Rooting for Ginger Rootz

What a glorious day! It is the birthday of the Wise and Benevolent (and beautiful) Empress of the Blogosphere! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

However, this is not about what a sweet and special woman The Empress is this is about where we dined tonight. The subject of tonight's review is a restaurant named Ginger Rootz on the northeast side of Appleton.

The Atmosphere

Is befitting a good restaurant. You walk in and you will know the establishment serves food worth reviewing and will prepare you for a treat. The ceilings are high and there is brushed aluminum that gives the place a modern artsy feel to it.

The Bar

The Empress and I were seated. I ordered a – ginnentonic and the Empress a rootbeer. The ginnentonic was flat but the Empress raved about her rootbeer. First, it was served in a glass without ice and secondly the rootbeer was cold and good. It was a rootbeer made in Monroe WI. My second ginnentonic was noticeably better but still the tonic water lacked the bubbles. However, the proportion of gin to tonic was about right, I could taste the gin but a lime was proper instead of an olive.

May I Take Your Order

Dale waited on us and he has waited on us previously. Dale has a good sense of humor, is engaging in conversation, and does what a waiter is supposed to do. I intended to tip him well but gave only the standard tip. I can calculate powerfully but not quickly.

The Food

In a word, excellent. I ordered two vegetable rolls and those were good. The hot and sour soup I had was very good as well. The dinners we ordered were the sea bass grilled and the XO shrimp and scallops.

Hmmm, sarap na! I ordered the XO shrimp and scallops. The menu claimed it to be a spicy dish and I found it wanting. However the sauce was assertive and it came with pea pods, green onions, and asparagus. I ordered a chablis with the dinner and the pairing was divine.

The sea bass came with two dollops of wazabi mashed potatoes. That was a touch spicy for the Empress but not for myself. Again, I found the spuds assertive in flavor but most Northeastern Wisconsinites should be able to handle it. The sea bass came grilled with a dark garlic sauce and I thought the sauce a touch overpowering in comparison to the sea bass which had a very delicate flavor.

Next time we go The Empress is going to order the sea bass again, but steamed with a soy based sauce instead of grilled. I think that sauce will better bring out the fish's delicate flavor.

Since it was the birthday of the Empress noodles were mandatory. Ginger Rootz has a noodle bowl menu where you can order your favorite noodles with a sauce, vegetables, and a meat (or tofu). The Empress ordered a bowl of those and that was a meal in itself.

The Bottom Line

While it was not a cheap date I found the prices more reasonable here than in our previous restaurant experience. Ginger Rootz has a wide range of prices. A couple can get by for $50.00, but our meal of the sea bass, the shrimp and scallops, the noodle bowl, two ginnentonics, two glasses of chablis, the root beer, and the tip set us back about $90.00.

Executive Summary

I have been to Ginger Rootz in the past and continue to visit. I highly recommend Ginger Rootz if you are looking for a good sit down general Oriental restaurant.

Very simply just go and enjoy!