STAFF WRITER MARK NARDONE DISHES ON THIS WEEK’S
BEST WINE EVENTS AND MORE
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06/05/12Catch 54 is BackA Real Catch We offer a warm welcome back to Catch 54 in Fenwick Island. We’ve always loved the food there, and we’ve always loved the vibe—laid back, with a stunning view of the Little Assawoman Bay. Now there’s even more to love. Since rebuilding after a fire last summer, Catch has built two outdoor decks on the water, plus a fireplace inside and event space, with plenty of decor that reflects the famer-meets-fisherman concept. The update includes a raw bar with oysters from up and down the East Coast, crab claws and sashimi. And it includes a tweaked menu with classics like a split lobster tail stuffed with crab imperial served with farm beans in a wild mushroom brandy cream, plus an old-time Eastern Shore favorite, fried oysters with chicken salad.... |
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05/29/12Summer is Here at LastSummer’s Here At Last We’ve waited all year for Downtown Rehoboth Beach Restaurant Week June 3-9. Thanks to Rehoboth Beach Main Street, the best restaurants in every foodie’s favorite town will offer three-course dinners for $20 and-or $30 prix-fixe dinners, many with wine pairings (or beer, or sake) for small upcharge. Some even offer a $10-$15 prix-fixe lunch menu. Look who’s in: Hari Cameron’s new a(MUSE), the classic Adriatico, fun stop Arena's, the sublime Back Porch Café, trendsetting Blue Moon, Jay Caputo’s new Cabo Modern Mexican Tequila Bar, charming Café Azafran—and that doesn’t even get us through the ABCs. Who else is in? There’s Catchers, The Cultured Pearl, Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, Eden... Posted at 09:00 AM | Permalink |
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05/22/12Brandywine Food & Wine Festival is ComingSummer Lovin’ We’re sorry to see the seasonal end of the incomparable Sunday brunch at Deerfield, but we’re happy to see patio dining hours at the Pub & Grille expanded till 9 p.m. The view is exceptional, and the burgers—at 10 ounces of beef each—have to be the biggest in the state. Don’t forget to stop by after work for happy hour, 4:30 p.m. till 6:30 p.m. every day. Fridays feature live music from 9 p.m. till 9 p.m. by some of the area’s most popular bands, as well as the new Friday Rum Bar, with special prices on drink specialties. Or try desserts like the the chocolate rum trifle and flaming rum Baba. You’ll just have to taste them. So, till brunch returns in October, Friday is the new Sunday. Be there. And speaking of... Posted at 09:00 AM | Permalink |
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05/15/12The Dining Insider: Celebrating Barbecue, Roaming to Roma, Rehoboth Restaurant Week is Coming, Java Puppy is HereBarbecue Heaven Break out the cole slaw. The 2012 Middletown BBQ State Championship Cook-Off happens May 18-20. The weekend starts Friday with national country acts Eden’s Edge and Thomas Rhett. There’s more country music on Saturday by national artist Ashley Forrest, and locals Hung Jury and Stones Throw. But the big event is the cookoff, which attracts barbecue competitors from around the country, all competing for a chance to cook in the Jack Daniels Invitational and the Kansas City Royal National BBQ competitions. (This is a Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned event—and those KCBS folks take their barbecue very seriously.) Sunday features a car show, an amateur backyard barbecue competition and music by the Philly George Project. All weekend long, there... |
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05/08/12Meatless Mondays at Nage, Wine for Women at Lupo di Mare, National Burger Month at Iron Hill, The BBQ Cookoff is HereWhere's the Beef? Nage wants to improve your health. If you do too, check out Meatless Mondays. Every week brings a slate of new vegetarian dishes that shows meatless cuisine can be every bit as interesting and delicious as recipes for meat. All dishes are made with local, seasonal foods. Yes, going meatless—at least some of the time—can help you live longer, if done correctly. But it’s also good for the planet. Farming grains and vegetables requires less energy, thus reducing emissions of greenhouse gases; it requires less water; and it requires less fossil fuel. Sold? You don’t have to be. The chefs at Nage never disappoint. You’re still in for a stellar meal. 226-2037, nage.bz Ladies' Night A wine called Simply Naked gets our... |
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05/01/1216 Mile Brews for a Cause, Premier Wines & Spirits Hosts a Dinner to RememberDo Good—Drink Beer If you haven’t tried them yet, get to the beer store for one of 16 Mile Brewery’s limited-edition ales, Collaboration Brews for a Good Cause. There are three, as there will be every year, and $5 from the sale of every keg goes to a local charity. Your beers: Delaware Oyster Stout benefits the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Hot Fudge Sundae Stout benefits the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation. Riverside Docks Maple Porter—soon to come—will benefit a food kitchen in Wilmington (TBA). Collaboration Brews not only help worthy causes, they allow the brew crew at 16 Mile to stretch a bit creatively. The brewery’s regular ales are produced using the traditional four ingredients—barley, hops,... |
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04/24/12Restaurant Week is Here, a Kitchen to Call Your Own and Olé Travels the WorldRestaurant Week is Here City Restaurant Week has begun in Wilmington, one of the best dining bargains going. This year enjoy it until April 28 at any of 14 participating restaurants: Big Fish Grill, Firestone Roasting House, Harry’s Seafood Grill and Ubon Thai Cuisine on the riverfront Chelsea Tavern, Ernest & Scott Taproom, Orillas Tapas Bar Restaurant and World Cafe Live on Market Street Cafe Mezzanotte, Deep Blue Bar and Grill, Domaine Hudson Wine Bar & Eatery, The Green Room at the Hotel du Pont, Mikimotos Asian Grill & Sushi Bar, Washington Street Ale House in the cluster from 11th to 13th streets, Market to Washington What are you in for? Your Insider snuck a peek at one menu, chosen at random. Here are your dinner options at Harry’s... Posted at 08:29 AM | Permalink |
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04/17/12Meals From the Masters is here, helping Food 4 Friends, Fordham brews for foodiesMasterful This is one of the events we look forward to most every year: Meals From the Masters April 20 and April 22, which benefits Meals on Wheels of Delaware. The weekend includes Evening with the Masters on Friday and the Celebrity Chefs’ Brunch on Sunday. Oenophiles will enjoy the Cellar Masters’ Wine Auction. Evening with the Masters—hosted by “MasterChef” Season 2 winner Jennifer Behm of Wilmington—happens at the Doubletree Downtown this year. You’ll enjoy meals from some of the state’s best restaurants. The brunch—now in its 15th year—happens at Bank of America, 1100 N. King St. You’ll sample foods from chefs who have traveled from the West Coast, Hawaii, and the rest of the country to join local luminaries... Posted at 10:32 AM | Permalink |
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04/10/12Primavera da Vinci is coming, more Titanic dinners, Meals form the Masters and moreSoon to be a Rite of Spring It's spring, the perfect time for the Societa da Vinci's Primavera da Vinci, a celebration of wine and cuisine presented by regional chefs and wine professionals. On April 13, head to the Hilton Wilmington-Christiana to browse stations full of wonderful foods, sample fine wines and but in the on-site wine store, watch cooking demonstrations by talented pros, and listen to the Smooth Sounds of Steve Silicato and pianist Michael Malatesta. This is the same Societa da Vinci that brings you Vendemmia every October, so you know that, with chefs such as Roberta Adamo of Penne Restaurant in Philly and Franco Paterno of the Providence Marriot, it will be a top-flight event. Go. You'll be able to say you were present at the creation. 631-1524,... Posted at 10:52 AM | Permalink |
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04/03/12A Weekend to Remember at Hotel du Pont, Twin Lakes at BBC Tavern, Delaware's Best Amateur Chef at DeerfieldA First-Class Dinner We couldn’t be more excited about any dining event. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking, the Hotel du Pont is re-creating the menu from the fateful night on April 14. For $125 (including wine, gratuity and valet parking) you’ll enjoy a lavish 10-course meal served in a setting to rival that of any classic luxury ocean liner. You’ll begin with Cape May oysters on the half with honeydew mignonette; a salad of asparagus, petite greens, saffron paint and champagne vinaigrette; and paté de foie gras with colvados-soaked golden raisins, hearts of celery, toasted brioche and truffle oil. Shall we go one? If you insist… Continue with consumme Olga of poached scallops, celery root brunoisse and... |
