Make no mistake, this place is pricey. Unless you’re a serious baller (like the Green Bay Packer players we saw rolling out of here) you’re going to feel the hurt when paying your bill. With that little detail out of the way, Blue Ribbon is worth checking out.
The place has a modern Japanese feel and is divided up into three areas. When you first enter there’s a small sushi bar to the right. Past that is a spacious lounge and bar area. Beyond that is the main dining area with a larger, U-shaped sushi bar. The tables in the main dining area are rather intimate, with many booths lining the walls and tables that are separated by thin wood dividers. So, if you’re looking for a place where you can have some personal space and are more than 6 inches away from the nearest diner, then this is the place for you.
Service was spotty. Our server was nice enough, he just didn’t seem to know what was on the menu and couldn’t recommend anything. Luckily, one of the managers came by to suggest a few items. Although he was casually dressed in jeans and a polo shirt so when he first came up to chat I thought it was just some random dude wanting to talk about the menu.
Here’s what we ended up ordering:
Tuna sashimi. 2 pieces. Pricey, but deliciously fatty and silky smooth. Possibly some of the best tuna sashimi I’ve had in the city.
Kanpachi – Amberjack with yuzu pepper. The order came with eight slices of fish with the yuzu sauce poured tableside.
Smoked pork belly kushi yaki with pickled onions and baby watercress. Two decent cuts of pork with a nice amount of fat that added to the richness of the flavor.
Negimaki – broiled beef with scallions and enoki mushrooms. It was a cute looking dish with eight slices of beef wrapped around the scallions and mushrooms. It was a good, savory dish with a hint of sweetness from its sauce, but probably not something I would order again.
Miso marinated black cod. Two sizable pieces of fish per order. You usually can’t go wrong with miso black cod, but I’ve had better. The piece that I had had a slight fishy taste and smell.
Crab and truffle fried rice. The menu says it’s $55 per order. That’s ridiculous for any type of fried rice, but since everyone seems to rave about Blue Ribbon’s fried rice we gave it a try. The manager said we could get a half order. Perfect! There were plenty of chunks of crab and mushrooms and slices of truffle. Definitely the best fried rice I’ve had, just don’t tell my mom that (sorry mom, your fried rice has been bumped down to number two).
4 Stars
— Updated below: 2/24/12 —
I’m bumping this place up. The sashimi might be the best I’ve had in town and some of their specialty items are stellar. Here’s what we tried on our latest visit:
Grilled hamachi ($24.50) – 4 per order. Delicious.
Tuna ($20.50 for 2 pieces)
Madai & uni ($11) – red snapper, sea urchin, topped with caviar
Sushi deluxe platter ($40) – 10 pieces, 1 roll
Sashimi deluxe platter ($50) – 18 pieces. All were amazing
Tiger roll ($28)
They brought out a complimentary green tea brownie with coconut ice cream which was delicious. The brownie was so soft and chewy and I’m a sucker for anything coconut.
Here are some keys to enjoying this place:
– Know that you will be paying exorbitant prices.
– Don’t order California rolls, edamame, or other basic items that you can get for a fraction of the price elsewhere.
– The sashimi and sushi are quality. Get some.
– Order items that your neighborhood sushi joint doesn’t have, branch out and try new stuff
4.5 Stars
The Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 698-7000
