The Early Word on Blue Dragon

Blue Dragon opened in Fort Point in mid-February, marking the first foray of Ming Tsai into Boston proper. Locally, Tsai is best known for his Wellesley restaurant Blue Ginger, though he's a familiar face around the U.S. thanks to his PBS show Simply Ming, appearances on The Next Iron Chef and multiple cookbooks. Blue Dragon is part of a new wave of restaurants opening in Fort Point that are more casual and more focused on the food than some of their splashier Seaport District counterparts. Here's what people are saying so far about the 80 seat restaurant, which Tsai has described as an Asian gastroub.

The good news: USA Today says that after one week in business, Blue Dragon "ran as if it has been there for years." Food-wise, the restaurant mostly "hit it out of the ballpark," earning it the publication's top score of "OMG!" What, no ZOMG? [USA TOday]

The bad news: Early visitors report large crowds during both lunch and dinner, and since the restaurant doesn't accept reservations for groups smaller than 10, lines have been known to exceed an hour. But maybe that's a good thing. [Yelp]

The very good news: Urban Foodie Finds reports having an "outstanding" meal here. Surely something was imperfect? Nope: "I have no complaints about anything I tried.... Everything we tried was fantastic!" Favorite dish: salt and pepper shrimp. [Official Site]

The value news: More than one Yelper speaks well of the quality of food for the price, saying things like "I was so pleasantly surprised" and "Price was reasonable as well - some of the new restaurants in town are a lot more pricey and food not as good." Another complains that the restaurant doesn't merit its quadruple dollar sign rating on Yelp: now it's listed as $$. [Yelp]

The bathroom with a view news: A Foursquare user advises that patrons "Use the bathroom closest to the kitchen" because it features "a one-way mirror looking into the kitchen." [Foursquare]

The fist bump from the chef news: Confessions of a Chocoholic blogger Bianca Garcia reports that chef Ming Tsai has been on hand and actively involved on both of her visits. The chef-owner "came over to talk to us and check in with us a couple of times; he was very friendly and gracious, even if the restaurant was really busy. He also fist bumped me, which made me like him even more." [Official Site]

The Chinatown comparison news: One Yelper says "they made this restuarant for white people" (even though "they" presumably includes Tsai). He concludes: "white peepz, enjoy, get your pf chang on... asian peepz, skip it and make the trek out to chinatown." [Yelp]

The vegetarian news: "The hummus & the veggies were really good but that kale salad was one of the best things I have ever had" says a TripAdvisor user, adding that they "can't wait to go back!" [TripAdvisor]

The decor news: "The furniture fits like a dream in the space" says Boston Bachelorette, who also praises the table shapes and arrangement, saying they are "are angled just right." [Official Site]

The banh mi news: Multiple Yelper take issue with the banh mi served here, saying the sandwiches "leave a lot to be desired," that they are inferior to those found at other local restaurants despite costing more, and that the bread isn't quite right for this dish. [Yelp]

· All Coverage of Blue Dragon on Eater [~EBOS~]