Blue Ginger: Heaven in a Restaurant.
Written: Nov 23 '01
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Pros: Exquisite, beautifully-prepared food; gracious staff.
Cons: Expensive (but worth it); very hard to get reservations.
The Bottom Line: Eating at Blue Ginger was one of the most perfect eating experiences I have ever enjoyed.
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| lapook76's Full Review: Blue Ginger |
As my fiance (then boyfriend) and I drove to Wellesley, MA for my birthday dinner, I was nearly giddy with excitement. I had been dying to go to Blue Ginger Restaurant for well over a year. I had bought and drooled over chef/owner Ming Tsai's cookbook, and, as an avid Food Network fan, had watched his "East Meets West" Asian fusion cooking show many times. I knew that this was going to be an amazing eating experience.
You might be wondering why, if I was so obsessed with this restaurant, it took me over a year to get there. There are two reasons. First, it is quite expensive, and much more than my meager teacher's salary can afford. Thus, restaurants such as this one are usually confined for me to special occasions only. Second, it is extremely difficult to get a reservation. The year before, we called over a month before my birthday to try to get a table (and this was for a Tuesday) and were told that tables were booking three months in advance. Ugh. So the next year we tried again, this time two months in advance, and were successful. Hooray!
So back to my story...
We arrived at the restaurant and walked inside. The interior has a modern, minimalist Asian theme, yet is warm, slightly dark, and inviting. There is an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs busily grilling and preparing their dishes, but it doesn't make things noisy and chaotic as I've found that open kitchens can do in some restaurants.
Something that I appreciated was the friendliness and unpretentiousness of the staff. At some nicer restaurants I've had to deal with indifferent hosts and patronizing waiters, but this was not the case at Blue Ginger. The friendly host took our coats and apologized that we would have to wait for a minute, and invited us to sit down in the waiting area. A waiter came by to apologize to us for having to wait and offered to bring us something from the bar. We ended up having to wait less than five minutes, so it really wasn't a big deal at all.
We were shown to our table and I had a chance to look around a bit. I was surprised by the array of people in the restaurant. There were people dressed to the nines, but also some in jeans and tee shirts. I had chosen to dress somewhere in between, and felt comfortable with my choice.
Then we opened the menu.... so many amazing choices, and so difficult to choose.
The menu changes somewhat by the season, and you can view it at the Blue Ginger website.
For an appetizer, I chose the fois gras-shiitake shumai with sauternes-shallot broth ($12). I have eaten shumai, little steamed dumplings stuffed with meat, vegetables, or seafood, at many Asian restaurants, but nothing like these. The plump little dumplings came nestled in an aromatic, steaming broth, and with each bite they literally melted in my mouth. My fiance, who normally hates mushrooms, took a bite and agreed that they were to die for. Mmm.
Other, very tempting, appetizer choices include: Crispy duck dumplings with apple-endive salad and spicy cranberry sauce ($11), Fragrant Thai mussels with kaffir lime leaf ($10), Grilled rare squab with fois gras fried rice and pomegranite molasses syrup ($14), Butternut squash soup with Diver scallop confit and asian pear ($8), and Curried shrimp samosas with mango almond salad and raisin sambal puree ($12). As you can see, it's difficult to choose...
The entrees were equally amazing. I chose Blue Ginger's signature dish: The sake-miso marinated chilean sea bass with wasabi oil syrup and vegetarian soba noodle sushi ($27). I normally love chilean sea bass anyway, but Blue Ginger's version of my favorite fish was head and shoulders above anything I had ever tasted. I know it's cliche to say that something melts in your mouth, but it was absolutely true for this dish. The fish was that perfect. And the soba noodle sushi, an interesting variation of the usual maki roll, was a perfect complement.
Other entree choices include: Pan seared Hawaiian mahi mahi with macadamian sticky rice "baklava" and tamarind pineapple sauce ($26), Garlic-black pepper lobster with lemongrass fried rice and pea shoot salad ($30), Asian confit of pork osso buco with apple gremolada, Balinese baked beans and rainbow swiss chard ($25), Grilled organic rack of lamb with fontina polenta, saffron shaved fennel, crispy pancetta and ruby port-fig sauce ($28), and Indonesian curry pasta with crispy coconut shrimp, rock shrimp, asian vegetables, and chopped peanuts ($21). The menu also states that the kitchen will put together a vegetarian platter for $19, but as I didn't order it, I can't tell you how it is. Based on everything else, I would imagine that it is very good.
For dessert, we had an incredible creme brulee served with various delicious cookies ($8). There is also a bittersweet chocolate cake ($9), a sorbet sampler ($9), and various other confections.
One of the highlights of the evening was listening to Ming Tsai talking to the people at the table next to ours. You have to understand, as I mentioned before, that I am a huge Food Network fan, and so seeing Ming Tsai was, for me, like seeing a huge celebrity. So I was very excited. I am also a rabid Iron Chef fan, and so I was even more excited when he started talking about how the Iron Chef was his favorite show on the network and how he knew a number of the iron chefs. Swoon! So that made my night...
Here are some final tips: Make your reservations well in advance. I've learned from friends, however, that it is possible to get a seat (for two people) without a reservation. To do this, either arrive right as the restaurant is opening (at 5:30), or later, after 9:00. And be prepared to wait.
Also, you should know that Blue Ginger is not in the city of Boston, but in a suburb about 30 minutes or so outside of Boston. So if you are here for a visit and are staying in the city, don't expect to walk there or take the T.
All in all, the night lived up to and surpassed my expectations. If you are in the Boston area, a visit to Blue Ginger is well worth your time and money.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Make your reservations well in advance.
Best Suited For: Romantic Evening
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Epinions.com ID:
lapook76
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Location: Arlington, MA
Reviews written: 61
Trusted by: 40 members
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