American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Special Features
Bar Scene
Breakfast
Business Lunch
Dine at the Bar
Hot Spot
Late-Night Dining
Lunch
Notable Wine List
Open Kitchens / Watch the Chef
Take-Out
Theater District
Alcohol
Sake and Sojou
Full Bar
Reservations
Not Accepted
Profile
The newest outpost from downtown-centric restaurateurs Eric and Bruce Bromberg occupies a warren of rooms off the lobby of Thompson Hotels’ 6 Columbus. Like its SoHo and Park Slope siblings, this Blue Ribbon feels intimate and clubby, thanks to its warmly lit, teak-paneled, and windowless dining room. (There’s also a full bar at the entryway and a busy sushi bar at the rear.) Servers hunker down chummily to explain the specials and hosts greet new arrivals as if they recognize them from downtown. Best is the menu, made up of staples from the two other venues. Of the supremely fresh, delicately spiced sashimi and sushi choices, the blue crab roll dabbed with shiso and the appetizer of silky hamachi tataki (yellowtail topped with a quail egg) are standouts. Some modified comfort-food dishes from the Blue Ribbon Brasserie, including fried chicken dusted with paprika and a tender hanger steak with fried scallions, have also made the successful transition uptown. — Sarah Gold
Note
Reservations are only accepted for parties of two or more during lunch and for groups of five or more for dinner.
Recommended Dishes
Hijiki with mache, $14.50; hamachi tataki, $14.50; spicy blue crab roll, $10.75
Went at 6 pm one weeknight pre-theater for the fried chicken, had to try it after New York mag gave it a best of rating in 2008. It was very tasty and juicy, also pricey. The tofu and sushi we ordered to go with were nothing special, however. When I compared the menu items here and at Nami (a high end Japanese restaurant in Toronto) in my hungry novelist food blog, Nami won overall, though the Blue Ribbon fried chicken was better in its category. Very dark room. Staff were pleasant, if overeager with the plate removal (hate that).
The interior couples traditional Japanese architecture elements with contemporary Manhattan interior design. With a no reservations policy, one begins the journey in the dark but inviting bar area.
The dinning are is composed of three areas, a series of wooden booths along the walk way to the main dinning room, a back room niche ideal for a group dinner, and the large main dinning room made up of a long sushi counter, a small single table niche, more wooden booths, and the main dinning area all with views of the sushi chefs.
The menu is very long filled with various type of starters; fish, shellfish,meat, poultry and tempura main courses. In addition there is Hakozusho, Maki, yasai, taiheiyo and taiseiyo sushi/sashimi/rolls. The ingredients are first class and the preparation is perfect. It is debatable, but the cooked dishes are somewhat superior to the raw dishes.
The service, while well meaning, is far from perfect, but the overall positive attitude of the service staff makes the food even more enjoyable.
While the current over popularity may ruin the place, right now Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill is nearly perfect despite the crowds.