Vue Restaurant at Le Bleu hotel

We went for dinner. Not amazing, not bad. Will probably go back. More on our experience later. (Service was amazing, btw).

Oh, and table bread came with butternut squash butter. It was delicious!

The inside dining area looked nice, but we sat outside (that's where the Manhattan views are). The tables were big and chairs surprisingly comfortable for outside seating but the space was sparse--no decorations, just felt like we were on some random roof. You can see Lady Liberty and Manhattan, but I kind of liked that it looked right down on the Uhaul lot and the Gowanus. Haha.

The bf had cocktails and liked both that he got, but they were pricey. For apps, I had the butternut squash soup. They serve it cold which might be better once it's hot out, and it was fine (and not half cream like some places, yuck). BF had the crabcakes and said they were okay, not bad or amazing.

I had the filet steak and it was one of the better I've had in a restaurant (nothing beats what we grill at home). Cooked as I ordered and not over-seasoned/sauced. The garlic chive mashed potatoes were perfect and the squash (I don't eat seafood so subbed squash for the shrimp) was okay.

BF had the crusted steak with spinach. I tried the crust part and really liked it. He definitely enjoyed his steak (which was large!) and spinach.

Oh, they bring you rolls and the squash butter I mentioned earlier. The bread (we got two flavors) was delicious as was the butter, but nice and small so you don't fill up on it unless you ask for more (which other tables did).

The inside had almost nobody and I think all but one or two of the 6 outside tables were seated while we were there (went around 7 I think).

Once it's warmer I would love to go back after dark for the view of the city at night.

do they take reservations?

It doesn't sound like you need reservations considering how empty she said the place was when she was there on a Friday night.

LongTimeSloper wrote: It doesn't sound like you need reservations considering how empty she said the place was when she was there on a Friday night.

But maybe to reserve a prime outdoor seat with a view...

They did say they take reservations.

Any place that charges $19 for a hamburger loses points in my book.

pastoralia wrote: Any place that charges $19 for a hamburger loses points in my book.

Yeah, I noticed that too. Seems pricey for he neighborhood, and hard to believe it could be worth it. It's not like this is some foie gras burger from Daniel Boulud. There are plenty of places in Park Slope and Prospect Heights that serve a good burger, even in an upscale atmosphere, that costs way less than that.

I think a lot of people eating there are hotel guests. They said that's mostly what it has been so far.

And who gets a burger at a restaurant--home grilled is where it's at! The cocktails were Manhattan prices, but my glass of wine seemed about average ($7 or $8 I think). It's all about the view!

I'll make you a good burger for much less than that :-)

Cheap excuse to bump an old thread to show how times have changed. Le Bleu is for sale:

Sacre bleu! Park Slope's Hotel Le Bleu is for sale.

CPEX Real Estate has the exclusive listing for the seven-story, 48-room boutique hotel, which opened in 2007 at the beginning of a wave of lodging construction in Park Slope and Gowanus.

The asking price is $12 million for the building and the ground beneath it. The independent operator of the hotel, Gangeshwar LLC, has a 99-year hotel net lease that began in November 2007 with a rent that escalates 3% every five years.

The Rooftop Restaurant and Lounge, on the property's eighth and ninth floors, has a five-year lease that started in February 2012 with one five-year renewal option. The rent escalates $9,000 annually.

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/chic-park-slope-boutique-hotel-property-seeks-new-owner-2013-07-17-140000