07/22/09

Wouldn't recommend Blue Ginger

by GLSH

The dish was Scallops in a Polynesian sauce with mixed vegetables. The sauce reminded me of a less-tasty version of French's Mustard. Thank god the portion was small so that I could choke it down with water and not alert my dinner host (who had been looking forward to coming here). If I hadn't been an invited guest, I would have sent the meal back. if I had cooked this at home, I would have thrown it in the trash.

I contacted Blue Ginger General Manager the next day and asked if the chef may have made an error while preparing the dish. She brusquely put me off and said: "how can you compare our food to something as pedestrian as French's Mustard?"

If this restaurant were a pop song, it would have parenthetical titles next to its name: Blue Ginger (The Emporer's New Clothes).

• Pros: None
• Cons: Overpriced, food not tasty

06/23/09

Negligent

by eframes

I normally don't write reviews but I feel it's important to write this one. We have been to Blue Ginger many times...particularly for special occasions. I've yet to have a bad meal and tonight's meal was wonderful as well. However, when I made my reservations I was asked if this was a special occasion and I replied, "Yes, our friends special anniversary". Upon entering the restaurant, I approached the hostess and again mentioned that our friends are celebrating their special anniversary and asked if she would relay the message to our table wait staff. "Not a problem", she said. We ordered several desserts and I was very disappointed that all my efforts, my request was ignored. I left the restaurant quite sad and apologized to our guests. I will admit that I was delighted to see the restaurant filled on a Tuesday evening in a bad economy...but negligence is unacceptable!

• Cons: Not acknowledged a special occasion

01/11/09

A Let Down

by WeeklyDine

Truly a let down. Staff was unfriendly and cold, food was average at best. I do not know why they are so busy becuase no one really cares that you are there and absolutely no one cares if you do not enjoy your meal even when you leave you entire dish in front of you untouched. Maxwells 148 is about 2 miles away right past Wellesley College on Rt 135 and 10 times better.

• Pros: Pretty
• Cons: Loud, less than average food and terrible service

11/29/08

another letdown

by kalliepayne

Went here 5 years ago for a first date and had been excited to go because I had heard wonderful things about this place. The food was not good back then and has not improved as of my visit last night, either.

I am a fan of Ming's tv show, and the recipes on it are always great. Somehow, the restaurant just doesn't live up to Ming's reputation.

Yes, the Butterfish is good. Maybe even very good. And my Vanilla mint cream soda was fabulous- my favorite part of the meal. The staff is great, too.

But the Tuna tartare appetizer was one of the most tasteless dishes I've ever had, and the sauce served with the calamari was pretty foul.

I really hope he revamps the menu or figures out how to make this place works as the type of food is promising and I love the restaurant's location.

• Pros: decor, location, staff
• Cons: food tastes horrible

10/01/08

Absolute disappointment

by beefcookie

Always a fan of Ming's TV shows, a couple of friends and I decided to trek out to Blue Ginger before I left Boston. We were promptly seated as it was a weeknight and the place wasn't too busy. However, the first thing we noticed after sitting down was the outdated and non-descriptive decor. It reminded us more of a typical suburban establishment rather than a highly touted culinary destination. The food did not impress neither: my table ordered the tasting menu of 5 courses, of which only the butterfish got a consensus of delicious from the table. The tuna tartare was something you could have had anywhere. Although I enjoyed the Foie Gras shumai, the accompanying broth with shallot was way over-seasoned. The other dishes--which included a lobster filled fried wonton and Surf and Turf--were unimpressive. The plating and presentation were something out of your average TGIF--uncoordinated and uninventive. The creme brulee dessert weren't set properly neither, wrapping up a disappointing dinner overall.

If it wasn't for the Blue Ginger name and high expectation that came with it, a restaurant of this caliber would probably gotten 3 stars--or an average rating. However, with Ming's success in the media, I was expecting more from his flagship establishment. Please, Ming, do something about the decor and improve the dishes. You can ride the name only for so long.

• Pros: Not much, other than the possibility of meeting a celebrity chef
• Cons: decor, plating, quality

07/20/08

Lover of Butterfish!

by pinucci

I took my husband here for his birthday dinner...and everything about it was wonderful! We had the Alaskan Butterfish and Lobster dish and they were both amazing. I have never tasted anything quite as perfect as I did last night. Even the fried calamari with lime and cilantro dipping sauce was wonderful and tangy. It was one of the best meals of my life. The atmosphere was comfortable and romantic and the waitstaff was so friendly. My husband and I just left smiling and in a culinary bliss. It was also very exciting to see Ming mingle with the customers...he is so relaxed and pleasant and it definitely translates into his food and restaurant. I can't wait to return. I will be dreaming about my Alaskan butterfish until then.

• Pros: everything
• Cons: nothing

07/06/08

Don't Believe the Hype - Awful Food!

by darwinmba

Don't believe the hype. Fine dining is about outstanding service, and sophisticated contrasting flavors with interesting textures; there should be a "Wow!" moment during the meal.

The food at Blue Ginger was absolutely disgusting - especially for a restaurant at this price point. Most of the flavors did not meld and the dishes were poorly composed. The Asian Lacquered Poussin was so dry, it was gritty, like particle board and we had to send it back. Ming Tsai should be ashamed that this even left his kitchen. The "signature: Garlic-Black Pepper Lobster was so overly salted, you could almost feel your lips pucker; if the lobster was sweet, it was overwhelmed by salt. Our only recommendation is to avoid Blue Ginger!

• Pros: Quick seating
• Cons: Lousy food, horrid service

05/30/08

great wonderful food

by callisto

APPERTIZERS

Shiitake-Leek Springrolls with Three Chile Dipping Sauce were ok. A little on the salty side.

Ming?s Tea-Smoked Salmon & Beef Carpaccio with Fresh Wasabi Emulsion was delicious.

Hawaiian Bigeye Tuna Poke with Crispy Sushi Rice Cake & Peppercress-Tosaka Salad (Ming's version of tuna tartare). That was the best appetizer of all. Everyone ate it up & wanted more.

ENTREES

Sake-Miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish - much smaller in portion than the others but was a very light, tasty fish.

Japanese Braised Pork Osso Bucco with Pickled Kabocha Squash Risotto - meat was very tender & flavorful.

New Zealand rRack of Organic Lamb with Roasted Garlic Demi-Glace - was good & didn't retain all of its usual gamey flavors.

Garlic-Black Pepper Lobster with Lemongrass Fried Rice - salad came w/ a perfect lemongrass dressing. The salad was amazing in flavor. The Fried Rice was good but was a little salty w/ the sauce it came on.

DESSERTS

Bittersweet Chocolate Cake w/ Cardamom ice cream - I don't enjoy Cardamom too much but it was a decent dessert overall.

Sesame Macadamia Caramel Nut Tart - this was absolutely wonderful. The tastes & flavors all came together.

Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee and Cookies - it was not overly sweet which is a plus. It was nice & smooth in texture. A very nice treat to the end of the meal.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Napolean was light & beautifully presented.

OVERALL, a great experience. We met Ming before dinner & he took a picture w/ us. He also chatted w/ us & recommened other places to eat in the Boston area. He was very nice & personable. I would definitely come back again for another special occassion event. Only gripe was that We had 8:45pm reservations but didn't get seated until 15-20 minutes afterwards, but the food more than made up for that.

• Pros: tuna poke, open kitchen, desserts
• Cons: wait time, make reservations

05/12/08

My favorite restaurant in the world, literally.

by t1willia

Now that the restaurant is virtually twice its original size (as of 5/10/08), the restaurant will undoubtedly be noisier. However, most of the new space is located in the bar area and private dining areas. When I went to the re-opening last weekend, it was my third visit to Blue Ginger. I just have to say that all three times I have been there have been in my top ten dining experiences ever. I would first like to proclaim myself as an aspiring foodie, and have dined at some the finest restaurants in Paris, Venice, New York and Boston. That being said, Blue ginger has my absolute favorite tuna tartar. They use good quality tuna precisely cut, well flavored with citrus, and served on a unique and flavorful crispy rice cake. Boston's own Radius used to rival Blue Ginger's tartar, until I went and the tuna pieces were all still connected to each other by a string of fat. The foie gras dumplings are amazing, mild yet flavorful. I would also highly recommend the spring rolls, and even the panko-crusted buffalo shrimp (I bet you have never had a celery fry before). As all the other reviews state, the butterfish really is amazing. It literally melts in your mouth and is well marinated, yet still manages to retain some of the fish's flavor. More often than not, mild fish like this can be easily overpowered by sauces and seasoning, in which case why spend $38 dollars when you can just drink a bottle of teriyaki sauce for two dollars. The lamb is great. I once had a steak dish that has since been changed, but just goes to show that they can cook and season meat well. Every dish I have had was above average. The service is far above par, although the water guy wouldn't allow the water in my glass to go below the rim. Running out of space so: Great food and service; worth the price. May even get to meet the chef, who is a really nice guy.

• Pros: Food, Service, Chef actually present
• Cons: Kitchen open to see. Don't like seeing my food prepared. Adds noise.

04/11/08

Fabulous lunch experience.

by spoon601

After watching Ming for years on East Meets West and Simply Ming, I couldn't resist a field trip out to Wellesley on my first trip to Boston. My local hosts and I drove out about 30 minutes on a rainy Friday afternoon for lunch and found the restaurant not too crowded at all. Our waiter was very nice and responsive. This was probably due to the fact that, as I turned my head halfway through our meal, I spied Ming Tsai chatting up a table of lunching grannies. We started with the crispy calamari, which came with a delicious thai dipping sauce, and ordered the wok-stirred paella, schezuan pepper cheeseburger, and indonesian curry vegetables. We also ordered the fresh ginger ale, which was really good. It was the perfect balance of ginger, sweetness and carbonation. Definitely had to refill. All three dishes were very flavorful and the fusion flavors mixed blended together very well. I think the winner was the cheeseburger out of the 3 dishes. The roquefort cheese and pepper classed it up and made it really tasty. We even got Ming to stop by and chat a bit and take a picture. He is really the nicest guy. So the review may be biased by the latter experience, but I do think the food, while not being the best meal ever, was pretty darn good. Better than my experieces with Oliver and Collichio by far. We got away with an $80 bill for 3, which I think is pretty reasonable, and leftovers to satisfy another meal. Wish we had room for dessert. Try the restaurant for a weekday lunch to save $$ and waiting. I would definitely make another visit.

• Pros: Delicious food, good service, excellent ginger ale.
• Cons: A bit out of the way.