• Venue: Blue Ribbon Brooklyn
• Location: 280 5th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
• Phone: 718-840-0404
• Website: http://blueribbonrestaurants.com/rests_brass_brook_main.htm
• Oyster happy hour: Oyster of the bar’s choosing for $1.50 each, $8 for a glass of  l’Oiseliniere Muscadet, from opening to 6:30 p.m. seven days a week. Monday through Friday, they open at 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday you can get started at 4 p.m.

Several years ago, my husband and I were walking home down Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn when we saw a guy whose car had died in the middle of the busy Park Slope thoroughfare.
We helped him push it to the side of the road, and in appreciation, he told us he was a bartender at the nearby Blue Ribbon and we should come enjoy some libations on him.
We weren’t hosted this time by a bartender repaying a favor, but we were treated nearly as warmly. Our bartender, Frieda, chatted with us about oysters, holiday drinking and how much she’s loving winter as a transplant from San Diego.
The oysters were top-notch. John usually has a few then leaves most of them for me. At Blue Ribbon, he counted to make sure he got exactly half of our dozen. He said unequivocally, “I don’t know if I’ve ever enjoyed oysters that much.”
Small and briny, Frieda had to spell the variety for me: Shemogues from New Brunswick. I don’t remember encountering them before, but I’ll look for them now. The shucking was superb. I didn’t find a single piece of shell junking up my oysters and the oyster liquor was still in place.

Oysters are served with three sauces, the traditional mignonette and cocktail sauce, plus a bright citrus with cilantro, as well as bread, fresh horseradish and housemade hot sauce upon request. I loved the sauce array but the oysters were so good, I found myself wanting them plain.
Blue Ribbon is my kind of space. Soft lighting, classic jazz, and a crowd big enough to feel lively but not too loud or cramped. The Blue Ribbon empire now has many tentacles in New York and it even extends to London and Vegas, but it’s no cooker cutter chain.
After our oysters, one of Blue Ribbon’s partners, Sean Sant Amour, came by and recounted that when the first Blue Ribbon opened in 1992, they and Grand Central Oyster Bar were the only two places in New York offering oysters on the half shell. It’s hard to imagine a better kickoff for Month of Oysters.
During Month of Oysters, I am eating a half dozen oysters every day at a different oyster happy hour. I’ll share my thoughts on the oysters, the service and the vibe, as well as observations on how I feel. I’ve read so many articles about the physical and emotional benefits of oysters and I’m curious to see if I notice anything in a month.
Blue Ribbon comped our oysters and beverages, and Sean sent John home with a bottle of Blue Ribbon hot sauce. They didn’t have advance notice of what day I was coming, I did not disclose I was doing a review until after we were served and Blue Ribbon did not have prior review of the content of this post.