#navbar-iframe { display: none; }

« Home | Yummy Chinese BBQ, Haymarket Chinatown » | District Dining, Surry Hills » | Freebie Friday: Win a gold double pass to MasterCh... » | La Paula, Fairfield » | Bentley Restaurant, Surry Hills » | Charlie & Co Burgers, Westfield Sydney » | Aperitivo, Leichhardt » | Yummy Chinese BBQ, Ashfield » | Freebie Friday: Win a Braun Multiquick Cordless » | Fresh tofu and soy milk at Nhu Quynh, Yagoona »

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Blue Plate Grill, Neutral Bay



EDIT: Blue Plate Grill has closed

You won't eat a hot dog in a fancier restaurant.

We arrive at Blue Plate Grill to find a dining room much fancier than its American menu would suggest, with curved booth seating along one wall, a Roman column in the middle, and a spectacular chandelier above the bar.



We are a group of seven tonight, and immediately agree to share a mix of dishes for entree.


Deep dish pizza $16 for half

The deep dish pizza is a Chicago classic but a foreign concept to most Australians. Known for its quiche-deep filling, we find layers of Italian sausage mince and mushroom covered in mozzarella and drenched with a tomato sauce. The base is baked to a crunchy, almost biscuity texture, sturdy enough to hold the saucy filling.


My Bulmers cider $8


Buffalo wings $16

We travel from Chicago to update New York with a serve of buffalo wings, a local favourite. Fried wings are usually coated in a mixture of cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter but we find these aren't particularly sticky with sauce. Blue cheese sauce is quite mild, and the portion is a little on the small side, particularly when there are requisite carrot and celery sticks provided for dipping.


Potato skins $13

Potato skins are small baked potatoes with their middles scooped out and grilled with cheddar cheese and bacon. A pot of sour cream is more than generous this time.


Crab cake $16

Maryland-style crab cake is sweet with visible chunks of crab meat, bound with kernels of sweet corn.


Chilli dog $15

We ooh with excitement when the chilli dog arrives, a gargantuan-sized hot dog smothered with cheese and served with a mountain of french fries. There is much to be said for the pleasures of a soft hot dog bun, frankfurt and chilli beef mince that is stringy with molten cheese.


Philly Frank's Cheesesteak $17

We move onto mains, each person choosing their own poison/pleasure. Philly cheesesteak is the specialty of Philadelphia of course, a dish I tried with much anticipation on my last trip to the States. Thin slices of scotch fillet are soft and tender, sandwiched with caramelised onions, mushrooms and melted provolone cheese in a housemade soft hoagie roll. A pickle is all you need to escape the cheese and chip overload.


Barbecue ribs $38

Three of us have opted for the barbecue ribs, a portion that turns out to be enormous. A full rack of ribs is drenched with a spicy smoky barbecue sauce, the meat falling off the bone. This is sleeves-rolled, hands-on, finger-lickin' goodness.


Corn bread

The ribs come with your choice of side. I'm a huge fan of corn bread but I find this one disappointing, dry in texture and cold to the touch. Even lashings of butter cannot save this one, made in-house we're told.


Maple bourbon glazed salmon $29
with blackened corn and garlic mashed potato


Drunken pork chop soaked in beer brine and grilled $25
with cranberry apple sauce, vegetables and garlic mash


Strawberry verrine $13

We have to negotiate dessert as a group, toying with the available options before finally agreeing on three to share.

Strawberry verrine is one of the lighter desserts, layers of sponge cake sandwiched with white chocolate mousse and strawberries in a sturdy glass. A scatter of crushed pistachios adds crunch but the layer of strawberry jelly on top is more of a heavy elastic than a gentle wobble.


Gina's pumpkin pie $13

I'd predictably excited by the garnish on our next dish, a fork imprint made by a heavy dusting of nutmeg. It rests next to Gina's pumpkin pie, a Thanksgiving special in almost every American home. Heavily spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, the pumpkin puree is dense and rich.


Pecan pie $13

The pecan pie is the clear winner of the evening, the crisp pastry shell resplendent with whole pecans on top of a squidgy layer of brown sugar and bourbon that is caramelly in flavour.

Next time I'm having a whole piece all to myself.


View Larger Map
Blue Plate Bar and Grill on Urbanspoon

Blue Plate Bar and Grill (CLOSED)
24 Young Street (enter from Grosvenor Street)
Neutral Bay, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9953 2942

Opening hours
Dinner 7 nights from 6pm


Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Neutral Bay - Koh-Ya Yakiniku (all you can eat)

American - Hooters, Parramatta
Ribs - Hurricane's Grill, Darling Harbour
Ribs - Kelly's Bar and Grill, Bondi JunctionRibs - Outback Steakhouse, North Strathfield
27 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 11/10/2010 06:08:00 am


27 Comments:

  • At 11/10/2010 6:38 am, Anonymous boutique marketing ideas said…

    great pics. :))

     
  • At 11/10/2010 9:25 am, Anonymous A said…

    looks good! i would love to visit this place. too bad its so far!

     
  • At 11/10/2010 10:00 am, Anonymous Hannah said…

    How dare the cornbread be un-amazing! (I'm in a serious cornbread-lovin' mood these days...) I'm also horrified by the small portion of blue cheese, btu the appearance of gherkins more than makes up for this.

    Oh, how I love pickles.

     
  • At 11/10/2010 10:17 am, Anonymous Tina@foodboozeshoes said…

    Love the pumpkin pie plating!!!

    Just one carb cake? :( And love the sounds of blackened corn!

     
  • At 11/10/2010 10:39 am, Blogger Laura said…

    i have been wantng to go here for months, i now cant wait to go.

     
  • At 11/10/2010 10:42 am, Anonymous chickpea said…

    $16 for buffalo wings?! Is that right? The portions look awfully small, of is that after you all had a sample? ;)

    Actually all the servings look a tad small, even the potato skins...$13 for 5 halves?? No way!

    I love buffalo wings, and I agree, definitely need more sauce, carrot, celery and a massive tub of blue cheese sauce!

     
  • At 11/10/2010 10:46 am, Anonymous chocolatesuze said…

    that pecan pie was so awesome. im totes not sharing next time either!

     
  • At 11/10/2010 11:09 am, Blogger lifeis2munch said…

    yummm your post makes me miss my weekly wing night at the local pub in PA when i lived there! i think i have to make it here one of these days!

     
  • At 11/10/2010 11:25 am, Blogger Gianna@TheEmptyFridge said…

    helen you had me at deep dish pizza!

    I have been dying try this place and get my fix of 'fancy'american food - I think id want everything on the menu to myself, although its a shame about the cornbread, but from the look of the desserts it hopefully made up for it!

     
  • At 11/10/2010 11:32 am, Blogger Alessandra said…

    Wow, you really managed to take some great photos of the dishes. Did the restaurant had good light?

    ciao
    Alessandra

     
  • At 11/10/2010 12:20 pm, Blogger spicyicecream said…

    I loved South so I can't wait to try Blue Plate! Those ribs look insane and that pecan pie is reason enough to visit!

     
  • At 11/10/2010 1:19 pm, Blogger joey@forkingaroundsydney said…

    OMG! Chilli cheese dog and fries! Dribble dribble.

     
  • At 11/10/2010 5:24 pm, Anonymous stephen said…

    great photos. .HOLY YUM!

     
  • At 11/10/2010 5:59 pm, Anonymous Shane said…

    Wow! The ambiance makes me think that this is really a fine dining restaurant. And the way you capture the place through its fancy chandelier makes me conclude that you enjoyed your dining experience on Blue Plate Grill, Neutral Bay. I'd like to be in that kind of place some time as well.

     
  • At 11/10/2010 7:11 pm, Blogger missklicious said…

    Looks like comfort food at it's best. Love the fork print garnish, so clever!

     
  • At 11/10/2010 7:27 pm, Blogger heartbreak pie said…

    AMAZING! all that food makes me want a crisp bulmers...

     
  • At 11/10/2010 9:57 pm, Anonymous john@heneedsfood said…

    Fancy chandelier and not-so-fancy food, although I do fancy a good chunk of the pecan pie!

     
  • At 11/11/2010 12:54 am, Anonymous Simon @ the heart of food said…

    The contrast between the fine dining setting and the chili dog & cheesesteak was surreal.

    Would love to go back to have a full one of either. Both were better than what I'd expected :)

     
  • At 11/11/2010 5:56 am, Anonymous noodleboy said…

    Did you mean upstate New York? : )

    Great post as always Helen

     
  • At 11/11/2010 6:26 pm, Anonymous looonce said…

    i tried to make a deep dish pizza 8 years ago and failed miserably when the ingredients didn't cook. i am so pleased i can eat one again without leaving australia.

     
  • At 11/14/2010 9:03 pm, Blogger Viv said…

    this is some much fun...'traveling' thru the different states! i miss the deep dish chicago pizza that i had when i lived there...yummm the potato skins!

     
  • At 11/15/2010 1:08 am, Blogger Shawn said…

    Great post as always. Looks yum but eesh it's pricey! Why is American food always so expensive in Australia?

     
  • At 11/16/2010 5:52 am, Anonymous david said…

    Must visit on my list. Thanks for pointing it out

     
  • At 11/16/2010 9:22 am, Anonymous vicki said…

    this post cause my to call my travel agent...

     
  • At 11/16/2010 9:39 am, Blogger Unknown said…

    I like the the interpretation of some American classics. I would say that your dinner may be higher priced than what we would pay for the dish here in the USA (ex hotdog and fries $5, Philly cheesesteak andn fries $8). The one dish, if made correctly and deliciously, that is worth a lot of money is the Chicago style pizza. Only in certain restaurants in Chicago can you get a really good Chicago pizza. Myself, I live too far away from Chicago, and can only dream about Chicago pizza.

     
  • At 11/18/2010 6:55 pm, Anonymous David said…

    Just had a meal there and it was great!

     
  • At 1/30/2011 11:08 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I was a regular at blue plate and would go at least once a month. I had my last fantastic meal there in October 2010. Having been in the US since then I was very excited to return to my favorite place to eat only to be confronted with dramatic menu changes and VERY bad food! In the car on the way to blue plate I was telling my friends how amazing the food is and the new England clam chowder was FANTASTIC we get there and all the highlights of the menu are gone! The portion sizes are very small and the flavor wasn't to be seen... Or tasted! I was so upset as blue plate was my favorite place to go! I dont know what's happened in the last few months (perhaps they fired the chefs...?!?) but I am so disappointed. I now have nowhere to fulfill my craving for the flavorsome Gumbo and a hearty bowl of new England clam chowder. I'm not sure if they have ruined the hot wings and ribs but I'm too scared to try! I would prefer to keep the memory alive!

     

Post a Comment

<< Home


      << Read Older Posts       |       >> Read Newer Posts