Blue Ribbon Sushi is Shuttering its Shutters

Via NY Eater

Or shuttering its louvered screens.  Or whatever those slatted things are.

There's a sign up on the door of Blue Ribbon Sushi announcing that the restaurant will be closing when their lease is up on March 1, and that the sushi operation will move next door to Blue Ribbon Brasserie.  So, if you're a fan of Blue Ribbon Sushi, maybe this is kind of a good news/bad news kind of thing.  Or, maybe it's just a bad news/bad news kind of thing.

For a long time, Blue Ribbon Brasserie has been one of the best places in Park Slope to get a good, really-nice-but-not-too-schmancy American meal in Park Slope.  And every time I go there, it's always crowded as hell, even after all these years.  The addition of Blue Ribbon Sushi to the already cramped Blue Ribbon Brasserie space is only going to make the Brasserie more crowded. And Blue Ribbon Sushi was a great space and a really good restaurant in its own right.  With plenty of other options for sushi in the slope, Blue Ribbon Sushi stands out as pretty high-end in a very well-designed space.  Even if the same great sushi will be available next door, it just won't be the same.

The timing is particularly bittersweet for me, personally.  When we were just starting to date, my spouse and I had one of our first Valentine's Day dates at Blue Ribbon Sushi.  We went all out and ordered the omakase, and it was a terrific experience.  We told the waiter how much we wanted to spend, and we got the most beautiful plate of sushi I'd ever seen in my life.  An entire fish skeleton was displayed artfully like some sort of bony fan in front of us, and the waiter took it away, midway through the meal, and then returned with the fried bones, which we were instructed to eat.  They were crunchy and delicious, and neither of us had ever experienced anything like that before.  It was a really memorable Valentine's Day, and we still talk about it to this day.

So, with a closing date of March 1, it's still possible for you to make a reservation for February 14 for yourself and your spouse, your significant other, or even your insignificant other.  But frankly, I'd save that experience for someone special, because, honestly, it was fucking incredible.

[Via NY Eater]