Taste
What's Up Magazine [06.2006]
By Nadja Maril
The Wild Orchid Café lives up to its name by providing delicious exotic food in an unpretentious setting. Nestled inside a cozy 1930s bungalow in a quiet, partially residential neighborhood, it's just a short block from the busy Eastport Shopping Center and approximately 1 mile from the junction of Forest Drive and Bay Ridge Avenue.
"We want to make you feel like you've come to a friend's house for supper," explains server Andrea Jackman, who has been working at the restaurant for 4 years.
The arrival of warm weather makes spring a great time to visit. Fresh, colorful mixed arrangements of flowers sit atop tables draped with white starched tablecloths. An eclectic selection of modern art hangs on the walls. Step outside to the rear of the building and you'll find a large concrete patio bordered by a white picket fence. On the outside tables sit potted plants. Classical music plays in the background, and you may also detect the sound of a gurgling fountain.
"My grandfather made the large cement jug, using chicken wire and cement," says chef and owner Jim Wilder, who opened the restaurant 10 years ago to complement his catering business, Company's Coming. "Earth Design put in the mechanism to convert it into a fountain," he explains.
Jackman told us, "We try to utilize seasonal local produce, and change our menu on a seasonal basis."
Partaking of a springtime lunch on the patio, I started my meal with the Wild Orchid salad ($5 for a half serving and $8 for a full serving), a lively blend of greens, ripe strawberries, sliced almonds, and Gorgonzola cheese, topped with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Earlier in the year, the fruit would have been poached pears, but strawberries are currently in season, and they tasted great. We also sampled the rich, thick, and fragrant squash soup with lumps of backfin crab meat. This can be ordered as a bowl ($5) or by the cup ($4). I noticed several customers enjoying the soup as their main course.
The grilled salmon ($13) was attractively presented on a square white plate with crisp brown fingerling potatoes, a baked onion, and a drizzling of pesto, ornamented by a rosemary sprig. It was cooked perfectly.
My colleague enjoyed the stuffed portobello sandwich ($9). Served on focaccia, the chargrilled mushroom was topped with vegetable tapenade and red pepper mayonnaise. Wild Orchid has a number of vegetarian lunch selections, including pumpkin gnocchi, spinach crepes, and vegetable pizza. And it always features a quiche of the day.
The seated Sunday brunch menu offers several different styles of egg dishes, along with favorite lunch selections, in the $8 to $15 price range. A small but comprehensive wine list gives you the opportunity to complement your meal. The goal of the restaurant's wine selections, according to Jackman, is to enable clients to expand their palettes. Wild Orchid Café has won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for the past 3 years. Selections of beer from local breweries as well as seasonal beverages are also served.
The dinner menu includes many tempting choices: rack of lamb, tuna, halibut, king salmon, free-range chicken, pork, and Kobe beef sirloin. All meats are paired with complementary vegetables, carefully crafted sauces, and garnishes designed to deliver a multitude of subtle tastes. The signature dish is Scallop Napoleon ($28). Pan-seared scallops are layered with pecan-lemon sweet potato pancakes and sautéed leeks and mushrooms and drizzled with a Persian lime sauce. A prix fixe meal ($37) includes bread, soup, salad, dessert, and an entrée from the daily specials.
Bread pudding and crËme brulee (my favorite) are prepared on the premises; other dessert selections are brought in from Cakes and Confections of Annapolis, known for its fine cakes and pastries.
The Wild Orchid Café is open 7 days a week, Monday through Saturday 11-3 for lunch and Sunday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. for brunch. Dinner is served commencing at 5 p.m. The kitchen closes at 9 p.m. except on Friday and Saturday evenings, when it stays open until 10 p.m.
Parking is available and reservations are highly recommended. Check the Web site at http://wildorchidcafe.net to stay informed of seasonal menu changes.