Blu Sardinia Brings Authentic Sardinian Food to Redmond

Cross over to the Eastside and you’ll find a restaurant that makes local Sardinian’s proud. The food, decor, and service are well represented in the way Sardinian’s do it. Key members from Sardinia were flown out to the restaurant to ensure proper care and flavors were met for the guests.

If you’re new to Blu Sardinia, it is a casually elegant Italian restaurant infused with Sardinian flavors. The menu offers modern interpretations of traditional Sardinian cuisine alongside familiar Italian favorites. From the olive oil and bread at the start of the meal all the way through espresso and panna cotta at the end, diners experience the foods that can add years to their lives.

We had the opportunity to visit Sardinia a few summers ago and what we learned from the locals is the empowerment of healthy eating, relaxing over a meal and conversing for hours with a glass of wine in your hand. Sardinians have a long history of people living the longest in the world, all predicated to walking a lot and eating a vegetable-based diet accented with meat. And, they drink the deepest, darkest red wine available.

What’s the real secret? We think it’s in the food and at Blu Sardinia each ingredient is chosen with longevity in mind. All dishes feature beautifully appointed plates with towers of greens and fresh vegetables and proteins accent the dish. Though you won’t feel stuffed, you will feel satisfied. And energized. That’s the power of Sardinian cuisine.

Blu Sardinia features a one-of-a-kind, wood-fired oven, the option of dining in the main dining room or at the chef’s counter. The Blu Room is also available for private functions. Several Sardinian pastas such as fregula and culurgiones are also available. The food activates all the senses as it is lovingly prepared, combining contemporary Sardinian flavors and technique while relying on fresh ingredients as well as some straight from Sardinia.

Blu Sardinia’s menu offers modern takes on traditional Sardinian cuisine, paired with familiar Italian favorites. Starting a meal off with cured meats like prosciutto and cheeses like ricotta and soft pecorino with honey is typical in Sardinia. The meal continues with fresh vegetables such as zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, and fava beans. Blu Sardinia features several Sardinian pastas such as fregula and culurgiones.

A highlight and Sardinian delicacy, Bottarga—a pressed, dried roe from gray mullet or tuna and proteins such as lamb, fish and rabbit—is showcased on the menu. The food inspires all the senses, using no processed ingredients and relying on fresh ingredients as well as imported ingredients from Sardinia, prepared with contemporary Sardinian flavors and technique.

Fresh Italian breads such as ciabatta and focaccia, and handmade gelato are made in-house daily.

Now, let’s get into the menu.

The menu has a deep blue color representing the waters of Sardinia.

Guests start with a plate of olive oil and bread. Light, crispy and perfect with a glass of Torbato, Sella & Mosca (a local Sardinian wine).

This is the “Zuppa di Gamberi e Pomodori,” fresh vegetables, white beans, peas, Sardinian olive oil and prawns in a tomato prawn broth. – extremely rich in flavor as the tomato prawn broth brings out a natural earthy and salty flavor.

Here is a photo of the “Maccarronis de Busa,” Artisanal Sardinian pasta, fresh market scallops, mussels, clams, prawns and sea bass with a light tomato sauce. This is one of the most popular dishes at Blu Sardinia as it’s filled with fresh seafoods and hand rolled pasta. The base of the broth is similar to the “Zuppa di Gamberi e Pomodori.” The pasta was cooked perfectly and paired well with the seafood combination.