I had a flawless and romantic dinner. The food was delicious, with appropriate portions. I had the Risotto Crochettes, Lobster mac n cheese, and shared the creme brûlée for dessert. My boyfriend had the Vegetarian Sausages and loved it. The server was very sweet and gave the restaurant a very warm and comfortable atmosphere.
Review Source:The Ginger Man is a wonderful restaurant, and our go-to when we're waffling on dining options. Â Reliably tasty in a great atmosphere.
We've been to The Ginger Man many times now, and have had excellent meals on almost every occasion. Â It's a little on the pricey side, but not ridiculous; reasonable for a date night. Â The food is fresh, prepared well, and with care (nothing ever seems to be slopped onto a plate).
The service is very nice and helpful, but it usually takes somewhere around forever to get what you've ordered. Â We like stretching out our meals, so it's more of a leisurely pace than a problem for us, but be careful if you're in a rush. Â You can dress up to go here, but I've walked in wearing jeans and a sweater and been totally comfortable.
The wine flights are fun and interesting for me (who knows nothing about wine), and I almost always order the specials (when I'm not sucking down mussels, which are a favorite). Â They also have a decent beer list.
We finally got to The Ginger Man and left as satisfied eaters. Â We started with the stuffed mushrooms, which were quite tasty. Â My wife got the halibut and I ordered a chicken salad. Â They were both very good, but not a 5 star. Â The atmosphere is fun, yet relaxing. Â The server was helpful and attentive. Â Recommended.
Review Source:There's tons of lobster mac and cheese, and at $14 for a more-than-reasonable lunch portion, it could be a fantastic deal. Unfortunately the lobster was overcooked, and the macaroni and cheese itself was flavorless. At least it looked good.
The pheasant was OK---I think I'd lean more toward it being shit than not. The "sage apple butter" wasn't bad, but it couldn't really salvage the mostly-bland baconed-bird. The bacon also wasn't cooked very competently---the sogginess did not contribute positively to the dish. The fingerling potatoes side fit well with the rest of the dish, given that it was a tasteless chore to eat. At $28, it's in line with the rest of the mediocre garbage served in Albany
The mussels appetizer rivaled Moscatiello's--if you're not familiar with them, that's not a good thing.
With regard to the service, it matched the food. The mildly-abrasive waiter wasn't as knowledgable as you'd expect one to be at a restaurant pretending to be at such a high level of quality.
The Ginger Man is just not that good. I recommend Aperitivo as a much superior restaurant at a similar price-point.
So, I will start out by saying that my boyfriend and I decided to go here because we had a capital city dining card which gave us ten dollars off and that was convenient because we had been curious about this establishment for a while.
My first impression of this restaurant was great. The staff was friendly, it was well decorated, and the bar was enormous. However, the food failed to live up to the restaurants deceptive appearance.
We both got items that were considered "specialties" so, one would think that they would taste good. Wrong. I had the lobster mac and cheese and my boyfriend had the ginger man paella. They were both by far the most bland dishes I've ever tasted. We both had drinks and the bill came to about 74 dollars and for that price I would expect that the food be decent, but I could have made better pasta out of a box of velveta.
This restaurant is also in the student ghetto, which I believe is where it belongs.
A very solid and respectable 3 stars. Not sure what the 4 stars is about, but a definite 3 stars is in order. We did quite enjoy our meals, though there were some flaws involved. However, would definitely return again. Perhaps we needed to venture out more.
Inside, small, cozy (but not in that romantically warm way, but more like it'd be great to be there on a cold day with a glass of wine and a good hearty dish).
Prices--very reasonable. Can make what you want of it. Some more expensive dishes and some lighter priced dishes and lots to choose from.
Service--wonderful. Our waiter was awesome. When I asked for a wine recommendation, he just asked what my wine preferences were (white vs red, bold vs medium) and then promptly came back with a wonderful sample to try that would pair well with our meal and it was a home run. He knew the menu extremely well and was able to acomodate my food allergies. He was also friendly, inviting, and made you feel like you were his only guests, when in fact he was having to take care of the bulk of the room.
Food---OK, so we started with the lobster cakes which were fantastic. Real chunks of lobster claw meat and just the right amount of breading so it wasn't all filler lightly fried/sauteed and serviced with a lemon chive aioli and a little side arugula and tomato salad. Boyfriend got the french onion soup which he said he enjoyed but kept finding himself comparing it to other restaurants so it appeared as though something was amiss. However, it came out nice and piping hot which was a plus. For entrees, we shared the paella and the braised short rib sliders with a side of fries. The perks of the paella--shrimp cooked nicely and sweet and the clams were cooked nicely. Rice was tasty, BUT, THIS WASN"T PAELLA!! This was mexican dirty rice with some fish, clams, and chorizo. Paella typically has evident saffon in it and a nice little crust from the oven bake. This was obviously boiled rice then add a little bit (and I mean a little bit) of red pepper, tomato for staining, and a small amount of onions and peas. Just cause it had some seafood and chorizo doesn't make it a paella. It's all about the cooking technique to the best of my knowledge since there are other rice dishes with similar flavor profiles, but based on cooking technique differs it from regular rice, paella, and zarsuela, etc. The short rib sliders were very tasty, moist, and the thyme aioli and picked red onion all on the brioche bun was very tasty. The french fries were real potatoes, which was nice, but were too soggy and had 0 crunch. I normally am a french fry plate cleaner and I could barely get through half. For dessert, we did the fondue which was fun and got to sample their chocolate stout cake (it was ok), pound cake, and then of course some typical fruits like strawberry and pineapple and of course marshmallow.
Overall, not bad, but it wasn't stellar like we were expecting. However, we will go back and try again as we are interested in trying the duck and pheasant dishes.
Came here for desert on a Wednesday night. Â We did not need to wait or make a reservation. Â The place had a good number of people. Â We ordered the carrot cake, the creme brulee, and the apple crisp. Â I thought the apple crisp was the best but everything was good. Â The staff is very friendly and the ambiance is great for a date or a girls night. Â This place is a gem in Albany!
Review Source:A nice sit down and drink place. I was in there with my girlfriend to celebrate my birthday and this place provided me a nice dating atmosphere. Small, but a good selection of craft beers. Their lobster mac  n' cheese is fabulous that they put almost more than a whole lobster in there - definitely a must try.
Review Source:My husband and I went here last weekend for our birthdays. Â Once again, it was wonderful. Â The place was very crowded and there was a bit of a wait because we did not have a reservation. Â However, we were able to enjoy a great drink at the bar and our wait was quite pleasant.
I had the risotto croquets to start...they were addictive! Â Crispy, cheesy and delicious! Â For my entree, I tried the Bacon-wrapped Pheasant. Â It was very good...maybe a tad overcooked, but I didn't mind that at all. Â The haricot verdes and fingerling potatoes were perfect sides.
My husband had the half-plate of paella (calimari for appetizer) and was very pleased as well.
We have never had a bad meal here!
Ginger Man was pretty good - but not up to par with their prices. I guess I have high expectations - similar places in my hometown (Atlanta) are just better. Similar places in Albany though are also better. This was fine, but for how expensive it is fine is not good enough. I got the crab mac and cheese and it was just meh. Not a lot of flavor. I also had the french onion soup - again just meh. The wine selection was pretty good, and the dessert that my friends had was also pretty good. Since I travel a lot to Albany for work, I may go back again, but it's probably not on the top of my list.
Review Source:Cute little place, great wine/beer selection. The lobster mac and cheese was awesome, and the paella smelled phenomenal! I met a few friends here (who were late, of course) but there were a few local newspapers by the front door to keep me company until they arrived. Great atmosphere - would be a perfect date location.
Review Source:I had the pleasure of eating here during UAlbany Alumni weekend. Â This place lived up to the positive reviews. We loved the cozy atmosphere and the food was excellent. We ordered the lobster mac and cheese and cheese fondue. Both were delicious.
The service was excellent. We loved our waitress, Rachel. A beautiful and great person who was all over us with service. Barely any wait time for food.
We will be back!
I found this place through a LivingSocial deal and man am I happy I did! This place is fantastic!! My fiancée and I got the zucchini fries and the cheese fondue for appetizers and I could eat those both as my meal. The Zucchini was flavorful and cooked perfectly and the cheese fondue (Irish cheese with Guinness, yum!) was absolutely delicious, especially with the garlic bread that came with it. For the entree, I got the half-plate of the paella and she got the half-plate of the lobster mac-and-cheese. First off, the half dishes are absolutely huge and are more than enough for one person. My paella was good and very flavorful, but the shrimp and clams were a bit tough. Her lobster mac-and-cheese was amazing and she got an entire claw in it! For dessert, we got the homemade ice cream, which was wildberry and was also delicious.
Overall, this place is fantastic and the meals are soooooo tasty. Combine that with very reasonable prices and you have yourself a great place to go to in Albany.
Summary- Gingerman delivers again. It's pretty hard to find fault in this place. They just know what they are doing.
Food- 4.5 Stars
Everything that came to the table was awesome.
Apps- Zucchini fries and fried oysters, both awesome but I could have eaten about 200 of the fried oysters. Great breading, perfectly fried.
Dinners- Wifey got duck sliders, they were excellent. I got the special Osso Bucco, it was excellent as well. Just all around delicious.
Desert- I fear this may not be Gingerman's forte. My wife's mixed berry tart wasn't really a tart, which was kinda disappointing.
Service- 4 Stars
Very good if not a little distracted by talking with co-workers about whatever.
Atmosphere- 4 Stars
It's a nice place inside, comfy, not too loud. Nice outdoor patio too.
Value- 4.5 Stars
Not cheap, but excellent food and good sized portions.
Drinks- 5 Stars
Great selection of beers and a decent wine menu with glass/bottle specials
My boyfriend and I split the cheese fondue and steak entree. Both were delicious and we were very impressed. The menu is on the smaller side, but we weren't disappointed because everything tasted amazing.
Very nice quiet environment the night we were there. I highly recommend if you're in the Albany area!
This is an attractive restaurant with handsome waitresses who are equally interested in their social life with each other and serving patrons. Â We ordered two wine flights, the paella and a halibut special. Â Each was good, none was excellent. Â Three of the wines were tired and short on fruit(reds). Â It was Friday two days after the 4th and I'll guess that they hadn't served much wine in three days. Â But, that not a reason to serve it today. Â If you have a holiday and the wine's shot, toss it, not serve it.
The Paella was spiced with cayenne and paprika with little saffron. Â Otherwise, it lacked olives. Â The halibut was short on spicing, yet good overall.
A nice place, but don't expect wine bar food even at $70 lunch for 2. Â Now that I think of it Yono's a much better value for the money.
My girlfriend and I celebrated our anniversary 2 nights ago at The Ginger Man. I had never been there, and I had always wanted to check it out. We were not disappointed.
Food:
The bread + olive oil they put out before you order was really good. I got a 20oz hefeweizen, and she got a glass of wine. Both very reasonably priced.
We ordered the risotto crochettes for our appetizer. These perfectly fried balls of creamy risotto and cheese sitting in a delicious combination of some sort of cream sauce and basil oil were pretty much amazing. I wanted to lick the freakin plate. I only wish they served more than three of them! They were, however, worth more than the $7.00 charge.
We are both poor graduate students at SUNY Albany, so we ordered from the "Lighter Fare" menu. She got the chicken sandwich. Doesn't sound all that exciting, but it was really good. I got the steak sandwich with mashed potatoes. Both very tasty. The steak was cooked nicely, and the fresh mozzarella was gooey and delicious. They leave some of the skin on the mashed potatoes too, which I enjoy. We wanted to try dessert, but we were both so stuffed! We'll be back sometime to order some dessert and splurge on the more pricey dishes.
Service:
Our server was Joe F. He was super friendly and attentive. No complaints on service.
The Point was the go-to date spot in Albany for me and my boo...until we discovered The Ginger Man! Â We went to this cute little restaurant early on a Saturday night before it got too busy. Â There's a lot of parking in the back, so you know you don't have to fight for a spot on the street. Â However, the place is small so make a reservation or plan to have dinner early on the busy nights. Â
We started by splitting the fried risotto and a salad. Â The risotto was amazing - slightly breaded and crunchy on the outside, creamy cheese-y risotto yummyness on the inside. Â The salad was nothing spectacular, but was very fresh and made us feel better about the less than healthy entrees we ordered. Â
The duck two ways was fantastic. Â Roasted duck, served medium rare with crispy skin...on top of some decadent duck confit. Â It was served with some seasonal veggies, potatoes, and a raspberry sauce that complimented the duck very well. Â We also ordered the full sized lobster mac, which was certainly not stingy on the lobster. Â It was also so huge that we were only able to eat less than half of it! Â We had the server wrap it up to take home and got to the car before we realized that we left it on the table. Â When we returned, a man who was sitting next to us exclaimed, "Darn it! Â I was going to take that home for lunch tomorrow!". Â
The bottom line: You know it has to be good when strangers are plotting to steal your leftovers. Â We will surely be back (again and again and again..)!
I already loved The Ginger Man, and after my amazing lunch visit I will be back whenever possible.
For starters, it was my birthday. I am "that girl" and announced it as soon as we walked in the door, because birthdays are exciting. Â Our server Joe was THE BEST, making sure everything was timed perfectly, prepared to our liking, and spent just enough time at our table to be completely attentive without hovering.
Service was top-notch. Â Food was great. Â Drinks were excellent. Â Joe gave our lunch date the rest of the martini left in the mixer as a sidecar, which made us all feel special for the extra bit of attention.
I could rave all day; however, I will close by saying that I will be back, it's absolutely worth a visit, and I'm glad this place has become an Albany landmark.
Four people take a shower in a span of one hour. Â You are the last to go. Â It's the middle of winter and there is no hot water left. Â What do you do? Â
Shower option: Â I hope you like cold showers.
Imagine that feeling for a second. Â it's the same exact feeling when you order a steak and it's not cooked right the first time. Â
Steak option: Â Eat the steak, It's not coming back to life.
My NY Strip was ordered medium. Â It arrived overcooked and cold. Â Do you find it embarrassing to send back food? Â I do. Â For my first time ever, I was that guy. Â All I wanted was some warmth rising from my steak. Â Unless a new steak was prepared, steak eaters can agree, it is beyond repair. Â There it was, returned to me, well done and black.
Meanwhile, my date is struggling to eat her Ahi Tuna. Â I take a bite. Â For both dishes, we were not in flavor country! Â Ginger Man - what the heck? Â I rarely adventure into entree land. Â This was a special occasion, damnit!
Phew, I'm glad that's off my chest.  It's "tough" to communicate a negative experience about a place you enjoy so greatly.  The Ginger Man is one of the only Capital Region restaurants I consistently recommend to friends.  The atmosphere is unique to Albany.  It appeals to the cheese and wine connoisseur, has options for the beer drinkers too, and the menu has variety for all palates.  For lunch, the ham sandwich with asparagus, topped with an over easy egg and hollandaise sauce is brilliant!  Just checked the lunch menu...where did  it go? Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!
Don't worry Ginger Man, you're still a go-to place in Albany, and I'll continue recommending you to friends. Â Next time, I'll keep it simple and stick to the pub food and cheese fondue.
Driving up and down Western you could definitely miss this place plus the parking is in the back.
There is outdoor seating and when you walk into the place there are pub style tables and chairs as well as your usuals. It isn't a big place but it has a good sized bar and wine menu.
My brother and I came here for lunch and were pleasantly surprised. For those that love heavy sauces and huge kicks DO NOT come here. The best thing about the food here is that they carefully cook and blend ingredients together and seem to add as little extra as possible. As a result, the veggies, carbs, and meat bring out each others flavors without too much subjugation by excess salt, etc. Our meal tasted fresh. Â While the seafood I had was cooked well and not overdone, unfortunately, my brother's chicken was way too dry. Also, my rice was a bit dry as well. Although the mixture and overall flavors of our meal were good, the dry meat and rice hurt the experience. However, I would for sure be willing to give the place another shot.
I love bars with little nooks and crannies. Â The Ginger Man's bar is complex, with corner after corner to hide in.
I love bars with lots of well polished wood. Â The Ginger Man's bar is made of the stuff!
I love bars with interesting people. Â The crowd mixes lawyer types, students on nice dates, and young professionals eyeing each other.
I love bars with good beer lists. Â Well done, Ginger Man.
Oddly, I really like bars named "The Ginger Man." Â Across the country, it seems to be a winner of a name.
My wife took me here for a romantic dinner after i returned from my 4.5 month externship.
Scotch offerings - off the hook *****
Charcuterie plate ***
Duck 2 ways *** (sauce -1 star)
Service ***
Ambiance***
Wife had Swordfish - melted in her mouth ****
I will definitely be going back and recommend this place whole-heartedly.
Amazing that food this good is from the neighborhood it was surrounded by. Â You cant judge a book by its cover!! Â GO!!
If not for you yelpers, I would miss out on so many great finds. The Ginger Man has, for sure, made it on to my list of favorites! Thank you so much!
(This is a 4.5 star review, but I felt they were worthy of the bump up rather than down.)
Saturday, my husband returned home from four months away, and I wanted to make his homecoming special. I took him to The Ginger Man. I could tell from the menu and the reviews that he would love it, and while they did not have a specifically gluten-free menu, there were items I could order; so I deemed it to be the perfect fit and made reservations.
I am thankful other yelpers mentioned the parking in back so that I would remember to look for it. The little alley to the left of the restaurant (when facing it) was easy to miss, but once found, led to an amazing amount of parking! yay! :) There were some diners outside (I LOVE outside dining, but since hubby isn't a fan, and this was his big homecoming, I made our reservations inside), and the atmosphere was very comfortable. The host had gauged ears but otherwise looked professional, and he seated us promptly at a very nice table by the window.
This area of the restaurant had a very cool vibe to it. The walls were brick and covered in pictures of Scottish poets.
I told my husband that they had a large beer, wine, and scotch selection, and he got very excited to peruse those listings. He ordered the trip around Scotland. I couldn't tell you which three he ordered, because I despise Scotch and take no interest in any of them (which one tastes more line Bandaids than the other?), but he was thrilled. He expected that he'd get a shot glass of each, but they came out in large glasses that appeared to each contain two ounces. Wow! It's a good thing I was driving!
Our server brought bread, and my husband said that it tasted homemade.
Our appetizer was the charcuterie platter. The menu listed seven delicious items on this platter, but our server told us we could only order three. (I see now that the online menu says to pick three, but the in-person menu did not, and that was a little disappointing.) I had to be careful with fat content, because until I get my gallbladder out next week, high fat causes far too much pain; so we got the salmon, trout, and for him, the truffled mousse pate'. It was all very delicious. It came with a special cheese blend that I cautiously tasted (I am not supposed to eat dairy, but I couldn't resist), and it was incredible! The texture was soft but crumbly, and there was the perfect amount of horseradish in for a perfect flavor to balance our meat choices. It was also decorated with capers, cornichons, and something that looked like small, green figs and tasted almost like green olives.
**After reading my review, my husband says that he saw on the menu where it said to pick 3, so maybe my ADHD just blinded me to it? I swear I never saw it even when I looked for it.**
For dinner, he got the duck two ways, and I got the swordfish special. (When I asked our server if the swordfish was fresh or if it had ever been frozen, she said that they actually get the whole fish in there and cut it up in-house!) My swordfish could not have been any more perfect. The chef was a little worried about making it without butter in the sauce, but I did not miss it even a little bit! They roasted my swordfish (although without the fat, it really looked poached) and covered it with a delicious citrus sauce (that was really fantastic without the butter it was supposed to come with). I am not exaggerating even a little when I tell you that my swordfish actually melted in my mouth! (I hear that expression often, but this was a case when it was reality and not just an expression.) The flavors were spot on, and I could not have been more pleased.
My husband's duck came out cooked to perfection! The fat was fully rendered, the skin nice and crispy, and the meat rare. He went nuts over how delicious the comfit was, but he said that the sauce that came with it didn't really go. I took a small taste and thought it was pretty good, but a raspberry sauce would have been so much nicer.
For dessert, I got the sorbet, and he got the panna catta. I took a small taste of his pana cata, and all I can say is that it tasted like gelatinized sweet cappuccino. I wasn't a fan, but he loved it. My sorbet was seriously over sweetened. I do not generally eat much processed sugar, so I can really taste it when it is added to something, and I much rather prefer sorbet to be just the fruit. While this was raspberry and might have been too tart that way, somebody was overzealous in the sweetening. I couldn't finish it.
Despite the sorbet, I am definitely a fan of The Ginger Man and will be going back, for sure! This is easily my favorite restaurant in Albany now.
YUM.
I wasn't expecting much from the Ginger Man but I must say, I was pretty impressed.
The beer selection was pretty good. Â I went for the Paulaner's hefeweizen and it was a great choice.
The tuna tacos were good.. they were in caramalized shells. Â I decided to crush them up and eat them that way. Â Still awesome. Â The salad with goat cheese was also good. Â Probably could have used more dressing. Â My friend got the lobster mac and cheese.. I tried a noodle and it was great. Â
Overall, everything I tried here was delicious and I'd come back again.
I have literally been going to this joint since it opened and I was living in the downtown dorms at SUNY back in nineteen eight-----cough cough..yea i am old.
It has come a LONG ways since the days of french dip and chocolate mousse (my first meal there)...and the smoked trout...OH THE SMOKED TROUT. Â I have had 25 years of good mouth watering dreams about that DAMNED SMOKED TROUT!!!! Â
I don't know why I forget about this place...could be because it is located in the heart of SUNY Albany's riot ridden, half drunk, ridiculously loud and insanely demented Student Ghetto (I have every right to say this having lived in the heart of it 25 years ago). Â But once you get past that..this place is a GEM. Â
I have never had a bad meal...its always changing..the wine list is great..service is impeccable and its just the perfect place for a nice romantic dinner or a gathering of good close friends.
This is one of the best fine dinning places in Albany...and it is always packed with a crowd completely unreflected of what surrounds it! Â The problem with this joint is...once you start eating you start ordering more food and drink. Â Appetizers, entrees, desserts, chesses, wines by the bottle and one hell of a bill but OH SO WORTH IT. Â
Like a sultry rendez-vous its sits on your palette, it teases the senses, it satisfies and it makes you want one more just like it...and it always delivers!
It makes me sad that I've never been to the Ginger Man until now. Â Either someone must've done a good job keeping this place a secret, or I haven't been doing my homework when it comes to finding restaurants. Â Think of all those dinners I could have had. Â The meats and cheese I could have been eating.
I suppose I'm going to have to make up for that lost time starting now, because the Ginger Man might be my new favorite restaurant in the area. Â I started with fried manchego wedges, which, in the grand tradition of making junk food fancier, is like mozzarella sticks on deliciousness steroids. Â They come with a tapenade and tomato sauce on top, and they're really, really, really good.
Went with a lighter plate for an entrée.  I had a duck stew with white beans.  I can't remember what else went into it because it's not on their online menu right now, but it was good.  Someone else had the duck two-ways, which I tried, but I liked the taste of the duck in the stew better.  Also, the lobster mac & cheese?  Holey moley.  There was four whole claws in that thing.  Two lobsters died to make that dish!
For dessert, we split the pistachio baklava with honey and vanilla ice cream. Also, really good. Â Add to this the good selection of reasonably priced beer and wine, and this place is a real winner. Â If a second visit goes as well as the first, I will upgrade their rating to 5 Stars.
I've been going here since they opened. I ate here more regularly when I worked nearby and probably would have only given it 4 stars. Â But since Chef Brian arrived the food has been brought up another notch.
Most recently I attended a Harpoon beer pairing dinner. Â I had been looking forward to this event because it had been at least a year since the last time they did a beer pairing - that one was with Brooklyn beers.
For this recent pairing the first course was an oxtail and foie gras terrine with crostini -delicious - with Harpoon's Munich Dark.
Second course was baby arugula, salmon tartare, poached quail egg, parmesan crisps, red onion, and herbed buttermilk dressing in a bacon bowl paired with Harpoon's Belgian Pale Ale. Â That bacon bowl was a real treat and the pairing choice was excellent.
Third course was chile garlic prawns with ginger cilantro vinaigrette and fresh mango paired with an un-filtered hefeweizen. Â The prawns were outstanding and HUGE! Â This should be a regular appetizer on the menu.
Fourth course was ancho rubbed bison tenderloin with maple butternut squash and potato pave paired with Harpoon's Leviathan series Barleywine. Â The 10% abv on this beer was the perfect companion for the bison, although I could have enjoyed a bit stronger ancho flavor.
Finally, the fifth course was a tarte tatin - caramelized apples with puffed pastry. Â It was paired with Harpoon's Winter Warmer. Â An excellent choice for this time of year and another perfect combination of food and beverage. Â The spiced ale nicely complimented the caramelized apples.
I'm looking forward to the next pairing that the Ginger Man does. Â They also have done wine pairings in the past. Â I attended one of those and would highly recommend them.
Went here to get everyone together prior to a bachelor party.
We had called ahead and gotten a reservation for 11 people. They were very accomodating and didnt have a problem with people trickling in etc.
The place looks "interesting" from the outside. Some of the guys were a little hesitant from the looks of it from the street. (no one was local). Once inside, all cocerns were evaporated. It is pretty cool inside. There are tons of great beers on tap and the food was delicious.
I had the lobster mac and cheese. It was really good. We had calamari that was amazing too. Everyone drank and ate very well. The bill was pretty nasty, but everyone had a good time.
The waiter took a big gamble and didnt add gratuity. I was pretty surprised by that.
I would go again and would recomend to others.
FYI
Parking is really tough to get, but they have a lot behind the building. Good to know.
This place is an Albany gem. The fruit and cheese board is amazing, it's always fresh and gorgeous (perfect to share with a date or a group). I have had lots of entrees and salads from their menu but the one I ALWAYS go back to is the lobster roll. The chunks of lobster are large and tender, and it's not ruined by mayonnaise! They give you a chive butter sauce on the side so you can dip, or drizzle on your sandwich. The chocolate fondue for dessert is always a hit, but pretty standard as chocolate fondues go. Their beer and wine selections are extensive.
The best part about this place is the atmosphere. There's lots of exposed wood, a brick wall, and a beautiful bar. It's pretty small so I'd recommend reservations if you're going on a weekend evening.
Follow up review: Just went back to Gingerman and had the cheese fondue which was fantastic, and the lobster mac & cheese (as you can see I'm a lobster fanatic). The mac & cheese portion was huge and there were big chuncks of lobster in it. My mom is also a fan of the lobster roll, which is no longer listed on their menu, but she asked if they would make one for her and they did. So there's still hope if you're a lobster roll fan! Â One thing that I wasn't impressed with was the calamari appetizer. It came with a cocktail sauce and the calamari wasn't fried as much as I typically like. (I would pass on that).
After reading all the good reviews of The Ginger Man I decided to give it a shot. The restaurant is located near St. Rose and the downtown SUNY Albany campus, but you are unlikely to find many students here due to the prices, which for some of us is probably a good thing. I was happy to find that the Ginger Man has its own private lot for parking, always a plus in Albany.
The restaurant offers "high" tables, bar, and regular table seating. It is broken into two sections, the front one houses the bar. I was pleased to sit in the quiet and secluded room in the rear of the establishment. The room was decorated with various framed posters of Irish writers. It had a warm and homey feel. The tables were nicely separated for privacy and the noise even upon full occupancy was to a minimum. The only thing out of place was the music that switched from nice jazzy numbers to some random 70s music.
I had heard about the Ginger Man's extensive wine selection and was tickled to find many wines offered not only by the glass, but by a 3 oz. "taste" as well as "flights". I tried the sweet tooth flight, which was three 3 oz. servings of white wines: one from a local NY vineyard, one from Oregon, and another from France. All three were splendid and offered a unique taste, none of them were overly sweet. I would say the wine is priced competitively, most glasses ranging from $6.50-9.00.
For an entree my dining companion and I were set on splitting the paella for two. I was looking forward to trying a charcuterie platter, but the waitress was honest enough to warn that it would probably be too much food, so we skipped it. The paella consisted of a good mixture of shrimp, clams, calamari, chicken, and sausage served in saffron rice. All of the meat including the clams was cooked perfectly, flavorful, and tender. The quality of the ingredients was superb. For $39 for a giant plate of food for two, I highly recommend it! We each finished off the meal with crème brûlée that was equally delicious.
The service was impeccable. Our waitress was friendly and prompt, not to mention receiving the bonus points for being honest about ordering too much food. I really have nothing bad to say, it was a five star experience. The Ginger Man offers upscale food in a comfortable atmosphere that can appeal to young and old alike. The prices are pretty hefty, but it is well worth it for a nice night out and a perfect meal.
I don't know that my review will really add anything to what others have already said, but I can echo their restraints. Â The Ginger Man has delicious food, an excellent wine list and a nice ambiance! Â We dined there with friends this week after not having been in years and the meal was fabulous. Â Being a vegetarian, I went with the portobello panini and a salad and it was top-notch. Â I chose the chickpeas as my side with the sandwich and they were delicious, but after trying one of my boyfriend's french fries, I think I made the wrong choice. Â What perfect fries - thickly cut, prefectly fried, not too greasy. Â Yum!! Â
I also love that The Ginger Man offers flights of wine (you can choose three 3oz. glasses), as I am just getting into wine, so I am really into trying different kinds right now. Â We even got dessert, which is a rare treat, because I had to try the fondue for two. Â The fondue and dippers were delicious and there was SO much, you could easily share it with a third person. Â
After thoroughly enjoying our evening, we left thinking of the next time when we can go back to try some of the interesting sounding appetizers and knowing that this place will become part of our regular rotation.
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