Oliver and Neil at Blue
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Hey everyone,
Last night I discovered a new (well new in the sense that I’d never been there before, it’s been there for a while now) venue in Portland, that I think everyone should know about. It’s called Blue, and it’s at 650A Congress St, just a little bit up the road from Joe’s Smoke Shop and across the street. I went in there to support my buddy Oliver Watkinson, who is an upright bass player from the New England Conservatory, and was fully expecting to be in and out in about half an hour. Chase and I got there a little before 9, when the concert was supposed to start. We left again at 11. This place had us hooked. It’s a small venue, really just a bar, with beer, wine, coffee, and tea, and very minimal appetizers. This is a place all about the atmosphere. It’s dimly lit, with a candle at every table, and some string lights behind the bar. The whole room is this dark color that creates a very quiet feeling, so it is not overly loud, which meant Chase and I were able to talk at a normal volume, and keep a conversation going, while still listening to Neil and Oliver jam out the jazz. We ordered coffee for two, figuring this would allow us to have a table and not be yelled at by the servers, and at 3 bucks apiece it was not expensive. We received a very large coffee pot for the two of us, which gave each of us a nice 3-4 cups of coffee, well worth the price of admission.
We looked at the food, and people seemed to be enjoying it, this is the sort of place that offers appetizers such as antipasto trays, and olives. They do have a pasta bowl for $7/$10 which someone ordered nearby me and looked quite good, but that’s really their only meal-like offering. There is very tasteful modern art hanging from the walls, which is unobtrusive and merely adds to the whole experience, they obviously try to keep their walls clear because of the lack of space, but they found room for five pieces of tasteful art. Having looked online it seems that one of the hanging pieces was done by local Portland artist Casey Reynolds, and since the other four seemed to be in the same style, I would assume that she made the others as well. To the right is an example of a piece she had hanging last night in Blue, taken from the Blue website. 
Blue was opened in 2005 by, and is still operated by Barry P. Martin. He worked behind the bar, as well as coming out into the middle of the patrons to encourage us to tip Oliver and Neil generously as well as telling a few prize jokes. He made it known to us that every saturday from 9-close was Jazz Night at Blue, featuring a new artist every week. If I was in Portland every week, I would certainly come back, as it is I’m said that I leave next saturday morning, and won’t be able to hear who he’s got lined up next week. All in all Blue is a place I would recommend to everyone. It’s cozy, intimate, with a great mood setting, excellent coffee, and if you’re 21+ a great selection of wines and beers. Open Wednesday through Saturday (with some Tuesdays thrown in there) I would recommend stopping by for a quiet drink and relaxing with great people and usually an excellent performer as well.
Blue’s Website can be accessed here (http://www.portcityblue.com) With a full menu, a list of upcoming performers, local artist with pieces up, and more.
Until next time,
~ Ned
