We Have To Be The Best

A person might think that opening a new restaurant in the spring of 2009 during one the worst financial meltdowns in recent history would be a recipe for disaster.

 Not if that restaurant is The Blue Ox on Oxford Street in Lynn.

 A warm and inviting place—two large rooms with glass windows to the street, a section of cozy bench seating, a wide roomy bar, open kitchen in the back, and paintings by Swamspcott artist on the wall, The Blue Ox, so named because 2009 was the Chinese year of the Ox, has been a great success.

 It was listed as Best of the New, in the Boston Globe, with Devra First writing that the eatery “exceeds expectations.” It was voted Best of North Boston 2009, as well as best of the North Shore 2010 by Boston Magazine.

It has a growing number of regulars. Its hugely popular monthly cooking demonstrations sell out months in advance.

 Executive Chef Matthew O’Neil exudes both confidence and a clear sense of mission. “When you arrive,” he says, “when it’s your turn--you know it.”

 O’Neil explains his approach. “It’s all about the ingredients.” He aims for simplicity. “When you order a sirloin, we don’t tell you where it came from and what it is because you don’t need to know that, you just need to know that all the ingredients, every single thing in the meal is exceptional quality.”

 He eschews pretensions. ”We don’t need the confusing terminology, it’s about the food.  We call aioli mayonnaise because that’s what it is.”

 “American food is a compilation of different cultures and heritages. We’ve become a fusion of different cultures and the Blue Ox reflects this.” The menu reflects this range, and offers Lobster Tacos, Pan Roasted Cod, and Veal Saltimbocca.

 A graduate of , although O’Neil grew up in a family that valued food, his father, an electrician, encouraged him not to “work with his hands.” He graduated from Bates College, with a degree in Political Science.

 O’Neil mentions the six months he spent in Florence, Italy as part of Bates’ junior year abroad program. There, he’d taken a weekly cooking class. It was “an eye opener.”

 The Europeans have a “different approach to food and the role food plays in daily life. I learned how important food can be.” There, “everything’s regional” and the “flavors work together--the cheese and the meat come from the same area, the animals eat the same grasses.” Italians “would never mix the regional flavors,” adding that in the United States, “we don’t have that option.”

 After he graduated, a job in a restaurant in Martha’s Vineyard convinced him that cooking was for him. He attended the Culinary Institute of America.

 He headed to Boston and began to work his way up the food chain.  Starting as a line cook and ending up as head chef, he toiled in a number of well known restaurants, including Prezza and Nine Park.

 He credits the connections he’s made from his years in the food business—one cook and his sous chef have been with him for years. And, he adds, “I can do a million different things at once.”

But O’Neil is not resting on his laurels. 

“Every night,” he says, “I tell my staff—we have to be the best.”

The Blue Ox is located at 191 Oxford Street in downtown Lynn. There’s plenty of parking. For more information, they have a website: www.theblueoxlynn.com