The restaurant Riingo at The Alex Hotel in New York shines with innovative cocktails in the intimate, comfortable lounge; features a sushi bar, and Executive Chef Jimmy Lappalainen in the kitchen creating delectable American and Japanese cuisine.

The ambience in the lounge of Riingo is a welcome respite in a city of 8+ million people, and the cocktail menu is decidedly creative, so before having dinner in the restaurant in late October 2008, Edward F. Nesta and I decided to sit at the bar and indulge in pre-dinner cocktails. After talking to Gigi and Lisa, the innovative mixologists behind the bar and perusing the cocktail menu where a few of the many interesting cocktails included The Alex made with tarragon-infused Level Vodka, and lemonade; Big Riingo made with Apple Sake, Apple Vodka, and Pomegranate; and cocktails with names like Lavender 75, and Hibiscus Gold made with Karlsson's Gold Vodka, Plum Sauce, and Hibiscus Tea, we selected the Fig Manhattan made with Bullett Bourbon, Fig, and Spices; and their Sparkling Geisha made with Grey Goose Vodka, Strawberries, and Prosecco, which were the perfect way to begin our evening.

We finished our cocktails comfortably seated in the dining room where the décor is contemporary, casual with easy elegance, where pristine white orchids in clear square holders grace the ledge that runs along the perimeter of the room, with dark wood tables accessorized with tea lights in square containers.

Our waiter, Mohammed, began our evening by bringing us a bowl of delightful soybean spread made with edamame, chick peas, sea salt, and embellished with soy, and a bamboo stand filled with a tempting assortment of miniature French baguettes, sourdough rolls, and homemade crispy rice crackers that had just the right amount of spice to hold their own against the well-crafted cocktails. I loved the taste and the texture of the rice crackers, which Chef Jimmy makes daily, especially when paired with the soybean spread.

Riingo Restaurant

Amuse Bouches served on a white rectangular plate of salmon with soy, citrus, and cucumber followed to whet our appetites. We continued with appetizers of Tofu Tempura  served on a pool of dashi sauce that had a mild flavor and was presented as two cubes of tofu deep fried until golden and topped with julienne scallions, that had an exterior texture that was like eating a marshmallow and the interior reminded me of the texture of scrambled eggs.

Tofu Tempura

For his next appetizer, Edward selected the Duck Dumplings with Hot and Sour Fig Consommé flavored with soy, garlic, olive oil, and presented as three delicately golden brown dumplings filled with duck on a lovely pool of rich sauce in a deep, angled, white bowl.

I had the Yellowtail Tuna Tataki served on a bed of watercress with fennel, pomegranate seeds, and citrus segments, presented as three perfectly seared and crusted slices of tuna that was light and had a lovely freshness to it.

Tuna Tataki

Moving through the appetizer menu, Edward continued with the Beer-Braised Short Ribs served with Fiji apple puree and hearts of palm that were sautéed with lemon juice, which is a Riingo's favorite. Marinated and braised with Japanese Sapporo beer, the boneless ribs had a crispy exterior, and were fork tender and succulent that were perfectly paired with the palm hearts and the sweet Fiji apple puree that was swirled into a tear drop shape with a groove to hold the sauce.

Beer-Braised Short Ribs

For my next appetizer, I had the Grilled Shrimp with Green Tea Soba, which were two grilled shrimp presented at room temperature on a bed of green tea soba noodles with green papaya, julienne carrots, daikon, oyster sauce, dashi, and rice vinegar, which was a delicious medley of flavors.

Grilled Shrimp

Riingo has an excellent Sushi menu, and we indulged with Big Eye Tuna, Salmon Sashimi, Yellowtail, and Blue Fin Tuna, accompanied with Toro Pickled Daikon, pickled ginger, and wasabi, that was gorgeously presented on a bed of crushed ice and seaweed in a deep, white, angled bowl.

Sushi

Rounding out our meal, for our entrée, we had the Grilled Red Snapper accompanied with Chinese long beans and curry presented as a filet of red snapper with golden crisp skin on a bed of beans with colorful pools of curry made with ginger, garlic, shallots, dashi, coconut milk, and Madras curry, which we paired with Mirror of Truth Sake.

Red Snapper

For dessert, we had to sample Riingo's signature Green Tea Donuts filled with lightly sweetened mascarpone cheese and green tea, and accompanied with Green Tea Ice Cream, Fruit Chutney, and Cinnamon Sabayon. These luscious crisp balls presented moments of pure pleasure especially when combined with flavors of the green tea ice cream and sabayon.

Green Tea Donuts

We also sampled the American dessert of Cheesecake with Blueberry Ice Cream which was not the typical New York style cheesecake, but rather a light and silky version presented on a rectangular white plate as a cylinder of cheesecake on a graham cracker base that was crowned with a puree of blueberries and accompanied with blueberry ice cream made with crème fraiche that had a lovely tang to it, and a bed of sweet blueberries.

Cheesecake with Blueberry Ice Cream

Riingo is open for lunch and dinner daily, the menu changes seasonally, the prix fixe lunch menu changes weekly, and there are special tasting menus throughout the year so there is always something new to experience. Combined with its creative cocktail menu in the lounge, and specially priced wine by the glass and draft beer offered for $5 from Monday - Friday from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Riingo is a place that just feels like home.

Read other articles on The Alex Hotel and Riingo in the Hotels and Resorts and Chefs' Recipes sections.

Riingo
205 East 45^th Street at Third Avenue
New York, New York 10017, United States
Telephone:      +1-212-867-4200 (Restaurant)
Fax:                 +1-212-867-1700
Email:             This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  
www.Riingo.com 

The Alex Hotel
Telephone:      +1-212-867-6100
Toll-free:          1-888-765-2370 (United States and Canada)
Fax:                 +1-212-867-7878
www.TheAlexHotel.com 

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