Blue Ribbon Federal Grill - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Restaurant Review

Blue Ribbon Federal Grill

by Sarah Sutel Looper • April 4, 2018

photo by Steve Hill

Eric and Bruce Bromberg, the brothers behind the Blue Ribbon restaurant group, have upped their game at their shining new outpost in FiDi. You’ll find the dishes they’re known for, like fruits de mer and fried chicken, as well as classics with the flavor turned up (think sole meunière with brown butter and crispy artichokes, or smoked bluefish toasts with onion confit.) Sam Ehrlich’s penchant for Burgundy is clear in his wine list, stocked with rare gems from Burgundy and Beaujolais at reasonable prices. Don’t miss the Fed Burger with bacon and blue cheese; it’s even better with a Georges Descombes Vieilles Vignes Brouilly ($63) or the A&P de Villaine La Fortune from Burgundy’s Côte Chalonnaise ($70).

AKA Hotel, 84 William St., New York, NY

American

212-337-0404

blueribbonrestaurants.com

Sarah Sutel Looper

Sarah Sutel Looper has spent more time than most people obsessing over what makes a good all-purpose wineglass, whether it’s been when she worked in restaurants (Blue Ribbon, the Metropolitan Opera House and Mas (farmhouse)) and was W&S' Tasting Director. She is currently working harvest at Brooklyn Winery.

This story appears in the print issue of April 2018.
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David Paradela
Associate Editor

David joined Wine & Spirits in 2021 after immersing himself in the world of wine at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally from Boston, he graduated from Boston University with a degree in English and completed a master’s degree in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College in 2021. Prior to working at the magazine, he served as an editor and staff writer for the music blog Sound of Boston and worked in scientific publishing. Aside from wine, he loves basketball, arguing about Taylor Swift’s best album, and everything Greta Gerwig touches.

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Tastings Editor

Corey Warren moved to New York in 2015—fifteen years too late to join The Strokes—after earning a degree at Cornell in Comparative Literature. He started polishing glasses at Betony and threw himself into the restaurant world. Later, while a captain at Aquavit, he began working part time in the Wine & Spirits tasting department. Now, in addition to running tastings, he serves as critic for the wines of the Loire, Southern France, Argentina and South Africa. Corey likes almost anything bubbly, from Miller High Life, the Champagne of beers, to Champagne, the Champagne of Champagne, but he’ll drink anything once, and loves finding unique wines.

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