Cliché-Free
Lighter, carefully crafter, delicate flavors await at Wave Bistro
By Jim Delmont
Good news: George and Connie Liao have created an Asian restaurant that does not offer the usual 200 items that almost all Chinese and Asian restaurants in the metro offer. Nor does their attractive restaurant on West Maple Road have the look of most Asian restaurants. The cuisine is different and the look – Euro-American – is different. Originally from Taiwan, George worked at two Las Vegas restaurants before moving to Omaha to open a Chinese-Japanese-Thai-French “fusion” spot. The result is a smart-looking, restful place with carefully wrought Asian cuisine lovingly served.
Wave Bistro has an upscale look, with white tablecloths, green glass mobiles of considerable size poised just below the ceiling, handsome booths, mod table settings (though you can ask for chopsticks instead of tableware). The menu is not your usual Chinese – a modest number of “starters” are listed, then soups, salads and main dishes – like a traditional American menu. Service is on modern, shining white bone china – or, in some cases (California sushi rolls) in lacquered wooden serving boxes.
George explains that his cuisine, lovingly prepared from scratch, including all Asian sauces and desserts, is a combo of Chinese, Thai, Japanese and European flavors, sauces and ingredients. He avoids lot of typical Asian deep frying by utilizing other modes of preparation: steam, stir-fry, broil, smoke, pan-fry, bake.
Among eight appetizers, the tempura shrimp ($5.95) are crunchy in a golden tempura coating, skewered and strung out to resemble a small corn on the cob, crunchy and sweet, with a traditional dipping sauce. The pan-seared pork dumplings have always been good: savory in thin dumpling membranes and served with garlic soy and chili sauces ($5.95). The five-spice spring roll (six for $5.95), had strong-flavored chopped pork in a stuffing enlivened by the unique flavor of shiitake mushrooms, plus jicama (a white Mexican potato that resembles water chestnuts) and chopped carrot in a crisp roll, served with hot mayonnaise and a sweet/sour sauce. Rolls served to all diners are served with whipped butter and resemble American dinner roles. Other “starters” include crab cakes, fried calamari, chicken or shrimp lettuce wraps and a California sushi roll, all under $10.
Wonton (with chicken shrimp and vegetables) soup, and mushroom chicken soup, are also available (around $5), as are a couple of small salads.
Entrees include Sliced Beef in Hoisin Sauce – sliced flank steak, stir-fried in hoisin sauce and served in a dark, somewhat sweet, thick sauce preparation made from hoisin-carmelized onions and saki; Hoisin Chicken ($13.95) has strips of chicken cut satay-style with sweet onions and green onions in a sauce that lingered on the tongue, providing a spicy heat from flecks of red pepper. It was delicious, but oddly light, despite the heat; very friendly to the American palate is the medallions of pork tenderloin ($15.95) – tender plum-stuffed pork portions that are marinated for two days, served with bok choy in a delicious Merlot reduction sauce; George is also very proud of his Thai-basil crusted chicken breast with a seven-pepper spiced mango sauce ($14.95), with the flavors of garlic, cayenne and Szechuan peppers in the sauce. Big favorites with the public include both the cashew-encrusted fresh salmon filet with a teriyaki glaze ($15.95) and the Lemon Creamy Almond Shrimp ($16.95) with fruit salad. Most of these entrees are available at lower prices at lunch, including the Thai green curry with chicken, green and red bell peppers, and onions ($7.25), served with fresh bay leaves. It is a light, subtle, curry, not at all thick and syrupy and with a subtle heat that surprises you in the aftertaste. I was struck by how light and refreshing the curry was – made with coconut milk, cilantro, fish sauce, lemon grass and lime – and how lean, moist and fresh the chicken nubs were. They do a decent Pad Thai here, too (with aged anchovies in the fish sauce to impart an authentic flavor to this sweet-bitter-hearty dish). The optional shrimp are huge. There are more seafood, chicken – and even lamb chop – offerings. A dish I’d love to try on another visit is the fusion Seafood Gumbo, with shrimp, blue crab, scallops, flounder and Andouille Louisiana sausage with okra!
The Fortessa bone china plates and bowls that nearly everything is served on are elegant and modern. The curry came in a white china scoop, tilted toward the plate beneath. A dessert, trio crème brulee ($6.75), comes in triangles that neatly fit within a larger china triangle: vanilla, chocolate and raspberry brulee custards – the chocolate one as delicate as a mousse and all with crisp, thin caramelized-sugar top layers ($6.75). George makes all his gorgeous-looking desserts himself, including a Japanese vanilla soufflé cheesecake; tiramisu; a dark chocolate mousse torte; a vanilla soufflé cheesecake; and a trio chocolate mousse torte, all around $7. These are Euro-American desserts available at an Asian restaurant – another aspect of the uniqueness of Wave Bistro.
“George doesn’t care about cultural food clichés,” our server James said. “He likes to merge and mix flavors and ingredients.” James knew every ingredient and spice in every dish, by the way. George Liao’s food at Wave Bistro is lighter, more carefully crafted, more delicate in its flavors, less gummy, thick and heavy than at most Asian spots. He has a modest wine list and some Asian and domestic beers (Newcastle Brown Ale, an import from the Heineken people) is a perfect match for this cuisine, as are many of the wines.
When it comes to Wave Bistro, ‘”vive la difference!”