Lower East Side: Meet Blue Elm, the new, teeny weeny West African-French-Japanese fusion restaurant that officially opened on Orchard between Houston and Stanton last night. By fusion here it means they have lobster souffle and "Safari steak" and Dragon rolls and sashimi. A look at the menu below reveals it's pretty bonkers, but hey, so is the LES.
Chef Malik Fall, an alum of Asia de Cuba, China Grill, and Boucarou, is a native of Senegal, went to school in France, and traveled widely in Asia, hence the theme of the space. For those checking the place out over the weekend, let us know if he pulled it off.
Vegetables
Green Earth Salad (for the Gatherer) – 5
- mixed baby organic greens with a truffle-soy vinaigrette
La Salade Cote Cap Vert – 5
- green lettuce, spinach and watercress with a honey-tarragon vinaigrette
La Tomate – 7
- heirloom tomatoes, micro-green leaves, chayote, lime zest and extra-virgin olive oil
Pommes Frites – 8
- rosemary- and truffle-dusted, hand-cut French fries, served with three dipping sauces
Seafood
Crispy Soft Shell Crabs – 10
- soft shell crabs, mushrooms, asparagus, sweet corn and brown butter aioli with a vert jus sauce
Yellowfin Tuna Tartare – 12
- yellowfin tuna, cucumber, opal leaves and sweet miso with an Asian ginger vinaigrette
Crab-Crusted and Roasted Portobello Mushrooms – 12
- portobello mushrooms, crabmeat and micro-amaranth with a beet sauce
Avocat aux Crevettes Senegalais – 12
- shrimp stuffed with avocado, chickpeas, Spanish onions, tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs
Yucca-Crusted Salmon – 14
- salmon and braised heart of palm with an asparagus sauce
Le Martini – 14
- salmon, tuna, white tuna, striped bass, avocado and yuzu tobiko with Chef Malik’s special sauce
Pan-Seared Black Bass – 14
- black bass, fufu and garlic spinach with a lemon-grass coconut-cream sauce
Baked Lobster Tail Souffle – 14
- lobster tail, honeydew, pea shoots and chervil beurre blanc
Halibut Ivory Coast – 15
- halibut, pumpkin biscuits, savory cabbage, lima beans with a tomato-saffron broth
Pan-Seared Scallops – 16
- scallops, fava beans, morel mushrooms and sweet-corn puree with a strawberry and balsamic reduction
Chilled Maine Lobster – 16
- lobster, upland cress and fire-roasted corn with a citrus vinaigrette
Poultry/Beef
Kobe Beef Spring Roll – 14
- kobe beef, shitake mushrooms, Napa cabbage, julienne carrots, bok choy and bean sprouts with a red-wine miso sauce
Yassa au Poulet de la Casamance –14
- marinated chicken with Dijon mustard, Spanish onions and Kalamata olives served over basmati rice
Safari Steak (for the Hunter) –15
- scallion-skewered sirloin steak, caramelized pears, tri-colored carrots with a port-wine sauce
Cotes d’Agneau – 16
- dry-aged lamb chops, boniato cake, roasted shallots and rhubarb compote with a merlot sauce
Kobe Beef Mafe aux Legumes Arachid – 16
- peanut-butter Kobe beef stew with roasted potatoes, white turnips, yam and green peas served over jasmine rice
Surf & Turf (La Langoustine et le Kobe) – 18
- Kobe beef, curry-roasted langoustine and sweet-potato cake with a red wine sauce
Sushi
Sushi/Sashimi a la Carte
Striped Bass - 2.5
Salmon - 2.5
Eel - 3
Tuna - 3
Yellowtail - 3.5
Shrimp - 3.5
Specialty Rolls
Edamame Maki - 6
- edamame tempura, cucumber and tobiko
Zen Delight - 7
- roasted portobello mushroom, fried yam and cucumber
Spicy Tuna Crunch - 7
- spicy tuna, asparagus and tempura flakes
Shrimp Tempura - 7
- inside-out roll with shrimp tempura, avocado and cucumber
Wasabi Maki - 9
- tuna, avocado, scallions, spicy wasabi tobiko
Rainbow - 10
- inside-out roll with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, avocado, scallions and smelt roe
Spider - 10
- jumbo soft-shell crab, avocado, cucumber, lettuce and smelt roe
Sunrise Surprise - 10
- assorted fish, crabmeat, avocado, spicy tempura and red tobiko
Golden Dragon - 11
- spicy salmon, tempura flakes, avocado and topped with salmon
Red Hot Dragon - 11
- tuna, cucumber and topped with spicy tuna
Crouching Green Dragon - 11
- eel, cucumber, smelt roe and topped with thin slices of avocado
Hidden Black Dragon - 12
- inside-out roll with shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, eel and smelt roe
Naruto - 12
- assorted fish, avocado, shiso leaf, spicy sauce and wrapped in thin slices of cucumber
Sushi/Sashimi Platters
Sushi Deluxe -18
- assorted sushi and tuna roll
Sashimi Deluxe - 22
- assorted sashimi
Sushi/Sashimi for Two - 38
- assorted sushi and sashimi, tuna roll and California roll
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