Blue Ginger (Wellesley, MA)

True Asian Fusion

After several years of waiting, I finally ventured over to Blue Ginger in Wellesley with Dan and Melanie. Having heard so many good things from several different reviews, I had extremely high hopes and expectations. The drive from Cambridge took us about 45 minutes, which is hardly an insignificant amount of time.

Located in a small strip mall in downtown Wellesley, my first impression was not impressive. However, once we stepped inside, the magic began to unfold. Upon entering we were greeted by a friendly hostess and we were immediately seated despite our being early by nearly 15 minutes. Well almost immediately seated since Dan needed to first check the Red Sox score on the TV that was located in the bar.

The restaurant consists of a single, large, rectangular dining room. Although it was classy, the décor was decidedly understated albeit very blue. Unfortunately for us, that same Red Sox game that was keeping Dan captivated had also claimed the master chef himself, Ming Tsai, who was in attendance at the game.

Our waitress greeted us with a friendly smile as she stopped by to introduce herself and take our drink orders. We settled on a fruity bottle of cold sake, much to my chagrin since I prefer my sake to be dry and served warm. Next came the most difficult decision of the night - which items to order from the novel and exciting menu. We immediately noticed several true fusion dishes such as foie gras shumai and butterfish with soba noodle sushi. We ordered 4 appetizers and 3 entrees and settled in for what we hoped would be a meal to remember.

Our appetizers arrived soon after and we dove into our first appetizer, the Foie Gras-Shitake Shumai in Sauternes-Shallot Broth. Touted as a signature dish, the shumai was simply amazing. The foie gras was fresh, creamy, and extremely tasty and it was carefully preserved in its delicately cooked noodle shell. The combination was innovative and perfectly prepared.


Next came a large but ordinary looking plate of crispy fried calamari. However, after one dip in the accompanying Thai citrus lime dipping sauce, the calamari came alive. The sauce complimented the calamari beautifully and made the seemingly ordinary dish extraordinary. After we finished the calamari we dug into a beautifully plated


Ming's Tea-Smoked Salmon & Beef Carpaccio with Fresh Wasabi Emulsion that was topped toasted bread and fresh avocado. The Carpaccio was fresh but uninteresting and the toppings only mildly spiced up the dish. In general, we were unimpressed with it.


Our final appetizer was a medley of Avocado Stuffed Shrimp Tempura with Ponzu Dipping Sauce accompanied by multi-colored assortment of heirloom tomatoes. The final touch was a vinaigrette served in a hollowed out cucumber. The shrimp were over fried but the pairing with avocado was excellent. The presentation was again outstanding and this would become a common theme of the evening with each successive dish giving its previous one a challenge for the most aesthetically prepared food.


Our first entrée was the Sake-Miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish with Wasabi Oil, Soy Syrup and Vegetarian Soba Noodle Sushi, which was another signature dish. The slightly charred fish sat atop a bed of spinach and was accompanied by two pieces of soba noodle maki, four pools of pureed wasabi, and some pickled ginger. We were all amazed by this dish. The slight charring provided a nice contrast to the buttery fish and demonstrated a careful eye from the kitchen. The soba noodle maki were unique and an interesting compliment to the butterfish. Finally, the wasabi was extremely fresh, sharply flavored, and very creamy. Once again a signature dish lived up to its hype and rightly earned its place on the menu.


Our next entrée, Seared Scallops with a Pumpkin Risotto, was not nearly as exciting nor flavorful as our previous dish. The risotto had an oddly sour flavor and suffered from an over abundance of cream. Pumpkin flavoring was all but absent from the dish. The three scallops were nicely seared but were unable to save the dish.


A generous portion of duck anchored our final entrée. Although the dish leaned away from the other fusion delights that we had sampled, it nonetheless was extremely tender and a joy to consume. The mango salad with shredded duck pieces was outstanding.


We managed to save room for two desserts and settled upon the Sesame Pecan Caramel Nut Tart and a Tropical Sorbets in a Toasted Coconut Tuile sorbet sampler of guava, coconut, and Hawaiian papaya sorbets. The sorbets were all freshly prepared and had a perfectly uniformly creamy consistency. My personal favorites were the coconut and guava sorbets. The pecan caramel nut tart was enjoyable but otherwise unmemorable.



Overall, Blue Ginger comes highly recommended. With its creative menu, outstanding signature dishes, and excellent service, it stands above most of its fellow Asian fusion counterparts. It represents true fusion, with multiple dishes combining foreign influences and preparation styles with solid Asian cuisine. However, it is fairly expensive (most entrees cost around $30) and one must carefully navigate the complex menu so as not to be disappointed. However, with a keen eye, an informed server, and an adherence to the list of signature dishes, you are in for a truly outstanding and unique culinary experience.

The Facts
Name: Blue Ginger
Address:
583 Washington St.
Wellesley, MA 02482
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Website: Blue Ginger
Cost: Appetizers $9-$16, Entrees $21-$38, Desserts $7-$9

Restaurant Week Over

Wow, what a week of eating. Philadelphia's 2nd restaurant week of the year just ended. For those of you who are not familiar with restaurant week, it is a 6 day period held once or twice per year during which over 80 restaurants in the city offer $30 3-course prix fixe dinner menus. It is a terrific way to sample new restaurants and revisit old favorites.

This restaurant week, I went to 8 different restaurants (yes that is 2 nights of double dinners for those who are keeping track). Over the next few weeks, I will be posting my reviews from the week.

Valanni (Philadelphia, PA)

Beethoven’s 5th with a Mediterranean Prelude

On this rare night, my meal in downtown Philly was not the main attraction of the evening for tonight was the opening subscription concert for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2005-2006 season. My Dad and I were eagerly awaiting tonight’s program, which included Beethoven’s 1st and 5th symphonies. Fortunately, there was space in our schedule for a first visit to Valanni for a quick pre-concert meal. We hopped in my car and headed off towards Route 76 and the Avenue of the Arts. I parked in my usual spot in the Kimmel Center Parking Lot and we headed east on Spruce. We quickly arrived at Valanni but not before I paused for a quick smile and wave towards Vetri in passing. Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately seated at a small table towards the back of the restaurant.

Although initially empty, the restaurant quickly filled up and by the time we left, there was not a free table to be had. Throughout our meal, we were surrounded by other concert goers who also chose Valanni as the pre-concert restaurant of choice. After reviewing the menu, I decided to start with an octopus salad followed by a halibut entrée for my main course. Dad settled on the sea scallop entree

The marinated grilled octopus salad with mixed greens, grilled fennel, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and lemon-garlic vinaigrette was excellent. The octopus was extremely fresh and was expertly grilled, avoiding the common traps of being tough and chewy. The supporting array of tomatoes, olives, and vinaigrette complemented the generous portion of octopus extremely well.

Our entrees arrived soon after we finished our appetizers. My Dad’s seared diver scallops with Peruvian bean salad, cilantro lime vinaigrette, lump crab meat, and micro greens, with a piquillo pepper drizzle looked outstanding. The four scallops were large and plump with the pepper drizzle expertly pooled around each scallop. I sampled one of the scallops and was impressed with its preparation. What really stood out was the pepper sauce, which was surprisingly spicy and transformed the scallops and crab meat dish into something different. I enjoyed sauce quite a bit but my Dad was less impressed (for the record, he is not a fan of spicy food).

I really enjoyed my pan seared halibut with vegetable cous cous, sun-dried tomato tapenade, and basil. The dish exemplified everything that I like about Mediterranean cuisine. It was fresh, simply prepared, extremely flavorful, and combined several different flavors and textures. In addition, the portion of halibut was large.

Our dessert decision was a difficult one but we settled on the Green Apple, Brandied Cherry White Chocolate Bread Pudding with caramel, vanilla ice cream, and toasted coconut. My coffee came served in a personal French press. It was excellent as expected since it came from La Colombe but was extremely overpriced at $3 for barely more than a cup (and a small one at that). We first received the wrong dessert but the mishap was quickly and quietly remedied. The bread pudding was simply outstanding; one of the best desserts that I have had in a long time. The portion was very generous and the caramel flavoring was rich and coated the entirety of the bread pudding. My Dad and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every bite of the creamy bread pudding and it disappeared from its plate in record time. In short, our dessert course was superb. Oh, and by the way, the concert was superb as well.

Overall, Valanni comes highly recommended. The décor is cool and modern, yet simplistic and not overdone. The low level lighting, candlelit tables, and reasonably intimate setting make for a romantic yet relaxed meal. The dishes are extremely flavorful and a step or two above their counterparts at other Mediterranean restaurants in the area.

The Facts
Name: Valanni
Address:
1229 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 790-9494
Cuisine: Latin Mediterranean
Website: Valanni
Cost: Appetizers $8-17, Entrees $19-29, Desserts $6-$7

Brasserie Perrier (Philadelphia, PA)

A Restaurant Week to Remember

For my final restaurant week meal, I had saved what I hoped would be the best for last -- Brasserie Perrier. When I arrived on campus, I parked near Mayer Hall and went inside to meet Brian. He was running a little beyond schedule so I waited patiently while he got ready. We then grabbed a cab outside of Wawa and then headed downtown to restaurant row.

Brasserie Perrier was as busy as I have ever seen it and we had to push our way through the bar crowd to get to the host’s stand. We were quickly seated in the back room and received our restaurant week menus. This was one of the menus I was looking forward to the most due to my ongoing love affair with skate (and its infrequent appearances on most restaurant menus). As such, I quickly made my selections, tomato gazpacho soup, sautéed skate, and pineapple upside-down cake. Brian was less certain and asked for our waiter’s opinion. He strongly recommended the steak despite its additional charge and small size (7 ounces). I was turned off by this since I am not a fan of additional markups during restaurant week. The purpose of the week is to afford customers an opportunity to try new restaurants and dishes at reduced prices. To place an item on a menu only to mark it up (an obvious discouragement) seems counter to the spirit of restaurant week. Regardless of this, Brian had high expectations for the steak due to its strong recommendation from our server.

The pacing of our meal bordered on slow but I was fine with this due to the rapid, forced pace of many of my earlier restaurant week meals. Our first course began with Brian’s wild burgundy escargot with sautéed spinach, roasted garlic butter, garnished with parmesan brioche and my yellow tomato gazpacho, estate bottled extra virgin olive oil, with avocado arnish. Brian enjoyed his escargot and was happy with his reasonably large portion. I loved my soup although I was put off by its small size. The gazpacho was light, refreshing, and flavorful.


Had I been a betting man, I would have guessed that the steak would have been a disappointment but I am a foodie and not a gambler so all bets were off. Nonetheless, the steak au poivre with pomme puree and haricot verts arrived looking measly and bland with nothing but small portions of potatoes and string beans by its side. The meat itself was fine but the dish was unacceptable overall. I was thrilled with my sautéed skate with fingerling potatoes and broccoli, brown butter sauce garnished with hazelnuts. The portion was large, the fish was very fresh, and it was perfectly cooked. The potatoes were tasty but the hazelnuts did little to add to the dish.


While I was finishing my skate, our server stopped by check on our meal. I started discussing the skate and began a comparison with a skate dish that I had for lunch a few months ago at Le Bec-Fin. I noticed that our server began taking notes and he quickly retreated to the kitchen. Our dining room was immediately graced by the presence of Chris Scarduzio, the executive chef. He carefully cased the entire dining room looking for known food critics, I presumed. Recognizing no one, he returned to his post in the kitchen, I chuckled in amusement, and we finished our entrees.

I began our dessert course with coffee from La Colombe that was outstanding as always. Many of the top restaurants in Philadelphia serve their coffee and it is consistently outstanding. I have always been impressed with Brasserie Perrier’s desserts, which I have enjoyed during all of my previous lunch excursions. Brian ordered the Brasserie Perrier classic Tahitian vanilla bean crème brulee. He enjoyed dish; I thought that it was well executed but fairly typical in terms of its preparation. The pineapple upside-down cake with ginger ice cream that arrived in front of me was not what I expected. I had anticipated a standard pineapple upside-down cake but what was served to me was somewhat deconstructed, with the pineapple and cake lying on top of one another as opposed to being mixed together as usual. The concept was interesting but the dessert was lackluster overall. The ice cream had an excellent consistency and texture but the ginger flavor was much milder than I would have liked.


At the conclusion of our meal, we paid our bill and set off for Penn’s campus on foot. As we walked westward on Walnut Street, we discussed our final thoughts on the meal. Brian was extremely disappointed as expected. I was pleased with my meal but saddened by the knowledge that Brasserie Perrier can be so much better.

Overall, this meal was enjoyable but disappointing. I have loved all of my previous lunch meals at Brasserie Perrier and highly recommend its 3-course lunch prix fixe for its outstanding value. The service is typically outstanding and the food is consistently excellent.

The Facts:
Name: Brasserie Perrier
Address:
1619 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-5402
Phone: (215) 568-3000
Cuisine: New French
Website: Brasserie Perrier
Cost: 3-course restaurant week prix fixe $30

The Grill (Philadelphia, PA)

A Grill to be Forgotten

When I make my restaurant week reservations, I always look for at least one restaurant that fits into the “always wanted to try but too expensive and not interested enough” category. The Grill at the Ritz was one such restaurant and the destination of my meal tonight. I met Rob and Lucca outside the restaurant, pausing just long enough to admire our jacketed attire (The Grill is jacket required although exceptions were made for restaurant week) and the gorgeous red Ferrari 360 Modena parked curbside on Broad Street before heading inside. As we entered the Ritz Carlton, I was impressed with its interior volume and lavish décor. We located the entrance to The Grill and approached the hostess who seated us near the entrance. I had mixed reactions to the dining room due in part to its odd layout. Part of the kitchen is visible from the dining room and the overall feeling is more lounge-like than the formal dining room we were all expected. Nonetheless we took our seats at our booth and began to examine the menus in front of us.

Being a wine fanatic, Lucca insisted on a $130 bottle of Chianti that neither Rob nor I were interested in (having already dined out six times this week, the prospect of a $100+ bottle of wine was not enticing). He chose to pick up the tab on the wine and resumed our menu reading. After making our choices, we got the attention of our waiter and placed our order for the wine and food. We all decided to start with the scallop ceviche appetizer. Rob ordered the pork loin entree, Lucca the grilled king salmon, and I chose the duck breast.

To our dismay, our diver scallop ceviche with radish and cucumber salad appetizers arrived long before our wine showed up. Furthermore, it took our waiter three tries to bring the correct bottle of wine to the table. The wine was fine but certainly not worth its steep price tag and the ceviche was bland but generously apportioned. Unfortunately, our waiter continued his lackluster performance throughout the evening. He constantly seemed aloof, inattentive, and generally disinterested with us. Such service was entirely unacceptable at a place of this supposed caliber despite the fact that it was restaurant week (the overall level of service that I received throughout this incarnation of restaurant week was noticeably less than normal across most of the restaurants).

After finishing our scallop ceviche, we each slowly sipped our Chianti while we waited for our entrees to arrive. Our dishes arrived soon afterward and we dug in. Lucca was thoroughly unimpressed with his grilled king salmon with fregola sarda, zucchini, summer squash, and tomato herb broth. He felt that the salmon was bland and that the preparation was uninspired. Rob enjoyed his mushroom crusted pork loin with swiss chard and manchego stuffing, fingerling potatoes, and lardoons. Both of their portions were reasonably large. The presentation of my pan seared duck breast with sweet potato baklava, haricot verts, and a sour cherry gastrique was reasonably well done but the dish suffered from the same blandness that most of our other dishes suffered from. The duck meat was fresh and well cooked but was devoid of any seasoning or flavor. I loved the sour cherry gastrique but the portion was so measly that it was vastly insufficient for the large, thick duck meat slices. With regard to the slicing of the meat, the dish would have benefited from more finely sliced, less slab like meat.


Having been dramatically under whelmed with the meal thus far, we hoped for something dramatic during the dessert course that could help save the meal. I ordered the coffee, which came with a truly unique presentation that I loved. Our waiter brought out tray with several small dishes of condiments that included fresh shaved coconut, whipped cream, and crystallized brown sugar on a stick. Such an assortment of condiments was an excellent surprise; the freshness of the coconut greatly added to the flavor of my coffee. This was the kind of unique touch that I had expected throughout our meal. Sadly, it took us three courses to finally see this level of creativity and the creativity was limited solely to the coffee presentation and not to our actual desserts. Rob and Lucca both enjoyed the vanilla crème brulee but it broke no new ground. My apple-rhubarb tart tatin was likewise boring.

Overall, I strongly do NOT recommend The Grill. The service was lackluster, the food was bland and unimaginative, and the décor was unimpressive. There are much better options (hotel and non hotel restaurants) throughout the city, many of which cost significantly less. Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, Swann Lounge and Fountain at the Four Seasons, and Prime Rib at the Radisson Plaza Warwick are all vastly superior hotel restaurants.

The Facts
Name: The Grill
Address:
10 S. Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 523-8000
Cuisine: New American
Website: The Grill
Cost: 3-course restaurant week prix fixe $30

Prime Rib (Philadelphia, PA)

A Primetime Meal

I must admit that I had strongly mixed feelings about my upcoming meal at the Prime Rib. The high cost, jacket requirement, and old world steakhouse feel were not particularly appealing to me. As such, this made for the perfect restaurant week reservation; a chance to explore a restaurant that I otherwise would never set foot in. I was certainly looking forward to the opportunity to catch up with Kendra and Yehuda, whom I was meeting.

I met them in the lobby of the Warwick and we entered the restaurant. The décor is immediately impressive. It is gorgeous, formal without being stuffy and very high class. Dark, black woods and pink flowers are the pervasive themes with large bouquets. The hosts needed a few minutes to locate our reservation that I had made a few months ago but they eventually found it and we were seated in the main dining room.

Our server approached us and I was immediately taken aback by his relaxed attitude, which seemed inappropriate for such an upscale restaurant. It was clear that he sized us up and quickly determined that we were cheap college students who were only here for a cheap meal (which was obviously incorrect). This was obvious when Kendra informed our server that she would like a glass of wine. He proceeded to ask here if she would like red or white, and then asked if she wanted Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Merlot. Never before I have seen a server play twenty questions like this and it was completely absurd. Furious with his conduct and attitude, I asked to see the wine by the glass list. The process of ordering wine cannot be done without seeing the various wineries and vintages. Period. We eventually settled on two different Cabernet Sauvignons and ordered 3 glasses for the table.


The feta, Vidalia, and tomato salad that I had as my appetizer was excellent. The tomatoes were extremely fresh and nicely cubed. Furthermore, the portion of tomatoes was beyond generous. Yehuda likewise enjoyed the salad.


For my entrée, I chose the roast prime rib of beef (16 ounces), which is one of their signature dishes. This was easily one of the best pieces of meat that I have ever had. It was served perfectly medium rare as I had requested. The portion was generous and thick yet the meat was tender and moist. I could easily eat this dish every time that I come to the Prime Rib and would always be satisfied. Kendra and Yehuda each opted for the 7 ounce filet mignon, which they both enjoyed. Our sides of string beans and mashed potatoes were unmemorable.



The chocolate mouse pie that I had was outstanding. It was extremely creamy with a very uniform consistency. This was a good example of a simple, classic dessert excellently prepared.


At the conclusion of the meal, we received the bill and noticed that it said “Thank You – Mike P” at the bottom. I thought that this was a nice touch since they knew my name but did not think much more of it. After they swiped our credit cards and we received the slips to sign, we all noticed a surprising coincidence. The thank you was not directed to me. Rather, it was from our server, whose name also happens to be Mike P!

Overall, I highly recommend the Prime Rib. The food and décor are both outstanding. This is easily one of the most gorgeous restaurants in the city. Our service for this meal was terrible but I attribute that completely to our server. Based on other reviews and my observations of other servers during the meal, I am confidant that other servers will be fine. Just avoid Mike P; the other one, that is.

The Facts:
Name: The Prime Rib
Address:
1701 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 772-1701
Website: The Prime Rib
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Cost: $30 3-course restaurant week prix fixe