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Wild Tuna puts best foot forward

Created: 09/22/2009 04:20:34 PM EDT

Kelly Densel-Ohm, left, has a laugh with her husband, Tim Ohm, while the Manchester Township couple have dinner at Wild Tuna Bar & Grill. (Daily Record/Sunday News - Jason Plotkin)

To put it mildly, Wild Tuna Bar & Grill got off to a rough start when it opened in January.

"No one was trained right, and we kind of just winged it," said an amazingly frank Mark Springer, the restaurant's manager.

Local diners commenting on a message board, http://exchange.ydr.com, made their frustrations known - in a six-page thread starting with a comment that said, "Do not eat at Wild Tuna."

Ouch. Another Wild Tuna manager, Richard Robinson, eventually joined the discussion to acknowledge the problems and ask customers to give the improved restaurant another shot.

"I guess it's sort of just asking for York's forgiveness right now," Springer said.

With people watching their dining dollars closer than ever, that rep will be tough for the restaurant's management to overcome.

But at the very least, what I saw during my recent visit indicates that they are trying their best. They offer numerous drink and meal specials and a $6 to $9 menu all day, every day.

With Asian-influenced seafood, the locale interrupts a dense cluster of chain restaurants near Route 30 off Kenneth Road.

My server, smiling and attentive, answered questions about the menu and made suggestions.

With my drink, she brought me some sweet and sour sauce and a basket of fried wonton strips - the indulgent, unhealthy-but-oh-so-delicious pieces of fried dough you get with Chinese takeout. Famished by my late lunch, I ate half the basket.

My grilled salmon filet arrived steaming hot. It was a thinner cut, but then again, it was only $9. The sweet, crusty outside - seared on a flat-iron grill - tasted just right, leaving the inside juicy and tender. And I really enjoy a well-cooked piece of fish.

Springer said the restaurant buys sashimi-grade fish - meaning you could eat it raw if you wanted - so I would suggest ordering your salmon cooked medium and tuna medium rare.

My cup of house-made mustard soy sauce added a nice punch to the fish and when I spread it over a generous helping of fluffy white rice. The steamed vegetable medley was overseasoned for me.

Maybe it's because I actually like the taste of vegetables, but these mostly tasted like salt.

The atmosphere retains many of the south Florida/Caribbean island aesthetics Cheeseburger in Paradise left behind. A little odd. But personally, I'm glad to see a restaurant focus on the food and service first.

The interior decorating can wait until business picks up, but in the meantime, I would suggest a little more lighting. The inside felt a little dreary during my visit.

York could use a fresh fish place, so I hope Wild Tuna manages to weather the tough times and continues to improve.

It would make quite the comeback story, a second chance new restaurants rarely live long enough to get.

"I guess we should lay it flat out that we were wrong to open unprepared, and we've taken the time to perfect all of our defects," Springer said. "I think people will like it if they give it another try."

Cheap Eats is a biweekly column on local restaurants' meals for less than $10. Suggestions are welcome. Reach Wade Malcolm at 771-2101 or wmalcolm@ydr.com or follow him on Twitter at YDRCheapEats.