Restaurant Review: Blue Ginger

A few Fridays ago, Dave and I decided to enjoy a nice post Valentine's Dinner out at a local restaurant close to our house in the 'burbs.  I've walked by Blue Ginger a thousand times and always wanted to try it.  A few days before, Ming Tsai was on Top Chef so we knew it was the perfect time to give his restaurant a try.  We've heard amazing things about the restaurant and we loved watching him on both Top Chef and Iron Chef. I came up with idea to go to Blue Ginger on the same day we wanted to go.  Usually not a smart idea for a popular restaurant.  I jumped on Open Table and made a reservation for 6pm, usually much too early for most diners.  But since I'm a grandma and like to be in bed by 10pm on Friday nights, I was happy with the early time.  Unfortunately, I booked the time for the week after.  Ooops!  Rookie mistake.  Luckily the host at Blue Ginger was more than accommodating, telling me it happens often and not to worry- they can fit us in.

Dave and I sat down in the Feng Shui restaurant with subtle recessed lighting and checked out the menu.  

My hubby had done his research because he knew what two dishes were the signature items and convinced me to order one of them. But before we did that, we were greeted with a variety of bread items- pita, challah, french bread.  

Then we ordered our appetizer.  This one sang out to me- smoked salmon and beef carpaccio with avocado?  A lot of my favorite things! I couldn't resist.

Ming’s Tea-Smoked Salmon & Beef Carpaccio* with Avocado-Jicama Salad & Fresh Wasabi Emulsion – 14

Under that layer of beef was a layer of smoked salmon.  Every bite was perfect.  My hubby said I dominated this dish and barely gave him a taste.  Personally, I think he ate too much! I loved the combination of flavors between the wasabi emulsion and avocado salad with the saltiness of the beef and smoked salmon.  This was a slam dunk in my book.

Next, it was time to order the entrees.  I went with the signature dish- the Sake-Miso Marinated Butterfish.

And Dave ordered the Orange Miso Duck.

Both dishes arrived very quickly and both were delectable. Both these dishes had so much flavor in every tiny bit.  You can tell how much thought went into each dish.

Sake-Miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish - 38
Wasabi Oil, Soy-Lime Syrup and Vegetarian Soba Noodle Sushi

The Butterfish was melt-in-your-mouth-delicious.  I loved the miso sauce and the wasabi oil.  It was edible art and it was worth every single mouthwatering bite.  However, I did like Dave's dish just a bit more.

Orange Miso Glazed Long Island Duck Breast* - 33
Sunchoke Purée, Citrus Jus and Sunflower Seed-Thai Basil Pesto

I really can't say enough about this duck.  I loved how it was perfectly sliced and perfectly cooked.  I loved the pesto and and sunchoke puree.  I thought the sauce balanced out the duck well and I kept going back for more even though it wasn't my dish!

Overall, the food and service at Blue Ginger is exceptional; totally above the rest.  The atmosphere is inviting without being overly trendy.  It is a huge space and even has an area for a private party. This is the back area where we sat.

And this area is more towards the front of the restaurant, with more of a view of the open kitchen.

This is a picture of the open kitchen where waiters are hanging out.  It was beautifully designed and very cool to watch the chefs at work!

And the bar area.  The bar area is big enough that many people were dining here.  We didn't hang out too long here because the host sat us pretty quickly.  But I assume it would be pretty easy to grab a sit here and order a bite if you didn't want a full meal.

Overall, Blue Ginger was a wonderful experience with fabulous food.  I left feeling full, but satisfied.  And I'm very impressed that a restaurant of this statue with such a famous celebrity chef is in the suburbs.  It is definitely worth checking out if you live in the city. I jumped on the Commuter Rail and got there in 20 minutes from Back Bay.

I honestly cannot wait to get back there.  There were tons of other dishes I'm dying to try : )

Have you been to Blue Ginger? If so, what did you eat?

**Also, a new restaurant is opening in the Fanuiel Hall area that I can't wait to try! Saus will specialize in Belgian street food with a cafe-style eatery and will offer such foods as liege waffles and pommes frites along with a variety of dipping sauces for both the waffles and the fries.

The address for this new cafe in Boston is: Saus, 33 Union Street, Boston, MA, 02108. It opens today so go check it out!  I hope to get over there later in the week : )