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(Photo Credit: Blue Collar)
With so much seismic change in Miami’s food and beverage scene in just the past five years, it’s easy to forget that when Blue Collar first opened more than 12 years ago in a tiny 800-square-foot spot on the bustling Biscayne Boulevard, the tiny albeit flavor-packed gem was a bit of an anomaly. US1 at the time was a much different thoroughfare than it is today.
But throughout all that change, and firmly rooted in the local restaurant scene as a pioneering concept in what was then a “neighborhood in the making,” Blue Collar has remained a culinary lynchpin and an object of desire for comfort food enthusiasts from all over. This April, Blue Collar will leave its current location and move directly across the street into the space at 6789 Biscayne Blvd. Blue Collar is expanding into a 4,000-square-foot space with, for the first-time, full bar (buckle up) and expanded menu, not to mention proper indoor and outdoor patio seating.
And for chef/restaurateur Danny Serfer, the talent behind Blue Collar and its seafaring sister Mignonette, the expansion brings promise.
“I’m the first guy who complains that when a small, awesome place expands it loses that original magic, so this move and what it means for Blue Collar and its fans weighs heavily on me,” Serfer noted.
But the ability to expand the restaurant’s menu offerings, by virtue of the new space’s much-larger kitchen, as well as increase seating and offer proper bar service was too good to pass up.
“I can assure folks that ‘The New Blue’ will embrace the same spirit, menu concept, and pricing as ‘Classic Blue’ but will bring just enough of the right ‘new’ to make it work.”
In the vein of new and exciting, here are some things guests can expect at Serfer’s “New Blue.”
• Seating for 140 between the dining room and outdoor patio
• Full bar with an emphasis on classic cocktails – i.e. Martinis, Old Fashioneds, Cosmos. “People looking for handlebar mustached mixologists and drinks that take 30 minutes to make should get their kicks elsewhere,” Serfer said.
• Expanded menu rich with Blue Collar classics as well as a ton of new items. Dailies will be soups, chops and pastas. Some pastas will be made fresh in-house and the soups will include matzoh ball soup year-round and a “soup of the day.” Also, breads baked in-house.
• A fabulous Happy Hour, the kind you might want to duck out of work a little early for just so you don’t miss too much of it.
• And though the menu, which will remain affordable, approachable and portioned with generosity, is still in development, here are a few dishes likely to see the light of day come April: Eggroll Trio – cheeseburger, Cuban sandwich, pepperoni pizza; Mushroom and Goat Cheese croquettes with fig jam; Shawarma – lamb shoulder, Israeli couscous, saffron, pita, hummus and tahini; Swedish meatballs with toast and gravy, and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Of course, most signatures remain from the Billy Corben Sandwich, Blue Collar’s legendary dry-aged cheeseburger on a Portuguese muffin and The Big Ragout.
• Available at lunch ($15) and dinner ($20), Serfer’s version of a Miami completa – a composed meal with a protein, carb, side and a non-alcoholic drink. “Part of Blue Collar’s success has been its pricing, and I’m not looking to change that in the new space. A larger menu and more seats did not indicate, for me, a chance to spike our prices. The New Blue will maintain that spirit of accessibility; it’ll just offer more for people to access.”
• Great new look that will feel apiece with the original Blue Collar but definitely embrace a Mid-century/MiMo aesthetic including a brand-new bar being crafted from scratch for the space.
And what of the original space, home to so many memories, at capacity brunches, peak hour takeout madness and bustling lunches? “It’s staying in the family,” Serfer said. “The space is precious to me and I’ll be introducing something 100 percent new there when the time is right.”
Blue Collar will close at 6730 Biscayne Blvd. sometime in late-March/early-April for its official transition to 6789, which will open by the end of April. Lunch, Happy Hour and dinner will be served initially, with breakfast and brunch rolling out shortly thereafter. Free lot parking and street parking abounds. Call 305-756-0366; visit www.bluecollarmiami.com.
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