AUTHOR BIO: Dana Somerstein’s passport is stamped with perfect pizza slices, delicate dumplings, and buttery baked goods. When she’s not chasing her next reservation, she practices real estate and banking law as a partner in Fort Lauderdale.
Ginger Ristorante is not your typical Roman transplant. While many Roman restaurants in New York City stick closely to the pasta-and-meat playbook, Ginger adds the light, crisp salads and fresh juices rarely seen on Roman menus. The restaurant has three locations in the heart of Rome and one outpost on 49th Street in Manhattan.
The New York location follows the same philosophy. The space is bright, airy, and polished, with marble beams, white furniture, and pops of yellow. Its modern Roman decor recalls the stylish places you might stumble into near the Spanish Steps.
The meal’s biggest and most welcome surprise was the pizza. Ginger has a talented pizzaiolo from Naples working the oven. The crust is chewy and flavorful, with a well-judged char and enough leopard spotting underneath to make you consider wearing it as your newest fashion accessory—leopard print is so hot right now. Traditional pies share the menu with more creative versions that remain rooted in the originals. I recommend the pizza Nerano, a white pie with mozzarella, zucchini sauce, zucchini chips, Parmigiano fondue, Parmigiano chips, basil, and extra-virgin olive oil. It sounds like a lot, but somehow it all works.
Beyond the pizza, Ginger offers fresh salads, juices, cocktails made with those juices, good pastas, and a very good chicken Milanese with an unexpected side of tzatziki. The service is friendly, and the whole meal feels lighter and fresher than the menu’s Roman foundations might suggest.
The lunch prix fixe may be the menu’s best value. Three options run from $29 to $39: a salad with a juice or smoothie and house-made bread; a pizza or pasta with a juice; or a choice of protein with a main. By Manhattan standards, that’s practically an invitation to spend lunch in Rome, even if you never leave 49th Street.
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