One Sixty Blue

Last night, I went out to dinner at One Sixty Blue. Its located in the Westloop and specializes in New American cuisine. Michael Jordan is one of the owners.


The facade of the restaurant lends little clues to the sophisticated decor inside. Low lighting, intimate candles, sleek lines of navy and blue fabric, with walls dipped in deep mocha's and an open bustling kitchen. It had a similar feel to many of the restaurants I've visited in San Francisco and Napa Valley. Innovative American dishes with fresh local organic produce.



Throughout the main dining room, there are tiny alcoves, one with Cream walls and an intimate dinner party set for 12, patrons nestled around a huge cherry wood table, with bright orange magnolias, erupting in the center, the focal point of the place setting. Along the south wall, another alcove, behind heavy blue curtains, housing an extensive wine cellar.

When I walked in, I arrived at a bustling bar, serving specialty cocktails along with the happy hour special, rhubarb, blueberry and lemon prosecco for $4. Friday is "dough night" in which they serve five dollar brick oven pizza in the cocktail lounge/bar. The clientele in here was varied, a new family with a young baby in stroller, two girlfriends in their mid thirties, an older couple, enjoying a bottle of red, and a young couple in their mid twenties, drinking speciality beers.
In the corner, behind glass panes, and nestled between rows of wine, a DJ spun clubby music, volume low.

I arrived early and while waiting for Katie, I sat down and order a glass of the rhubarb infused prosecco. It was great, slightly sweet with a bit of tang. The bartender led on that these were made by simply combing rhubarb simple syrup to the prosecco. While enjoying my drink, I perused through the menu. Focusing on the speciality pizzas. They are personal pizzas, about the size of a Mama Celeste, with some delicious combinations of flavors and ingredients, blue cheese and spring onion, white pizza with zucchini blossoms, tomato mozzarella and ramps. Pair this with a prosecco cocktail and for ten dollars you have a great and affordable start to the weekend.


Katie and I opted to eat in the main dining room, we wanted to try out the seasonal fair, that I have heard rave reviews about.

It did not disappoint.

The menu changes about four times a year, so expect to find the freshest ingredients, and some main staples, such as the duck and flank steak, that I guess are always in season.

We started off with a glass of the house white, it was really light and crisp. In the words of our waiter "Similar to Chardonnay but without the oakiness."


About 10mins after sitting down, the waiter brought over a basket of piping hot bread and cheese flats. The butter served was really unique, it had little flecks of pickle in it, that added a nice saltiness to the unsalted butter, and some texture to the spread.

For dinner, I ordered the Sonoma Duck, with baby bok choy, water chestnuts and Thai barbecue sauce and Katie got the tortellini with bison.


The duck was incredible. It was light and perfectly cooked, with very little fat on it. The skin was crispy, similar to pancetta, with a smoky flavor, and the bbq sauce was light and runny. It coated every piece and soaked into the bok choy.
Sometimes I feel like Duck is too heavy, but this cut was light, flavorful and juicy! Which is a rarity.


Katies bison tortellinis were equally delicious. The pasta was light and flavorful, and the filling was chewy and rich. They were lightly coated with Parmesan shavings, and set on a bed of greens, which nicely off set the richness of the dish. Yum!

We decided to split a dessert and went with the "Childhood Favorites." This was an array of tiny desserts, emphasizing children's classics. Pictured below, Carmel Corn, Key Lime Sorbet, Honey Graham Cracker Cookie Sandwich, Red Velvet Cake, and Smore Tart. The Carmel Corn was pretty much your typical Carmel corn, nothing to write home about. The Key Lime Sorbet, was equally disappoint. I thought the Red Velvet Cake was a bit too dry, and not quite sweet enough. On the other hand, the Honey Graham Cracker Cookie Sandwich was delicious. The cookie was sweet and salty, with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. The Smore tart was also pleasing. The graham cracker crust had a saltiness to it, that offset the milk chocolate and gooey marshmallows sweetness perfectly.


Overall, it was a delcious meal. I would highly recommend One Sixty Blue.