With so many new and established restaurants it might be just a little easier for any of the more established locations to get lost in the fray.
One restaurant that deserves its due is Ginger & Spice Asian Bistro.
Since opening its doors in 2015, Ginger & Spice has been cranking out some of the freshest, fastest, authentic handcrafted Pan-Asian dishes in town.
The space is casual, easy and quick, serving up Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai dishes that are brimming with flavor, sourced from quality ingredients.
My colleague Mark Fisher reported when it opened in 2015 that the restaurant has some serious restaurant resumes behind it. Here’s what he wrote:
"It is owned by Grace Peng, who formerly operated Tsao's Cuisine near Wright State University in Fairborn, and it will feature dishes created by the founding chef of that restaurant, Anne Tsao. Tsao worked her way up to the kitchens of high-level hotels in Taiwan before coming to the U.S. in 1989. She cooked in Asian restaurants in Indianapolis, then came to the Dayton area to join Steve Kao's, a now-defunct Miami Twp. restaurant that served a wide array of Chinese dishes through the 1990s."
LARGE MENU, LARGE PORTIONS
The website http://mygingerandspice.com makes it easy to scroll through the menu to familiarize yourself prior to visiting for lunch or dinner, or to get a pick-up order in and save yourself the wait.
And from the large menu that the small kitchen is able to execute on, featuring dishes that are long on flavor, the experience shows.
Portion sizes for nearly everything ordered are quite generous.
Several of the appetizers ordered by themselves are large enough to make a meal.
The Ginger & Spice wontons ($6) features eight large handmade wontons stuffed with ground pork and seasoned with the tangy spicy house sauce. The hand-wrapped pot stickers that come made with ground pork or vegetables ($8) features six pieces that can be steamed or pan-fried. Both are impressive servings. The spiced chicken in chilled lettuce wraps ($8) served up with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and chopped onions yields four wraps that combined with a homemade soup make a meal.
Other menu offerings are categorized under beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables as well as noodle and rice dishes.
One of my personal favorites since they opened is the Mala Beef ($11) toss-fried with mushrooms and delivered with the amount of fresh garlic, jalapeños and scallions that will have you reaching for either mints or a tooth brush sometime later, a good thing for those who enjoy a dish that packs a punch. Dishes not already served with noodles or rice can be paired with your choice of steamed, brown or plain friend rice.
The menu features popular and familiar favorites like Pad Thai with chicken or vegetables ($10) or shrimp ($12) served on top of a huge helping of rice noodles fried with eggs, onions, bean sprouts and Thai sauce, finished with a dusting of crushed peanuts.
There are other options that are a little more interesting like a pan-fried noodle cake topped with fresh cooked vegetables and seafood ($15) including a generous number of shrimps, scallops, mussels and clams. Bun Chay ($12), a Vietnamese vegetarian noodle salad made with vermicelli, cucumber, bean sprouts, lettuce, basil and topped with tofu and the restaurants soy garlic lime dressing is a refreshing choice when you are looking to count calories and go for something lighter.
Several seasonal specialty dishes ($12 each), include orange chicken that’s crispy batter fried served up with a spicy, zesty pure orange sauce; a basil chicken dish served with baby bamboos, ginger and fresh basil and a salt and pepper shrimp creation toss-fried with jalapenos, garlic and ginger.
Sliced pork belly pan-fried with king oyster mushrooms in a hot bean sauce ($10) is yet another stand-out.
BEER SELECTION
A selection of craft beers are available for $5 from breweries including Rhinegeist and Warped Wing and there are interesting nonalcoholic options like the very sweet Ginger & Spice Brown Sugar Bubble Tea ($4) and the spicy flavor-filled Bundaberg Ginger Beer ($4) that seems to pair perfectly with almost anything.
I’ve been a Ginger & Spice fan for several years now, and I hope that as Brown Street continues to strengthen and define its dining options, that no one forgets this one down the street.
WANT TO GO?
What: Ginger and Spice Asian Bistro
Where: 1105 Brown St., Dayton
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday to Saturday; closed Sundays
Online: http://mygingerandspice.com or www.facebook.com/GingerandSpiceAsianBistro
Call: (937) 716-1298
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