Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
I cannot resist fried chicken. The first time I tried it, I could hear angels singing. Yes, fried chicken is a very comforting food that I never had in France. Well, there is the escalope panée (breaded veal cutlet), or poisson pané that was the quintessence of frozen food, but I do not recall poulet pané or breaded chicken. And then, when I saw on TV chicken and waffles, I was mesmerized and could not wait to try it. And when I did, I was, again, in heaven, loving the sweet and savory taste.
This place is part of The Blue Ribbon Restaurant Group, created by Chefs Bruce and Eric Bromberg who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts School in Paris. It is casual and you cannot miss the smell of fried chicken when you enter.
Counter at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
Buzzer at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
Pickup at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
Dining room at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
You order at the counter and they will give you a buzzer that will vibrate and light up when your order is ready. You then go to the pickup window, where you can see all this delicious fried chicken already cooked (I guess they flash fried it to have it served hot). Then, find a seat and enjoy!
Sauces and honey at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
Sauces and honey at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
At the table, you will find a nice choice of sauces and flavored honey: wasabi honey (it had a slight wasabi taste), wildflower honey or chipotle honey (my favorite) that are perfect with either the chicken or sides.
I was with my friend Benny, and we decided to try few dishes:
Sandwiches at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
The natural sandwich - grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato and pickled cucumber:
The Natural sandwich at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
The Natural sandwich at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
The Blue Ribbon - Fried chicken breast, lettuce, tomato and pickled cucumber:
The Blue Ribbon sandwich at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
The Blue Ribbon sandwich at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
Both sandwiches were good, but I preferred for sure the Blue Ribbon sandwich, i.e. the fried chicken one that was delightfully crispy, although the grilled chicken had a nice char. Both chicken breasts were perfectly cooked and moist. I also appreciated the fact that the bun was soft and not dry as it is the first thing you bite into.
For sides, we tried:
The french fries, that were like I love them: crispy on the outside and cooked all the way through:
French fries at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
The spinach Judy, made with sour cream and water chestnut (not my choice, if you see what I mean...):
Spinach Judy at at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
The hush puppies that were delicious and had had pieces of corn in it:
Hush puppies at at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the East Village, New York, NY
I loved the fries and hush puppies, but not so much the spinach. I thought that their choices of sides were quite comforting and they probably just missed a good mac and cheese.
Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken serves some good food at reasonable prices. Would I go back? Probably, if I am in the area...
Enjoy (I did)!
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