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- Address:
- 205 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55414
- Phone:
- 612-746-0304
- Overall User Rating:
-
(3 ratings)
The look: A friend of mine who works in the kitchen at Ginger Hop told me that the bar was shipped over from England in several large sections. Not just the bar itself, the whole room! Anyone familiar with the Times Café—which used to inhabit the space—will feel right at home. Some decorative details and motorized fans that sway overhead like rice paper palm fronds have been added to give the room an Eastern mood, but the charisma of the previous incarnation has been retained. And, with its vaulted ceilings, black marble panels on the bar top, and dark-stained wood, it’s a striking bar!
The dining room is simple and welcoming. The color tones are warm, the booths are firm yet yielding, the contemporary Asian art is understated but not trite, and there is even a small private room separated by a curtain for those…well, I’m not exactly sure what occasion a room like that would be for in a busy public restaurant, but I’ll bet plenty of people will come up with a reason just to say that they sat there.
The crowd: I missed the dinner rush on Thursday night; the dining room was still and serene as a Zen garden. But the bar was lively, filled with small groups of young people checking out the buzz on Northeast’s newest “hop” spot.
The drinks: One great thing about Ginger Hop is that there are plenty of options, no matter what you like to drink. The liquor list is full of the usual suspects and highlights some unusual brands that encourage experimentation. The wine list has been carefully chosen to give patrons an opportunity to have a high quality wine experience without painfully spiking the bill. And the beer list covers all the bases but without watering down the selection of American craft beers, most of them relatively local. The only drawback is that it was too much for one man to adequately sample in one night (I am lucky to have the problems I have). So, leaning on conventional wisdom I started with liquor and finished with beer.
In keeping with the fusion theme of the restaurant, most of the signature cocktails at Ginger Hop are popular, standard cocktails with an Asian twist. From the descriptions, many of them are appealing and well-conceived, but I wasn’t won over by any of them. The “Dirty Kimono,” a dirty vodka martini blended with sake, was a good, dry martini with an extra dimension that worked well, just underwhelming. I preferred the “Ginger,” a combination of Canton French Ginger liqueur, vodka, Chambord, OJ, and soda (there is an alternate version called “Mary Ann” which uses Naughty cherry brandy in place of the liqueur). Sweet, fruity, and spicy, it had all that I was expecting from a bar that specializes in robust flavor. The sweetness, however, was out of balance with the effervescence of the soda, bogging it down a little. But, all in all, my gripes are small. A little tweak of the recipes here and there and their drinks will be great. Plus, with the liquor selection they’re got, Ginger Hop will be a fun place to get to know the bartenders and let them exercise their creative license.
Unlike a cocktail menu, the emphasis of a beer list is the selection of products rather than the combination. Those of you who like beer to go down quick and easy will be a little frustrated at Ginger Hop, but those of you who like beer that tastes great and is more filling will be happy you stopped in. Not only does Ginger Hop offer all your hoppy favorites like Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, Summit EPA, and newcomer Lagunitas IPA, they carry many brews from up-and-coming producers like Stillwater’s Lift Bridge Brewery, St. Paul’s Flat Earth Brewery, and New York’s Southern Tier Brewery. For my nightcap I chose the Southern Tier’s Black IPA out of sheer curiosity. It was malty, thick, and hoppy, like so many intensely hopped American IPAs. The body and sweetness was just what I would expect from such a dark beer, but the finish was bitter rather than sweet, a pleasant surprise. Aside from adding fruit, herbs, and spices, there is not much that hasn’t been done with hoppy American microbrews, so I was impressed that the Black IPA was could catch me off guard.
I need to mention that the space beneath Ginger Hop—which used to be Jitters—is being remodeled and will soon open as a lounge called Honey. I suspect that there will be more of a focus on cocktails at Honey and that they will have some of the bugs worked out.
The menu: “East meets Northeast” is the slogan at Ginger Hop, which means that they give Thai food some local flavor. It means walleye satays and a kimchi reuben. It means Thai food and comfort food available in the same place at the same time—sometimes in the same dish! (For a more detailed look at the food, feast your eyes on some photos from Ginger Hop.)
The verdict: Thai food and American microbrews may seem an unusual combination, but they represent popular aspects of cultures on both sides of a shrinking globe that are here to stay. For decades, Americans have been incorporating elements of Asian culture into our lifestyle. Buddhishm, Feng Shui, and multiple Asian cuisines have become mainstream, everyday parts of our lives. And recently, a pride and recommitment to local culture and commerce have become more valued. Marrying these trends with robust, assertive flavors might make Ginger Hop very popular place.
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