Blau am Hudson River Brings a New York style dining experience to the waterfront in Weehawken, New Jersey.
With breathtaking views of the Hudson River and the New York City skyline, Land and sea come together at Blu on the Hudson not only as a view but also on the menu, with an advanced seafood menu featuring a premium steak program, homemade pasta, a unique cocktail program and rooftop event space coming soon.
The concept was created by Blu Hospitality Group, led by Kosta Gianopoulos, who teamed up with designer Peggy Leung – whose previous projects include Tokyo DisneySea and who is one of the lead designers for TAO Las Vegas – to bring the massive 30,000 to fill square feet of space. Design a dining environment dedicated to Manhattan in general.
The expansive interior includes a cozy lounge with a large fireplace and reception desk, and is divided into a spacious main dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Manhattan skyline.
In the center of the room is an elegant, rectangular bar clad in white marble, where artfully crafted cocktails are served.
Behind the bar is a series of tropical-inspired dining alcoves with green walls.
Additionally, there are two private dining rooms with a beautifully curated wine wall. Separated from the main room by sliding glass doors, the Blu Sushi Bar features red wallpaper with cherry blossoms, natural wood tables, and an elegant marble sushi bar.
To tackle the mega-project, Blu Hospitality brought together an all-star group of industry veterans to bring it to life: Executive Chef Juan Carlos “JC” Ortega (Blue Fin’s Blue Fin Hospitality BR Guest, Blue Water Grill and most recently catch steak); CEO Tom Blum; Beverage Director Jeremy Le Blanche (Thyme Bar, The Gibson, Deutsches Gymnasium); and bartender Adam Greer (Dovetail, Chestnut).
Chef JC brings his years of experience working with seafood and steak to create a menu composed of simple, clean ingredients that evoke complex flavors, drawing on a variety of influences from the Mediterranean and beyond.
Its cuisine is upscale yet accessible, offering choices for every guest.
The menu begins with Raw Bar and Crudo, which includes: The Haute Caviar Program, a 1-ounce (28-gram) caviar served with crispy fries, brioche toppings, and quail eggs; and marinated East Coast oysters with pickled jicama, salmon roe and Meyer lemons.
Appetizer Highlights: Prawns, Basque-style prawns in pil pil garlic and chili sauce, served with toasted baguette; Rice cake with spicy tuna, tobiko and avocado; and Spanish boquerones, imported white anchovies on a condom pan, with green olives.
To create the homemade pasta, Chef JC has teamed up with Executive Sous Chef Alberto Reyeswho worked as a butcher and made pasta under chef Scott Conant.
Choices include Gemelli with braised veal shank, Grana Padano and basil. rolled by hand Gnocchi in a spicy vodka dressing with local ricotta; and a vegan twist on radiator spinach in a zucchini basil pesto with pine nuts and vegan feta cheese.
The main courses are synchronized land and sea: Piccata-style chicken with Branzino baby spinach for two, baked and served with Béarnaise sauce and toasted lemon; and prawns and schnitzel with caramel, lemon and herbs.
Blu on Hudson’s global steak program highlights Midwest Prime Steaks, Westholme Australian Wagyu and Kagawa Prefecture A-5 Japanese Wagyu.
Leading the program are the exclusive Wagyu Skirt Steak, sourced from West Holme and only available at Blu on the Hudson, and the delicious 16oz Delmonico, as well as the generously sized chops of the 40oz Wagyu Tomahawk and 32oz Prime Porterhouse.
Pastry chefs Erika Martinez and Su Moon created the desserts.
Inspired by the classics, they’re served with a twist, like the Classic Tiramisu, with a semi-liquid top poured over the opposite side of the bowl; Gala cream puff apple pie with crackling almonds, Greek yogurt and bourbon caramel sauce; Featuring flourless chocolate s’mores, gluten-free graham biscuits, topped with chocolate mousse and marshmallows.
Adjacent to the main dining room, the Blue Sushi Bar serves sushi and izakaya-inspired dishes with flavor profiles similar to those in the main dining room, created by Executive Chef JC in collaboration with K Dong, owner of Hinoki Greenwich and MIKU SUSHI in Greenwich. Connecticut.
The concept should be more relaxed, offer creative dishes and serve lunch and take-away.
To create the cocktail menu, Beverage Director Jeremy Le Blanche used his experience from working at the world’s top cocktail bars – including Thyme Bar, The Gibson in London and German Gymnasium in London – to create a unique programme, still available.
His drinks substitute tricky ingredients in favor of theatrical performances and offbeat side dishes to preserve their knowledge while creating a memorable experience for each guest.
The wine program was built by sommelier Adam Greer, who worked with Executive Chef John Fraser at Dovetail and received much of his early wine training from Michael Connolly while working at Chestnut on Smith Street.
He has curated a world-class wine list, with strengths from Bordeaux and Burgundy, that includes lesser-known wines of great value for their added quality alongside older producers.
It includes a solid selection of wines by the glass, including five stills, eight whites and 12 reds, along with a reserve list beautifully displayed on the restaurant’s wine wall.
Blu on the Hudson is minutes from Hoboken and Jersey City on the Light Rail, a 6 minute NY Waterway ferry ride from Manhattan.
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