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| - It was our last night in town and the wife and I met an old friend and his wife for dinner at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill. It was a Tuesday evening around 7pm and we didn't have reservations, but we were able to walk up and immediately be seated. Score! First impression? Blue Ribbon Sushi was true to its name with an impressive selection of sushi and sashimi varieties as well as plenty of grilled items to choose from. However, such a large menu of appetizing sounding options did pose a small challenge in narrowing down our selections.
We started off with an order of Beef Marrow ($18.50) that consisted of two halves of a split marrowbone topped with sea salt, shaved bonito, and teriyaki sauce. Good, but I'd had better, more substantial, offerings elsewhere. The best dish of the night was the Oxtail Fried Rice ($28.50) supplemented with daikon, shiitake, and bone marrow. It was pricier by far than what it should've been, but wonderfully savory and delicious. For my entrée, I had the Chirashi ($55), a selection of the Chef's special sashimi over sushi rice. The menu didn't list the types of fish that were used to top the sushi rice. I should've asked our server. Uni, salmon roe, salmon, octopus, and tuna were definitely present and were exceedingly fresh, especially the uni. However, given the exorbitant price, I certainly wished that I'd received more sashimi than I did and hoped that some of the tuna that I did receive was, otoro, a prized fattier cut.
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill served up well-executed fare. Its fish was high quality, as fresh as you'll find anywhere, and skillfully cut. Its cooked dishes were flavorful and seasoned with restraint. However, everything cost at least 25-30 percent more than it probably should. As much as I enjoyed what I put in my mouth, I was much less enamored by what I had to pay for the experience. I'm not averse to paying a lot for a meal. However, in this case, I felt that I didn't get a lot of bang for my buck.
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