Go North, Young Man, Go North

During the height of the most recent real estate boom, developers were turning empty commercial space in downtown Lynn into lofts. The idea was that the area would be transformed by an influx of hip loft dwellers. I myself  looked at some of these conversions, as did my friends G. and D. We all passed on being pioneers, though D. does have his studio in the area. With the exception of the fabulous – and I rarely use that word - Zimmans, downtown Lynn remains dicey, still waiting for a renaissance. With the need for a constructive night life in mind, the Lynn Restaurant Group, Inc. was created and in turn created The Blue Ox. I first heard about the restaurant through Zagat’s weekly email announcing new reastaurant openings. Next, in late summer, the restaurant was quite favorably reviewed by Devra First of The Boston Globe. With that, The Blue Ox was on my to do list, as well as that of G. and D. who did settle in Lynn but in a more residential area. So the three of us were off to see just what was happening in downtown Lynn.

Like the plethora of similarly themed restaurants that have opened in recent months, i.e.during the recession, The Blue Ox focuses on value-priced comfort food. This category is on the verge of being overworked but at The Blue Ox, the chef, Matt O’Neil, more than gets it right – elevating mere comfort food to a new level. Like the Franklin Cafe, the restaurant is styled as a neighborhood eatery, but,  in this case, the neighborhood is the entire community. The menu is concise with items displaying a touch of non-comfort flair. We began with the baked stuffed brie – a wedge of brie split and filled with apricots, figs, cranberries, raspberry preserves, a drizzle of white truffle oil, a drizzle of aged balsamic and several slices of grilled baguette. Gooey cheese and white truffle oil – what could be better? What was even better was the Blue Ox burger which G. and myself both ordered. This consisted of two 4 oz. burgers stuffed with blue cheese each served on a roll garnished with a slice of applewood bacon, lettuce and tomato. AND a massive pile of some of the best house-made herbed french fries that I’ve ever had. We ordered a decent malbec to accompany our burgers. They also serve a Sin burger. (Get it? Lynn, Lynn, city of sin…..you know the jingle, don’t you?) D. opted for the roasted half chicken which the menu cautions takes twenty minutes to prepare – no prepped pre-cooked chicken here! The chicken was moist and flavorful with tasty mashed red bliss and garlicky spinach. Both items were extremely well-priced and very good value. G., being a diner after my own heart, checked out the short dessert menu even before reading the savory menu. Accordingly, we left some room for desserts. G. has a mission to sample as may versions of tiramisu as she can. It was on the menu, so she ordered it. As for me, having made thousands of tiramisu as my time as a pastry chef – I’ll probably have to make G. a tiramisu now –  I wanted something else and so chose the chocolate layer cake. As a former pastry chef, it’s often with trepidation that I order desserts in small restaurants – I have a fear that they may be mass-produced frozen creations. My fears were ill-founded here. Though the desserts are not made in-house but off-premise by a former employee, they were wonderful. The tiramisu was light with a deep espresso flavor. My chocolate cake – six layers of cake filled with a hazelnut-mascarpone filling and finish with a chocolate glaze – was outstanding. Both desserts were artfully presented - again something I would not expect from a restaurant of this size. The wait staff was friendly and competent – and talented. One server, presenting a birthday cake to a patron, belted out a powerful, operatic rendition of “Happy Birthday”.

Now that I’m moving and looking for a place, I’ve put Lynn on my short list. I’ve always liked the Diamond District, that area bordering Swampscott that fronts on Kings Beach. Having a restaurant like The Blue Ox nearby could certainly seal the deal.