Another stronghold in the Bromberg brothers' exceptional local restaurant federation, Blue Ribbon Sushi successfully conquers the raw fish niche with chef Toshi Ueki behind the bar. That's the sushi bar, of course, the best place to grab a seat in either the SoHo or Park Slope locations - both equally hip and, consequently, equally packed - for a taste of omakase (chef's choice). But whether it's the conventional spicy tuna, the specialty Blue Ribbon roll (featuring lobster and black caviar) or another choice from the extensive menu of soups, appetizers, maki, sashimi and a rotating variety of daily specials, rest assured that some of the freshest catches from the Atlantic, Pacific and Sea of Japan will be beautifully presented for your palatal enjoyment. The excellent sake selection sweetens the pot. The Midtown location offers traditional brasserie favorites in addition to the sushi. Beer, wine and sake available. SoHo location serving lunch, dinner and late-night daily. Brooklyn location serving dinner and late-night nightly. Midtown location serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night daily.
Where the Locals Eat Rating
Top 100 Restaurant, New York City
"Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill is a further evolution of the Blue Ribbon experience. This new oasis is a classic Blue Ribbon Sushi merged with our traditional Brasserie, featuring bone-in rib steak with teriyaki sauce to whole grilled Dorade with radish salad."
– Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill website
"... You don't order the pan-roasted mahi-mahi at a restaurant that prides itself on steaks. You don't order the shrimp tempura roll at a restaurant that showcases marrow bones and fried chicken. And at a restaurant that serves and celebrates all of the above (as if such a restaurant could be imagined)? You run. You run for the hills.
But rules are made to be broken, and there's a compelling reason for breaking them just a half block from Columbus Circle. In defiance of common sense, this restaurant's menu includes everything I just mentioned. Against all odds, every one of those things is terrific."
– Frank Bruni, The New York Times, Jan 16, 2008
"I have had two very exemplary plates of sushi there in the last couple of weeks at half the cost of the best sushi joints in New York. ..."
– Ed Levine, Serious Eats New York
"The [sushi] results, made under the eye of the chain's sushi czar, Toshi Ueki, are well above average. There are attractive presentations–braided sardines, a vivid garnish of pink-and-red dried fish skin–chewy, milky sushi rice, and sophisticated cuts of fish, whether it be scallops that tasted like mature sherry or an almost eggy salmon.
Ueki winningly takes the most heralded feature of the original Blue Ribbon brasserie–the raw bar–and adapts it with a half-dozen seafood sunomono, basically a Japanese ceviche using vinegar as the marinade for such delicacies as blue crab, jellyfish and octopus."
– Randall Lane, Time Out New York
"This hip, late-night joint offers some of the best sushi and sashimi in the city (including fantasy rolls made with unlikely ingredients like lamb and filet mignon)."
—Newsday
How Others Rate Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
The New York Times
** (Very Good)
Time Out New York
***
Zagat 2009
24 food rating (very good to excellent)