Jerrod Zifchak will serve as executive chef at the eatery. His past work includes as executive chef at Café Boulud in New York City, where he worked alongside Bludorn.
Bludorn's culinary work is known in Houston for the chef's Taft Road eatery in Montrose, named Bludorn. In a statement, the chef said he plans to take what worked well at Bludorn and bring it to Navy Blue.
“With Bludorn, we found that the ultimate luxury was the ability to choose your own dining experience, and we plan to emphasize that even more at Navy Blue,” he said. “The ability to come in and enjoy the restaurant without feeling the need to dress up or to feel pressure to adhere to traditional standards of a fine dining restaurant is what we strived to achieve at the first concept and what we will strive to cultivate once Navy Blue launches.”
The name of the restaurant pays homage to Bludorn's father, a naval aviator whose call sign was “Blue,” according to the release. The design of the restaurant is based on the concept of "an ocean not yet touched by humanity."
The eatery will offer a 110-seat dining room featuring a series of long tables separated by white oak partitions and a bar area with Japanese ceramic tile and a steel driftwood installation. A private dining room area is available behind the bar and can accommodate 40 guests.
Menu highlights include swordfish au poivre with green peppercorn sauce, blackened red snapper with ahi amarillo and whole dover sole.
“We’ll also have a running rotation of fresh fish with preparation suggestions, but guests can swap it out however they want," Bludorn said.
Navy Blue will offer a wine list of around 160 bottles, including sparkling options, white wines and lighter reds. French wines will be the focus, but the list will also include wines from Greece; Germany; Austria; Italy; Spain; and new-world whites from the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
The cocktail menu focuses on gin, vodka and rum while also offering a signature martini program, tiki drinks and an expansive scotch list.
Sunday brunch service will be introduced in 2023, according to the release. Reservations are now open and strongly encouraged.
713-347-7727. www.navybluerestaurant.com
