Blue Ribbon

Blue Ribbon (NOT SUSHI)
97 Sullivan Street
P: (212) 274-0404 (reservations for parties of 5-8 people- very strict)

Cuisine: American [French]
Price: $30-40 – standard prices for a trendy place

Making reservations for this place for a friend’s birthday, I quickly got the feeling that this may just be the most pretentious place I’d yet gone to: the guy informed me, albeit politely, that reservations were only allowed for parties of 5 – 8 people, and that if our party dropped below 5, our reservation would not be honored.  As I’d invited 11 people, I didn’t think this would present a problem, and made the reservation for 8 people anyway.  Unfortunately, eventually the party DID drop down to 4 people, but the maitre’d was nice about it, and simply asked us if we’d mind moving to a 4 person table, so someone else could have the bigger table.  Then again, the place was relatively empty at 6:45 on a Monday night, though it filled up considerably by the time we left at 8:30. 

The restaurant itself was very unassuming, containing only about 12 tables (the largest being a booth that occupies the area directly beyond the entrance) total, and the left front taken by a bar/oyster bar area where people were gathered, drinking and eating raw oysters.  Our server was clearly at home in the West Village, attentive, friendly, and oddly enough, while reciting the specials, was sure to give us the prices on everything (which isn’t a bad thing, just amusing).  Our water glasses were never empty; the bus boy came around to refill them if they even approached the midway level, which was definitely a good thing.  The decor was not striking, though not blah; just very much background, as though giving way to the food, which was the real star of the evening. 

As we perused the menu, I think everyone agreed that nothing stood out as “I have to try that!”  Despite all of the reviews we’d read previously simply saying that the food was excellent, hardly any of the reviews had stressed a specific dish, so we chose dishes that we did remember being mentioned in those same reviews (fried chicken, duck breast, but we skipped the marrow). 

We started off with the appetizer special, fried rock shrimp.  We’d been ordering rock shrimp somewhat regularly for the past few months, enjoying the texture and sweetness, and were not disappointed.  The lemon mayo that accompanied the dish added a great tang to the sweet shrimp as well. 

Next came the main courses: cheese fondue accompanied by bacon bits for mixing and assorted dippers including breadsticks, apple slices, and bread cubes.  Very disappointing as it hardened within 10 minutes of arriving, despite the flame underneath still going strong.  Despite my insistence that they couldn’t, they wouldn’t use Swiss cheese (I personally detest most Swiss cheeses, finding them bitter and unfriendly to the tastebuds), when I finally tried a hardened bite, it was almost certainly Swiss.  Horrible. 

While I didn’t try the spicy fish soup, Swan said it was really good, spicy enough and an interesting texture to it from tiny cubes of carrots, celery, onion, and other veggies throughout.  She said it more than made up for the bad fondue. 

I ordered the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and collard greens, and was pleasantly surprised- not just by the huge portion they gave me (a half chicken, I believe), but by how incredibly yummy it was.  I was pretty skeptical at first- it’s fried chicken, not particularly special, I can go to KFC or Popeye’s to get fried chicken!  But the skin was very crispy and had its own blend of seasonings, with a light kick, and the meat was tender and juicy.  Also, as we all agreed after trying it, it wasn’t particularly greasy and heavy, like most fried chicken is.  It was simply amazing.  (The mashed potatoes and the collard greens were yummy, too!)  Also, on the side in a little cup, was a bit of what I believe was plain honey, which, if you lightly dipped your chicken into, was absolutely delicious.  Perfect- and I never thought you could improve upon fried chicken since it’s such a standard dish. 

Two of the other girls ordered the duck breast, accompanied by turnip puree, zucchini, beets, and an orange sauce.  I tried a piece that was incredibly tender though a bit rare in the center for my taste, and the sauce that went with it complemented the texture perfectly.  I think it was their interpretation of Duck L’orange, but I’ve never had that, so I don’t know.  But it was definitely very yummy, I’d actually go back to order that. 

Finally, the piece de resistance: dessert.  After he ran through the list, we agreed on their signature dessert: Chocolate Bruno, which was a flourless chocolate cake with a white chocolate graham cracker crust, accompanied by 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream and 1 scoop of chocolate ice cream, generously splashed with hot fudge.  Let me tell you, this was perfectly executed.  There was enough fudge without overwhelming; the chocolate cake was moist; the extra scoop of vanilla ice cream tempered the sweetness just right. 

Yvo says:  Definitely, definitely, definitely worth a try and possibly a repeat visit.  A bit on the pricey side if you’re not used to trendy NYC restaurant prices, but I think it is well worth it.  Think of all your favorite American foods that you know you can make at home very well: then make it 1000x better, and you have Blue Ribbon.  Go a little early to get a choice table for people watching… and watch out for crazy people: while I was waiting outside, a woman insisted to her male companion they go there, whining to him, “It’s my birthday and we’re going to do whatever I want!!!”  A few minutes later, while still standing there, a man came up and stood right next to me for no good reason.  Personal space, people!!!  Also, don’t either accidentally wander into Blue Ribbon Sushi, which is down the block and unmarked, or walk right past this place, whose awning is unadorned except the address, and whose name on the door is tiny (as pictured above).