Ginger and Spice in Ramsey (Photos!)

[Rosie]

Jasper--What is the name of your restaurant?

Ginger & Spice received 2 1/2 stars in the November issue of NJ Monthly magazine. p. 100.

[jasper]

Jasper--What is the name of your restaurant?

Ginger & Spice received 2  1/2 stars in the November issue of NJ Monthly magazine. p. 100.

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Rosie-

The name of my restaurant is Venue in Hoboken NJ. Look Im not trying to bash this place. The concept is really cool, but if you want to keep the reputation you built, you must remain consistant. You should even try to improve not go in the opposite direction. If you were there the last time I was, believe me, you would be frustrated too.

Edited October 18, 2005 by jasper (log)

[Weissman]

My wife and I have been to G & S three times starting about a month ago and I have to tell you this place is a dissapointment.  I am a chef/ owner of a restaurant and I know how a place should operate.  Every time I have been there the sevice has been real bad even though the place isnt full.  Not that we waited long for our food, but the servers have no idea what is going on!  They have no knowledge of the menu and and they dont know if they have bottled water, iced tea, etc.  For example two of the times we were there my wife and I both ordered the roasted chicken as an entree.  The first time the waiter came back after 5 mins and told us that the chef said that the chicken delivery didnt show up.  The second time which was 2 weeks later a different waiter came back 2 mins later and said they were out, so we ordered 2 different items( skirt steak and salmon) and the manager came to us and said sorry we were mistaken, we have chicken would you like to have it?  We said Yes!  But wait, two mins after that the waiter came up to us again and said " the chef just told me we have the chicken but it isnt pre roasted yet, it is raw, so it will take too long to make it."  At this point my wife was pissed but i just had to laugh.  What a joke man!  I mean in my opinion the food at best is O.K.  The service and management are horrible!  The only good thing about the place is their coconut-lemongrass soup.  Thats the only reason to go there.

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I could not have said it better myself!

Besides myself, I know of several others who had the same experience as you and I did: the bartender where I work, the owner and his wife, and another waitress.

To add another interesting point, a local home economics teacher near our restaurant went with her husband and daughter and had the same experience. She told the owner of G & S that she hoped they did not sign a long lease. In other words, they don't have much of a chance. Obviously, the Bergen Record was wrong except for decor.

[Rosie]

Jasper--What is the name of your restaurant?

Ginger & Spice received 2  1/2 stars in the November issue of NJ Monthly magazine. p. 100.

←

Rosie-

The name of my restaurant is Venue in Hoboken NJ. Look Im not trying to bash this place. The concept is really cool, but if you want to keep the reputation you built, you must remain consistant. You should even try to improve not go in the opposite direction. If you were there the last time I was, believe me, you would be frustrated too.

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Jasper--thank you for letting us know which restaurant you own and congratulations on the excellent review you received from David Corcoran in the New York Times NJ section.

[jasper]

Jasper--What is the name of your restaurant?

Ginger & Spice received 2  1/2 stars in the November issue of NJ Monthly magazine. p. 100.

←

Rosie-

The name of my restaurant is Venue in Hoboken NJ. Look Im not trying to bash this place. The concept is really cool, but if you want to keep the reputation you built, you must remain consistant. You should even try to improve not go in the opposite direction. If you were there the last time I was, believe me, you would be frustrated too.

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Jasper--thank you for letting us know which restaurant you own and congratulations on the excellent review you received from David Corcoran in the New York Times NJ section.

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Edited October 19, 2005 by jasper (log)

[jasper]

Thank you very much! I appreciate it.

[Kobi]

Had a VERY good dinner at G and S tonight. Went with two others. Tried to get a 7 pm reservation, but all available was before 6 or after 9 (i called earlier today).

For appetizers we had yin yang rolls and steamed panstickers. Both were very good, and the yin yang rolls are a novel idea and present themselves beautifully.

For entrees we split pad thai (fantastic), crab cakes (above average) and pan roasted beef triangle steak (Very good). We got the pad thai with beef, which was great. A large portion, it will definitely be on the table next time I dine there (and there certainly will be a next time).

A few observations. First, the dessert menu sounds great, and everything save for the ice cream is made fresh daily on premises. Second, they have a 25% off deal going on take out, which would be a steal. The ambiance was great, although I think the flat screen TVs are a little over the top.

Overall, a great meal for 80 dollars including tip (also had a pot of tea). Looking forward to my next visit.

PS- the service was fine, even though the waiter forgot to tell us the specials. He was VERY nice and the staff was very attentive and we had a couple people ask us about our meal on the way out.

Edited October 29, 2005 by Kobi (log)

[whitetrufflechick]

Ginger & Spice has become one of my favorite places and I see that previously someone has already posted about their 9-course tasting menu (I think the price was maybe $65?). Anyway, I was chatting with the staff there one evening and they said that when they do the chef's table tasting, they throw in a complimentary ride to and from the restaurant in their yellow Hummer. I couldn't give a fig about riding in a Hummer, but the idea that all of us can enjoy wine with dinner and not worry about driving home is certainly appealing.

[tommy]

surely this offer isn't valid for just anyone at just any time.

[whitetrufflechick]

surely this offer isn't valid for just anyone at just any time.

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I vigorously questioned them about this offer :-). Apparently, I asked if they would go to Cresskill - they said yes. Oradell - They said yes. Hillsdale - they said yes. They won't go around picking up everyone individually, but if your dining party meets at one house, they'll go there and pick everyone up. They assured me there was no additional cost other than the Chef's Table meal itself and it was open to anyone who reserved that table.

Edited November 3, 2005 by whitetrufflechick (log)

[dumpling]

AlanZ and I went there yesterday for lunch. Had the wonton soup, honey walnut pressed eel, the salt and pepper calamari, and the chilled coconut lemongrass soup.

The broth of the soup was good though not especially outstanding(clearly homemade and a bit concentrated). The soup had udon noodles and bits of vegetables including cabbage and strips of carrot. The best thing about the soup was the wonton. The skin was good. The stuffing was pork, shrimp, mushroom and I believe hot mustard. Lot o things going on in it. Quite a nice little dumpling. $7.00 for the soup? Perhaps a tad expensive for soup and four wontons.

Alan liked the eel a lot, I thought the sauce on it a bit much in the sense that the flavors were not subtle and overwhelming for the eel. And perhaps too many walnuts, that also overwhelmed the eel. But still, all in all, a fun, nicely presented dish.

We both were very pleased with the salt and pepper calamari. Served in a takeout container(very cute), with a mayonnaise based tartar-like sauce that was quite tasty, the calamari was crispy and quite flavorful. Interspersed with little bits of Thai bird chilies and a little kick in the coating on the calamari, it had a very nice subtle yet present kick to the dish. Again nice complexity of things going on in the dish.

For dessert we shared the chilled coconut lemongrass soup that has been so highly recommended. And continuing in the theme, many things going on in this bowl of soup, again lovely presentation. There was the coconut liquid and the lemongrass scenting it all, but also little chunks of pineapple, swirls of basil oil, a mint leaf and a spoon of mango sherbert in the middle. All the flavors combined together to make a lovely light refreshing whole.

Nice meal, obviously well thought out and put together dishes, creative menu that invites exploration- we will be back.

Edited November 4, 2005 by dumpling (log)

[whitetrufflechick]

Six of us had the Chef's Table experience at Ginger and Spice last night, complete with the Hummer picking us all up at a central location (my house in Oradell) and dropping us off at evening's end.

The menu was fixed, though we did order a couple of sushi rolls off the main menu. With the exception of a request for the Lemon Grass Soup for dessert, the choices were left in the chef's hands (we were asked in advance about allergies and a special request was made that no raw ingredients, ie. fish were included in the menu). We went with the five course ($65. -- there is also an 8 course option) and some of the courses included Coconut Shrimp, Oxtail Spring Rolls and Tempura'd Steak. My fave course was the South African Sea Bass. We brought our own red wine and the Sangria that they made for us was so easy to drink that it was dangerous - have a lovely headache today as evidence of this. :-)

Service was absolutely attentive and accommodating, with our server providing information about our courses and making sure our every need was addressed. Sitting in that large, absolutely private booth allowed us to laugh and have fun without fear of disturbing other diners. At the end of the meal, after an introduction with flourish (did I hear a drumroll in the background?), he introduced our chefs to us who thanked us for allowing them to host our little gathering and chatting about what it was that we ate.

We headed back out to the Hummer at meal's end and asked our driver (who also happened to be one of the owners) if he would go out of his way and take the ten minute trip to the "Elvis House" over in Mahwah (an annual month-long Christmas light spectacular at the home of an Elvis impersonator). He agreed to take us for a drive-by and I think he may have been amused by the specatacle as well. It provided a lovely ending to a wonderful holiday get-together with great friends, great food and great wine.

Edited December 21, 2005 by whitetrufflechick (log)

[dumpling]

You and I must be intrinsically tracking each other, WTC; I was there for lunch.

[whitetrufflechick]

You and I must be intrinsically tracking each other, WTC;  I was there for lunch.

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....and so how was it? What did you have? :-)

[dumpling]

You and I must be intrinsically tracking each other, WTC;  I was there for lunch.

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....and so how was it? What did you have? :-)

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We had three of the items marked "new"- the butternut squash dumpling, the smoked bluefish roll and the Chicken Trio.

The dumpling was ok; nothing spectacular(A deep fried squash ravioli essentially).

Ditto the smoked bluefish.

My friend Alanz liked the Chicken Trio. I was less enthused. It was 1) yang chow fried rice with some nice bits of onion, egg and chicken; 2) a chicken spring roll that tasted strongly of..well, chicken; 3) a mixture of shredded chicken au jus and 4) a piece of roast chicken that was well cooked.

It probably was better than I am crediting it. Apart from the nice onion in the rice and the fact that the roast chicken was moist and not dry, it didn't appeal to me because it tasted like a conglomeration of the leftovers my mother used to throw on a plate when I was growing up. So it probably was creative but it didn't send me.

Oh, and of course, we had the lemongrass soup for dessert. Instead of mango or coconut sorbet, they had apple cider which was a nice switch. We like the mango too.

The interesting thing here is that the original chefs left. So are the new things that don't taste as interesting as they sound, a sign of the new chefs?

Sounds like you had a fun time...I haven't tried those dishes you mentioned yet.

Edited December 23, 2005 by dumpling (log)

[rooftop1000]

A lovely dinner tonight with a co-worker...all appetizers. We had "the eggroll" there was cabbage and roast pork and bacon and some candied orange in there with a smokey tart marmalade on the plate, Butternut squash pan-stickers with ponzu, angry calamari with a nice spicy aioli, crispy shrimp and pork wontons with citrus segment garnish and a tuna tart...sushi rice, seaweed salad, tuna and spicy mayo. And of course the lemongrass soup with strawberry sorbet.

Yummy as usual

tracey

[rooftop1000]

Over a lovely lunch at Gazelle in Ridgewood my daughter made me promise to post about how awfull Ginger and Spice was this past weekend. Cluless servers, slightly dingy dining room, and burned food. She said it was so bad they left after the appetizers.

I understand the place was up for sale...I dont know if there are new owners or they just aren't paying attention anymore

tracey

[PicnicChef]

Funny, I meant to post about my horrible meal there months ago. Just awful, not even worth going into except to say ick.

[rooftop1000]

And they're outtahere

anyone care to guess at how to make the coconut lemongrass dessert though?

tracey