Boston Phoenix January 18-25,2001
Out of the Blue came out of nowhere, but it seems destined to go places. It's a small, happenin' spot (just like its predecessor, the late-night Dolly's) whose focus is on fresh fish dishes accompanied by pasta or salad.

The Phanton Gourmet
Out of the Blue is fantastic Davis Square eatery with small, personalized space that carries an underwater theme. The ocean wall murals are as tasteful as the nicely priced, fresh seafood.

Resourcere
Looking for a great new seafood restaurant in Davis Square? A group of us recently tried Out of the Blue for dinner and loved it. The atmosphere is casual and the food is varied, tasty and very decently priced. My plate of mussels and some fried calamari reminded me of the seafood in Spain - delicious! The staff was friendly without being overbearing (they didn't even mind accomodating a baby carriage by our table on a Friday night!). The restaurant opened in the past yeart and is located at 382 Highland Ave. (where Dolly's used to be), just a few minutes walk from the Davis Square T stop. Since good and inexpensive seafood restaurants are hard to come by, we all highly recommend this one!

Calling all seafood lovers. Finally a restaurant that serves quality food at reasonable prices has surfaced in the Boston area. Out of the Blue, whose name says it all, brought its delectable dishes to our tables three years ago and it has been all up stream from there. This dynamic team of Steve, who is the front manager, and Brad, who is the chef, have all the necessary tools to build a solid business where customers can expect quality food. The decor is welcoming with its underwater murals, ship models and ocean artifacts. Steve greets every customer with a smile and knows most by name, while Brad knows just how they like their fish prepared.

On a recent visit with several out of town friends, I origionally decided to venture out into different areas of the menu. The results were nothing short of fabulous. For appetizers, we chose shrimp scampi, which included five tender gulf shrimp sauteed with garlic in a Romano herb chardonnay sauce. The shrimp were cooked to perfection and the sauce... simply amazing and great for dipping bread. Crab cakes, which happen to be my mother's favorite appetizer, served with grilled tomatoes and a mustard caper chardonnay sauce combined just the right amount of crab and ingrediants, without being overpowering. The clams casino, prepared with their secret stuffing, melted in our mouths, while the New England clam chowder was the perfect comfort food.

Next came the entrees, which were all equally as sinful as our appetizers. Traditionally, Out of the Blue makes a baked stuffed lobster with a scallop herb cracker crumb stuffing, but for an additional charge you can opt for lobster stuffing. Either way the stuffing was crisp on the outside, moist in the middle and had such a smooth texture that you cannot help but savor every bite. The swordfish was grilled perfectly, with an array of delicate seasonings. All of the entrees came with a choice of salad, grilled vegetables or a side of pasta, which could have any of their sauces. An excellent side dish is the parmesean risotto, which was very simple but had great consistency and tremendous flavor. For those non-seafood lovers, this restaurant offers a chicken parmesean so delicious that the customer may think they are in Italy. They also featured many specials, including halibut with various mushrooms that another patron was enjoying. Nevertheless, that would have to be saved for the next time!

We finished off the evening with tiramisu and cannoli's which are both made in house. Out of the Blue offers beer, wine, soft drinks, and imported Italian sodas. They are open seven nights a week for dinner and Monday through Friday for lunch. The prices are very reasonable and the quality of fish is unsurpassable, since Steve visits the fish pier every morning to purchase the freshest products. They accept Visa, MasterCard and Cash. No personal checks please.

The Resaurant Rover gives Out of the Blue four stars and highly recommends this restaurant.

***** = So Amazing that it should be banned in all fifty states
**** = Heaven on Earth
*** = Good, may result in slight head turning
** = Fair... but needs some revival
* = You're better off cooking at home