Our usual Sunday lunch cabal met this afternoon at Ginger’s Cafe & Gourmet Shop, located in the charming historic house that has foundered a bit ever since Mrs. Lovill’s Tea House went out of business. We were tempted by seeing a copy of her menu during Friday evening’s “Glow” event in Downtown Farmington and decided to check out one of our community’s newest restaurants.
If you’ve never been inside the house, it’s worth a visit to Ginger’s just to get the tour. Make sure to see the private dining/meeting room on the second floor, which Ginger says will comfortably fit four diners and can handle as many as six. You’ll sit around a glass-topped table with a carved wooden base I couldn’t possibly describe. Trust me, it’s gorgeous.
The main floor decor (aside from the register counter and pastry case) was a work in progress today, as they’re decorating for Christmas. Plenty of antique furnishings contribute to the overall elegance, as do the ironed tablecloths (we saw the actual ironing board), tasteful table settings and charming china pattern. The basement, which I’ve seen before, is being piped for heat and will soon host entertainment. Ginger says she has many friends who are musicians and poets, so there’ll be no shortage of performers.
The menu is a bit limited, but the quality of the food and the service more than made up for it. I had the baked apple pancakes, which were light, fluffy and a little crunchy on the edges, with just the right touch of sweetness and a topping of sauteed apples. Fresh fruit – bananas, cherries, raspberries and orange slices – rounded out the plate. My companions had great things to say about the tomato basil soup, beef pasty and quiche tarts (spinach or broccoli) as well. We were served promptly and well, even had the privilege of meeting Chef Besh, who owns Bentley’s in West Bloomfield. And our tab for two filling meals was about $20. Most entrees are $7.99-$9.99. Ginger’s also offers a high tea, which sounds perfectly decadent, for $15.99.
Ginger has 18 years in the restaurant business, as the owner of Ginger’s Coffee Connection in West Bloomfield, operated by her mother, who is 87 years old. The key to their success has been getting a bead on what customers want in that area, which turned out to be low-fat and non-fat menu items, she said.
I have no doubt Ginger will figure out what makes Farmington tick as well. She’s got a great concept, a beautiful location on Grand River – all she needs is hungry people.
–Joni Hubred-Golden
Publisher
2 Comments
December 8, 2008 at 1:31 am
We visited Gingers for Saturday breakfast a few weeks ago with some out of town guests. The food was very good and the service was also very good. I have to say though that the experience took 2 hours for 4 of us to have a meal. Also, sounds like they now have prices on the menu, very helpful. The tab for our meal was a little over $10 per person. We hope they do figure out what Farmington wants/needs.
December 11, 2008 at 1:50 am
I love the new Gingers Cafe. I thought it was really reasonably priced. She even brought the whole staff to sing happy birthday to my friend. I always meet someone interesting there, and Ginger is a very philanthropic person who has a whole charity that she runs that helps abused women, poor people and children. I’ve been to her other coffee shop and found her mother to be delightful. Ginger is a kind soul and her staff are hardworking and dedicated as well. I wish her all the best in this new endeavor!