New restaurant could be best Asian food in town

By Amelia Robinson

Ginger and Spice Asian Bistro

Address: 1105 Brown St., Dayton

Hours: 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday

Online: Facebook

Call: (937) 716-1298

Local “Asian-style” restaurants had better watch their backs.

There is a new kid in town with a chef with tons of experiences and fresh ingredients in her kitchen.

The phrase “local farm-raised” is repeated over and over again on the menu at Ginger & Spice, the new Asian bistro at 1105 Brown St. Straight out of the gate, it is in the running for the best Asian food in town award.

A lot of restaurants promise fresh ingredients. You can taste and see the freshness on Ginger & Spice’s plates… seriously.

Ginger & Spice is owned by Grace Peng. who formerly operated Tsao’s Cuisine near Wright State University in Fairborn. Ginger & Spice’s lively dishes are created by Anne Tsao, the founding Tsao Cuisine.

According to Dayton Daily News writer Mark Fisher, Tsao’s career began at the age of 12 in Taiwan. She worked her way up to the kitchens of high-level hotels there before coming to the United States in 1989. Tsao cooked in Asian restaurants in Indianapolis before moving to the Dayton area to join Steve Kao’s. That now-defunct Miami Twp. Chinese restaurant was around in the 1990s.

Ginger & Spice is a stone’s throw from the University of Dayton.

Its clean décor, friendly staff (Peng worked the house on both of our recent trips there) and delicious food are already appealing to college students, the business lunch crowd and those looking for something different for dinner.

But enough of the small talk. Let’s get to the grub.

 

  • Shrimp hand rolls — two for $4

    New restaurant could be best Asian food in town , item 1

     

    Super fresh and plump shrimp in a yumtastic thin rice skin with lettuce, cucumber and rice noodles. It comes with a peanut sauce.

     

  • Pan-seared hand-wrapped pot stickers — six for $6

    New restaurant could be best Asian food in town , item 2

     

    These are a staff recommendation for a reason. The ground pork pot stickers can be either steamed or pan seared. They take up to 20 minutes to make, but are worth the wait.

     

  • Ginger & Spice Wontons — eight for $6

    New restaurant could be best Asian food in town , item 3

     

    These are far from the tasteless balls of nothing that typically come in wonton soup. The handmade wontons are stuffed with ground pork and served in a sweet and spicy sauce that will kill you cuz it is so good. Trust me, you’ll want to keep that sauce.

     

  • Pork Belly with King Oyster Mushroom — $8

    New restaurant could be best Asian food in town , item 4

     

    The mushrooms and crisp carrots nearly steal the show from the pork belly in this crazy satisfying dish in a spicy bean sauce.

     

  • Mala Beef — $9

    New restaurant could be best Asian food in town , item 5

     

    A healthy portion of beef and tons of garlic, mushrooms, scallions and jalapenos.

  • The special — $12 

    New restaurant could be best Asian food in town , item 6

     

    It is easy to fall into the trap of ordering the same thing over and over again. Try the special at Ginger & Spice. This one was loaded with scrimp, tofu, broccoli and other veggies for $12.

    Contact this blogger at amelia.robinson@coxinc.com or Twitter.com/DDNSmartMouth