If you are a Wilmington-ian, you have likely tried, or at least heard of Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn (FABB). When our family and I relocated back to Wilmington, Flaming Amy’s was my favorite casual restaurant. As an aside, my late father, after selling the White Front Breakfast House, managed a Bonanza Steak House. Where was that steak house located? It was the first restaurant to occupy the building where FABB now resides. But I digress.

Flaming Amy (Amy Muxworthy) has now used her name to create another winner restaurant; Flaming Amy’s Bowl. Located at 4418 Shipyard Blvd, behind Firestone Tire at Longleaf Mall (why they call this a mall, I don’t know), you’ll find her latest creation.

Ok, so here’s the deal…each visitor receives a bowl from their server, and then fills it with a variety of vegetables and some starches, and then meat. next. You handover your bowl to one of three cooks. He or she cooks your meat and other ingredients and you then inform them about your choice of rice or noodles. Then, you select a sauce. It’s the sauce which makes your dish come to life.

There are 10 sauces to select from (thai peanut, red curry, teriyaki, and lemon basil, just to name a few). I counted 30+ vegetables along with numerous proteins (chicken, tilapia, pork, beef, bacon and tofu).

While there is a menu, in which the sauce gives the dish its flavor as well as the ‘ideal” ingredients, my approach thus far has simply been to put whatever appeals to me in the bowl and then have them “cook it up”.

If you haven’t guessed yet, I am a huge fan of Flaming Amy’s Bowl. After three visits, I am hooked. My only critique is I wish the sauces I like best (i.e., thai and red curry) were not so spicy hot. However, the restaurant has only been open for less than a month now and I suspect they are still tweaking the model. So who knows, perhaps they will offer a mild, medium and hot variety sometime in the not so distant future. Now, if they only had banana pudding.