Cuisine:

• American
• New American
• Coffee Houses
• Contemporary

Wild Orchid Cafe Description:
At first look, the Wild Orchid Café seems to have chosen the wrong botanical metaphor. Lodged in a remodeled bungalow in Eastport, a formerly blue-collar Annapolis neighborhood, it's unpretentious and inviting, with perky yellow walls, fresh flowers, a fireplace for winter warmth, and a patio for alfresco summer dining---a jonquil or buttercup, perhaps, not a wild orchid. The dinner menu, however, reveals this pretty restaurant's exotic side. Instead of the simple seafood and regional fare one might expect this close to the Chesapeake, chef-owner Jim Wilder, of Company's Coming Catering, offers sophisticated creations with French and Asian grace notes and painterly presentation. While many contemporary restaurants put much of their inventive power into the appetizer list, Wild Orchid's patrons all seem to want the same thing: the silky butternut squash soup studded with big crab lumps. Entrées venture further afield: signature dishes include the scallops napoleon, which layers pan-seared scallops with pecan-lemon sweet potato pancakes, sautéed leeks and mushrooms and tangy lime sauce, and grilled rack of lamb with lemon-oil "smashed" potatoes and walnut-mint pesto. Prices can be high, but discount meal cards and prix-fixe dinners ease the sting.


Be the first one to rate and write a review for this Wild Orchid Cafe restaurant!