Blue Restaurant & Bar Recipe for Success on The Murfreesboro Post

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Blue Restaurant & Bar Recipe for Success

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By: MELINDA HUDGINS, mhudgins@murfreesboropost.com

Posted: Sunday, July 17, 2011 6:09 am

Blue Restaurant & Bar Recipe for Success | Blue Restaurant,Food,Greg Pogue,Business,Marty Brown

1 c. upscale dining

1 c. sports bar

1 c. patio (optional)

2 tbsp. baby grand

1 heaping dash of ambition

Combine ingredients, stir in one part American fare and sprinkle with local artwork before serving Blue Restaurant & Bar to the community.

Greg Pogue and Marty Brown have been friends for years, but only recently have they combined their 40 years of restaurant experience and 20 years of community relationships to offer local residents something a little different.

“What we’ve really tried to create is a couple of business models under one roof,” Pogue said of Blue, which is nestled in the center of Jackson Heights Plaza on Northwest Broad Street.

He explained how dining experience is up front, while the combination of happy hour, TVs and bar atmosphere can be found in the rear of the restaurant. Then, of course, there is a patio for outdoor dining.

“We feel like we can give you a variety of experiences under one roof,” Pogue said, describing the restaurant as “upscale casual” and “something you would find in a bigger city.”

“We’re not a specialty destination; we’re an every day restaurant,” Brown said.

“But with an upscale feel,” Pogue finished.

Local art, music

Blue just wouldn’t be a Murfreesboro restaurant without some local art to don its slate blue walls.

La Vergne resident Don Murphree currently has more than a dozen pieces hanging throughout the bar and restaurant. They will remain until Blue kicks off its informal art shows in October, when artists will be featured on a monthly basis.

Classical melodies float throughout the dining room on Friday and night, as pianist Charlie Parker strokes the keys of a baby grand.

And duo Avent Lane and Larry Pinkerton entertain Sunday brunch guests with familiar tunes.

Menu

Brown brings more than four decades of culinary experience to the table, literally.

His cooking career began in the U.S. Navy, where he attended chef school and served as baker aboard a Flag Ship. He has been through cake decorating school, planned menus and even brought the original Bunganut Pig in Franklin out of bankruptcy.

With a little help from his friends, Brown selected key dishes to grace the pages of Blue’s lunch, dinner and brunch menus.

For starters, guests can choose from tasty options like CrawCakes – pan-seared, encrusted crawfish served with lobster creole mustard sauce – Wrapped Asparagus – grilled asparagus wrapped in country ham topped with Hollandaise sauce – or Tuna Au Poivre – pan seared peppercorn encrusted tuna with Asian dipping sauce.

A dozen sandwiches and salads feature everything from steak and shrimp to smoked turkey and country ham.

Blue’s dinner menu offers a smorgasbord of steaks, chops, seafood and chicken entrees served with two sides ranging from garlic-mashed potatoes to marinated tomatoes and onions. Additionally, guests who prefer an Italian flair can select a pasta, sauce and protein combination.

But that’s not all – Blue also provides a Sunday Brunch to guests with dishes like Fresh Toast and Fried Chicken, Steak & Eggs and Country Ham, Open Face Chicken Salad.

“It is American cuisine with some twists unique to Blue,” Pogue explained.

As for the name, he says “Blue is whatever you want it to be. MTSU? Sure. Color of the sky? Sure. It’s whatever you want it to be.”

Tagged under Blue Restaurant, Business, Food, Greg Pogue, Marty Brown

Member Opinions:

By: bota on 7/17/11
Great food Very New Yorkish!

By: Macgyver on 7/21/11
Where is it at?

By: MichelleWillard on 7/21/11
It is in Jackson Heights Plaza.

By: glassart on 7/22/11

The fresh seafood can't be beat - fantastic
experience food and service - Thank you for
giving the 'Boro an exciting new resturant.