Blue

12 words. THE. BEST. MACARONI. AND. CHEESE. YOU. WILL. EVER. HAVE. IN. YOUR. LIFE!
I mean, it was so good, I can taste it already. I just had the original: Gourmet Mac And Cheese. Mouthwatering delicious.
Also, we had the garlic bread as an appetizer. SO delicious.
And I had this Strawberry Lemonade. It tasted more like a strawberry smoothie than a lemonade. FANTASTIC.
My dad and I split this chocolate cake. IN HEAVEN.
The service was on top of things and so nice!
Oh, don’t expect a nice fancy restaurant. It’s a small little dive, but that doesn’t take away from the amazing food!
What else can I say? BLUE IS THE PLACE TO GO.

Most delicious mac ‘n’ cheese in San Francisco, hands down.
Most delicious waiters in San Francisco, hands down.
If anyone knows of better (for either), please holler.

(See pics) Review #1183. Big size portion food at a modern style café that also a diner causal feel.
The menu has lots of choices from breakfast to lunch. Big burgers, Mac & cheese were what my colleagues had and they were pretty happy with the taste. I had the chicken pot pie and loved the flaky top. The chicken with cubed carrots were very filling and with good taste.
Refillable coffee was also very nice. Definitely a good local spot to grab a bite.

Service is great, food is… for my taste, okay. The spicy calamari was good at first until I noticed the calamari wasn’t really spicy, and it was drenched in soy sauce, which made it soggy and too salty. It came with a sweeter dipping sauce, which I liked.
The burger was blackish on the outside and had a burnt taste to it, but the inside was cooked good. The fries were great.
Overall not so good for burgers and calamari was too salty. The Blue restaurant is probably more well known for their Mac and Cheese.

I saw Blue featured on, I believe, an episode of Diners, Drive-​ins and Dives and have always wanted to try their Flaming Mac & Cheese. A friend and I were walking past one night and decided to give it a shot.
The heat from the mac & cheese doesn’t hit you right away — it gradually builds but it doesn’t get too spicy. The flavor was nice — kind of like a spicy, cheesey spaghetti. However, I would have liked the noodles to be a little more al dente.

I went to Blue for brunch with three friends after years away from this restaurant. I arrived first and our server promptly put two tables together and seated me. He also brought me coffee.
My friends arrived soon and our server quickly got them something to drink, then took our order.
I had the chorizo scramble which was very tasty and not spicy-​hot at all. There were also two slices of whole-​wheat toast and a fruit cup. The others had eggs with steak, eggs with guacamole and chicken-​fried steak. They were all happy with meals.
Our server was very attentive and friendly even though he was very busy with other customers. I have no complaints and would return to Blue.

I love Blue. My favourite Market Street resturant since Home closed. It’s always a stop when I visit San Francisco, but this most recent trip, it was my first meal when I got to town.
early on a Saturday afternoon, the Bacon Mac & Cheese hit the spot. Service great and I can’t wait to get back there. Hurray!
Blue was a mainstay on my visits to San Francisco. Mac and Cheese and yes the other meals were pretty good too, so was the lemonade.
I read today, July 2^nd, 2012, that Blue is now closed. That makes me very sad to know that I might not ever enjoy the mac and cheese again, but also it won’t be a place I can share with the special people in my life I dined there with.

I have been wanting to come here FOR-​EVER. It was on my list of SF things to do.
Plus it’s mac n cheese! Doesn’t that just semi bring back childhood memories of easy mac? Those little packets where you can just microwave and get yummy goodness.
So back to the food.
I’d say expect HUGE portions.
Here’s what we ordered:
— Apple Salad: It had a bit of a tangy taste, can’t say I would order it again. It was fair. I’ve had better
–Chili Cheese Fries: O MY GOD! Heaven has landed. These fries are as BOMB as the ones at the Counter. SO bursting with chili cheesiness. You cannot go wrong.
–Calamari: Nicely battered. Pretty good. Interesting dips.
And now for the main attraction. The FLAMING MAC N CHEESE!
It was interesting. I would suggest people order it just because it is unique to this restaurant.
We added broccoli which was actually a nice little refresh touch to the heaviness of the carbs.
Server was really nice and attentive too.
I was however surprised at how small this place was.

I came here with the intent to use the Scoutmob deal. The restaurant is small but surprisingly there were still a few tables open on a Saturday night. Parking is tough in the area but after circling around a few times, we managed to snag a spot.
The menu features many classic dishes, including tater tots and sloppy joes! Between the two of us, we ordered the Flaming mac ‘n cheese with bacon, chicken pot pie, and classic meatloaf. The mac ‘n cheese was very delicious. My friend described it as the best he’s tried. The pot pie and the meatloaf were a bit more disappointing but still filling. The pot pie could’ve used more pie crust and the meatloaf was a bit bland.
Overall, a nice restaurant/​diner in the Castro but I probably would be a bit hesitant to come back without the Scoutmob deal.

Can I say, scoutmob? :)
I had a GREAT lunch here on Saturday with fellow Unilocaler Matthew L!
After a fun but exhausting Friday night out, I was in the mood for some decently priced food with substance and grease! Blue fit the bill perfectly!
The chili cheese hash browns and bleu cheese bacon mac and cheese were delicious. I would definitely go back just for those two dishes. On top of that, I also challenged the capacity of my stomach and also finished an order of steak and eggs which was okay but not the best I’ve had. My order of steak and eggs came with a side of fresh fruit, hash browns and toast.
Breakfast for champions!

I really want to like this place… I really do. It’s got a nice calm menu with basic comfort foods, it’s got a nice-​enough vibe, it’s in a great location, the prices are reasonable. But try and try again, it just never really clicks. Missing the wow factor completely. I’ve tried several of their items, the things that you order knowing you shouldn’t but it feels like a special treat, a guilty pleasure. Somehow it always ends up being all of the calories, none of the satisfaction.
They simply need to go back to the drawing board with many of their menu items, freshen things up a bit, perhaps invest in higher quality ingredients, and some more training for the kitchen staff.
Case in point: Tonight, in a cold, wet, rainy crappy weather kind of night, I popped in with a friend for exactly that. Comfort. I got the chili and my buddy ordered the chicken noodle soup and the spicy mac and cheese. My chili wasn’t very hot, the cheese on top wasn’t fully melted, and the tortilla chips on the side weren’t fresh at all. My friend’s mac and cheese was a bit bland. And they forgot the chicken noodle soup altogether.
There are a ton of good restaurants in the area. This doesn’t really cut it.

Flaming Mac and Cheese!!!
Mac and cheese with creamy cheese and tomato sauce, served spicy with chili peppers ($ 10.29)!? Can it get any better?! NO! this is it, THE YUMMIEST MAC AND CHEESE hallelujah! Smooth, creamy, cheesy, spicy but not too hot. Love love love!
I also had their Classic Meatloaf which came with some mushroom & onion gravy, mashed potatoes (with bits of potatoes, yum!), and carrots (a little bit too hard to my liking).
Service wasn’t that bad and the food came out quick. Just remember mac and cheese when you come here. And parking involves meters. 25 cents for 8 minutes.

Brunch visit.
The menu was fine if not large. We were about to set off to visit a fair so my friend and I had decided to change from our usual Squat and Gobble (see review) to Blue.
According to Mr. D, this place is normally buzzing with people but on this cloudy cool afternoon, the crowds are nowhere. I prefer it quiet although on a short visit, you always prefer eye candy to food sometimes.
Ordered a bloody mary and I guess they don’t know how you like your drink since I was brought over a tabasco/​hot sauce bottle. Condiments were limited to a wedge of lemon and lime (ok I know you have celery in that kitchen somewhere). It was okay, not something to brag or include in my BLOODY MARY hunt list.
Ordered a Monte Cristo and tater tots (i miss my tater tots), Mr. D ordered a hamburger with fries (knowing he wasn’t eating it all he saved the rest of it for later consumption). The food was good not exciting or earth shattering. I ate half of my sandwich and saved the rest for later. The waitress gave me fries instead of tater tots and she was happy to get it for me when I mentioned it. It came out like I ordered a complete side of tater tots (it was really good hot). Saved some of that leftovers and came in handy later in the evening when I got hungry and didn’t really want to step out and get food.
Overall, its no Squat and Gobble for atmosphere but satisfied a hunger and with good friends, a nice place to get some comfort food. On this trip, high scale was out and comfort food was in.

3.5 rounded up to 4.
I had the pleasure of dining here at Blue with my dear friend Daniel L. this past weekend, for his return back to the Bay Area. Blue is set in a rather modest «diner» environment with comfortable banquette seating on one side of the dining room, and huge 6 person booths on the other side.
We arrived at 6pm on a Saturday and the dining room was nearly full at this early dinner hour, so service got off to quite a slow start. But despite the scattered service, once our waiter arrived, he was very apologetic. Everything started flowing after we ordered. Our drinks were constantly being refilled – which I always love. I ordered their signature Strawberry Lemonade. So refreshing, and I loved the fresh strawberries blended into the Lemonade.
As for dinner, Daniel and I shared a few of their signature dishes.
We started off with the Spicy Calamari — (Tender calamari steak, tempura battered, seasoned, flash fried with spicy pepper, white wine sauce, jalapeño jelly.)
Erm, I have a thing about highlighting dishes as «sweet or spicy or whatever» on a menu, I expect to find a very potent spicy flavor of the described. The spicy calamari was not spicy in my eyes at all. While the tender «melt in your mouth» texture of the calamari was a treat, the mixture of the batter itself was a bit salty and just flavored with black pepper. There were two side sauces. One which resembled more of an extremely salty soy sauce with a chili pepper on top was not a good compliment to the already salty batter of the calamari. And the other which I’m assuming is the jalapeño jelly. This jalapeño jelly seemed much more like a sweet and sour sauce.
I loved the texture of the calamari itself, but the overall flavoring of the dish lacked on all levels in my eyes. Definitely needed to be a bit more spicy all around.
We also shared their signature Flaming Mac n Cheese and the Osso Bucco as recommended by our server.
The Flaming Mac n Cheese was definitely flaming and flavored very well. Couldn’t hurt to make it a bit more spicy, but overall, definitely had a kick. However, I would’ve preferred the elbow noodles of the mac n cheese to have had more texture to them. They definitely seem a bit over cooked today.
The Osso Bucco, was very hearty. The pork meat fell off of the bone quite easily and was cooked very well. Meat was soft and tender. The side of mashed potatoes was also prepared very well, with a light buttery flavor.
Overall, there were a few hit and misses with the dishes ordered, but for the most part, Blue was memorable with a few of their signature dishes. The only real big disappointment was the flavoring of the Spicy Calamari which was anything but spicy.
But not bad, not bad at all, and left me interested to try other dishes.

I met up with fellow Unilocaler Cassie J in the Castro for dinner after she had recommended Blue. The place was tiny with a straight away dining area arranged with booths and small tables stacked alongside each wall. In the middle was a narrow pathway that leads to their register and the smallest kitchen I’ve ever seen of any restaurant. The venue was sandwiched between a wall decked out with small vases and plants facing two large mirrors beneath small lighting to add to a shade of sunlight filtering through its front windows. An outlook of trendiness overlapping with simplicity came to my mind, and the menu reflected the ambiance as dishes were filled with traditional comfort food that each came with its own unique twist.
We shared the Spicy Calamari ($ 9.79) appetizer which arrived with battered tender calamari steak flash fried with spicy pepper, white wine sauce, and jalapeño jelly. With the tempura batter and melt in your mouth calamari tightly intact, the thick ultra tender smooth texture was never once chewy with enough seasoning to stand alone. The appetizer came with two types of dipping sauce, one of which was a sweet red sauce that embodied a subtle kick. The second was constituted by super dark soy sauce mixed with peppers and scallions which were not a good idea given the salty nature of the golden calamari. I felt like I was adding salt on top of salt as I experimented with the soy pepper dip. Additionally, the dish was not spicy at all as the pepper and jalapeño based ingredients were not apparent.
For the main entrée we shared an order of Flaming Mac & Cheese ($ 10.29) which was their signature dish served spicy with chili peppers and tomato sauce. The gooey cheeses were plentiful but diluted when compared to the one experienced at Mastro’s, and the abundant macaroni were tasty but the texture was frail as it was overcooked. We both were looking for the spicy kick but there were plenty of chirping crickets in our culinary imaginations. This could have been a much better mac & cheese had it been spicy hot with boner macaroni to give me a gooey hallelujah.
The next entrée we shared was the highly acclaimed Osso Bucco ($ 13.99), which was only served during dinner hours with pork shank dressed with a tomato herb-​olive oil compote, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli. I enjoyed this dish a lot with the tender meat peeling off the bone with ease and the side of mashed potatoes was whipped till finesse with a thrust of garlic. The steamed broccoli were nice and firm and it was really the only item on the table that I should eat more of given my history of committing gluttony to the highest degree.
Their Strawberry Lemonade ($ 3.25) had fresh strawberries nicely embedded but the price for the Diet Coke ($ 2.79) was a tad too steep. We received bottomless refills for these drinks but it could still be cheaper. There were a lot of delays in service with plenty of smiles and apologies. With shades of originality to couple with faulty spicy claims that didn’t rise to expectations, there were still glimpse of highlights underscored by the fresh high quality ingredients used, overall affordability of the entrees, and outstanding portions. We both were glad to have tried this place. Not yet a fan but thought the meal was a worthy 3.5 stars experience. I’d be interested in trying their Beef Stoganoff but will only consider visiting when I’m in the area.

HOT, HOT, HOT guys who work here… and yummy food too!
As three of my friends and I decided to eat here Sunday night, we arrived around 8pm where we were greeted by a HOT host who told us the wait would be about 15 minutes.
FOOD:
*Calamari ($ 9.49) — This LARGE appetizer portion was yummy. A couple of my friends thought the pieces had too much batter on it, but maybe that was their side of the plate because the pieces I ate were perfectly battered. The dish came with two sauces — a spicy jalapeño sauce and a soy sauce like sauce with green onions in it.
*Warm Brie, Roasted Garlic (7.99) — YUMMMMM! This appetizer was a hit with all four of us. The warm brie came out as a slice in the middle of the plate surrounded by crunch baguette slices, slices of strawberries, and a clover of roasted garlic. This is definitely a recommended appetizer!
*Homemade Chicken Pot Pie ($ 11.49) — The crust was delicious, the chicken was moist, and the veggies were fresh. Although not one of the best pot pies I’ve tasted, it’s certainly up there.
*Gourmet Mac & Cheese ($ 10.29) — Three kinds of cheeses and panko bread toppings which created a slight crunch on the top layer with elbow macaroni (my fav) made this dish delicious.
*Flaming Mac & Cheese ($ 10.29) –The mac and cheese had a lot of flavor and a nice kick to it. I’m not one who can handle extra spicy dishes all the time and I will admit, I needed water to accompany this dish, but it was well worth it. We also chose to add grilled chicken breasts (+$ 3) which soaked up the flavor from the cheese and tomato sauce.
*Rock Shrimp Mac & Cheese ($ 13.99) — Maybe I expected too much out of this dish considering I was the one who wanted it. Even though there were four types of cheeses in it, this mac and cheese dish seemed the least flavor and had more of a fishy taste to it. I took the leftovers home and oddly, the leftovers tasted better than when it did fresh.
*Osso Bucco ($ 13.99) — A generous portion of pork shank served was served with garlic mashed potatoes and freshly steamed broccoli. The pork shank was very tender and slid off the bone without any effort.
*Crème Brulee ($ 6.50) — It was certainly different and not what I was expecting. Unlike traditional crème brulee which has more of a custard like texture, this one was more along the lines of a mousse with lemon rinds which created a zesty flavor.
Keep in mind, the portions are decently sized here. As we tend to always over order, we took home enough food to feed 2 – 3 additional people.
SERVICE:
Our server, Travis, was attentive and made sure everything was okay with our party. I wish he would have told us that this was going to be a too much food to handle though.
PARKING:
Street parking

The food at Blue isn’t the ONLY thing that will make you DROOL…
After reading all the rave reviews of the Flaming Mac ‘N Cheese, I knew my friends and I had to pay a visit to Blue. We (party of 4) came here last night, 4.18 at around 8 PM and had to wait about 15 minutes for a table.
FOOD:
*Warm Brie and Roasted Garlic w/​Baguette Slices ($ 7.99): OMFG! One the of BEST appetizers I’ve ever had! The baguette slices were toasted and lightly brushed with butter. It was crisp, yet the center was soft. The garlic bulb was doused w/​EVOO and roasted to perfection. It literally melted into all the nooks and crannies of the bread when slathered with a knife. The warm brie (triple cream?) was savory with a slight acidic bite to it. The buttery crisp baguette, creamy roasted garlic clove, and creamy brie worked in harmony with one another. A MUST ORDER!
*Tempura Battered Calamari ($ 9.79): Although 2 of my friends liked it, my other friend and I just thought it was ok. I thought the calamari was over-​fried and didn’t have the light airy texture that tempura batter should have. A lot of the pieces were not fried consistently; many pieces were batter laden while other pieces had no batter at all. There were 2 accompanying sauces; a garlic soy sauce which was very salty and the jalapeño jelly which had a nice, sweet fiery kick to it.
*Flaming Mac ‘N Cheese w/​Chicken ($ 13.29): DELISH! I love Mac ‘N Cheese and I love spicy foods; so naturally I loved this dish! The elbow pasta was cooked al-​dente and was blended with a creamy MUY CALIENTE tomato cheese béchamel sauce and then lightly topped with additional cheese and panko bread crumbs to give it a slight crunch. It was sooo cheesy and thick, that as you spoon some to your plate, the cheese strings stretches from the bowl to your plate. *drool* The chicken breast pieces was tender and had soaked up all the béchamel sauce making it very flavorful. A MUST ORDER!
*Gourmet Mac ‘N Cheese ($ 10.29): YUMMY! The elbow pasta was al-​dente and blended with a mixture of mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and parmesan which gave it a savory, rich, and pungent flavor. The panko bread crumb and brunt cheese on the edges was a nice crisp texture contrast to velvety mac ‘n cheese.
*Rock Shrimp Man ‘N Cheese: ($ 13.99): My least favorite of the mac ‘n cheeses. It was essentially the gourmet mac ‘n cheese with rock shrimp. The shrimp didn’t taste fresh and gave the mac ‘n cheese a fishy taste which was unappetizing.
*Osso Bucco w/​Mash Potatoes and Broccoli ($ 13.99):HOLY SMOKES! The pork shank tasted as it was braised for hours; it was EXTREMELY tender and melted in my mouth. The tomato herb compote was a perfect complement an added a zing to help balance out the richness of the meat. The mash potatoes was thick, rich, and creamy with a slight hint of garlic. A MUST ORDER!
*Chicken Pot Pie ($ 11.49): OH-​MY – it looked and tasted like something out of the Food Network Show, «Tyler’s Ultimate!» This was the first time I’ve ever had chicken pot pie from a restaurant and it blew me right out of the water! The filling was made with tender chunks of chicken breast, fresh celery, carrots, and peas which still had a bite to it, and a rich, savory, and creamy chicken broth. It was topped with a phyllo dough crust which was crisp and flaky. It’s comfort food at it’s finest!
*Crème Brulee ($ 5.50): It was good in a very different way. I’m a big crème brulee fan b/​c of it’s velvety texture. Blue’s version is more like a mousse than a custard. The brunt crust had a nice crunch, but wasn’t too sweet. The crème itself was very airy and refreshing as it was flavored with lemon rinds. It was a perfect ending to a dairy-​laden meal.
SERVICE:
Does it matter when the servers are SMOKING HOT? I don’t know if we (I) were drooling more for the food or the wait staff. J/​K! Blue was at capacity and the servers managed to be very friendly, down-​to-​earth, and attentive. Our server, Travis always made sure we were ok and that our water glasses were filled.
AMBIANCE/​DÉCOR:
Blue can be best described as a divey diner/​café serving up gourmet comfort food. It’s SMALL and has about 4 tables and 3 booth which can accommodate about 20 – 24 people. Bare walls with hanging plant vases and a blue ceiling with annoying flickering yellow lights pretty much sums up its minimalist décor.
The bathroom is located in the back of the tiny kitchen which you have to dodge kitchen staff as you walk through for fear of not bumping into them or knocking down something.
Early 90’s pop music played in the background while boisterous conversations among patrons took place.
PARKING:
Difficult and there is no nearby parking lots or garages. So, unless you get lucky, expect to be circling around.
After devouring nearly 7 dishes and a dessert among 4 people, we were already planning our next meal at Blue b/​c almost everything was that DAMN good! Next time, we’ll just remember to come armed with a Costco-​sized box of Lactaid…

I’ve been craving bomb mac and cheese since April and the blue box was just not cutting it! I saw all the wonderful reviews of Blue’s mac and cheese and had it bookmarked for months; and finally last Sunday I was able to have brunch here. It’s much smaller than I expected, but there were only a couple occupied tables when we came in.
He and I shared a cheese burger and the gourmet mac and cheese. The burger was so juicy! And came with a whole mountain of perfectly crispy shoestring fries. The mac and cheese was really cheesy and I loved how there were baked bread crumbs on top. It wasn’t super rich, but I think it may have been a little dairy overload for me for the first meal of the day around 11:30. I definitely want to try the flaming mac and cheese next time.
Blue has so many yummy comfort food items on their menu which can probably even make the most decisive person have second thoughts on what to order. We lucked out and found a spot across the street, but I know parking is so much worse at night, so I may never get to try their delicious looking Osso Bocco (a dinner only item)!

Nearly two years later, Blue is still a little bit country and a little bit rock n’ roll to me. The rock n’ roll side comes from the hipster vibe that permeates any eatery in the Castro, especially the ones with young, skinny waiters in tight black t-​shirts. The country side is the old-​fashioned dishes this place serves at new-​fangled prices. There’s no getting around the high cost of living in the city, but you can still enjoy the cuisine which wouldn’t be out of place at the Iowa State Fair circa 1946. All that’s missing is an Arnold Palmer in a tumbler. Oh wait… there it is.
Jamie W. and I came here because I had a faint recollection that I had a good meal here. Looking at my previous review, why yes, I did. This time, we perused the dinner menu. He had the $ 10.99 Beef Stroganoff (see my photo). Man, when was the last time anybody had beef stroganoff? Hands, please. Anybody? Yeah, I thought so. I think the last time I had it was at Daniel Webster Elementary School in Dallas, Texas, when I saw Judy Nuggins eat her boogers across the table. We broke up after that. Oh, did I mention it was good? Not Judy… the stroganoff, especially with the buttery noodles.
I went for the $ 13.99 Osso Bucco, which seems like quite a stretch from the rest of the menu (see my photo). Yet, it came with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans, so I was back at the school cafeteria again. The waiter just needed one of those black hairnets the lunch ladies used to wear when they handed us our jello cups. Oh, did I mention this was pretty good, too? The pork shank was tender though a tad clumpy when you pulled at the meat. Hey, that’s OK… I’m not that picky. We were both pretty full at meal’s end, but we did get up to sing our duet…
I’m a little bit of Memphis and Nashville
With a little bit of Motown in my soul
I don’t know if it’s good or bad
But I know I love it so
I’m a little bit country… I’m a little bit rock ‘n roll!
FOOD — 4 stars… America, love it or leave it… eat our ‘taters, eat our beef… I’m proud to be an American!
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… and yet it’s still a crowded Castro diner
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… awkward as they can be, they keep trying
TOTAL — 4 stars… Donny and Marie would be proud to eat here… if it weren’t for all the non-​Mormon anti-​believers

nah!!!