Source: Courier Post (South Jersey)

I don’t know what it was that made me nervous about Blue2O, the shiny new seafood house on Route 70 in Cherry Hill (New Jersey).

Maybe because its opening had been hyped like the second coming. Or that it shares real estate with a Chili’s. Could have been the design of the place, all stacked stone and falling water, almost too pretty and perfect, as if it were trying to over-compensate for something. Or the menu, a litany of swimming-moments-ago fish, the promise that big seafood restaurants have made time and time again. And time and time again I’ve been disappointed.

Really, my big concern was that Blue2O, for all its good looks, is owned by Quality Dining Inc., the umbrella franchise that brought the Delaware Valley (as well as Michigan, Ohio and Indiana) some 45 Chili’s. Even though there’s only one other location of Blue2O (the flagship in Toledo), that still makes it a chain. A small chain, but a chain nonetheless.

Nothing against those restaurant facsimiles that populate our highways and malls. There are in fact some chain restaurants I can get down with; Chili’s is not one of them. And since blood runs thicker than sauvignon blanc, I was admittedly apprehensive about Blue’s ties to a restaurant that serves Southwestern Eggrolls and something called Quesadilla Explosion. Shudder.

So, as you can understand, I was keeping my expectations low as I coasted past the Chili’s Curbside-To-Go spots and into Blue2O’s side of the parking lot. Wasn’t it Ben Franklin that said to keep expectations low so you’ll never be disappointed, only pleasantly surprised? A wise man, because by the time I was heading out of Blue2O, back to my car, I had been pleasantly surprised by this newcomer. Chain links, or not, it impressed on every level.

Now, let me clarify. Blue2O doesn’t deal in the transcendent, the revelatory, the orgasmic or epiphany-inducing. You won’t see anything served here that you haven’t seen served before, unless you live under a rock, but the food that exec chef Jasper Alivia (a French Culinary Institute grad, thankyouverymuch) is putting out is certainly fresh and definitely tasty.

First up: Cape May salts, never a bad way to start any meal. I’d prelude my morning omelet with these sweet, tight, tiny oysters if I could. Blue serves up a half dozen ($11) of the Cape May Court House natives raw, tucked into their sun-bleached shells brimming with the oyster’s natural juices. Dab of cocktail sauce or piquant mignonette. Squirt of lemon. All you need.

Cloaked in Sriracha, the sweet-and-fiery Thai chili sauce, Blue’s signature crispy shrimp ($8.90) arrived on a crunchy bed of snow peas and Napa cabbage. Though P.F. Chang’s-ish in conception, the sugar and spice of the Sriracha played nicely with the freshness of the slaw. Nothing chain-y about the Tuscan clams ($10.50), though. I loved how the tender buds inside each shell mingled with fragrant fennel sausage, creamy white beans and tons of garlic and fresh herbs. A surfboard-sized crostini was balanced atop the mound, perfect for sopping up the white wine broth.

Salads arrive with most entrees, a thoughtful practice if you’re feeling the pinch. The dried cranberries, blue cheese, spiced walnuts and balsamic dressing created a nice harmony in the signature blue2O salad, but the greens need upgrading from hacked romaine and iceberg to baby spinach or arugula. Topped with bacon, tomato, egg and blue cheese, the wedge would be better with its classic mate, chunky blue cheese dressing, rather than the limp red wine vinaigrette it’s currently served with.

For entrees, choose from Blue’s seafood specialties, shellfish, steak and chops or the Simply Grilled section that serves several fish ‘cued on the hardwood-fired grill. From that category, the mahi mahi ($24) proved that when you start with a great piece of protein sometimes, the less you do with it, the better. The only ostentation was a doubloon of citrus butter, melting across the thick slab of snowy white fish, and that was all you needed, even though the Simply Grilled selections include two sides of your choice. I went with green beans and tender pencil asparagus.

Crushed pretzels created an ingenious crust around a flaky fillet of Florida grouper ($25.50) from the kitchen’s seafood specialties. Whole grain mustard offered a pleasant tang, and asparagus and smashed potatoes played supporting roles.

Dessert sweetened the deal with bright, zest-flecked Key lime pie ($6) and dense chocolate cake topped with vanilla gelato and gooey peanut butter ganache ($8). So did the service, friendly and efficient. My server did all the right things, bringing refills before glasses were empty, appearing with warm damp towels and lemon after we’d slurped our last Cape May salt.

Most surprising, though, might be the price. I had a lot of food for $100 before tip. Pleasant surprises. At Blue2O, they just don’t stop.

Self-professed food obsessor Adam Erace spends half of every month eating out. He also writes for Philadelphia STYLE and Philadelphia Weekly, logging an impressive amount of restaurant visits, as well quite an E-Z Pass bill. He can be reached at AEraceCP@hotmail.com