Blue Ribbon sushi bar and grill
308 W. 58th St. (between 8th and 9th Avenue)
New York Ny

SOUND- 4 stars out of 5; As I walked into the restaurant, I was greeted with the sounds of a talkative but relaxed crowd of diners. Despite the multitude of people, the volume never reached a high level. My experience was enhanced by a unique mix of Japanese and pop music which was playing quietly in the background. From what I overheard, everyone seemed to be enjoying their meal.

TASTE: 5 stars out of 5 stars; My taste buds have experienced a large variety of fried chicken: from mild to spicy and from extra crispy to lightly pan fried. (No, I am not talking about KFC!) That being said, I believe that Blue Ribbon makes some of the best fried chicken in this city, and possibly beyond.

SCENT: The light fragrance of Lavender greets you as you enter. I could smell the aroma of sweetness and Japanese spices as my entree approached the table. The spices used combined together very well.

TOUCH: 4.5 stars of 5 stars; What differentiates this chicken is that it is lightly fried, the outside is crispy but does not taste greasy and the batter is not heavy.

VIBE: 4 stars out of 5 stars; the hostess and waitress were particularly friendly and informative about the dish which I selected. I enjoyed Blue Ribbon’s relaxed ambiance

OVERALL: 4.5 out of 5 stars

See below for my full review.

Hello, today I am bringing you a new review of a restaurant which serves what can only be described as a contender for best fried chicken in New York City. As you will soon find out, it lived up to the hype:

I would have had no idea that a Japanese restaurant makes excellent fried chicken, but my intuition told me that this would be a memorable experience. As I walked into the restaurant, I was greeted with the sounds of a talkative but relaxed crowd of diners. There were several people standing at the bar located towards the front; however, despite the multitude of people, the volume never reached a high level. From what I overheard, everyone seemed to be enjoying their meal, and the hostess and waitress were particularly friendly and informative about the dish which I selected. I enjoyed Blue Ribbon’s relaxed ambiance, and my experience was enhanced by a unique mix of Japanese and pop music which was playing quietly in the background. Considering all of these factors before I even took a bite of food, I was anticipating an exciting meal.
There was no dilemma for me when it was my turn to place my order: I wanted the fried chicken “Blue Ribbon style” with wasabi and honey. Fifteen short minutes later, I could smell the aroma of sweetness and Japanese spices as my entre approached the table. As I felt the heat rising from the platter, I reminded myself to ignore the positive reviews about this restaurant and to taste the chicken in an unbiased manner. I suppose that a food critic should not use the word “wow” in a review, but this was my reaction from the first crispy sweet and spicy bite. What differentiates this chicken is that it is lightly fried, the outside is crispy but does not taste greasy and the batter is not heavy. The spices used combined together very well and the collective flavor was not overwhelming. I am not a fan of wasabi, but even I enjoyed the wasabi honey dipping sauce. I felt an irresistible urge to continually dip my pieces of chicken in the savory and sweet sauce, which made it extremely difficult for me to stop eating it! Blue Ribbon does not provide a small portion, upon my plate I found an entire half of a juicy and succulent chicken. I tried to stop, I really wanted to take some home with me. Unfortunately, as a masters degree student who is a perfectionist, the result was something which I hope never happens to me: I failed.
I would like to explain to my readers that I am no stranger to good fried chicken. My taste buds have experienced a large variety of fried chicken: from mild to spicy and from extra crispy to lightly pan fried. (No, I am not talking about KFC!) That being said, I believe that Blue Ribbon makes some of the best fried chicken in this city, and possibly beyond. Even though this meal won’t make your heart happy, your senses will thank you!