ALMOST two months old, Wild Ginger in Bronxville is the latest in a rapidly expanding string of restaurants geared to taking an eager dining public on a culinary ramble through Asia. The food is healthful, savory and fast, prepared with cooking techniques developed in ancient times, when scarcity of fuel was a serious concern.
Ingredients are often cut fine or shredded and then assembled or cooked quickly to order. This method increases the number of surfaces available for a better and quicker blending of flavors. It’s street food, it’s the new fast food, and it’s good for you.
Both food and service at this newcomer were inconsistent and disappointing, given that the owners are experienced with this genre, having already opened Water Moon in Rye and several similar Pan-Asian restaurants in Connecticut and New Jersey.
Though Wild Ginger needs to refine its operation, that’s not to say we didn’t have several appealing dishes there. Nothing was amiss with yellowtail tartare; the soft minced flesh, bound with mayonnaise, could be easily scooped with a toasted chip. Less engaging was yellowtail Serrano, the flavor of this fish too delicate for assertive Serrano pepper and tart yuzu sauce. And sliced sea scallop with its clean flavor needed little if any of the fiery chili sauce served with it.
Four fat little Thai crab cakes were pleasant without being outstanding, and the same could be said for Vietnamese summer rolls, which needed more seasoning. But lots of ginger in the dipping sauce for steamed pork dumplings uplifted this usually heavy selection.
Vietnamese salad, with its cool shreds of crunchy jicama and cabbage, mint and coriander, made the perfect choice on one hot evening. The mango that had been promised with seaweed salad seemed absent, but this was no loss, since the heap of dressed seaweed is the reason one orders this dish.
Entrees followed a similar pattern of high and low points. Thai red curry casserole balanced flavors beautifully. Wafting lemon grass and Thai basil, a ceramic bowl held a generous portion of chicken, shrimp and tofu. The shrimp Wild Ginger uses are big. Aromatic lemon grass, bits of pineapple and fresh cilantro enhanced these grilled jumbos, but the flavor fell flat in an unaccountably dull Sichuan peppercorn stir-fry. Samba Delight was another successful sauté, this one of sea scallops, shrimp, chicken and vegetables. Just as succulent were crisped chunks of red snapper, with baby bok choy, under a lacing of sweet-sour sauce that was not at all cloying.
Other entrees could have used help. Ginger-scallion duck needed more ginger to counter the richness of the duck meat, deep-fried sea scallops on a bed of greens were heavily breaded, and an order of duck fajitas brought a fatty duck stir-fry with hardened, lukewarm pancakes. Ordinary pad Thai and overly sweet glazed chicken and shrimp with honey walnuts could also be skipped.
On our visits, those who operated the sushi station seemed inexperienced, producing items of unreliable workmanship and of little artistry in presentation. The cutting could have been more precise, although the fresh salmon sashimi could not have been more buttery. Sushi rolls lacked uniformity. The best of those we sampled was the Mind Eraser (no rice), all fish neatly bound by soft avocado and a thin nori wrapping. However, Green Devil roll incorporated a whole stiff fried shrimp; My Best Friend roll came unpleasantly hard packed; and Wild Ginger roll of peppery tunas was so loose it fell apart on the plate.
The suggestions for sweet endings are worth considering, like mango or coconut sorbets, hazelnut gelato, rich chocolate mousse and delectable mango mousse cake.
Wild Ginger
10 Park Place
Bronxville
(914) 337-2198
www.wildgingerrestaurant.net
GOOD
THE SPACE Pretty and bright. A shining bar and a sushi counter lead to a tunnel of a dining room ending in an L at the open kitchen. Additional dining areas in back are partitioned by sheer billowy curtains. Wheelchair accessible.
THE CROWD Multigenerational couples and groups, which can be noisy. No one seems to be in charge of waiters who often run, literally, between kitchen and tables (yet service can be slow) or of a young sushi staff behaving like boys in a schoolyard.
THE BAR Small; fine for waiting for a table but not a destination. Choose drinks like beer ($4.75) and wine ($8 a glass) over fancy cocktails.
THE BILL Lunch: entrees $8 to $14. Dinner: entrees $13 to $20, noodle dishes $10 and $11, sushi and sashimi plates $11 to $21. Major credit cards accepted.
WHAT WE LIKE Yellowtail tartare, Vietnamese salad, Mind Eraser roll, steamed dumplings, lemon grass shrimp, samba delight, crispy red snapper, Thai casserole (chicken and shrimp); sorbets, mango mousse cake, chocolate mousse with hazelnut gelato.
IF YOU GO Lunch: Monday to Saturday, noon to 3:30 p.m. Dinner, Monday to Thursday, 3:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 3:30 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. Limited street parking. Reservations accepted.
Reviewed July 22, 2007
