Last Sunday, I went to eat at Ocean Blue, an oyster bar and seafood restaurant in Utica, N.Y. It resides on the top floor of the Landmarc building. The first thing that struck me was the ambience of the place. The restaurant was lit by stylish hanging paper lanterns. The lighting was dim, but not so dim to inhibit any part of the experience. There were also seats on a patio-balcony area that would be perfect for warmer times of the year. The dress code of the restaurant was surprisingly casual. As I arrived I realized that there were even a few people wearing sweatpants. These were outliers however, as the majority of people were wearing typically preppy ensembles. But even those dressed more comfortably than others were still served happily and completely.
The service was attentive and eager to assist. Our waitress was helpful and would answer any question about the menu. She felt comfortable giving her recommendations on what to order from the menu. There were not many people at the restaurant at the time I ate there, so I cannot promise that your service would be as attentive, but while I was there, everyone was extremely helpful.
The main event of the evening, though, was the food. My dinner partner and I ordered the lobster mac & cheese, the Faroe Islands salmon, the lobster bisque,
a dozen oysters, classic cheesecake, and, of course, free bread. The oysters in particular were delicious. We ordered them steamed, not raw, but the natural flavors of the oysters were only intensified, not watered down. The lobster bisque was thick and savory, and surprisingly filling even when ordered in a cup. So confident was Ocean Blue that the Faroe Islands salmon was delicious that they presented it to us without any seasoning whatsoever — it was scrumptious. The lobster mac & cheese was delectable. The sauce was used sparingly, allowing it to add to the flavor of the pasta and the lobster without replacing it. The cheesecake was also tasty, presented simply with only the essentials. The free bread was as amazing as expected.
The rest of the restaurant’s menu is composed largely of seafood and various other fine dining staples, such as chicken, steak, and pasta. They were rather lacking in terms of vegetarian and vegan options, unless you are comfortable subsisting on bread and soup.
The one problem with the Ocean Blue is the pricing. This is certainly not the kind of place you can go to casually once a week. We were fortunate enough to arrive during Happy Hour, so the drinks were discounted, but even then the sangrias cost about $5 a pop. The sangrias were delicious but I do have some reservations about their pricing.
I still heavily recommend Ocean Blue, particularly if you are celebrating something, and don’t want to eat at Nola’s for the umpteenth time. It was a good restaurant with great food, and if you can afford to go there every once in a while, I highly recommend it.
