Another week, another chance to try a different restaurant serving fine Asian cuisine. This week, we opted to try out the other precious metal chopstick location in the greater Wheeling area—the Silver Chopsticks.
Silver Chopsticks is located at 2135 National Road in Wheeling and, much like the Golden set of chopsticks on Wheeling Island, is billed as gourmet Chinese food.
We wanted to sample and see just how similar it could be. Of course, coming from Belmont County, Golden will always be closer drive-wise. But sometimes, you’re out in the Grove and in need of Chinese cuisine.
Because of locations and design of the buildings, Silver Chopsticks has more of a laid-back, restaurant-style feel. There are boothed tables lining the perimeter of the main dining hall, along with the u-shaped bar to your right upon entering.
That being said, there’s nothing wrong with it and the aesthetics are quite nice. It’s just, in the case of Golden, where it’s a former house converted into a restaurant, the feel is naturally more intimate at the Island location.
We settled into a booth in the back a couple of hours before closing time. There were still a good bit of customers in the restaurant, but I wanted to make sure the closing time was two hours away, and not one. We’re not those people, and will choose somewhere else with an hour to close or less.
I remember those days of my youth when customers would come into the restaurant mere minutes before close. Is the restaurant still open? Yes. But have a little consideration. That’s just my two cents. Anyway, on to the important stuff.
The Food
I ordered my new go-to when Chinese cuisine is on the menu, Kung Pao Chicken. I opted to go with fried rice with my order, and to save the vegetables. I won’t eat them, so no sense having it go to waste. She also went with the ole standby of sweet and sour chicken and white rice.
Given this was Silver Chopsticks, an order of the fried dumplings was a must, so we decided to go with that for an appetizer.
The dumplings were quite tasty, though we could have used a wee bit more of the dipping sauce. Also, there was just a slight variation in taste, though not enough to think any less of the dish. It’s only natural, different kitchens, different cooks. It’s foolish to think it’d be exact.
That being said, still great dumplings.
I have to say I really enjoyed the flavor of my Kung Pao chicken. It’s just the right mixture of savory and spicey. It’s not hot, but it’s hot, if that makes sense. I’m sure it doesn’t, but it’s hot spicy enough to feel it without being too spicy for this particular dish.
The fried rice went well with the chicken, and I was overall more than satisfied with my meal.
She enjoyed her chicken, though felt, and I agreed, that the portions of the chicken felt less than both at Golden, and other restaurants we’ve gone too. Taste-wise, still on point.
Overall, the food was quite enjoyable at Silver Chopsticks, and our server was incredibly friendly and circled back multiple times to make sure we didn’t need anything. Definitely a recommended stop for anyone in the mood for Chinese cuisine.
