It’s hard for me to think of two more appealing establishments to hang out with friends—drinking and dining—than the two Ginger Man restaurants. Unlike gingerbread men in a bakery display case, these Norwalk and Greenwich restaurants are not cookie-cutter twins. They’re more like cousins who share a passing family resemblance.
The paterfamilias of these restaurant siblings is charismatic Christian Burns, who has encouraged the two to seek different paths tailored to the demographics of their respective locations.
Both restaurants feature good and varied food with tremendous beer and wine selections. But the South Norwalk restaurant has charted the more informal path, with a more casual menu and an even greater emphasis on craft beers. The Greenwich restaurant has a more upscale menu and places more emphasis on wines. Thus, it’s appropriate that I recently attended a beer dinner held at the SoNo restaurant and a wine dinner held at its Greenwich counterpart.
I begin with the beer dinner held at the SoNo Ginger Man. Diners who haven’t visited the restaurant since it was Amberjacks will find a much more gracious interior. The patio also makes for a very pleasant setting in the beautiful weather we’re finally enjoying after a dismal May and June.
The roasted corn clam chowder was exceptional.
An Anjou pear and Boston lettuce salad with endive, candied walnut and Roquefort cheese in a champagne vinaigrette proved to be a lovely follow-up.
Steamed littleneck clams came in a killer broth of Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier, prosciutto, black olive and plum tomato.
A bite of burger and slow-roasted BBQ pork showed that Ginger Man improves on classic pub grub,
while slices of New York strip steak with red wine-shallot butter and hand-cut fries were true bistro fare.
A slice of derby pie with vanilla ice cream proved irresistible.
Knowledgeable staff explained the food we had sampled
and the beer we had enjoyed.
Paired sequentially with each course were Gaffel Kölsch, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere, Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier, Brooklyn Local #2, Palm Amber Ale and Schneider Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock.
Such a meal would have been difficult to top, but the Greenwich Ginger Man’s wine dinner might have accomplished the feat.
A 2007 Casa del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc, Gran Reserva, Casablanca Valley, Chile was paired with perfect pan-seared scallops in lemongrass sauce with wheat berry salad.
A 2006 Marques de Murrieta Pazo Barrante Albariño, Rias Baixas, Spain was married to a seductive Mediterranean salad laced with preserved lemon.
The Albariño also did yeoman’s service with a Maine lump crab cake with caraway seed potato salad.
A 2005 Viña San Esteban Syrah, Aconcagua Valley, Chile that escorted North Atlantic salmon in a tomatillo sauce with a grilled corn, tomato and mascarpone risotto and grilled ramps demonstrated that careful red wine pairings with seafood can be effective.
A 2005 Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast, California was admirable accompaniment to pan-roasted pork tenderloin in a mustard seed sauce with cave-aged Amish cheddar grits and sautéed kale.
But the real kicker was dessert, and I’m normally not the greatest lover of sweets. Dessert was a pumpkin truffle and a marzipan-and-Sicilian-pistachio truffle.
The truffles were wonderful enough in their own right, but the spirits with which they were teamed elevated them to another level. The pumpkin truffle was paired with Rogue Spirits Dead Guy Whiskey, while the other truffle was paired with Le Baladin Xyauyu Vintage Barley Wine from Piozzo, Italy.
Both the SoNo and the Greenwich restaurants are worth seeking out for their respective strengths. Times have been tough of late, but the Ginger Man restaurants are giving Fairfield County residents good reason to smile. So run, run as fast as you can, if you want to catch The Ginger Man.
The Ginger Man, 99 Washington Street, South Norwalk, 203-354-0163
The Ginger Man, 64 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, 203-861-6400