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Delaware Today magazine Savor dining review: A review by dining critic Matt Amis of upscale restaurants at the Christiana Mall near Newark, including Brio Tuscan Grille, JB Dawson’s and Nordstrom Sixth & Pine

Going Uptown: The Christiana Mall is transformed into an upscale dining destination.

(page 2 of 4)

Here were three that caught my eye:

Sixth & Pine

The almighty Nordstrom opened with a bang in April with a black-tie gala, shelves of expensive shoes, and a stylish culinary outpost, Sixth & Pine.

Named for the Seattle intersection that’s home to the Nordstrom mother ship, Sixth & Pine is on the second floor, past a thicket of mannequins wearing Marc Jacobs and Helmut Lang.

Swanky designer brands, it seems, should be left outside. S&P is low-key, considering Nordstrom’s trademark panache. It’s retrofitted with a smooth, rumpus room interior and an honest-to-goodness deli counter. Sandwiches, salads and deviled eggs and other noshes are orders of the day here.

Shoppers in need of refueling will find Sixth & Pine to be a happy, relaxed respite. Who needs Pikolinos when there are pickled veggies and a frosty mug of Boylan’s orange cream soda?

The crew here prides itself on great picnic food, with sandwich standards built to order, and a rotating menu of heartier fare available. A bowl of chicken pot pie seemed appropriate one rainy evening, and it hit all the right spots with its tender shredded chicken chunks, and a buttery rosemary biscuit that sopped up all the velvety broth.

The one-man kitchen is more than happy to roll up its sleeves, on occasion. Entrées like horseradish-crusted salmon and braised short ribs comprise the small main course menu, and from it sprang one of the better steak frites I’ve had in quite a while (the best I’ve had inside a shopping mall, hands down). Juicy skirt steak hit the flat griddle just right, leaving a satisfying crust, and a lime-cilantro aioli, spiked with chipotle powder, lent ample dimension to the beef.

Such scintillating flavors left a plate of bland, institutional chicken salad in the dust, but there was still much to love here.

Like the photographs of iconic Delaware locations (Dolle’s in Rehoboth Beach and the old F.W. Woolworth on Market Street in Wilmington) that come straight from Delaware Historical Society. It’s a nice nod to First State patrons, who are test-driving the very first Sixth & Pine in the country.

So long as shoppers’ hunger for warm pastrami sandwiches and crab Louis salads remains strong, it should be a good ride.
 

Page 3: JB Dawson's