Bay Area Houston Magazine

By Logan Timmins

Having been open now for just a couple of months, Blue Palms Bar & Grill is already impressing locals with its exclusive menu selections, quality ingredients, and outstanding service. They are quickly making a name for themselves as an excellent eatery addition to the community, sure to succeed.

David and Cindy Burington, owners of the new dine-in restaurant and cocktail bar, opened their business on Jan. 9. David Burington has an extensive background working in Italian food restaurants, mainly. “I worked as a line cook, a prep cook, became a supervisor, then a general manager, then a kitchen manager, and also as a chef,” Burington says. “I even had some training in Italy.”

Despite his brother’s encouragement to open an Italian food place of his own, Burington other plans. “I didn’t want to do that,” says Burington. “I wanted to do something different—I wanted to have a place with a great menu and lots of variety; always creating new items and specials.” Serving instead cuisine coined “modern American,” Blue Palms Bar and Grill is exactly what Burington had envisioned.

“We didn’t want to get stuck as just a steak house or a seafood restaurant or an Italian place. We have such a great variety here.”

The Buringtons are excited to serve a selection of appetizers, entrees, and desserts, many of which done in ways that this area has never seen before. Moreover, Burington guarantees 100 percent fresh ingredients with “nothing frozen, and always very high quality.” Unlike many other restaurants, Burington says that everything on the menu is made in house. “Everything is home made,” Burington says. “If we can physically make it, we’re making it.”

As for the seafood and the meats, Burington says he has only a select list of approved suppliers that he will work with to ensure quality. “Unlike a lot of restaurants, we get deliveries 6 days a week,” says Burington. He explains that because everything is fresh, they know where it’s coming from, and they are certain of the high quality, they never have to worry about buying extra to make sure its good. They don’t worry about waste because they do everything in house. “We’ll get a delivery in, sell it, and then have the next delivery to replace it,” says Burington. “We don’t have to worry about food sitting in the freezer going bad or getting freezer burn.”

Though Burington acknowledges that there seems to be a “pretty good mix” of dishes that are ordered most often, he highlights a few favorites that receive a plethora of positive feedback. Some of the appetizers: The Southern Ceviche, one of Burington’s recipes made with citrus cured gulf seafood and served with lavosh crackers, as well as the Short Rib Raviolis, made with homemade pasta and stuffed with Shiner Bock braised beef, wild mushrooms, spring onions and black pepper cream, and the Crab Cakes which are likely to become the new people’s choice in the area. Entrees that Burlington says “everyone always loves,” include a proprietary coulotte steak exclusive to Blue Palms, and a divine chicken roulade creation that Burlington says is a “simple dish, done very well.” Home made desserts like the house cheesecake with a European style, the Texas pecan Cobbler, and a delicious bread pudding topped with bits of candied bacon are hard to resist.

The Buringtons understand the importance of providing quality food and service, but it’s even better to be able to do that and keep prices affordable for most diners. Burington says, “Amazingly, even with the quality ingredients, preparation and care put into our menu, the prices are very reasonable. For what you’re getting, you won’t find better bang for your buck.”

Onward and upward, Blue Palms Bar and Grill is demonstrating a commendable distinction in dining here in the Bay Area. Proud of the success thus far and looking forward to continued growth, Burington’s outlook is deservedly optimistic: “We are in a great area, and I think if we keep doing a great job, more and more people will love coming here to dine. I am very happy.”