Blue Ribbon Manhattan – New York City’s Best Late Night Dining

Do you remember the last time a restaurant experience seemed like a finely choreographed dance performance? The food was presented and cooked perfectly, the service was stellar, the ambiance memorable, and the company and conversation just the way you like it?

My late night dinner at Blue Ribbon in the Soho district of Manhattan this past Saturday easily surpassed all of my expectations for the perfect meal. We ended up at their doorstep after several other restaurants’ kitchens closed at the seemingly early New York City hour of 11 pm. My friend Kai had mentioned they’re open late, and they serve bone marrow. The minute he mentioned such details, I realized we were about to eat at a restaurant featured on one of Anthony Bourdain’s TV shows. I remembered he said it’s the type of place where chefs go after they close up their own restaurants in the early morning hours. And it’s no wonder, with Blue Ribbon’s hours being 4 pm to 4 am, seven nights a week.

Upon walking into the nondescript front entrance, I was struck by the small bar and floor space. There were about 17 tables, and they were all full. We had a 30-40 minute wait, and while Kai suggested we find a bar elsewhere to wait, I was not leaving. We got a round of drinks and staked our space in anticipation of a great meal. We were seated around 12:15 am near the front of the room.

A quick scan of the menu’s appetizers revealed tempting treats such as Foie Gras Terrine and Escargot, though we were all there for the Beef Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade. We ordered one to share, along with a plate of Pirogies. Either Kai, or my brother Jon, insisted that I order a bottle of wine, though I was far from needing more alcohol at that point. The wine list was extensive, and I settled on a red, Cotes du Rhone. Our waiter delivered the wine promptly, and the taste test revealed a delicious choice.

Around 12:45 am, our appetizers arrived. The Beef Marrow was delivered with a few thin pieces of wood for us to scoop out the marrow, and a small bowl of sea salt. The marrow was gelatinous, and a bit hard to spread on the bread, however I managed to break it up into a few pieces to prolong the enjoyment. I’m not sure that I fully tasted the rich flavor of it, though the process of scooping it out of the bone, and onto the bread, only to top it with the sweet marmalade was enough to satisfy me. And heck, I was eating the same appetizer, in the same restaurant, as my culinary hero.

At 1:30 am, my Rack of Lamb with Spinach, Potato Cake, and Thyme arrived. The presentation was beautiful. Due to the low light, I didn’t truly appreciate the juicy, pink color until I viewed a digital photo on my computer a day later. It was hard to miss how perfectly the lamb was cooked though. It’s not a dish I normally order, and having experienced it cooked to medium-rare perfection at the Blue Ribbon, not likely something I’ll pick again anytime soon. The brown sauce was among the richest and tastiest I’d ever enjoyed. I devoured the potato cake, and left the spinach for Popeye.

Earlier, I had noticed only one chocolate option – Chocolate Bruno, on the dessert list. I ordered it, not quite sure what I was about to receive. As it turns out, Chocolate Bruno is a hockey-puck sized disk of chocolate. It was much denser than cake. When I took my first bite, I realized it was one of the best desserts I had ever tasted. I would describe the richness of flavor as what it must be like to eat the essence of chocolate. In racier terms, each bite was was an orgasmic experience. Three tablespoon-sized scoops of vanilla and chocolate ice cream surrounded the cake, and there was drizzled chocolate sauce over it all. A picture would not have done the dessert justice.

Overall, while I focused on the food, the service from our waiter was superb. The prices seemed lower than I would have expected for the quality of service and food delivered in an extremely well-rated Manhattan restaurant. Perhaps they want to keep those chefs coming back for more!

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Blue Ribbon Manhattan – 97 Sullivan St. (between Spring and Prince Streets), NY, NY 10012. Ph: 212-274-10012. Reservations are available for groups of 5-8 people. Average entree – $25.

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