Blue Ribbon – NYC
PRO: Always good, cozy space, brasserie feel, great menu and food. And awesome for late night eats
CON: Not much
We ducked into this cool little spot yesterday, hadn’t been here in a couple years. Good ol’ Blue Ribbon, always consistent. We like consistency. Unless you suck. Then we’re going to unfriend you.
Anyway, this is a great little SoHo place, a real establishment actually. Everyone knows it. Which means, if this is the first you’re hearing about it…you are a pathetic loser. Ha. Loser.
This is a place where the reason it’s cool is that you just feel good there. It’s not that the design is off the hook or anything, it’s just a solid spot with great bevvies, good bartenders (usually, although this guy decided to act like I was as see-through as cellophane and would only communicate to the beautiful J. Hey I get it, I’d rather look at her too, but don’t be rude. That little faux paus cost him about $10 off the tip), great menus, well executed meals and awesome late night eats.
It’s actually widely regarded as the #1 late night dining place in the entire U.S. of F’ing A. So there. I mean you can get almost anything at this pace, it’s crack head crazy. It’s like they had Polish, Italian, French, Chinese and American chefs all put down their fave dishes, then munged it all together. Yes, Polish. They have chefs in Poland, too.
Case in point? They have Pierogies! So we had Pierogies ($11). These were awesome. Better than the other J cooks, like clockwork, each Christmas Eve? The “raised in a Polish household, I know a thing or two about Polish dumplings” J? We’re talkin’ about the Pierogies I die for, that define Christmas Eve such as it is? No, stupid. Of course not. Nope. Never. Uhn uhn. But nevertheless Blue Ribbon’s Pierogies rock.
Ya get 6 little dumplings that you can order fried (deep, dunno why not pan fried) or steamed. We opted for steamed, heart-healthy as we are. These are tender, succulent little suckers, stuffed with mashed spuds and cheddar cheese, served with home made sour cream and caramelized onions on top. Very good.
We then had the Steak Tartare ($15.50). I proclaim this the Best Steak Tartare on earth. Better than Balthazar, better than Paris. We need to start publishing little stickers these poor, unknown places can post on their windows ‘VdV Award Winner’…help put them on the map, feel me? Anyhoo, this is a great portion of raw, fresh off the bovine steak. Ground up fine (less chunky than others) with a little onion, mustard and chive. And it’s served with home made Ruffles-type chips that are nice and crisp and two kinds of mustard, one spicy and the other more relish-like. What a great bite, a dollop of tartare on a crispy chip with a little mustard dabbled on. Awesome!
They also have kick-ass Fruits De Mer, the Blue Ribbon Royale ($132) is the way to go. It’s the kitchen sink of all their ala carte seafood served on a 4 level platter. Oysters, Shrimp, Lobster, Clams, Crab, Scallops, Charlie the Tuna, Flipper…OK just kidding on the previous two. You get the idea.
There’s also Hummus, BBQ Ribs, a Pu Pu Platter (huh?), Matzoh Ball Soup, Chicken Wings, Fried Chicken, a ginormous wine list and more. Something for anybody y’all, and it’s all good.
Hours:
Sun-Sat 4p-4a (LOVE that)
Blue Ribbon
97 Sullivan (near Spring)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 274.0404
