Wildflowers New York Bistro in Plains Twp. offers a taste of city life with its diverse flavors and a unique outdoor dining experience.
The restaurant — located in the Holiday Inn Wilkes-Barre, 600 Wildflower Drive — opened in September 2014 with a wide-ranging menu that includes numerous genres and styles. Patrons can add on to their culinary adventure by taking their meals in the bistro’s heated domes.
Chefs Table recently chatted with Shirley Howard, Wildflowers’ food and beverage director, about the trendy restaurant.
Q: What type of food do you serve?
A: The general atmosphere of the restaurant is upscale dining with a modern touch. We accommodate all cultures here at Wildflowers New York Bistro. Our menu items range from traditional ethnic cuisines, such as our popular Asian wok dish, to local favorites, like our pizza sourced from Old Forge, to comfort food, including house-made meatloaf.
Q: How did your menu come to be?
A: We went to New York to get our ideas so our guests would not have to. Our head chef is Michael Brislin. Although our chef is new, he is in the middle of creating new dishes for our menu, which we know will excite our guests. A new menu is expected to roll out in the spring. Our nighttime line chef is Justin Patrick.
Q: What’s your specialty?
A: Our kielbasa and chicken dish is one of our most popular menu items. It is served over pasta and accompanied by fresh peppers and olives.
Q: What are your most popular dishes and drinks?
A: Top-selling items include our kielbasa and chicken dish, Asian wok dish, house Parmesan Bistro Burger and Prime Rib Panini. For drinks, we offer locally brewed Susquehanna Brewing Co. beers available both on tap and in bottles in seasonal flavors. We feature different drinks nightly, with some of our top sellers including the Pomegranate Margarita and Salted Caramel White Russian. Also available are local wines from Nimble Hill Winery & Brewing Co. and Bartolai Winery.
Q: What type of seating do you have?
A: We are able to accommodate 18 people in our bar area, 46 people in our dining room space and 20 people in our outdoor heated domes. We also have catering available on site.
Q: How do you reserve a heated dome?
A: Guests can reserve a dome by coming in the restaurant, calling our bistro at 570-822-7171 or through Facebook and Instagram. Our domes also are available for lunch and brunch.
Q: What kinds of entertainment and specials do you offer?
A: We offer nightly specials, and our staff is very entertaining. Also, we have a piano player for our Sunday brunch. His name is Joe Mateo.
Q: Where do you see the restaurant headed in the future?
A: We are currently expanding our dome business, with reservations being taken for March already. We can surely see more opportunities arriving in the near future to introduce new options to guests, both new and returning, and are always looking ahead to accommodate the latest trends in dining experience. We are proud to be a fixture in our local community.
10 oz. New York Strip Steak with onions mushroom and potatoes and veggies.
Wildflowers New York Bistro
Address: 600 Wildflowers Drive, Plains Twp.
Phone: 570-822-7171
Established: September 2014
Owners: Jay Batra
Cuisine: Multiple genres
Hours: Mondays through Thursdays, 4 to 10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 3 to 10 p.m.; and Sundays, 3 to 9 p.m.
Online: Visit wildflowersnybistro.com or the restaurant’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Laura Rysz is the features copy editor and calendar editor at The Times-Tribune and runs the Talk of the Times column, which focuses on local fundraisers and other events. She also writes Chef’s Table that profiles restaurants around the region. Additionally, Laura curates events online on AccessNEPA.com. Laura is involved in the special Mother’s Day edition and curates occasional features Marry Memories and Times Travelers. She is a graduate of Haddonfield Memorial High School, New Jersey, and earned an English professional writing degree with a minor in mass communications from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre. She also earned a certificate in Social Media Marketing from Rutgers Business School. Contact: lrysz@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5228.