Blaze

Blaze Restaurant Review:

The storefront location, draped with brown curtains, doesn't look like much from the outside, but on the other side of the door, the warm toffee and chocolate tones are inviting, as is the welcoming waitstaff. Owner Christine Edmond describes the ever-expanding menu as American fusion cuisine, but the name above the door provides equally apt reference: dishes ranging from Jamaican jerk chicken (served with black beans, rice and plantains) to an Ecuadorian-style flank steak have all tasted the flames of the kitchen's busy grill. Dinner entrées earn Blaze some "fusion" chops with its Asian, Indian and Creole influences. A separate vegetarian menu offers a half-dozen more options, and the menu helpfully indicates which dishes are vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. At lunchtime, try an oblong barbecued-chicken pizza, grilled to a crispy-crusted turn. For dessert, the homemade vegan strawberry ice cream float is relatively guilt-free. Though even dinner prices won't set you back too much, the lunch menu is particularly reasonable, and we appreciate that it allows us to sample a good chunk of the dinner offerings in smaller portions.