Mingle

We dined at Mingle tonight for the first and last time.
Several reasons.
First, the Pinot Noir my wife ordered arrived, and it was undrinkable for all three at the table.
Our server, Andrea, remarked that this was her favorite wine. We suggested perhaps the bottle had turned. She said so much of that wine sold it was impossible. She replaced the wine at no charge. OK.
Andrea then offered us some specials. She did not quote prices.
I chose an appetizer, and an entrée (yellowfin tuna) she strongly recommended.
when my appetizer arrived it was huge. I remarked on this to the server. She said «that’s just chef, she is super generous».
The food itself, for the price?
The expensive appetizer: it was a mixture of calamari and huge pieces of tuna. It was coarsely conceived and presented. And was in no way an appetizer.
The recommended Yellowfin tuna entrée: this was a lovely piece of fish that was not harmed in the preparation. The adornments were unsophisticated, and unworthy of the fish.
When the bill arrived, we found that the «appetizer» was at an entrée price: $ 26. I have dined at many restaurants, but have never before seen an appetizer at that price. The entrée the server strongly recommended was $ 36, a good $ 10 higher than anything else on the menu.
We asked our server about this. She said she was not allowed to tell us the prices, and that if it was her restaurant, she would have told us the price. OK, I did not ask the price, but a $ 26 appetizer?
The experience left us feeling very badly about Mingle, its ownership, and our server. Upselling is, of course part of the servers art, but this was offensive.
I would never return to this restaurant even if the food was outstanding. And it is not.

Great experience. Went last night (first time) for a nice dinner before heading to the Palace for a show. I recently tried Mingle on the Avenue in Saratoga and learned about the original Mingle in Albany. The menus are different (with a few common dishes), so I was excited to try it.
First — one thing that I noticed between both locations — the staff is awesome. Every single person that works there is friendly, accommodating, cool and extremely customer-​centric. We were asked if we had a reservation when we arrived yesterday, but not in a snooty way (as I’ve experienced in other places). It’s just nice to get such a good vibe from the staff (without it seeming contrived). Can’t say enough about that.
Ok…on to the food:
–Shared a Korean Pancake made with kimchee as an appetizer — outstanding. It was also tremendous — HUGE portion. I had half of it and almost couldn’t eat my dinner. I would consider having it as a main dish — it’s totally Korean-​inspired comfort food (with a good, spicy kick). The honey soy sauce served with it is lovely.
Main dishes:
–Special (that wasn’t on the board) — blackened tuna with a saffron sauce served with sticky rice and veggies. Delicious! After eating the heavy, spicy pancake, it was a much milder flavor, but the tuna was served extremely rare (as ordered) and — again — was a very generous portion. Took more than half of it home.
–Mac and cheese — creamy, rich… oh…so good… and more than enough to take some home.
Desserts:
–A special for the evening was chocolate mascarpone, mixed berries with a raspberry sauce. Oh yea… topped with whipped cream. SOOOO good. So sweet. So creamy. Couldn’t finish it (but wanted to).
–Bread pudding — this one had a nice flavor but the bread was actually a little bit chewy and hard to eat. We also didn’t care for the ice cream that was served with it. We did let the fabulous wait staff know (she did ask how we liked everything) and we were honest. She apologized and took it off the bill — even after we insisted that she did not need to do that. She insisted; very nice gesture.
–Coffee and cappuccino — great.
My only real complaint was that it was very cold in there… I couldn’t warm up… even with the hot beverage at the end of the meal.
Last thing — if you have a soy sensitivity — make sure you ask about the dishes that have soy in them. Most of the Korean dishes here have soy — but the Chef sounds like she is very accommodating and willing to work with any allergy situations.
Overall, a really nice meal. Will definitely go back at some point.

Had a perfectly prepared grilled salmon salad with an excellent dressing for lunch. Service was. Great. Used a City Dining card for $ 10 off the total bill, too so I’m über-​happy!

Even though we were 30 min late for our reservation, they graciously seated us no questions asked. Our waitress Star was a rock star, she was enthusiastic, attentive, and professional. I made the rookie mistake of not looking at the Specials menu on the chalkboard on the wall or else I totally would have ordered the salmon with lobster and tarragon sauce. Instead I stuck to the menu. We started with the Korean tacos (beef) which were super spicy and delicious. The tortilla was the only part that wasn’t up to snuff, no flavor and a little stale but I’m really just splitting hairs because it was phenomenally good with Napa cabbage, Korean BBQ beef, and a cool yogurt sauce that calmed the spiciness a little.
For our main course we ordered the Bulgokee salad with chicken and against my better judgement the paella. Ordering paella at a Korean place is like ordering mac and cheese at a Mexican taco stand. The paella lacked flavor and spunk, though the seafood was good. There were many other dishes that looked much better so I wonder why even bother with paella? The salad on the other hand was fresh, cripsy, flavorful and nicely complemented by the miso/​soy dressing.
Best part was the service, then the tacos. I will be back, but will try another dish

Good, not great. Food tastes authentic, and they mix well with the new American cuisine, but it didn’t have a ton of pop. The atmosphere inside was nice. The huge flatscreen behind the bar was a little odd considering they appeared to be going for a more understated, subdued tone. But the main dining room as a whole was calming. Still, a dinner of $ 60 with just one glass of wine felt pricey.

I love a good fusion restaurant and was excited to try this place out for lunch. As we walked in, immediately noticed that this place is geared more for a nice dinner, not too full but was a relaxing atmosphere with nice tables. The server was decently attentive and recommended suggestions. Note: the lunch menu no longer exists!!! They haven’t updated their website in awhile.
My friend and I ordered the tacos and the jerk wings. Food came out promptly and the tacos were pretty amazing. I loved the contrast of flavors of the sweet meat, tangy spice from the apple radish kimchi, and the spicy yogurt sauce. They’re pretty big too, thoroughly enjoyed them. The jerk wings was a miss though, I was expecting crispy but these were soggy and the meat was pretty dry. Although the wings were not good, I loved the taco so much for which I gave this place a fourth star.
I will say I looked over at the other table and their food looked really good as well, will probably return to try some other stuff.

My awesome experience with Mingle started before I even entered the restaurant. I called to make an early Valentine’s Day reservation for my fiancé and I. I wanted to make sure that since we were visiting Feb 13^th we wouldn’t have a limited menu and they still had some room for reservations. I got a VM message which asked me to leave my reservation there. This immediately made me think… ha! yeah right! This is a disaster waiting to happen. I left the message and went on with my work day. A few hours later Mingle CALLED ME BACK! I couldn’t believe that a restaurant actually checked their voicemail messages and called me back within a few short hours to answer my questions and confirm the reservation.
We arrived to a packed house and although a table was open the staff asked if we wouldn’t mind waiting just a few more minutes and they would seat us near the window which was a great spot. Again, just so thoughtful. We enjoyed some yummy cocktails at the bar and were seating just a few short minutes later.
We are both vegetarian and had so many options. I had the Kimchi Jigae served veg and it was out of this world! I hit a spice wall half way through and had to take it home. If you love spicy this is the meal!
My fiancé order the Five Cheese Mac which was also served veg and they added kimchi and spinach! It was soooo delicious.
The staff was wonderful the entire time we were there. I highly recommend Mingle and cannot wait to visit again soon!

I thought i would try this place after driving past it a few times. When i stopped in the place wasn’t too packed and it had a nice atmosphere. The wait staff were good and helpful, but i did not enjoy the food. I got the tacos for an appetizer. They were okay. My main dish did not have any taste at all. It was really bland. The taste of the food would not have been a deal breaker for me if the dish wasn’t 22 dollars.
Ive been to a few other Korean places in the west coast and their food was half the price and 20 times better.
The food wasn’t worth the price. Atmosphere and waitress were good. They have a backroom that looked cosy. I won’t stop again but ymmv

I have been to Mingle a number of times and each experience has been very good. I have gone for lunch and dinner a few times each. I’ve had:
–Spicy Korean tacos, both chicken and beef — excellent
–Korean shrimp and vegetable pancakes — wonderful (the dipping sauce was amazing!)
–Asian burger — very tasty and filling for «light fare»
–Veggie flatbread — so-​so; I wouldn’t order it again
–Spicy vegan chili — so-​so; I wouldn’t order it again, either
–Caeser salad with grilled shrimp — very good
–Five cheese mac n’ cheese — tasty but the portion was small for $ 17
–Clams fra diavolo, which was a special one evening — I loved it!
–I’ve also sampled a few bites from a handful of other dishes that my friends ordered (like the Chap Chae) and they were also very good
Today I had the Mediterranean paella, which was very good, but I was surprised that they did not give my friend and I the lunch menu at lunchtime. We were seated at noon. Is this a new policy? I paid the dinner price for what was possibly the lunch portion, which irks me a bit. Generally the dinner portions are so generous that I have food leftover, but I ate the whole meal and was satisfied, although not overly full. The restaurant was almost empty, so if this was done for sales, then I’m a bit rubbed the wrong way, and it might prevent me from returning (at least for lunch). That would be a real shame, since the food is well prepared here. But $ 22 for a lunch item is a little steep.

Summary–
Great food (from what I had so far) in a cool atmosphere with great service.
Food– 5 Stars
The zucchini bacon fritters were awesome, like veggy bacon crabcakes or something.
The Mussels and Calamari in a hot marinara was also excellent.
The tacos I loved but they were large and it made them tough to eat even remotely gracefully.
Service– 4 Stars
Our waitress was great.
Drinks– 4 Stars
The Mingleade was pretty darn good and their beer selection was good too.
Atmosphere– 3 Stars
I really liked the inside here, but when we arrived it smelled strongly of disinfectant/​chlorine or something.
Value– 4 Stars
Very good food at good prices.

Another wonderful meal at Mingje. My wife, my daughter and I stopped in for our 23 anniversary dinner. Service and food were both top notch. Dinner for the 3 of us (1 beer, 1 sangria and 3 entrees with 2 deserts) came to $ 120. Not to bad for a special occasion at all. I would like to add that my Korean born wife considers this one of her favorite places at which to dine.

Tasty Korean food. Salad looked good.
A tad expensive but good. Servers are very good.

I ate here tonight based on the Unilocal reviews and interesting menu. I love Korean food and was intrigued by the upscale fusion elements.
My wife and I ordered 3 dishes. All were from the specials board. We started with clam and kimchee fritters with a horseradish sauce. The flavors were terrific and I loved the sauce with the perfectly spicy fritters. These were actually large 5−6″ pancakes. The downer was that they came out in literally a pool of oil. It coated the entirety of the bottom of the dish in a deep layer. I’ve never seen the likes of this. Fried food isn’t really about healthy but seriously, oil is not good food.
I ordered duck breast with an apple glaze. It was an entire breast. It came out well done. I overheard another server describe it prepared medium as it should be. This was overcooked. I loved the flavor profiles. It was served with Korean sweet potatoes which were delicious and matchstick cut carrot, squash and peppers. These were under seasoned and VERY oily. I couldn’t eat them. Duck is rich, the potatoes were rich so you should go for balance and accompany with something light, maybe crisp with some acid. $ 34. It was too much food as well. Cut the portion and price.
My wife ordered the meat lovers bokkum special. This looked like bulgogi to me basically with some kimchee. I never order this kind of dish anymore because they always come out floating in an inch of oil and this isn’t an exception. $ 34 and it was definitely enough for two people. I thought it was good but a little salty for me. Good flavor profiles.
I shared some of my constructive comments with our server and he was really great to bring out one of their desert menu items. Chocolate mousse with Chambord and whipped cream. I wish he wouldn’t have. It was the most sickly sweet desert I’ve had in a long time. It had way too much Chambord and way too much sugar. This was a shame. Make a ganache with quality chocolate and add enough Chambord so that it complements in the background. Fold in whipped cream. Top with VERY lightly sweetened whipped cream. Simple.
I left with this thought about balance. Balance of flavors, textures, richness.

Another enjoyable evening at Mingle as a last-​minute option to entertain a college friend in town from New Haven to catch the McCartney concert. Tonight we both had the always-​reliable paella and split the shrimp and vegetable pancakes. Consistency is definitely a strong point here. Prompt, friendly, and attentive service accommodated our time considerations so well that we were able to enjoy an extra round of beers before my guest had to leave to catch the show. The restaurant’s exterior is undergoing a minor facelift with some brighter colors and and impressive murals, but the comfortable, softy-​lit interior retains warmth and intimacy.

Such a great place! Friends and I went for dinner on a Tuesday and it was pretty full! Everyone was so friendly and accommodating. Having a gluten free menu is HUGE! It was so nice to go out and not have to worry about any dietary restrictions. Our server was very knowledgable and had great suggestions. We all ate the chap chae… It was amazing. The sweet potato noodles had the consistency of regular noodles so we felt like we were cheating but everything was paleo approved! We has a great time. I’ll be back for sure!

If it wasn’t for your awesome Korean tacos and decadent pork belly/​kimchi mac and cheese, I would give you two stars for the rediculous prices you charge for basic Korean fare. That being said, I’ll be back.

2.5 stars. Perhaps we came with a different purpose than most diners, but a friend and I sought some traditional (and hopefully) authentic Korean fare as opposed to creative Asian fusion dishes with hints of Korean flavors. We were well aware of the high prices for Korean staples like bibimbap, dubokki, chap chae, kimchi jigae, etc. (Mingle’s prices are about 3X that of what you will find at any Korean restaurant in Southern California), but having been deprived of such simple Korean dishes, we willingly came to Mingle.
We started dinner with the Korean shrimp and vegetable pancakes, which came served with a side of slightly sweet and vinegared soy sauce. The pancake was a flour mixture with bits of green onion and shrimp, pan fried to a crisp on the outside. The flavors were enjoyable, although a deviation from the traditional Korean pancake, which is usually filled with a greater of variety of seafood, including squid, and a heartier compilation of vegetables like carrots and zucchini. It’s not extremely fried, but instead retains more moisture and chewiness. The pancakes at Mingle were definitely different, but we still enjoyed them nonetheless.
My friend opted for the bibimbap, a pot full of rice that gains a crispness to it from the heat emanating from the stone bowl, topped with soy bean sprouts, kimchi, as well as other green vegetables, tofu (she wanted chicken but was fine with the mix up), and a sunny side up egg. Paying $ 22 for the bibimbap was a little disappointing for her as the flavors were familiar but they lacked depth.
I had the kimchi jigae, which came with an incredibly spicy broth. It was initially an unpleasant surprise but became somewhat more tolerable as my tongue and lips became numb. I was definitely caught off guard (I was never asked what spice level I wanted), and even then, I wasn’t too concerned as I really enjoy spicy food. This stew was beyond hot, perhaps in the extra extra spicy level, which I felt that the server should have mentioned. Aside from the pure heat from the dish, the kimchi jigae had a paucity of ingredients including only tofu, kimchi, and green onion, with a side of (more) cold kimchi. Some other vegetable (or even an egg) would have made the stew more interesting.
All in all, I wouldn’t recommend the traditional Korean fare. I can’t speak on the Asian fusion dishes, but that seems to be the safer choice in this case. And of course, beware of the heat in your food!

SU-​PIE-​CEE! Spicy!
Mingle has definitely won my taste buds with it’s on-​par Korean dishes that are full of flavor with the backdrop of a venue that reminds me of the Hell’s Kitchen area of NYC. The service was great, the drinks were good, and the food was delish. Wish I would’ve ‘discovered’ this earlier!

–My 100^th Review!!–
Overly friendly staff and great food; the price left a slightly bad taste in my mouth though. I’ve definitely had the same food (Korean) for much less, but read on, you be the judge. (Check my pics for the Receipt).
After a very minor ‘so can i get a reservation for 3 people at 7pm or not??’ shuffle with the hostess on the phone led to her boss taking over and ‘peciling me in’ .
We arrived early and had to wait about 10 minutes, sat in the back room for dinner (Much quieter then the front). The place was very nice, and modern. The table was literally made out of a sold piece of a tree. The room was decorated with re-​purposed wood from a farm looking building. How do i know? The owner was nice enough to speak to use for a minute and their were pictures of the old building all around. Cool look all around
The waiter, Trevor, was very nice and helpful. He did slow down towards the end. It took a bit of time to get the check and pay for everything. BTW the waitress remembered my name when we left (it’s the little things).
Oh yea, this is a review on food right? Moving right along.
Got the Cheese Platter, Eggplant Caponata and Yaki-​Mandu (Fried Dumplings) for an Appetizer. All at $ 10 or more. OK portions and good taste. If i had to make a criticism it is to give more bread with the Eggplant as it is a very moist dish.
I ordered the Chief Special, the Kimchi Bokkeum. I didn’t know the price while i was eating but thinking ‘eh this must be a $ 15 dish’. BAM, $ 30 bones! Wayy to expensive! It contained beef, chicken and pork belly. The size wasn’t huge and the beef wasn’t very tender. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, just not $ 30 good.
Hard criticism, so why a 4? Why not a 3 or 2? This place was solid overall, no bad food, no major hiccups and although price is a big factor, i try not to worry about it too much when judging a place. The staff appeared happy and the owner proud but humble.

The kimchi jjigae was a disappointment. The portion was too small, for one thing… who wants to run out of jjigae before your craving is satisfied? One-​dimensional flavor. No raw egg. No banchan. And the side of «sticky rice» is simply what you’d get out of a rice cooker. On the basis of this dish, plus the extremely leisurely service, three stars would be generous.
However. My app of Korean tacos was exactly what fusion cooking is all about. Succulent morsels of grilled bulkogi beef, shreds of green onion and sticks of radish, enfolded in a creamy yogurt/​gochujang sauce and sitting on an astringent corn tortilla. (Attention Cap District restauranteurs: Chinese/​Thai/​Korean/​Japanese cuisine on the same menu is NOT fusion cooking. The culinary term for that is «hedging your bets».)
And, the yakimundi fried dumplings, a smoky chap jae and even humble dukbokki rice cake sticks ordered by my fellow diners were all excellent and I was grateful I got a taste. So I had a four-​star meal, even with my three-​star choice.