Email
Print
del.icio.us
digg
yahoo!
Comments
FeedNot to be Overlooked
With its perfect marriages of flavors and styles, Krazy Kat's stays forever young.
The juniper-roasted Broken Arrow Ranch
antelope is served with zucchini bread
pudding and aged balsamic garlic scapes.
Photograph by Keith Mosher
Not to be Overlooked
With its perfect marriages of flavors and styles, Krazy Kat's stays forever young.
Despite its many accolades in the national press, Krazy Kat's flies under the radar locally. It shouldn't .
Executive chef Damien Durnin creates a remarkable blend of visual and culinary artistry. Durnin, born in Ireland, has worked in restaurants in Switzerland, London and the United States, and his cuisine reflects the influences.
After nibbling on the amuse bouchée-a silver dollar-sized crab-and-salmon cake dusted with panko and livened with lemon fraicheéwe nodded in satisfaction. Crispy-skinned quail was equally impressive. Meaty little drumsticks became downright succulent when moistened with a brandied cherry-vanilla vinaigrette. A glistening mound of cubed raw tuna and avocado, infused with sesame, was as refreshing as the tumble of field greens laced with diced fresh vegetables and provolone cheese.
Thick-cut salmon, cured in-house with fragrant cherry wood, was cool and light, owing to a kiss of lemon mosto oil, and a bright blend of melon, vanilla-roasted nuts and citrus fruit. Peppery arugula kept the appetizer from becoming too sweet. Antelope carried a whiff of fall on its wild mushroom au jus and herby juniper kick. The meat nuzzled a wedge of zucchini bread pudding and tendrils of mild garlic scapes, the garlic bulb's shoot.
A bronzed breast of organic chicken came stuffed with braised leeks, lobster and corn. It was perhaps my favorite dish, in part because of the silky bed of risotto topped with a crisp parmesan blanket.
Marrying textures is something the kitchen does well. A halved spring roll, wrapped around morsels of duck confit, rose like two crisp columns from a fluffy mound of jalapeño-spiked sweet potatoes. It was a pretty backdrop for the lightly chewy Muscovy duck that fanned around the plate.
But when it came to the grilled rockfish, the medley turned into a slight melee. The potato purée had too much saffron for my taste. Fennel dominated the rago't , which also included mushrooms and tomatoes.
Desserts were not as inspiring as the entrées. There are better versions of molten chocolate cake at other places. Though not terribly exciting, the pear tart was a lovely frangipane puff tasting of almonds.
Service was proficient, if somewhat casual, for the atmosphere. Though we'd never asked, our server confessed he had no idea what cheeses were featured in the cheese appetizer. And he thought the garlic scapes were haricot verts.
But those are nits. I am not likely to forget Krazy Kat's in the future, especially if Durin remains at the helm. Cuisine like this deserves an encore.
-Pam George
Help for Chicken Feed
So what does a starving student do when a successful entrepreneur lectures her business class about starting a website to help other starving students? She says yes, of course. Since September 6, University of Delaware marketing majors Kristi Gottlieb, Samantha Bevacqua and Kimberly Steib have managed HungryHens.com, the go-to spot for students and Newark residents who are looking for the latest in restaurant and bar specials, as well as food to go and delivery services. HungryHens.com displays menus from 80 eateries, which offer everything from pitas and pizzas to sandwiches and sushi. Best of all, customers can order online. The women, all residents of the same dormitory last year, partnered with Ynot advertising in Baltimore, who manages the site based on a model developed at Pennsylvania State University. Spreading the word through their sororities and class lectures, the site was making 400 transactions a day within its first three weeks, according to Bevacqua. "We all just enjoy doing it," she says. The trio may be among their own best customers. Bevacqua confesses to ordering to go and dining out much more since she moved to an off- campus apartment this year and gave up her UD meal plan. Her favorites: Iron Hill and Klondike Kate's.
Francine Covelli's eponymous organic
marketplace will also offer cooking
classes and nutritional counseling.
Photograph by Greg Sachs
www.gregsachs.com
Healthy Eats in Hockessin
Suddenly, it seems, Hockessin has become the state capital of healthful eating since Francine's, a healthy local organic marketplace (in the space once occupied by Tomm's Produce), has opened on Lancaster Pike, joining Harvest Market as a purveyor of natural and organic foods.
But wait. There's more.
Yes, Francine's offers organic food to eat in the café or take out, fair trade teas and coffee, and fresh baked goods. There's a juice bar. And owner Francine Covelli continues her successful organic school lunch program out of the kitchen.
Along with the food will soon come cooking classes and nutritional counseling, as well as massage and yoga in the wellness loft.
You may remember Covelli as the owner of the once-popular Café Francine's in Greenville. After closing the restaurant six years ago, Covelli became certified in nutrition and ran a private consulting practice out of her home. She also started the organic school lunch program.
As the businesses grew, Covelli became aware that she needed to move to a commercial location. The new site was ideal.
Local response has already been overwhelmingly positive. Covelli has entered negotiations to create two kiosks for Francine's Organic at local hospitals, and has also received an offer to do a cooking show. In the midst of all this excitement, she keeps her poise through maintenance of the family garden, which features-what else?-organic produce.
-Katie Moscony
