Mancy’s makes sure Toledo area isn’t land-locked

Maple Bourbon Salmon.

Blue Point Oysters.

Maple Bourbon Salmon.

Sometimes you just want to enjoy a nice meal without a TV blaring an NFL game inside the restaurant’s dining room. Sometimes you just want to be catered to. Sometimes you want fresh seafood that’s been flown in that day.

Thankfully, Mancy’s Bluewater Grille has all the above.

MENU: Mancy's Blue Water Grille -- Dinner

We were impressed by our personalized service at a recent dinner. Our waitress, Katie L., made us feel special with her attention to detail and thorough explanation of the menu and restaurant’s services. She was one of the best waiters or waitresses we have ever had, and with that out of the way let’s talk food.

The maple bourbon salmon ($25) is a decadent dish for dinner and perfect for a special occasion or an urge to indulge. The rich salmon is perfectly moist and covered with a sweet maple bourbon cream sauce. The dish is served with toasted pecans for what could be a nice crunch, but we chose not to order them. The salmon is served with sweet butternut squash ravioli that melts in your mouth and also pairs well with the sauce.

Crab Cakes starter.

The Bluewater bouillabaisse ($29) — half a lobster, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, and fresh fish in a beurre blanc sauce over sticky rice — was an over-indulgent seafood treat. Just when I didn’t think I could eat any more, I’d find another morsel that I couldn’t resist.

A half-dozen order of Blue Point oysters ($11) helped set the tone for the evening, as they tasted like they just came out of the Atlantic Ocean.

The crab cakes ($13) do not disappoint. They are nearly all crab meat with just enough filler to bind them together and are served with a mango-pineapple salsa that might be a little too heavy on the raw red onion and a lemon-roasted garlic aioli, which the cakes do not need as they are moist and tasty on their own.

The seafood bisque ($5 cup) is rich and creamy and does not skimp on the large chunks of seafood.

The cup is a great starter and we assume the bowl could be a meal on its own served with the delicious house bread.

All seafood specialties are served with house coleslaw that is so fresh it is as if the head of cabbage was sliced especially for your bowl of slaw.

The large portions come in either a creamy or vinaigrette sauce and the only complaint is it needed salt.

The chocolate, flourless cake ($6) is exactly what you’re looking for — dense and rich. Served with a warm fudge sauce, it’s a great option for a chocolate craving at the end of the meal.

For lunch, the New England fish and chips includes four pieces of beer battered hake that is moist and f laky in a crispy, salty batter. It is served atop hand-cut fries that are on the welldone side and nicely salted. It’s a great pub food dish kicked up just a notch, but not quite enough to merit the $19 price tag (although it’s listed in the “Chef’s Features” part of the lunch menu for $14).

The Manhattan clam chowder ($4) is now just a memory from the Mancy’s menu, having been replaced with a New England style for fall as of this publication. This is a shame, as the Manhattan was zesty without abandoning its traditional roots. If its replacement is at all similar, it is full of large chunks of clam.

The steak salad is as hearty a salad as one could hope for as a lunch option. The bold blend of apple, berries, walnuts, and blue cheese were an excellent complement to the sizable, tender cuts of steak. Even at $17, it did not disappoint. 

The whitefish ($12) was a little bland and needed plenty of squeezes of lemon, but it was well grilled. The side of baby green beans were crisp and the caramelized leek mashed potatoes added a delicious zest. The caesar salad was simple but well executed.

The perch fish tacos ($10) unfortunately had more cabbage than fish and the sauce and fish could have benefited from onions or leeks, anything to add a burst of flavor to the bland fish.

The atmosphere at Mancy’s Bluewater Grille is elegant without being intimidating and the staff was gushing with friendliness without being over the top. It is a comfortable environment for enjoying high-quality dishes from a signature Toledo-area name.