Bluebird Debate

[Alice Levitt]

mstonervt and Morganna have been discussing "the animus against Bluebird" on another thread. I thought it was time that the forum have a place for a healthy debate of Burlington's most talked-about restaurant.

I am squarely among the "Yea" votes on the subject. There is nothing more fun than getting lots of beautifully-prepared small plates to share with friends. Don't want to spend a ton of money? Don't order expensive ones. Go for the bacon almonds – they're four bucks, and great to take in the car for hunger pangs the next day. When it's just me and James, we order one of the suppers. You get a shared appetizer, two salads, a huge, varied plate of the featured protein and choice of two sides. At $40 or so, I think it's a great deal.

Some people take issue with the vague menu descriptions. I say trust the chef's expertise. It's such a joy to unwrap all of Aaron's little surprises. This is especially true of the suppers, which tend to say little more than the animal being served. Once we ordered "Lamb," which turned out to be slices of leg, ribs and delightfully tangy merguez.

What say you?

[Morganna]

I think that the menu and the style of the website give enough of a hint that this is supposed to be an upscale dining experience.  I wouldn't expect a full meal at a place like Hen of the Wood for less than $24, so I wouldn't expect a plate for $15 in Bluebird to be a full meal.  Honestly, I haven't been to either (yet, I have reservations for our anniversary at Hen of the Wood), and it's not the sort of thing I normally go for.  Well, I should say not the sort of foods my husband normally goes for, and I don't eat out without him very often.   Maybe I should find a class that takes me up to Burlington once a week so I can try some places like this out on my own.

Anyway, my impression of most of the negative reviews I've read has always come down to "expectations management".  I just get the impression the people who were disappointed were expecting something else.  They had it in their head that "supper" or "shares" means something other than "small plates" and they aren't used to trusting that the chef will prepare something wonderful with just the barest explanation of what that is.

Indeed, for a lot of people, that would be a dangerous course to follow because of food sensitivities, but I doubt they'd be going to Bluebird anyway... I guess... I just wish people would see what they were getting into before going there, or at least be able to say "this isn't what I thought it was going to be" rather than "this place sucks because I didn't fill up."

[siliconghost]

This place is REALLY awful. I'd have no problem paying 20$ and more for GOOD gastropub food. The service is a joke, other than a certain bartender who was a fixture at the Scuffer for years, and used to own the 'Bone, but seriously, avoid this place. Unless you just want to get drunk. If you smoked a whole lot of herb before you go, than the food might be palatable. I'd rather write a research paper on the works of L. Ron Hubbard, or jerk off with a cheese grater before I came back.

And I DID eat the poutine. It sux.

WHARFGARRBL

[Morganna]

Oh... *sigh* siliconghost, this "review" is really useless.  What did you have, and what was -wrong- with it?  "It sux" doesn't tell anyone anything useful.

[Mara]

My mister and I have been to the Bluebird twice now and probably won't be back. The first time was OK, we both got the burger because we had been scared straight by all the bad reviews. The burgers were pretty good if a little over cooked. The fries were wildly over cooked but I think some people enjoy them really greasy and crispy so maybe that's what they are going for.

The second time we went was pretty disastrous. We started with a flatbread that was $12 and advertised as a share but the server said it could be dinner or one person. We know to not trust the portion sizes there so we got it as a starter to share. It was maybe a third of the size of a small flatbread pizza at American Flatbread - that might be a little generous and yet the same price if not a tad more then would have been charged at Flatbread. The reason I compare the two is because American Flatbread also uses local ingredients and makes their own sauce, dough etc. I feel like it's a pretty fair comparison. The flatbread was pretty tasty but the portion is just so ridiculous for the price. Had it been priced at $7 it would have been great and seemed like you got what you paid for.

My mister got the Blue Bird sausage for an entree. Like many other folks have said, the menu is very vague so you don't know what it might end up being when you order something that says Blue Bird sausage. It was one sausage wrapped in a piece of bread, it was supposed to be sweet sausage but the mister disagreed. He said it wasn't very tasty, as in, it literally had very little taste. After he was done with the sausage he ordered an extra order of fries in an attempt to fill up.

I again ordered the burger since I was looking around me and not seeing anything on other tables that was wowing me.  Unfortunately, when it came it had obviously been sitting in the window waiting for pick up by the server for quite some time. The bottom half of the bun was soaked with blood and was a soggy mess and the fries were cold to the touch. I sent it back and they returned a new one this time with the bun charred to a blackened disappointment. I don't know if this was my punishment for complaining or what but I was pretty bummed.

All in all, I don't think we will be back again. The truth is I don't mind paying Hen of the Wood prices if I'm getting Hen of the Wood food. Bluebird's food does not even hold a candle to Hen of the Wood so why would I pay the same prices?

[Morganna]

Thank you for this detailed review.  It helps a lot!   Now if we can get the owners to look into stuff like this.  Did you mention the problems you had to anyone there like the manager?  Maybe you could email them?

[Undead Molly]

Thank you Maura for taking the time to write out that detailed review! Very helpful.

[Alice Levitt]

I have to jump in and defend the fries. I find almost all of them in the area to be flaccid and undercooked. It seems like most places around here don't how to blanch 'em.

The Bluebird serves up what I think of as French bistro frites. Very crisp, very salty and very addictive. The aioli rocks, too!

My favorite poutine ever used to be the one at Duckfat in Portland, ME, but the Bluebird's has beaten it even without killing a duck.

[Morganna]

I've felt much the same about the flabby fries you find in most of the restaurants around here.   I -hate- soft smooshy fries.   I was shocked when I heard people touting Al's as the BEST fries EVAH.   So just that they do crisp fries has me thinking I might stop in for THOSE.

[tonyo]

OK, as I am rarely at a loss for words, I'll add a few to this subject:

I am baffled that NO ONE form the Blue Bird Tavern has joined this discussion, at least not after identifying themself as an employee/owner/manager.  I respect establishments that take the time to answer comments so we know what their thoughts are.  This restaurant is getting more gratis press than any place I heve ever seen.  The comments are clearly divided which is not uncommon when taking pubic opinion, with a few exceptions.  I will say that folks writing positive comments seem VERY DEFENSIVE to the point of being condescending.  Don't tell me I don't "understand" what they are doing or that "I only eat at Chili's".  I'm actually sick and tired of places beinh put on some sort of pedestal because they are "local".  That does not guarantee quality food, and generally, it has NOTHING to do with the quality of service.  I agree, there are some great local products that are a real treat.  For example, there is no arguement that a locally grown heirloom tomato is CLEARLY SUPERIOR to the garbage that most chains plunk on your sandwich.  However, Vermont is not a year round source for fresh produce so we should enjoy it when we can and seek other sources in Winter.  I for one, think that most of the local beef is overpriced and not that great as this is clearly not an ideal location for raising beef cattle.  However, there are those that will gladly gnaw through a piece of substandard, overpriced beef because it is local.  Imagine if everyone only bought locally ?  So long midwest grain farmers, bye bye Florida Citrus growers, and so on.

So back to the topic, Blue Bird. The portion sizes seem almost universally  critiqued as too small.  The service seems to be spotty at best.  The menu seems to be unclear.  To the positive, the food is creative, locally sourced, and tastes good.  The ambiance is warm and inviting.  My answer is simple: find some reasonably priced local items (corn on the cob rubbed with goat cheese @ $3.00 / ear would be filling and net a nice margin to the BB), train the staff (and be prepared to fire those that can't cut it), write the menu with clear and enticing adjectives, and RESPOND TO THE PUBLIC with your plan of action.  We are doing this on our dime with, in most cases, the objective of helping the BB to be a vibrant source of dining.  Thank people for their input, and the rewards will follow.

[waterl]

i went there for dinner last night and have to say i had a great, fun, adventurous meal. i agree with some posters -you just have to trust the chef and have fun with yourself and not really knowing what you might get.
for example, i ordered the fluke, expecting cooked fish, but it was served sashimi style and you know what, it was great and great to be surprised.  then i ordered the lamb meatballs which may have been a little gamy for me, but i was thankful it was a small plate, 2 bites for me and two for my guest, was a perfect amount, i wouldn't have wanted to eat 6.  i actually loved the yogurt that came with the lamb and i ended up using it on some of my fries, i grew to like it more than the house made catsup- which is good too.  and the fries- they are done just right, like no other you can get around here, taste like fries in Europe. the fried rabbit was interesting, too fryey for me and didn't really get finished, it was good, but again glad it was a small portion, wouldn't have wanted to eat a large portion, i even thought the fries portion was a bit big for 2, i felt guilty eating them all.  what i really like tho is the small portions made me feel less guilty about not maybe finishing all the fried rabbit and fried veggies that came with it. the best part- the coffee brittle icecream- outstanding and the cookie jar a cute accompaniment to scoop the the icecream with.  love the atmosphere and our waitress was actually very pleasant- no complaints here- really.

[Morganna]

Don't tell me I don't "understand" what they are doing or that "I only eat at Chili's".  I'm actually sick and tired of places beinh put on some sort of pedestal because they are "local".  That does not guarantee quality food, and generally, it has NOTHING to do with the quality of service. 

This is a good point, Tony.  Thank you!

[Le Fromage]

Here's what I love about the Bluebird: great lighting, fabulous bar area (although it's so fabulous that it needs to be bigger in order to meet demand), super location, parking, etc.  The Bluebird is set up for success!
 
BUT - I think the issue here is that the Bluebird is tripping over it's own menu.  When you order the much recommended poutine, and then, maybe a burger, you get fries twice.  So when the food comes out and you're halfway through one dish, at that point you're just over fries in general, so how could the poutine be good? And you're not even hungry for the burger anymore.  Even if it's fabulous, you're already done.  It's not really a quality issue, but a consumer saturation level.  Bluebird, it's time to run interference for your customers!  We're not that smart.  Create the menu (you know you can) so that if you're sitting at the bar in a pair, you can't mess up ordering.  Any two or three or four appetizers should land as complements, not redundancies! 

Regarding the entree confusion... Bluebird, offer appetizer size at one price, and main course size at another.  Those of us who are ordering after two glasses of wine at the bar no longer have available the deft mathematical redux of 2x + 7.3=2.6432... and cannot figure the cost per bite and scale up to infer portion size.  And NO WOMAN is going to order something for two and gnosh it down solo.  'Tis never going to happen.

In terms of service, it has been fabulous for me every time.  However, if the menu is off, then the servers have to be on steroids to run back and forth and try and fix everything, they then become disheartened, lose faith in the effort, and the service suffers.  It's much easier on everyone when they can take the food for granted.    A couple of adjustments should do the trick!

[mmfmmf]

Went on Sunday for the first time and loved it. Great wine list, interesting choices. Fun selection of food and the first dessert menu I've seen in a LONG time where I wanted to try everything on it. My only criticism is that maybe eventually there will seem to be an over-use of bacon - great flavor, but too many things with bacon involved. And the TV's in the bar are an absolute tragedy as far as I'm concerned. Gorgeous space, great patio for sitting out side and a beautiful bar - NO NEED for TV's.

[johjohprum]

I have been a professional server full time for the past seven years. My service the three times I have been to the Bluebird has been both attentive and informative. Don't know what something is?  Ask your server. I have had three different people and they have answered my queries successfully.

Of course some of you "expect" to pay $24 for an entree at Hen of the Wood which is touted as a local "fine dining" establishment (I use this term very loosely since it certainly is not compared to Per Se or L'Espalier). I've found the food at Bluebird Tavern to be tasty, well executed, worth the price. I am always willing to invest in my local economy. I have returned with fellow industry professionals and they have agreed. A couple dishes we enjoyed more than others, but please people! Give the place a break!

No where is going to be perfect all the time especially when new. I'm thankful I can finally recommend more than one restaurant in the Burlington area to friends and guests of mine.
Burlington has been waiting for this for some time. Embrace it! Don't want to spend the money on the burger? There are plenty of places where you can grab one made from hormone injected beef. Go there instead.