Sunday in Soho

Blue Ribbon was listed on Eater's 38 Essential NYC dining spots for awhile, but recently got booted by Veselka (another late night destination). Blue Ribbon Brasserie, located on Sullivan St, is known for catering to a late-night crowd but the food is pretty good even if your sober. The Blue Ribbon family has expanded with a bakery and a sushi spot, but the brasserie is its flagship location. Christa and I visited both Blue Ribbon Brasserie and Blue Ribbon Sushi to see what all the hype was. The Brasserie was quaint and quiet, but we were there on a Sunday evening around four o'clock. I hear this brasserie gets pretty packed and pretty rowdy. That doesn't stop late-nighters from flocking to this Soho hot spot. Craving sushi, we just stayed for their Pu Pu Platter (2 chicken skewers, shrimp skewer, chicken wing, perogi, eggroll, and a bbq rib. The platter came with a small fire-like structure which gave a nice "wow" factor and allowed guest to cook their food to their liking. I thought it was a neat little platter that was quite tastey. Blue Ribbon didn't have a cocktail/beer list which I thought was a bit odd--maybe they were re-doing it! Our waiter was really nice, but the rest of the staff seemed a bit clumsy. Overall, it was a nice experience. Next time I want to take advantage of the raw bar options.

We then walked down a block to Blue Ribbon Sushi, an underground lair for fish lovers. Christa got a Maki Combo with three rolls while I got a combination of sushi and maki. Turned out to be a solid sushi joint, but it didn't compare to Sushi Yasuda--my sushi mecca. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and the service was good; so definitely a solid sushi spot.

After Blue Ribbon, we walked to Broome Street to Lani Kai--one of my favorite drink spots in NYC. Here, Jared the bartender whipped up some tropical cocktails that made me forget I was in NYC and not at the beach. The first was a delicious swizzle followed by a classic Mai Tai. I would definitely recommend Lani Kai for delicious, balanced cocktails. Tell the mixologist what you like and he'll take you to paradise.