Wild Rice: Asian Eatery Delights

If you’ve ever fantasized about having your own chef to prepare healthy, fresh foods to your liking, step inside the Wild Rice restaurant in the Tilghman Square shopping center.

My mother-in-law, Ginny, and I did this month, taking seats at one of four Hibachi tables in the relatively new Asian eatery, which also features a sushi bar and two other sections, one with booths, the other with tables that can accommodate a large group. 

Owned by a family that also owns the China House in Schnecksville, Wild Rice offers alcoholic drinks, menus for children and desserts such as “fried cheesecake” and crème brulee.

Not an expert in Chinese or Japanese cuisine, I cannot tell you if Wild Rice offered anything out of the ordinary. What I can tell you is that our food tasted fresh, tender and perfectly seasoned, and our personal chef “Tony” was a delightfully entertaining host.

Tony juggled a few kitchen instruments, squirted a bit of oil on the grill in a “happy face” design and lit it on fire masterfully and without singeing Ginny’s freshly quaffed hair -- always a plus.

He did not perform all the other “tricks” I’d seen at other area hibachi restaurants, such as cutting and stacking an onion to turn it into a smoking mountain, or flipping shrimp up in the air for customers to catch in their mouths. Thank you Tony! He concentrated instead on preparing our food quickly, to our liking and with perfection.

From the “hibachi lunch” menu, which comes with soup, salad and choice of steamed or fried rice, Ginny chose the chicken ($11), and I chose the scallops ($14).

Tony started with the rice, double-checking which we preferred, then ladeling out a mild, creamy white sauce and tangy ginger duck sauce in separate dishes to try on our food. After balancing and flipping an egg on a flat spatula, he deftly cracked it onto the grill with the spatula’s edge, adding seasonings, vegetables and rice with fun fanfare.

Tony carefully portioned half onto each of our plates. “Some people count,” he said with all seriousness.

Tony then prepared our main courses, starting with melted butter to sear the meat and seafood just enough to hold in the juices before cutting into bite-sized pieces and finish cooking.

The fresh vegetables included zucchini, onion and carrot, which he tossed and stirred with a bit of this and that seasoning and sauce so they were crisp and not too salty or sweet.

Our mouths watered as we watched the master at work.  And our taste buds were rewarded with the result. “Tender! Delicious!” Ginny proclaimed. “Excellent! Wonderful!” I added after sampling the scallops and veggies.

Tony encouraged us, noting that by eating fresh foods we were eating healthy. He seemed to enjoy cooking and answering questions, so I asked if he cooks the same way for himself and his family at home.   “No,” he said. “I no want to cook…I eat pizza.”

We chuckled over that and how our chef wound up with an Italian name. He told us he has five brothers, and as is custom in China, all have the same name, so being No. 4 he wanted to distinguish  himself. He liked Tony, he said, because the letters also spell “To New York.”  

Lunch for two with our charming chef came to $25.47. Not bad.

When I ordered, I thought I’d probably end up taking half home for dinner or to share with my husband, Bruce.  But even though the portions were generous, I wound up eating it all.  Fortune cookies provided a sweet finish.    

Wild Rice 

Where: Tilghman Square Shopping Center, 4624 A Broadway Road, South Whitehall. 610-395-7888 

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 9:30 p.m.