Ginger Man

[nikklos]

I am staying near the Ginger Man this week. I hear the beer is very good but how's the food? Typical pub fare or a notch above. Any help would be appreciated.

[GTopp]

I haven't been in over a year but last time I was there they did not serve any fried food. Up to you weather that is good or bad. Basicaly just sandwiches and salads.

[Scotty100]

The gingerman on E36th st has a great selection of beer but not much of a food menu. Still limited to sandwiches and cheese etc.

It does not serve the food that their more restaurant oriented off-shoot bars in Greenwich and South Norwalk CT serve. However, their beer selection is way bigger and better.

Resto, the belgian bistro is close by and would be a decent choice for a burger afterwards.

[Spends Rent on Food]

Excellent call on Resto. The only issue would be wait time, although you could just grab a seat at the bar, and down some duvel while you wait.

[ESNY]

The other issue is the burger isn't good and has a tendency (at least in my experience) to be served on a stale bun. Its also small, dense and will not be served less than medium well.

[progressivenewamerican]

I personally liked the burger but they do have some fantastic food at Resto--the lamb ribs, the deviled eggs and a wide array of different moules frites dishes.

[Spends Rent on Food]

Resto's Tete de Couchon is not to be missed. It's out of this world.

I've never had a problem with the burger - When I specify med-rare I get it.

[nikklos]

Thanks for the feedback everyone - I am definitely going to sample a few beers at the Ginger Man and then head over to Resto for the Deviled Eggs and Tete de Couchon (though I am not really sure what that is).

[Miss Needle]

If you do go to Resto, you may want to stick with the tete de cochon and deviled eggs. I've only been there once and was really disappointed with the mussels and fries -- so disappointed that I'm hesitant to go back for anything. I had better fries from White Castle (which is not known for their fries). Apparently, a lot of posters on this board also were not impressed with it as well.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/519250

[ESNY]

I wonder if they've changed the burger. The times I've had it (last time was a few months ago) was a six ounce salty hockey puck. If i remember the waitress correctly, they wouldn't cook it less than medium well because it was mixed with bacon fat or ground bacon or something.

[UWStoSONO]

I live right near the one in South Norwalk, CT and I eat there all the time. The food is above average for a bar. They really have some nice dishes up here. Don't know if that means they serve the same in NYC, but for what it's worth, the SoNo Ginger Man serves high quality bar food.

[john]

The cheese plate is a pretty satisfying starter that goes well with beer.

[peachtart]

On 64th st? Its now O' Neals. typical pub fare.

[nikklos]

The one I heard about is on 11 E. 36th - didn't know it was a chain.

[Spends Rent on Food]

I think Nikkolos is referring to Gingerman on 36th street. It's still there and has the best beer selection in the city. It can get really crowded with the after-work crowd.

I've eaten there a few times, but honestly don't remember a thing about the food. Either the food was that unremarkable, or the beer was that good... not exactly sure which. Although I can say if it was great I probably would have remembered it.

One thing we've done is drink first at Gingerman, then eat at Barbes less than a block away.

[pellegrino31]

I had the same impression as SRoF - the beer is such a focus that the food as far as I can remember is just okay. It definitely gets crowded with the happy hour suit crowd which stinks. If you go on the earlier side during the week it should be fine though.

Not to sidetrack this too much but if you want to venture much further south where you can get both amazing food and beer, head to Spitzer's Corner on the LES. My only complaint is that the seating isn't all that comfortable for an extended stay - mostly benches or stools at the tables, though in the back they have tables with regular seats.

[Desidero]

Do you have any specific recommendations for food at Spitzer's Corner?

[pellegrino31]

The sliders are really good - and the most adorable ones I've seen :) They are served on brioche. The mac and cheese one time was pretty creamy but when I was there on Friday it was a little oily. The short rib burger was surprisingly not very flavorful - think it just needed more salt because it just tasted a bit bland. And though it sounds kind of funny to have it with beer, the chopped salad is really nice and refreshing. Oh and the popcorn is really good too (flavored with olive oil and rosemary).

[nikklos]

Thanks for the tip - I might do just that. Looked up Barbes - French/Morrocan - sounds interesting.