An old favorite returns with a new twist on pricing

The original Ginger Stir-Fry was one of our favorite restaurants, where everyone could choose exactly what they wanted and paid for exactly what they got. If you weren’t too hungry, paying by the ounce was perfect and if you were starving, you were willing to pay more.

In its new incarnation downtown, some things changed for the better and some changes depend on your point of view. The decor is much better, with trendy Asian themes, cushioned small tables and chic wood and metal tables for larger groups. The wait staff is friendly, as it always was, and food choices remain healthy.

The main difference is how you pay. Instead of that pay-per-ounce model, you now pay either $9 for a small order or $10.75 for a regular. You get one base, one sauce and one protein included in your price or you can add $3 for each additional protein, from egg to tilapia or chicken or steak. Shrimp is an extra dollar.

We all ordered smalls, but the amounts on our plates varied greatly depending on how many ingredients we chose. Whether we chose rice, rice noodles, ramen or Napa cabbage as our base, the number of fresh vegetables really made a difference in the amount of food we got. Put another way, if you love vegetables you should order a small for $9 and get all the veggies. You can have bean sprouts, broccoli, carrots, cilantro, crimini mushrooms, edamame, fire-roasted corn, radishes, onions, roasted poblano peppers, scallions, shredded cabbage, snow peas, and zucchini, plus non-veggies like peanuts and quinoa, all for that one price.

We also enjoyed our fried green curry chicken dumplings for $7 and our steamed veggie ones for $6. My $9 tilapia ramen tasted like beef broth and the listed pickled radishes were just raw, so it was not something I would order again. Salads are also available for $11.

Vegetarians and health-conscious eaters would probably rate the new Ginger even higher. It’s a great way to keep tight control on what you eat and have complete confidence that you are eating well.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 3:39 PM with the headline "An old favorite returns with a new twist on pricing."