent wine flights for the wine lovers, loved our visit here. We had the Latin Lovers flight and had the bartender craft a flight based of what types of wine we like which was fantastic. Service was spot on but the place was slow.
Wine: ⁵⁄₅
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Location: 5/​5/​

WOW! Is only the beginning of what I have to say about this place! It is right off the expressway but you can find parking. The food and drinks are all unique and truly amazing. Its great to get together with some friends and go and order a variety of things and share. Everything from ordering bread with cheese which might sound boring is beyond outstanding. There different selection of breads and cheese was beyond amazing. But the pizzas are all unique, and the shrimp has as slight kick with a unique flavor that is indescribable. Each basic thing that would seem ordinary such as Mac and Cheese is beyond what one thinks as they experiment with different cheesed or add their own creation of sauces that must be tried.
Now let me take a minute to tell you about the drinks. You can have an option of a selection of wines that are paired based on what you are ordering. You can always ask for their option. But they are all different depending on your mood with titles such as «walk under the Tuscan sun» «take a flight» etc. Furthermore, their other drinks that are not a selection of many drinks are great. Our favorite that night was a Lavender Martini.
The ambiance the restaurant is small and intimate with a beautiful fireplace in the main room. It is quiet even among the conversations and cooking in the kitchen. The staff, is amazing and loves to work there. We had so much fun that we ended up staying till they closed and at the end the manager or owner came out to say hello and he was just as charming and welcomed back.
And if that is not enough let me end stating that while this is my only checkin at this point I intend to go back over and over againl wtih friends in town and all of my friends who come to visit as I think it is a must go to spot!

I don’t have anything really horrible or really great to say about Blue Star Bistro. My husband and I went here for dinner with a Living Social Deal the other night and were happy with the food and our waitress (Cindy) but disappointed by the slow slow service. I don’t think I would go back and pay full price.
LONG WAIT: My husband and I went on a Thursday night and couldn’t get reservations until 9pm because 2 parties were booked for earlier and they wanted to make sure we weren’t just sitting and waiting. However, that’s what we did…1 hour and 10 minutes to be exact until we had our appetizer at 10:10pm. The only reason we didn’t walk out and leave was because we already had the living social deal and Cindy was really great about checking in with updates and offered complimentary wine.
GOOD FOOD: The scallops were delicious… served with crispy proscuitto and a corn purée. My husband and I ordered the short rib (delicious!) and the strip steak (good) and they were both served with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. The dishes were good but I was shocked that all three beef dishes have the same sides — Kind of lazy in my opinion. I can also make mashed potatoes and sauteed brussel sprouts at home, which is why I wouldn’t pay full price, even though it was very good. The fried nutella was interesting and good.
AMBIENCE: Eh. Nothing much to say. It’s nice, but wasn’t anything really great or exciting, but we were sitting in a corner with a curtain sectioning us off, so I didn’t really see much. One thing that didn’t fit was the host, in a plaid shirt, underdressed compared to the servers and the restaurant. He sat at the bar, and yelled every so often at a hockey game on TV. I thought this was a wine bar, not a pub?!

Best Groupon/​LivingSocial/​Coupon Deal I’ve ever purchased, no joke!
We got there pretty late on a Sunday night. When we walked in, we instantly felt under dressed. I had no idea how cute this place was. This is a great date night spot; very romantic. The ambiance is relaxing, the wine is flowing, and your taste-​buds will definitely have an adventure.
We each ordered a glass of merlot. The wine was good! But it wasn’t anything special or out of this world like the food was.
For the food: we ordered the flatbread for app that has brie and pear (i believe). This was good; however, it needed more honey. I’ve had many similar dishes in Miami and unfortunately, Blue Star didn’t match up to the brie flatbread standards I’m used to.
They made up for it with the entrees though.
I ordered the steak. It was a bit overcooked but the taste… YUM! Very well seasoned and the veggies that came with it were tasty.
THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE MEAL, the must-​eat at BS, and I’m telling you now… SHORT.RIB. do it. Like right now, drop what you’re doing, and order the short rib. It was awesome. I am still dreaming about it. The meat was so tender, fall off the bone, well cooked, well seasoned, piping hot. This is what’s going to save this restaurant from ever going out of business. It was a culinary explosion in your mouth. No joke, I think this was better than sex.
But then… then … they included a dessert in my LS deal. Fried nutella balls?! Are you kidding me??? O.M.G. I just died and went to HELL; my diet went there but my tastebuds went to heaven O:) Very tasty; however, I should note that they tasted a bit overfried. They need to cook them just a tiny bit less in order to avoid a slightly burnt taste. Other than that, how can someone ever say no to fried nutella?!? lmao.
enjoy my fellow Unilocal Chitown peeps. This one went down in my books as two thumbs up. GO.

Considering that many gastro-​pubs/​wine bars in this area have closed (Leopold, Branch 27 and West Town Tavern), it has been difficult to locate an establishment with great drinks and food.
Our initial plans included a visit to Flo, but it was closed by that point and we realized that Two was über crowded. So after checking Unilocal we ended up here. To be honest we did not expect much at all.
Wow! We were totally unprepared for the delicious meal that we enjoyed. I noticed that there were limited vegetarian options, but the server recommended an amended veggie hash, which substituted the bacon for mushrooms. The hash (crispy potatoes, caramelized onions with truffle aioli) topped with fried eggs was perfection.
«This is really good!» I exclaimed at least 3 times while stuffing my mouth with deliciousness. The boyfriend could only agree because he was busy devouring his tasty skirt steak.

You know a wine bar is legit when they serve wine from the taps you see at high end wine stores.
My friend and I dropped by on a Sunday night and I was surprised to see the place completely full. It turns out we walked into an opera night where people were performing inside the restaurant during dinner. It was a cool concept and I recommend people check out Blue Star’s event page for upcoming events.
We decided to stay mainly on small plates side of the menu:
Elk Sausage Flat Bread — A generous portion that included ample amounts of savory sausage. The smoked mozzarella paired well with the sausage and there was good crunch in the crust and pickled onions. This a great way to try elk if you have not already.
Burrata — It arrived as precut slices instead of a little ball but it still tasted great (it could benefit from using a less salt to season though). The sautéed squashed had a nice crunch and was not mushy. This is a great dish to share.
Goat Cheese Croquettes — Just order these, they are delicious. Try to refrain from pouring blueberry directly into your mouth.
Sliders — Satisfying pork sliders with a hint of heat. If you’re in the mood for BBQ, order these. However, I would suggest trying something on the menu you may not be able to find elsewhere.
Scallops — The only dish I would say was so-​so. We were told that they had run out of scallops but then our server returned to say the chef had dug some up. I thought they were a little soggy but the corn fondue was nice.
The décor had a homey-​rustic feel and had a nice layout with a view of the kitchen. Service was good for a packed night. I would recommend the Ben Marco Malbec to compliment many of the full flavor dishes Blue Star has to offer.

I came here for a rehearsal dinner and was pleasantly surprised with the food and service.
The food was delicious but not very big portions for the rehearsal dinner — I know some people left hungry still. We had flatbread, salad, steak on bread, roasted chicken, brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes and a chocolate dessert. I know it sounds like a lot of food but the portions they gave us were small. It was family style so our table had to share the plates of food among 8 people.
The place is pretty small but nice — the flooring is very mismatched and bumpy so watch your step! The décor is eclectic and warm. Everyone serving us were friendly and accommodating.
I’m not sure it was so fantastic that I’d make the trek back here but it was a decent choice for a rehearsal dinner.

I have nothing horrible to say, yet nothing too great to say.
The restaurant décor is plain, the drinks are decent, and the food is average. I mean, the scallops were delicious, but if cooked correctly, they’re good everywhere. The grits on the other hand, were way too mushy for my taste.
We went on a Sunday night so there weren’t a lot of patrons which was nice, but that also meant that the server was busy not being busy (doing other things besides working).
Blue Star Bistro is nice and glad I tried it, but I don’t feel the need to go out of my way for their food.

We celebrated my friend’s birthday at Blue Star. Dinner was exceptionally good, wine was perfect, and at the end my friend got a bday surprise –delicious dessert with a candle! Highly recommend scallops and the crab risotto!
I am definitely going back to the restaurant!