The Ginger Man – Albany, NY

This is actually a restaurant that Cassie and I go to a lot, but I figured I’d approach it with the purpose of writing one of my reviews.

At the heart of it, The Ginger Man is a small restaurant with an expansive wine selection and decent beer variety. In fact, it has an Irish Clover hanging in the bar area, which means it’s considered a bona fide Irish pub. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered an alcoholic beverage there, because every time the focus is on food.

The reason we went this time is because we’ve been hearing rumblings of a new menu. Our observation was that all they really did was swap a couple of items, if that. I don’t really mind, you don’t want to mess with success.

One of the featured appetizer was a focaccia bread topped with fig, brie, pancetta, and an arugala and smoked tomato pesto. We ordered this because it sounded delicious and because the threat of tomatoes was low (Cassie is allergic).

This was very nice appetizer. The bottom crust was a little over-cooked (bordering burnt), but the pairing of the nice, melty brie with the fig and pancetta was pretty awesome. It was perfect for two; it could possibly serve four. Priced at $13, it was a little high for an appetizer, but worth it considering the input of ingredients (I would have liked a little more pancetta, but that’s just me.).

I wasn’t looking for a humongous meal, so I decided to order from the “Lighter Fare” portion of the menu. I honestly wasn’t feeling like a burger or sandwich, so I opted for the lasagna Bolognese. One thing you need to know about me is that I am the one Italian you will find that does not like pasta. You’ll almost never see me order it, I barely cook it, and I’ll complain if I go visit my mom and that’s what she cooks. {As an aside, I love me some lo mein; I could eat quarts of the stuff at a time.}

As described on the menu, the lasagna is “Free form lasagna with traditional Italian meat sauce, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano and béchamel sauce.”

The presentation left a little to be desired (although they were upfront and said “free form”), but this dish was great. The Bolognese meat sauce had a nice tang and sweetness; the carrots and celery in the sauce were cooked with a little bite left to them; the meat was still tender and didn’t seem overcooked in the sauce. There was a great abundance of mozzarella and parmagianno reggianno, but an underwhelming amount of béchamel sauce. Overall, I was definitely pleased. And, of course, I did ask for more bread because the dish was so good.

If you’re ever near downtown Albany, and don’t want to deal with Lark Street, I’d definitely recommend driving a few short blocks up Western Avenue (234)  to The Ginger Man. I am confident that whether you are looking for a cocktail, appetizer, light meal, or to eat like royalty, they can arrange it.

{Featured Image on derryX.com taken from http://www.albanygingerman.com/images/gingerman1.jpg}