A Fork on the Road: Wok Town

Wok Town isn’t like most Chinese takeout places. This stylish downtown spot serves Cantonese-inspired, light and clean fare (no excess oil or MSG-induced headaches). The menu is organized into sections like “start to wok” (appetizers), “positive wok” (healthy choices), “boxes and bowls” (fried rice and noodles) and “the main wok” (stir-fries). Spicy dishes are on the mild side, but dine-in customers can add chile sauce or hot mustard from jars on the communal tables.

Owner Shai Ben-Ami was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in Jerusalem and South Florida, where his father ran delis. After a stint in the Israeli Army he traveled around Asia, where he discovered street food. He learned to cook in a commercial kitchen in New York, then moved to Miami Beach, where he met his Colombian-born wife, Nazly Villamizar, a fashion designer. Over the past decade Ben-Ami has helped launch a number of successful restaurants, including Miss Yip. Wanting a place of his own, he opened Wok Town a little over a year ago.

Starters include finger-licking edamame in garlic soy sauce or crunchy lettuce wraps. House-made wontons and dumplings swim with thin rice noodles in huge bowls of soup. Singapore curry noodles and lo mein come with a choice of meat, shrimp or tofu. The health-conscious can try Asian chicken salad or the steamed vegetable bowl. Or choose a protein and style of stir-fry such as honey-garlic, black bean, orange peel or sweet and sour, and the Chinese cooks will do the rest. Enjoy a complimentary cup of jasmine tea and end with mango sorbet.

This story was originally published December 22, 2010 at 9:12 PM.