Red hot at Red Ginger

Red Ginger

Uptown Charlotte

Hi everyone!  I want you to meet my new friend Markus!  He’s a fellow foodie and will be joining Trumpy and Me on our food adventures.  Can I say Markus is one good looking monkey?

 

 

Red Ginger is a newer restaurant in Uptown Charlotte.  It serves up sushi, hibachi, and also other Japanese steakhouse staples. 

When you first walk in, you arrive at the hostess stand and bar.  The hostess asks nicely if you have a reservation.  I made mine earlier in the week through OpenTable.  OpenTable is a great way to make free online reservations to your favorite participating restaurants.  You get points for every reservation you make and keep; the points are redeemable for a dining certificate.  If you are already making reservations for dinner, why not do it through OpenTable?  It’s free and you can collect points for free food money.  If you make reservations for odd times, you can earn even more points.  What is there to lose? 

After the hostess found our reservation, she asked us if we wanted to sit at the hibachi tables or the regular tables.  Markus and I weren’t in the mood to sit at the hibachi table, so we opted for a table in the regular section.  We were seated promptly and our waitress came by immediately to take our drink order.  I ordered a Diet Coke and Markus ordered a glass of water. 

As we flipped through the pretty large menu, we looked around the restaurant to take in the rest of our surroundings.  The bar has two large TVs and a projector playing the game of the day, while dance music played in the background.  A few people were seated in this area munching on appetizers and sipping cocktails.  This seems like a pretty good place to stop in for a drinks and a snack.  As you move in, you start to notice the décor.  It’s very modern with Asian accents.    It’s a very clean and open looking place that doesn’t make you feel cramped.  There is also a separate sushi bar seating area and an outdoor patio with many tables.  This is a big restaurant. 

 

 

 

 

We can enjoy the hibachi show from here!

Our waitress came back quickly with our drinks and we ordered our food.  After much deliberation, Markus ordered Beef Yaki Soba, and I ordered the steak and scallop hibachi combo.  We also ordered gyoza to share.  We barely had time to think before our appetizers appeared.  Both our meals came with a soup and also a salad.  We each had a different soup.  Markus’ soup was miso and mine was just a plain both with some veggies.  The salad had the standard Japanese steakhouse ginger dressing. 

The gyoza were steamed and then pan fried.  They were nice and crispy, but the flavor was pretty weak.  They tasted a lot better with the dipping sauce. 

I sipped on my Diet Coke thinking it tasted funny as we were enjoying our appetizers.  When it started running low, the waitress brought me a refill and presented it to me as more Diet Coke.  I was beginning to think that this Diet Coke was actually Diet Pepsi, but I didn’t get a chance say anything before our main courses arrived.  It’s not that big a deal, but if I have the option, I would have ordered tea instead of Diet Pepsi.  I’m not really a Pepsi fan.        

 

Markus’ Yaki Soba looked and tasted really yummy.  It was full of flavor.  There were plenty of vegetables, tender beef, and nice and chewy noodles.  We had no complaints with this dish.

My hibachi combo was also great.  It was a mega portion that came with your choice or rice, plain stir-fry noodles (the lo mein kind), stir-fried veggies, and two pieces of shrimp as an appetizer.  This plate was big enough for both Markus and I to share.  The steak was really tender.  I didn’t order the filet, but this was just as tender as a filet.  The scallops were also really fresh tasting and cooked well but not overdone. 

Mmmm.... it was so yummy!

So much food!

With such great service at the beginning of dinner, it was quite depressing to notice that our waitress didn’t seem to be around after we got our main course.  The restaurant got really busy and our waitress was also serving the hibachi tables, which was unfortunate for us because our drinks were mostly ice and we were badly in need of refills.  We never did get another refill, but the inevitable check and to-go box did finally show up with the waitress.  Not even the option for dessert...

And by the way… that Diet Coke was really a Diet Pepsi.  It said so on the bill. 

 Some Handy Red Ginger Tips:

·     Make a reservation.  Our reservation was at 7PM and it wasn’t very busy when we walked in, but it filled up quickly in the next 15 minutes, especially at the hibachi tables.  Try specifying that you want sit at the hibachi tables when making your reservation.

·    Use OpenTable to make your reservation.  They send easy, fast, and you don’t have to make any calls.  Plus you earn points for future dining rewards.

·    This is a great date or special occasion place.  It is probably not a great place to bring small children though. 

 

Overall, How Nuts Are We about Red Ginger?

Food: 4 coconuts. 
Service: 3.5 coconuts.  It started out great but fizzle at the end with the Diet Pepsi. I had to take one full coconut for the Diet Pepsi.
Repeatability: 5 coconuts. Sushi, hibachi, and steakhouse favorites.  You can definitely change it up quite a bit each time you come in.