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I visited the Blue Lemon restaurant with high expectations. The good thing about going to a place that has received a lot of hype is that even if you are disappointed, you might still have a pretty good experience. That describes how I felt about the Blue Lemon.
To enjoy Blue Lemon, you need to go knowing what to expect. I hadn’t read the reviews carefully enough.
What Blue Lemon is: Blue Lemon is upscale. The place has a San Francisco vibe, the decor is trendy and pleasing. They serve gourmet-ish food, locally sourced and seasonal food. [Um, how seasonal & locally-sourced can you be around here? Pdad ordered the fruit salad, and I'll just say, I want to see the local farmer who manages cantaloupe in March!]. Healthy food (not fried–except for the sweet potato fries?, not microwaved). Blue Lemon offers beautiful presentation. There will be artful splashes of sauce surrounding something lovely. The food looks good. Rest assured, your Blue Lemon food will taste good.
What Blue Lemon is not: Blue Lemon is not fine dining. It is not the place for a romantic date. (It _is_ child friendly if you are willing to spend $$ for children’s food). Blue Lemon is large and also noisy. You will stand in line and walk down the counter to order–almost a cafeteria type ordering experience–although they do bring the food to your table. The good news about it not being a fine dining experience is that your food will arrive quickly. The bad news is that these are not cafeteria portions. You will get a moderate, Europeanish portion of food. You will not pay cafeteria prices. Fortunately, you would probably not expect to, given the quality and character of the food. If Blue Lemon were a full fine dining experience, the prices would be a bargain.
The service at Blue Lemon is not top notch. Perhaps they are victims of their own popularity. However, it doesn’t matter why; poor service is still not as good as good service. They were completely disorganized. We ordered a fancy drink and had trouble getting anyone to tell us where to find it or when it was coming. (Aside: Do not order a coffee-less fancy coffee drink. BAD IDEA. I don’t know if it is because the coffee makes the drink or if Blue Lemon just isn’t good at drinks in general, but the one we tried was a very poor cousin to the Wendy’s Frosty at 4 times the price.) We wanted to order one of the allegedly fabulous vanilla Nanaimo bars at the Blue Lemon Bistro next door and the counter help (who also help at Blue Lemon) had apparently gone on extended hiatus or forgotten about the Bistro. It was very frustrating. In the end, we had to leave without dessert.
All in all: I am glad that I experienced Blue Lemon. I would probably go again, especially if I happened to be in the area or if someone invited me. I am a fan of tasty and beautiful food. I don’t mind the small portions or the higher than Fresh Mex prices. However, the large and noisy ambience isn’t what I’m looking for. Child-friendly dining can be good, but most children would not be ready to appreciate this food. Good service is a must–I hope for it at fast food places–I expect it at places where the prices are higher. Blue Lemon has room for improvement.
If you go: Blue Lemon 11073 N. Alpine Highway, Highland, UT 84003 (801) 756-7993. Open from 11:00 a.m.-9 p.m. (they close early!) every day but Sunday.
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