Blue River Cafe

I was quite underwhelmed, if not angry, with the Blue River Cafe.  Some caveats.  I went with a large group (8), and the place was already quite busy -- way more people than the staff seemed to be able to handle.  That being said, the service was painfully slow, and  the food just average.  There was a band playing, way too loud for dinnertime, and someone who came to the table soliciting money for the band (we were later told it was the owner) was just impolite.  He hovered at the table and wouldn't leave until we gave him money for the band none of us really wanted to hear.  And he ignored everyone's request for more drinks as we continued to wait for our food orders to be taken.  
I ended up leaving a huge tip.  Not because I wanted to, but by the end of the meal everyone at our table wanted so badly to leave that none of us were willing to wait (for what we expected would certainly be a very long time) for change.  Not a good experience.

You know a place is special when you can look over from your outdoor seating and watch the chef pick the basil she is about to put into your meal!  We live only 3 miles from the Blue River Cafe, so we are there frequently and consider ourselves lucky to have such a gem so close.  The menu is varied, and changes weekly depending on what is in season.  There is always a vegetarian option available. (There is also a core menu of sandwiches and salads you can get year round).  On this particular night we ordered the fettuccine with chicken, bacon, peppers, fresh basil that you can have prepared with oil or cream.  Of course, we chose cream!  The dish comes with two sides--I chose a dinner salad, with their homemade ranch and broccoli with cream cheese sauce.  The fettuccine was flavorful, with the bacon adding a perfect punch of flavor.  The salad was fresh and the homemade dressing delightfully thick and creamy, with an accent of dill.  The broccoli was perfectly steamed and still slightly crunchy.  There was so much food both the hubby and I took about half of our dish home.  On Fridays and Saturdays there is live music in the evenings.  They have a good beer menu, with mircrobrews available and an eclectic wine menu with several by-the-glass choices. You cannot not go wrong visiting the Blue River Cafe!

I wanted this place to be good. We went on a Sunday. We made a reservation as they asked. They has one waitress for 10 tables. The service was very slow. I was also excited about the food, they are known for chef designed and cooked food. I have had better fish at long john silvers. The rye bread was not toasted and tasted like it came from walmart. The tarter sauce was nothing but mayonaise. The fries were fresh cut big chunks of potato, with no spice at all, not even salt. The cole slaw was pretty good. The food was also priced a little high, fish sandwich coleslaw and fries $11.