At last... finally got to sample the Blue Ribbon Style fried chicken I've been hearing so much about the last few years. We were staying at The Cosmopolitan so it gave a perfect opportunity for us to try it out before heading out for the night on the town. We had no reservations so we were expecting a long wait as it was around 830pm. We were told by the hostess of a long wait if we wanted to dine inside as reservations had the main dining areas booked but we could be seated right away if we were ok with sitting in the outside front patio-type area. It was still early and the Marquee crowd wasn't in full swing yet so I was ok with it. If it had been later, I wouldn't want it because Blue Ribbon is near one of the upper floor exits of Marquee and I wouldnt want to try and enjoy a dinner with drunk clubbers walking by and heading to Secret Pizza or wherever else they're headed.
We were immediately asked our drink orders upon seating. Service was very good. Our waiter was very attentive, I felt. It was easy to be forgotten being outside the main dining hall but he was good. We just wanted a small meal as were headed out to a club later that night. I ordered the fried chicken ($29) which came with that great wasabi & honey sauce. Now that is some great fried chicken. Great crunch on the outside with a seasoning of flavor and moist & juicy fried chicken on the inside. I really enjoyed it and that dipping sauce of honey & wasabi was both sweet and had a spicy kick. It was very good. Not cheap but I'm making the case that it was worth it. Also ordered was the braised short rib ($28) served on a bed of celery root puree and drizzled in truffle teriyaki. I had a bite or two of it and it was a really flavorful dish. The short rib was fork tender and the drizzle was delicious. I recommend this dish for sure.
I would certainly go back again to try the other offerings on the sushi and seafood side of the menu. Blue Ribbon isnt cheap but you wont be shorted on quality here. Reservations are recommended for dining inside, especially at the height of their dinner service.