Black and Blue is still one of the "newer" upscale steak houses in Albany. It's modern, sleek, and on the formal side, but without airs.
And they have pretzel bread. HELLO.
Service was attentive, polite, and efficient - my ideal for an upscale steakhouse.
Steak tartare is one of those dishes I *have* to get when I see it on a menu. I prefer my tartare as more of a rough mince than a thicker dice, and the generous amount of cheese made absolutely no sense to me (do people like tartare with cheese?). I'd probably also dial back on some of the aioli, as I want more of the raw meat flavors to come though. If the meat's good, you don't need to dress it up with so many accessories. All of these opinions make me sound like I didn't like it, but it was quite good. Just some minor tweaks, or personal preferences.
That said, the truffle oil and 5 minute poached egg were phenomenal additions. Holy smokes - great combination.
That said, the truffle oil and 5 minute poached egg were phenomenal additions. Holy smokes - great combination.
Pair this with some fries and you've got yourself a great bar dinner. And let's be honest, I probably could have just stopped right here and had a perfectly content night out, except...
Oh right they have steak. Ridiculously well cooked steak.
The 14 oz Ribeye ($48) was cooked exactly to temp as requested (medium rare, thanks!). I find it so hard for most restaurants to nail medium rare through and through that I usually order rare and wind up getting something a little over medium rare. But not at Black & Blue. Medium rare is medium rare.
Black & Blue's house rub is mainly salt, pepper, and some rosemary notes, which go very well with the steak. I gilded the fatty lily with some truffle butter, because we all know ribeye steaks don't have nearly enough fat on their own. Amirite?
Filet Mignon ($44) au poivre ($12), which adds a black peppercorn and brandy sauce, haricots verts, and hash brown rosti cake.
The pepper sauce was a bit of overkill, as Black & Blue does a beautiful job with the meats on their own.
The pepper sauce was a bit of overkill, as Black & Blue does a beautiful job with the meats on their own.
A side of wild mushrooms ($8) with tarragon, onion, and shallot because I simply cannot resist any dish that includes tarragon or shallots. Combine the two? I'm in.
Great firm texture on the mushrooms. A solid side.
Great firm texture on the mushrooms. A solid side.
Truffle butter shot!
I'll likely give their crab a try next time, though it'll be hard to stray away from the excellently prepared steaks.
Black & Blue Steak & Crab
https://blackandbluesteakandcrab.com/albany
1740 Western Ave
Albany, NY 12203
(518) 313-7388
OMG drool.
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