Thursday, January 29, 2009

Amai Tea - The Ginger Man

8. Amai Tea & Bake House
171 3rd Avenue between 16th and 17th

My default cupcake spot is Magnolia. Despite numerous calls for me to try Billy’s Bakery and other spots, I have developed something of a loyalty to the smooth vanilla buttercream frosting and fluffy cake base that Magnolia serves. Amai serves a green tea cupcake, the recommended item on the list for about $3.00 (Magnolia is $2.00). The frosting was more whipped cream than frosting; light, airy and just a touch creamy, it was quite refreshing. In fact, the whole cupcake was refreshing. The cupcake and frosting are both green, the cake is moist, light and almost cooling. My friend thought it was great. For me, it didn’t hit the spot. It was a bit too light for me to consider it a dessert, and I don’t know what a cupcake can be besides something I crave after a meal.


The Ginger Man
11 E 36th Street between 5th and Madison

Finding inexpensive sit-down restaurants in midtown is a pretty daunting task. The Ginger Man is more of a bar than a restaurant, serving a vast collection of brews and cask ales. When I went at around 1pm, the place was almost completely empty, which I’m hoping is just a sign of the times and that less people are making the journey out for a sit-down lunch and simply retiring to office cafeterias and bagged lunches. The menu consists of traditional bar fare, though the intent was to make an Irish bar (save for the ploughman’s lunch and bratwurst at around $14). Not being prepared to spend so much on lunch, I decided to try the turkey and brie sandwich served on a French baguette with a side of potato chips. The sandwich is decent and clearly nothing special. For $9.50 it’s not horribly mis-priced for a sit-down lunch and given the selection of beers that they serve, it’s definitely worth going to if you want to try a new ale ($6-9 with $10 flights of 4 4.5 oz samples). If only they had a happy hour…

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