Wild Rice is located off Exit 39A of the Merritt just south of the Stop & Shop / Bob’s / Total Wine strip mall on Main Ave. in Norwalk. This stand-alone building has decent parking and the interior is comfortable and pleasant. With my office just up the street, Wild Rice lends itself easily for a mid-day decompression with a well-priced selection of lunch specials.

During the summer months I normally order the Lunch Sushi. Included in this option is a bowl of Miso soup, five pieces of sushi and a roll. The miso soup is mild and very pleasant. The sushi has a rotating selection and the roll is almost always a California roll. For slightly more than $10, it is a good deal.

When I am looking for a larger, yet lighter cooked selection I order the Beef Negimaki Lunch Bento Box. This option allows for a choice of soup (miso, hot & sour, egg drop or wonton) and I normally opt for the Hot & Sour. The soup has a good balance of spicy and sour notes. In addition to the Negimaki the bento box contains three pieces of California roll, two pork dumplings (shumai) and a small salad. The combination of flavors from the hoisin sauce on the Negimaki, the spicy and sour soup, the wasabi added to the rolls and the sauce on the shumai are excellent together. This is normally priced within $1 of the sushi.

For a heavier lunch, the General Tso’s Chicken is a good choice. I again start with the Hot & Sour and choose the fried rice to go with the deep fried chicken pieces. Again, the combination of the spicy and sour soup and the super sweet chicken are a good mid-day pick me up. I drink lots of tea when I order this combination to offset the mid-afternoon sugar rush. This selection is priced at less than $10…this is the best deal in town for Chinese food.

I keep looking for another Chinese restaurant in the area that offer lunch specials in a relaxing environment, but have yet to find one that is comparable to Wild Rice.