Bluefin Grille

The Bluefin Grille
Tofte, MN
218.663.6200
http://www.bluefinbay.com/cuisine/bluefin.php

Dinner Menu

Nothing better than a serene view to accompany a amazing dinner. If you've been to the North Shore or anywhere along Lake Superior then you know what it's like. During the summer it's almost like an ocean, minus the Hawaiian t-shirt wearing tourists and plastic women. But even during the cold season there is something wonderful about the shore. I'm not a ski rabbit so the snow games are beyond me. The peace though, I can deal with.

Maybe even if the food was bad I'd still pay a visit to the local restaurants just for the scenery. I guess it's just my luck that the Bluefin Grille serves up great dishes with a perfect view of the shore. Right out the large windows is a beach (currently snowbanks) and waves. People happily run along through the snow ignoring the bitterness of the cold (ignoring the fact they could fall to their death through the snow and ice into a freezing cold lake?) and the grayness of the sky. It's a comfort like home.

The Bluefin Grille serves up local fish, pasta, ribs, steak and burgers. The menu is constantly changing and there is always specials to try. For example, they had marlin last time we were there.

Pan-Roasted Walleye with Dill Cream Sauce $23.95 (mine)

Really great. The only negative was the potatoes were a little cold. The walleye made up for that however. The dill cream sauce was light and had great flavor. The breading on the fish was fried to perfection. There wasn't too much batter and it wasn't greasy at all. The fish inside was moist and flakey. The red peppers were crisp and bright. The squash and aspargus were a little squishy, but not bad. Plus is looks great, doesn't it?

Tomato Basil Gnocchi $15.50 (Mr. B's)

The starter here on the far left is a roast duck wild rice soup. AWESOME! I liked the soup way more than the entree. When I read 'Tomato Basil Gnocchi' I imagined a red/pink or green gnocchi that was flavored like tomato basil. Instead, this was more like a caprese salad with gnocchi mixed in. The gnocchi was well cooked however, not too hard and not too pasty. There was a lot of olive oil going on however. I wish they would have picked a heartier sauce to cover the gnocchi. The little dumplings sort of slid around instead of mixing well with any other elements of the dish.

There are lots of good options on the menu. I recommend sticking to their specialities (ribs, soup, smoked fish) and the fresh fish! I will always go back to the Bluefin Grille whenever I'm in Tofte, you should visit too.

-BananaWoo