Blue point might be one of the most common oysters, but there is nothing common about Blue Point Oysters & Sushi Bar in downtown Valparaiso.
“I’ve always had a dream of owning my own restaurant,” said Eddie Luick, who opened Blue Point Oysters & Sushi Bar in May 2016 with business partner Sam Werkema of Valparaiso, and serves as the establishment’s chef.
“The clientele I’ve developed are very faithful. I see some of the same faces two or three times a week.”
Here is the dish on this local establishment, which can accommodate approximately 120 indoors and another 25 on the seasonal patio.
On the menu: Blue Point Oysters & Sushi Bar bills itself as serving “Northwest Indiana’s largest fresh oyster selection” with between five to 10 types shipped daily to the restaurant and a variety of salinities and brands. Sushi chef Chris Garcia of Valparaiso offers hand-rolled selections plus a house concoction called a sushi bowl. “Instead of using seaweed to roll it, the ingredients are put in a bowl. Those are nice for people looking for a light lunch,” said Luick of Portage.
About the owner: “I started in this business at the age of 15 as a dishwasher,” said Luick, whose restaurant background includes working at Cafe Elise in Munster, being the executive chef at Bon Femme in Valparaiso and general managing Tommy B’s, which he transformed into Blue Point Oysters & Sushi Bar.
A mission statement: “Valparaiso is a very healthy kind of city and people tend to eat lighter and healthier so that’s where I went with this. I wanted fresh seafood, which is one of my favorite things to cook,” Luick said.
Decor: “The restaurant is decorated in very soft greys with black and white photos,” said Luick, who added that five of the photos are by Brad Cavanaugh of Air One Aerial Photography Inc. in Valparaiso. “We’re a white tablecloth restaurant but it’s very casual. People come here in jeans and T-shirts or sandals and a pair of shorts and there are people who come and celebrate weddings, anniversaries or big birthday parties so it’s a happy medium.”
Specialties: “Our lake perch is, by far, our biggest seller. It’s fresh yellow lake perch. I go through roughly 60 pounds a week of perch,” Luick said. Other popular dishes include the baked Norwegian salmon with pecan crumble butter and the variety of freshly shucked oysters. “I serve mostly East Coast oysters. The East Coast ones are a little saltier. Every dish that’s made here with oysters is made fresh,” said Luick about selections such as oysters Rockefeller.
We’re different because: “I have a very well-rounded wine list,” said Luick about the selection put together by wine expert Lee Ann Egan of Carroll Wine & Spirits. “We have a great martini list that’s well-rounded as well and our Moscow mules are out of this world.”
Prices: Start at $5 for soups and salads, $8 for small plates, $9 for sushi and $12 for main plates. Dine-in weekly specials include $14 for all-you-can-eat fish fry on Fridays; $6 burgers, $3.50 drafts and $5 loaded bloody marys on Sundays; $12 pasta dishes and $5 wine pours on Mondays; $1.50 oysters, $6 chopped salad and $5 martinis on Tuesdays; half-off appetizers and $5 Moscow mules on Wednesdays; and half-off select sushi and bottles of wine on Thursdays.
Logistics: Blue Point Oysters & Sushi Bar is at 13 Lincolnway, Valparaiso. Hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays, 3-9 p.m. Mondays-Tuesdays and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays. The bar is open later most nights. Call 219-286-7166 or go to www.bluepoint-seafood.com.
