Spoon is refined, modern American cuisine. G&G is more casual, trying to play off the energy of nearby Market Square. They actually have a very creative sign outside to court lunch traffic saying "Think Outside the Square".
G&G is in the space previously occupied by Taste of Dahntahn. If DB~ and I weren't at that place right before it closed, we wouldn't have known it was the same space, because they completed gutted the place and started over. It has a sleek, clean look with taupe and celery colors. They have dark teakwood slats layered in patterns against the wall to give added depth and texture. DB~ liked the recessed shadow boxes filled with doorknobs and hinges.
DB~ went with the American Dim Sum menu that G&G is known for. There were five options last night to choose from, each of them $5. She went with three of them -- pork belly, smoked tofu on soba noodles, and a tomato/bulger salad. She ordered them one at a time, but we were both disappointed by the lag time between the dim sum girl returning to our table. True dim sum, served by tiny Chinese ladies that bark at you, is virtually served continuously on wheeled carts that are pushed with the labored resignation of knowing you are tiny, old, and soon ready to die. Ahem. Scratch that last part.
I went with two small plates. First was my siren call of short rib. This one was served on a biscuit imbued with cream cheese and topped with a scallion shaving. It was divine. I wanted to line my pockets with foil and steal a basket of them.
I also went with the Chicken Meatball Ramen. It was a very large serving with two chicken meatballs, two pieces of chicken thigh that practically fell apart at the touch of the fork, shavings of kimchi, pieces of daikon, all in a rich broth full of flavor. I really liked this a lot and shared with DB~.
Overall, I would say G&G is 'very good' but not 'great'. I guess we just expected more from the chef/owner of Spoon.
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