Restaurant review: Red Ginger Sushi
By Bill Guilfoyle
For the Times Herald-Record
June 13, 2008 6:00 AM

Restaurants will try just about anything to lure customers in today's competitive environment, including a variety of menus and types of meals. Red Ginger Sushi on Route 52 in Newburgh offers just about any type meal — buffet, a la carte and all-you-can-eat. Its menu, labeled Pan Asian, offers a baffling array of options that tries almost too hard to give diners what they want.

The space is a former video rental store near Route 300. It is a pretty standard brick building on the outside, but the interior has had an elaborate and inviting redesign. There's a bar area as we enter, with two huge flat-screen TVs on the wall. To the left is the buffet setup, a line of chafing dishes. To the right is the main dining room, divided into three lengthy spaces and separated by long curtains of beige fabric. Tables are patterned and lacquered; dark red chairs add an Asian flair. Tall vases decorate all the tables and are filled with everything from fake flowers to tall strands of twisted metal, modern sculptures. Music — jazz and other assorted genres — plays in the background. This is quite a place, a significant investment in innovative decor.

The menu is one of the most confounding I've ever encountered. It is huge and divided into a number of styles of meals and categories. First up is a Japanese menu. Next are Sushi Pizza, Specialty Rolls, Vegetarian Rolls and Tempura Rolls. Then there's "Pan Asian Entrees," available with rice or "Asian Spaghetti." Next is a Chinese menu. Following that are three lunch options, a "Banquet Style" lunch, a "Quick Lunch" available weekdays, and a "Chinese Lunch Special." A catering menu follows, and finally there's the concept this restaurant is pioneering in the area: All You Care to Eat Sushi.
After a long time spent reading through this encyclopedic menu, we decide to begin with three appetizer plates. Shrimp Shumai ($3.75) arrive as three rounds of dough topped with a small shrimp. The dough is delicate and the shrimp are flavorful, very nice. A fiery hot red chili dipping sauce has us reaching for our water glasses.

Next is a Umagi, Freshwater Eel, Hand Roll ($4.95). Hand rolls are the large, conical rolls that wrap rice and seafood in seaweed. This is a sturdy affair and well named since the only way you can eat it is with your hands. The eel is smoky and rich, and, with frequent dips in soy sauce, this is a fine specimen of sushi.
We also try Spring Rolls ($2.75). Two tidy rolls arrive with squiggles of a sweet white sauce across the top. The shells are crackling crisp, and the interior holds a flavorful blend of carrot, cabbage and sprouts, another winner.
Entrees come with Miso Soup and Ginger Salad. Tables are set with patterned platters that are perfect for sharing. The waitress uses them to put a small bowl of soup, sans spoon, and a rectangular plate of salad on. The soup bowl has a handle, so we it pick up and sip the soup, perhaps the creamiest and best miso soup I've ever had. The salad is supercold and crisp, and the ginger dressing is bright and delicious.
Entrees start with Fusion Thai Shrimp ($16.95) from the Pan Asian menu. Six shrimp are coated in a thick tempura batter and served slathered with a salty-sweet orange mayonnaise. They are simple, crisp and delicious.

The second entree is Ginger Crab ($16.95). Listed as spicy on the menu, it features two soft-shell crabs, again in a tempura crust and crispy. They are coated in a tasty ginger sauce with bits of onion, red and green peppers. Brown rice is my choice, and it's earthy and chewy.

Ice cream is the only dessert available here; we're too full anyway.
There is an interesting wine list here that features an array of white and red wines and beers. There is also an extensive sake menu that features a number of styles and classes of rice wine, very nice. Since we're here at lunch, we make do with iced tea.
One of the big promotions here is All You Care to Eat Sushi, an interesting concept in which soup, salad, appetizers and sushi are brought to your table, as much sushi as you'd like. If you're a sushi lover, it might be of interest.

Service is professional and practiced. Our waitress, who patiently explains the menu options, is fitted with a high-tech earpiece and mike so she can stay in touch with her partner in this pretty large space.

Lunch comes to $51.95 without tax, tip or wine, a good value for an exotic meal.
This is quite a place. The owner, Nesan Loc, tries hard to please with an enormous array of choices, maybe too many. The space is beautiful, modern and quite pleasant. The food is quite good, very flavorful. It has a range that is impressive. Service is cordial, and prices are quite reasonable, and some of the special menus are genuine bargains. This is an exotic experience that is definitely worth checking out.

Restaurant critic Bill Guilfoyle has more than 25 years experience in the restaurant industry as a sommelier, manager and chef/owner. He is an associate professor at a local college.

Hours/days: noon-9:30 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., noon-10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
Parking: substantial
Reservations: suggested for large parties
Full bar
Handicapped-accessible: yes
Low-fat/vegetarian menu: yes
Other amenities: takeout, catering, private parties and All You Care to Eat Sushi
Signature dishes: Sushi Pizza, No Problemo Roll, Ginger Shrimp
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover.