I just had an amazing lunch at Blue Stove in Santa Monica. Located on the third floor of Nordstroms at Santa Monica Place. This is a tapas style restaurant with some of the freshest food. All made fresh daily under the guidance of chef Ernesto. With 1500 restaurants in Santa Monica and 200 of them serving tapas, Blue Stove is a true gem in restaurants. We were greeted by Michael Brand. He explained that we should order two or three dishes each. You can share each order, or just devour it yourself. My friend and I started with salad. I had the Spinach and Fuji Apple Salad with Bacon Dressing. The dressing was delicious. Light, sweet, and crisp. My friend had a Frisée Salad with Manchengo Cheese and Quince Vinaigrette. Both salads were very green.
- Blue Stoves’ signature dish.
- The coffee at Blue Stove is made right in front of you.
- The Blue Stove restaurant in Santa Monica.
- Creme Brûlée at Blue Stove.
- The Crab Cake tapas at Blue Stove.
The tapas plates come out as they are ready. You can order them in a certain order if you prefer. We got the Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos second. My friend was sipping the house white wine which he enjoyed. A tapas lunch is a great way to share a meal and chat. The Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos are Blue Stoves’ most popular dish. Michael informed us that at the Thousand Oaks location, Santa Monica and East Coast location, the Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos are the item most frequently ordered. I understand why. The plate comes with four tiny ground chicken tacos. We shared the four. Each eating two. I was tempted to order another plate of tacos, but there was so much to try. The surprise dish was the Seared Wild Mushroom and Grilled Asparagus With Lemon Zest. I was pleasantly surprised how good this tasted. I’m not usually an asparagus lover, but this dish is wonderful. The asparagus is cooked perfectly. The Lemon Zest dressing is a perfect compliment. A dish we both ordered was the Miso Glazed Black Cod. Chef Ernesto works his magic on this dish. Each element is balanced. The Cod is fantastic, but so is each tiny piece of vegetable. You can really taste the freshness in this dish. This dish is a real treat. Next, we ordered the Lump Crab Cakes with Rumoulade. Wow, what a great dish. The homemade tartar sauce is amazing. For desert, we shared the Warm Apple Cobbler. It was perfect. Fresh whipped cream, warm apples. It was delicious. I give Blue Stove an overwhelming recommendation. I could really get used to eating like this. Blue Stove is at ; 220 Broadway 3rd Floor of Nordstroms, Santa Monica, CA 90401 Santa Monica
