Reader mail

Reader mail returns! Send in your queries. We run your thoughts and our answers every Friday.

QUESTION: We had our wedding rehearsal at the Chadds Ford Inn 20 years ago. We went back for our 5-, 10- and 15-year anniversary. We wanted to try the new Brandywine Prime, but have heard some negative reports from some people that went to it right after it opened. They said the service was very bad, it was overpriced, and they did not like the decor. The food was ok. What is it like now? Any suggestions for some other special place? We love Dilworthtown Inn. I heard of someplace (Gilmores?) in West Chester, and another (Sedona?)in Kennett. Thanks, Bob.

ANSWER: Bob, first off, congratulations on the anniversary. I heard the same rumblings about Brandywine Prime soon after it opened. (I also remember, during the winter, it was very cold inside the restaurant.) I believe many of the problems have been addressed. Some restaurants stumble out of the starting gate and have a hard time recovering. But Brandywine Prime owners Dan Butler (Toscana Kitchen + Bar and Deep Blue), Mike Majewski and Paul Bouchard are all dedicated restaurant guys who care about quality and listen to customer feedback. I had a meal there (ceviche, calamari and dry aged ribeye with exotic mushrooms) and really enjoyed it -the wine list also is definitely worth paging through. My one quibble: the young wait staff seemed pretty green. In an April 20 review, Eric Ruth wrote "servers may not always be there when you want them (my companion's draft beer is presumably still en route), and the food isn't always pushing the envelope as hard as it might, but Brandywine Prime nonetheless stands as one of the most significant, appealing additions to upscale regional dining in years. He gave it three stars (very good.)
Gilmore's is a completely different dining experience. Owner Peter Gilmore is an alum of Le Bec-Fin and brings a French sensibility to his cozy 35-seat West Chester BYO restaurant, located in a townhouse at 133 E. Gay St. I love this restaurant, especially for a special occasion. (If you go, get the "candy apple mousse" - if it's still on the menu. The kitchen creates a candy apple sugar sculpture and fills it with chocolate mousse. It's a work of art.) Don't know Sedona - maybe you mean Savona, 100 Old Gulph Road, Gulph Mills, Pa.; (610) 520-1200? This French/Italian restaurant gets raves. Haven't been. But here's the web site, www.savonarestaurant.com. Or maybe you want to give the Fair Hill Inn a shot? What about The Orchard, a BYO in Kennett Square?

QUESTION: My wife and I retired to the Lewes area 2 years ago and have given up hope of finding good Italian restaurants in Sussex. We tried at least 6 different places. Two of which turned out to be not bad the first visit. We always go back to see if they can replicate themselves. Unfortunately, they just can't do it. Two phrases that seems never to be heard by them is 'Al Dente". The pastas are served overcooked to the point of mushiness. The other word is spices. The sauces are bland and tasteless and generally seem to be heated up out of the can. No garlic taste, no taste of basil, no oregano.....Nothing. It seems we have to wait until we go back to New York to have good Italian food. So my question to you is; Do you know of any reasonably good Italian Restaurants in Sussex? I'd be willing to bet if you have we have tried them..... Thanks for any info you can provide. Lost without our Italian food-Joe Roche Milton DE
ANSWER: Joe, your letter reminds me of an email I once received from a wonderfully witty colleague who lives in Kent County. He said "down this way, most people probably think Al Dente is some guy from 'The Sopranos.'"
"Italian" food is so diverse. Southern Italian is more tomatoes and garlic; it's so different than the "Italian" food served in the Veneto region. Go to Trieste and you'll get pork and sauerkraut, which is considered Italian. I could go on and on. I'm a student of Italian cuisine and travel and eat around the country every fall.
Have you tried La Rosa Negra in Lewes? Or maybe Ristorante Zebra, 32 Lake Ave., Rehoboth; 226-1160? There's DiFebo's in Bethany Beach and Adriatico in Midway and Rehoboth. Or perhaps, if you want to drive a bit, Tutti Gusti in Ocean City, Md.?