No bacalao! We’re devastated that the cod isn’t available on this night to be stuffed into the empanadas at Blue Corn Grill in Milford. But I have to admit, the hand-crimped pertness of the half-moon-shaped pie and the pure deliciousness of the juicy beef filling that we accept as second choice wipes the slate clean of disappointment.
Empanada
There’s good cooking here at this sweet storefront sister restaurant to the Tex-Mex spot called Fresh Tortillas that chef Alex Stojanovic also owns up river in Alpha.
Blue Corn Grill is one of a handful of restaurants on the short stretch of Bridge Street that—well—bridges the north-south road into the Hunterdon County river ‘burg to the Delaware. Bopping around town before dinner, I hear from a new shopkeeper that the shuttered bakery in the old train depot astride the river has been purchased by a pair of well-known food pros who plan on doing a cafe there. Milford just might be poised to join Lambertville and Frenchtown as a weekend destination for those city folk from you-know-where and you-know-where-else.
But right now, come here for the empanadas as well as the Mexican spring rolls, which are more like Chinese-style fried egg rolls crammed as they are with chunks of chicken, pops of spinach, corn, beans and a swipe of cheese. There’s a sauce billed to be avocado-chipotle served as a dip for the rolls, but there’s little discernible taste of the should-be smoky chile.
Mexican spring rolls
Which leads to my gripe with Blue Corn Grill: It’s OK, truly OK, to bring on some seasonings. Diners aren’t so shy about spice anymore and, at a restaurant billed to be modern Mexican, they’ll expect some pizzazz in their pork.
That said, though the pulled-pork street tacos lacked oomph, the meat was expertly cooked, moist and shredded, with a chop of fresh pineapple strewn about. I liked the soft tacos, but wished there was more than a spare sprinkling of cilantro as a garnish and possibly even a spray of minced chilies from Stojanovic’s organic garden that also provides his restaurants with in-season tomatoes and peppers.
Pulled-pork taco
A special of grilled salmon tacos showcased thick fillets of the fish properly cooked, both meaty and moist, and given a faint lick of aioli piped with avocado. Topped with a tomato salsa and lots of red onions, it’s another solid entree offering. Could it use a shake of complementary seasoning? Maybe a bit more of the aioli? Yes and yes.
Salmon taco
The fat chicken burrito hit the mark, plumped with hunks of poultry doing a do-si-do with bits of smoky bacon, corn charred on the grill to add more smokiness and a smear of gamey goat cheese. The accents of smoke and gameiness gave the chicken a needed lift—the kind of lift the other dishes need at this promising place.
Chicken burrito
We finish up with a good quality (though not made in-house) tres leches cake that escapes that too-cloying taste, and think about what a gem Blue Corn Grill is going to be once it gains confidence and support from folks seeking the kind of food this kitchen clearly is capable of cooking. Right now, it’s a good place, truly good. But it can be special, with a boost from spice.
Blue Corn Grill, 56 Bridge Street in Milford. BYO. Serving lunch and dinner daily, except Mondays. 908-505-4080;bluecorngrill.com.