By any measure, Aaron Bludorn, his wife Victoria Pappas Bludorn, and their business partner Cherif Mbodji have taken Houston by storm with their lively fine dining restaurant Bludorn and Navy Blue, its seafood-oriented sister concept in Rice Village. After a year of planning, the trio are ready to do it again.
Their new restaurant Bar Bludorn will open this Friday, March 29. First announced last year, the new restaurant, which is located in the former Jonathan’s the Rub space at 9061 Gaylord Dr. in Hedwig Village, puts a fresh spin on some of the most popular dishes from both restaurants while also forging its own identity as a neighborhood tavern for Memorial-area diners.
“I feel like a lot of it is very straightforward — things that I really enjoy eating,” Aaron Bludorn tells CultureMap about Bar Bludorn's menu. “If I had a neighborhood restaurant that I could walk to or drive closely to, what would I want to see on the menu? What’s something I would come back to if it was executed property?”
Turns out the chef enjoys eating dishes such as beignets topped with country ham, spaghetti carbonara, and steak frites. Like its siblings, Bar Bludorn also serves oysters three ways — raw, roasted, and fried — as well as a burger made with dry-aged beef, steaks, and Ora King salmon. Fried chicken and fried fish, which have been well-received as special on the menu at Bludorn and Navy Blue, respectively, both get permanent spots on the Bar Bludorn menu. If it all seems vaguely familiar, that's both intentional and part of the restaurant's challenge.
“A lot of the dishes we have on the menu, it’s almost more ambitious to do simple things, because you have to do them perfectly,” he adds.
And no, he isn’t concerned that adding peas to the carbonara will upset purists who think the dish should only be made with spaghetti, eggs, Pecorino Romano, guanciale, and pepper. As Bludorn points out, he’s not Italian and doesn’t feel bound to Italian food traditions.
“I love peas in carbonara. If it’s wrong, my Italian grandmother that I don’t have is not going to be mad at me,” he says with a laugh. “I think that dish is delicious. I wanted something that had a vegetable in it — And peas and bacon are awesome.”
Yes, those are peas in the carbonara.Photo by Lauren Holub Photograph
On the beverage side, sommelier Molly Austad’s wine list focuses on red wines from Napa and Bordeaux along with selections from Champagne and Burgundy. Bludorn bartender Fabio Pontes put his spin on the cocktail program with drinks that include a Negroni that adds Jägermeister, a Pina Colada recipe that calls for drops of absinthe and creme de menthe, and a rye Old Fashioned with maraschino liqueur and Italian bitters.
In order to ensure everything is executed perfectly, the Bludorns and Mbodji selected Alexandra “Allie” Peña to serve as executive chef. A veteran of both Bludorn and Navy Blue, Peña is the first native Houstonian to lead one of Bludorn’s restaurants.
“Going through what we’ve been through up to this point, I know we’ve made the right decision. She’s a natural leader and very talented,” Bludorn says about Peña. “She’s got a lot of discipline and integrity towards doing things the right way. Someone who would strive day in and day out to be the best they could and have the food reflect that.”
Similarly, Cole Parry moves from his role as Bludorn’s general manager to serve in the same capacity at Bar Bludorn. As Bludorn explains, Parry asked for the assignment.
“He wanted to do an opening. He didn’t get to open Bludorn,” Aaron Bludorn says. “What better way to cut his teeth, than opening Bar Bludorn in Memorial?”
In terms of design, the restaurant takes part of its inspiration from the bar at Bludorn. Details include walnut paneling, hunter green banquettes, and terrazzo floors. One subtle detail is the word “Memorial” in the same script font that’s used for the word “Bludorn” at the original restaurant — a tie that bonds both establishments.
“You look at the bar at Bludorn, I said, ‘I just want to make this larger,’” Bludorn says about the concept he shared with local design firm Gensler. “It always has a lively feel.”
With all of the success both Bludorn and Navy Blue have achieved, Aaron Bludorn knows the pressure is on to operate at a high level from day one. He’s confident that this team and this menu will get Bar Bludorn off to a strong start.
“In neighborhoods like Memorial, you have one or two shots to connect with the guests,” he says. “If you don’t connect, they’re not going to come back. They’re discerning diners. We have to be amazing from day one.”
Bar Bludorn will be open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday beginning at 5 pm.
