New hotels continue to spring up around the Disneyland Resort, with nearly 1,300 rooms in the vicinity of OC’s main tourist draw opening since late last year (see page 8 for more).
Also opening in the area: high-end restaurants at those hotels.
Among the more notable additions of late is BluSky Restaurant and Bar, which is on the top floor of the 12-story Radisson Blu Anaheim. The hotel sits prominently alongside the Santa Ana (5) freeway in Anaheim, just off Anaheim Blvd.
The 326-room hotel, a short walk from Disneyland, opened late last year.
At BluSky, Executive Chef Edgar Beas is serving Spanish-Basque inspired fare—a cuisine that’s uncommon in Orange County. Beas learned that region’s fare while working alongside three Michelin-starred Chef Martin Berasategui. He eventually moved back stateside to join the team at Michelin-starred Madera at the luxury Menlo Park hotel Rosewood Sand Hill.
BluSky sources a variety of ingredients directly from Spain, including seafood such as Turbot and Rouget. Beas also works with local purveyors to source cured sausages, duck, and foraged wild mushrooms.
The Review
After being invited to BluSky to sample the menu and talk to the chef, I grabbed fellow foodie Jennifer Horspool and we paid a visit to BluSky on a Wednesday night.
The restaurant offers a choice of seating areas—tables along the large glass windows that look out over the freeway and Disneyland, living room settings in the center of the restaurant, a lovely bar area, and an expansive outdoor patio with plush seats, fire pits, and lush greenery.
Our table near the window was perfect to welcome the oncoming sunset thanks to a 7 p.m. reservation. Our server, Kimberly, provided an overview of the restaurant and the menu, which is broken into several sections including tapas (listed under Pintxos or small snacks), Carnes Y Mariscos (meats and seafoods), and Arroz Bomba (rice dishes).
After Kimberly described the dishes, we selected the Bacalao con Su Kokotxa al Pil Pil (salt cod, cod throat, olive oil, garlic), the Pulpo a la Plancha (charred octopus, pimentón, potato cream), and the Gambas al Ajillo (wild shrimp, espelette, sobrasada).
The dishes soon arrived, and we began our voyage to Spain.
These are not what I would consider small snacks. The octopus is dusted with paprika, accompanied by lemon zest, potato purée, pork jowl, and fennel. The shrimp was swimming in a lovely broth and came with grilled bread for dunking. The salted cod is slow cooked, and the sauce comes from fat of the fish. They add garlic and chives to complete the dish.
After tasting all three, Jennifer and I agreed the octopus was fabulous—very tender, with the lemon zest combined with the potato puree providing the perfect accompaniment.
The shrimp was also tasty, and the sauce quickly disappeared thanks to the bread we eagerly dipped into the sauce. The salted cod was also excellent, although it’s a bit of an acquired taste—which we quickly acquired.
We paired our starters with a lovely Spanish albarino.
After musing on a choice of entrees, we agreed the Paella de Bogavante (Maine lobster paella, sofrito) was a must. I was curious about the suckling pig as that’s seldom listed on a restaurant menu, but upon Kimberly’s recommendation we went with the Magret de Pato (Liberty duck breast, mousserons, foie gras torchon, apricot).
We paired those with a light yet sturdy Spanish garnachas.
Focus on Authenticity
As we enjoyed our entrées, Chef Beas came by to say hello, and I asked him about the menu.
“When we decided to do this concept, we wanted to be as authentic as possible,” Beas said. “This is what I know, I worked in Spain, this is what Spanish food is, so it’s second nature. There is so much more to Spain than people realize. It can be as simple as fish on a plate with sauce, but there’s a freshness and simplicity to it.”
Regarding the octopus, Beas said that dish is traditional with a twist.
“Potatoes and octopus in Spain are a perfect match,” he said. “I like the creaminess of the potato cream and it kind of goes well together. We cook the octopus in a sofrito broth. It’s super tender, but in Spain they don’t really char it but I like the char notes to it. It’s crispy, and brings texture to the dish. Everything on the plate is traditional but it’s my version of how I see octopus.”
“I love introducing people to this cuisine” Beas added. “We get a lot of new guests and they have a different impression of what they are going to experience. Once they start ordering they get it. Spanish food is not very produce-driven, but in California we have the best produce in the country, so I’m trying to add a little of that, but don’t want to get away from the traditional aspect of what Spanish food is. I want to keep pushing, changing, having repeat guests.”
Local Base
The concept seems to be working. Beas said that 90% of their clientele are OC locals, the rest are hotel guests. He also noted that being from San Diego and having worked at restaurants in L.A., he was at first skeptical of what they were trying to do, but now “we are so excited—we are busy all the time.”
Chef Beas returned to his kitchen while Jennifer and I lingered over a superbly simple and delicious flan while we watched the Disneyland fireworks in the distance.
BluSky is open for dinner service Wednesday-Thursday from 5 p.m.-9 p.m., and Friday-Saturday from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Cocktail service is also offered Friday-Saturday from 10 p.m.-11 p.m. Reservations are strongly encouraged.
BluSky Restaurant & Bar, 1601 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, (657) 439-3289, radissonbluskybar.com
