The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Sophistication and seafood
Crocker Park’s Wild Mango an upscale but welcoming house of clever, internationally inspired tastes
I was pretty confident I was underdressed.
I was at Crocker Park in Westlake for a bit of light shopping and a movie, with time for dinner in between those activities.
I really wanted to check out Wild Mango — not just because I had salivated over Owner-Chef Jia Wei’s sophisticated, Asia-meets-Europe, seafood-heavy dinner menu posted on its website but because it has a sister Lyndhurst location, opened in 2019 at Legacy Village. With a restaurant on each side of town, I figured, a wide swath of folks might have interest in what this Northeast Ohio-based operation has to offer because of its relative geographic convenience.
However, I was dressed for shopping and a movie but perhaps not for dinner at the potentially fancy Wild Mango. The plan: I’d pop in, hoping to see an upscale-casual decor, and then finalize plans to meet a West Side friend, Erin, there in an hour or so.
When I entered the doors that once gave entry to the former Vieng’s Asian Bistro — my preferred dining spot whenever I was at Crocker Park — I found myself in a completely enclosed, gorgeously ornate lobby, where a very well-dressed woman sat at a desk.
Gulp.
Not feeling I could just pop by her and head through the doors to see the actual restaurant, I explained my dilemma. She assured me I was fine as I was to dine there — perhaps not such a surprising response given this was early on a weekday evening during the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic’s omicron era and restaurants surely aren’t eager to turn away business — and encouraged me to come back.
That’s what I decided to do, and Erin and I were led into the restaurant. Although perhaps not as striking as the work-of-art entranceway (how could it be?), the decor is perhaps better described as “relatively upscale.” So be it.
White tablecloths are everywhere, at tables with uniquely shaped chairs and
at booths where the pillowladen plush benches are a far cry from those at your favorite bar and grill. (Incidentally, had I thought to click the “Lookbook” tab on the website, I would have had a thorough idea of the elegant decor.) Also, light, relaxing music played at a low volume, which I appreciated.
According to Cleveland. com, Wei closed a North Olmsted Wild Mango location in January prior to opening this one in August. Even if you assume some staff carryover, it’s a little early to judge this restaurant on the smoothness of its operation, and you also must keep in mind the staffing challenges of restaurants at this time when I report the service was a mixed bag.
After being seated, we were ignored for a while, until a woman who wasn’t our server came to ask if we’d been helped. When she then couldn’t find whoever was to have served us, she took care of us through the duration of our stay — and she did so with excellence.
She offered helpful feedback and got our orders entirely correct.
Erin started with one of five Salads: Butter Lettuce ($14), the stars of which were the cauliflower tempura and candied walnuts. (You easily can make a meal of any of the salads by adding a protein, ranging from $10 for tofu to $18 for steak.)
That left me to pick two First Course items to share: the Fried Baby Calamari ($14) and the Pepsi Shrimp ($14). The Goat Cheese Raviolis ($12), Spicy Tuna Tartar ($16) and Seafood Steamer ($18) also sound very appealing.
The calamari excelled in presentation, fried little treats served inside a fried wonton tortilla and served with sweet chili sauce and cilantro oil. However, of everything I tasted on this night, the calamari was my least favorite, as they were so heavily battered. (Did I let the batter-to-seafood imbalance stop me from eating more than my share? Of course not.)
On the flip side was the shrimp, piled into a small dish and served with a ramekin of a sweet-and-tangy sauce. The use of the cola in the batter gave the goodsized shrimp a sweet, distinct taste. This is almost a must-order if you visit.
Not the seafood lover I am, Erin ordered Grilled Strip Steak ($33), served with sauteed mushrooms, asparagus and caramelized onion and accompanied by sweet potato fries.