dinner. the ginger man, norwalk.

If you haven't been down to Norwalk, namely SONO in awhile, well, hurry up!  Beautiful Washington Street is lined with fun restaurants, specialty shops and nightlife to make for a great afternoon or night out.  We were there to see a friend in concert, but decided to have a quick bite to eat before the show.  I wanted to try something new, but needed it to be kid-friendly with K&C in tow, so after a little research we ended up at The Ginger Man. 

Walking in, you quickly feel at home with the wood floors, wood paneling and beautiful copper accented bar.  The beer lover in you will froth (pun intended) at the mouth as you gaze over the 50+ (yes, that's right) beers on tap.  Bar on the left, restaurant on the right, this space looks like a great destination for happy hour and a comfortable space (probably on the loud side on a Thursday-Saturday night) for a bite to eat.  We were seated on the bar side because they were expecting a large group for a beer party.  (Sounded like fun!)

Service was casual, not rushed.  The kids menu kept my little ones happy with standard chicken, burger and pasta choices.  All or most come with fries and vegetables are available but optional.  The dinner menu had plenty to offer and a good variety for casual pub-type fare, most options in the $12-$15 range.  In addition to the regular menu, they also had several specials that seemed to be holiday themed for St. Patrick's Day, including a stout burger and mussels & cockels in a stout broth.  I always have a hard time saying no to mussels, so I went for that dish.  Although on the appetizer menu, I was assured that it would be large enough as a main dish. 

To get into the spirit of my upcoming trip to Germany, I ordered a Hofbrau Hefe Weisse, which came out in a tall, thin half-liter glass.  It was light, slightly sweet and a wonderful start to my meal.  The kids ate the chicken fingers and the pasta with noodles.  Both were very large for kid-size meals and were not finished.  My mussels & cockels were large enough, but I craved more.  The broth was delicious, made with stout, tomatoes, garlic, bacon and shallots.  The dish was served with two large pieces of peasant bread, which was great for soaking up the extra broth.  I ended up using some of C's fries to lap up broth as well.  I really enjoyed the dish, and my hunger was satisfied.  My only complaint was that the dish could have been a little bigger.

There is a dessert menu, but we didn't have time to try any.   Coconut bread pudding sounds pretty good, though!  I'd give this a place a try and would certainly come back!  A good destination for grown-ups, beer lovers and kids.