Blue Ribbon Brasserie

Blue Ribbon
97 Sullivan St
New York, NY 10012
Tel: 212-274-0404

On a Thursday night, my foodie partner and I ventured our way to South Village. We had read about Blue Ribbon and wanted to give it a try. We arrived at the restaurant around 6:45pm and were seated immediately. The place is the perfect spot for dates and small gatherings; the environment is warm and exudes a cozy ambiance. Our waiter was very attentive and  friendly - he recommended a dish that I would definitely not miss out on: Beef Bone Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade served with warm toast. The oxtail marmalade tasted like a chunk of warm, gooey, fatty...goodie, to say the least. The marmalade mixed with the beef marrow spread on warm toast was like I died and went to food heaven. We finished the entire plate between two people (meant for three) with no problem!

Their raw oysters (from the east and west coast) were decent - the dish came with three types of sauce. I am unable to pinpoint it exactly, but I think I'd prefer east coast oysters more than west coast oysters. They're both delicious, though. I would recommend this dish if you're unsure of what to order and want to play it "safe" : )

My partner and I shared the entree: Hanger Steak with wild mushrooms and onion rings; and they were nice enough to split the portions for us. The steak wasn't extraordinary, though so I personally wouldn't order it again. I would love to try their Roasted Duck next time.

As for desserts, we ordered the Creme Brulee and it was delicious!! Blue Ribbon officially holds the best creme brulee award (so far) on my list! The dessert was a little bit chilled - which made everything more intact and less heavy when consumed. I don't like my creme brulee served room temperature/warm because that tends to bring out the extra sweetness which I don't like.

They also have a wide variety of wine selection. We ordered a bottle of their red wine for $80 - in terms of ROI, it was much more worthy than ordering by the glass. Overall, the experience at Blue Ribbon was wonderful and I am happy to say that I'll be going back in a few days!

Overall: 4.5/5

Fast Food @ Pommes Frites

Pommes Frites
123 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

One of the many guilty pleasure foods located on St. Marks -- fries -- not just any type of fries, but authentic Belgian fries! Pommes Frites is a frequent craving that I often share with my friends. The hole in the wall is open until 1:00am on weekdays and 3:30am on weekends - not too difficult to spot when you see a bunch of college kids crowding infront of the shop. There aren't many seats available on the inside, but the cramped atmosphere makes it intimate and cozy.

The portions of the fries come in three sizes: regular, large, or double. Personally, I think the regular size is good enough for two people to share (unless you are replacing your dinner with these fries, I don't think the large or double is necessary). The sauce menu is quite extensive, and what makes this place so special is that you can dip the fries in honey mustard mayo, curry sauce, peanut satay sauce... My personal favorites are: mango chutney and pomegranate teriyaki mayo. My partner really loves their wasabi mayo, but I thought it was okay..not highly recommended. Either way, it's going to take me a numerous trips for me to try all of the sauces.

The last time I visited the shop, they had their special truffle fries, which I tried - not impressed. I couldn't tell the difference between these "special" fries apart from the regular. Overall, the fries are hot and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The secret? They are fried twice - they are cooked first and then fried to a golden crisp the second time. Yummmm...

*Sauces are $1.00 each; and 3 sauces gives you a better deal of $2.50

Cheese Dukbokki @ Arang

Arang
9 W 32nd St
2nd Fl
New York, NY 10001
Tel: 212.947.3028

I've always loved spicy dukbokki (spicy korean rice cake), but when a friend told me about the flavor of Cheese Dukbokki I knew I had to visit the place that served it. The eatery happened to be in the bustling alley of K-Town, in a restaurant called Arang. First, I wouldn't recommend the restaurant for any of its korean dishes except for their cheese dukbokki because their prices are pretty steep and simply not worth it. Not to mention they were so stingy about their banchan (korean side dishes) - I think we were only given 3-4 banchans compared to the usual 6-7 you might get in other korean restaurants. At first I thought the waiters were being racist because we were not Korean, but when a group of Korean girls at another table received the same treatment, we knew the restaurant was just being cheap.

Arang has a couple of variations for its dukbokki - we went with the Kimchi/Pork Cheese Dukbokki - delicious! The dukbokki was served on a cast iron hot plate, with a thick layer of cheese blanketed on top. Obviously, if you don't like cheese, this dish will not appeal to you. The other dishes we ordered were: Japchae (Korean noodles stirred in sesame oil with various vegetables and beef) and Jo-gae Tang (Korean clam soup). Good, but not exceptional. I would only come back here for their cheese dukbokki : )

We went to Arang for an early dinner; so the service was decent - we didn't have to wait for a table etc... The restaurant is opened even after hours (for clubbers and late nighters). It seems like the restaurant gets their business mainly from the late night munchers, but I could be wrong.

Cheese Dukbokki: 4/5