Indebleu Ditches Seafood, Goes Indian! (707 G St NW)

Smaller Plates include Raspberry Point Oysters with kalamansi “pearls”, a small, round sorbet-type accompaniment featuring the popular Southeast Asian citrus fruit provides a slightly sweet complement to the salty oysters; Curried Mussels with a baguette and kafir lime aioli and Naan “pizza” stuffed with mozzarella, poblano and basil with a choice of toppings such as paneer, a creamy cottage cheese with a delicate milky flavor popular in Northern India, prosciutto or spicy chicken tikka. New Larger Plates include Yellow Fin Tuna with roasted Indian “street corn,” avocado and chili cilantro lime dressing. Also gracing the menu for the first time is the Vegetarian Bento Box, an Indian spin on an Asian lunch box which features five seasonal offerings including a lentil, vegetable, cheese and rice dish, as well as a traditional Indian appetizer inspired by the cooking of Executive Chef Vikram Garg’s mother. Longtime favorites featured on the menu include the Wild Mushroom Dosa with a lentil crepe and bleu cheese cream, as well as the Watermelon & Greens salad with spiced cashews, candied ginger and cumin sherry dressing.

“I hope patrons will find Executive Chef Vikram Garg’s new menu offerings enticing, approachable and exciting,” said Arjun Rishi, proprietor. “I wanted to create a menu that is easy for customers to understand and also leaves them excited about their next visit to indebleu.”

Upon entering indebleu, guests will notice a newly designed entranceway with stairs naturally guiding them directly to the dining room above. A peak through the second set of glass paned doors reveals glimpses of a newly created crisp white wall with tall slits of glass that allow the dramatic tones from the Tantra Lounge to shine through. These elements, designed by Adamstein & Demetriou, were created to enhance the dining experience by muffling sound and giving each space its own distinct identity. Guests will immediately notice that the once cream colored walls have been replaced with a deep, rust orange hue that gives the dining room a warm and mellow mood. Three original pieces of dramatic art work created by local artist and indebleu employee Sahara Harrington, a Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA) graduate, will grace the freshly painted walls. In addition, the table tops will have a less formal feel and cleaner look with fewer wine glasses and sleek, new silverware.

“Dining is a pleasure for so many senses,“ said Rishi, “and I want to make sure indebleu’s transformation exudes a sophisticated and contemporary, yet still comfortable feel that appeals to our customers senses in a dramatic way.”

In addition to the interior changes at indebleu, the restaurants façade has also undergone a facelift to make it more attractive and welcoming. The exterior of the building has been transformed with a coat of black paint, several plants in tall black ceramic pots will greet patrons and the signage that once covered the front windows has been removed.

Are they going to keep the same prices?

I never new Indeblue ditched Indian food in the first place.