Dottie and John: Skip the wine tasting menu

Great story in the Wall Street Journal today from "Dottie and John" about wine tasting menus.

DOROTHY J. GAITER AND JOHN BRECHER, the famous wine sipping couple, were treated like rubes at Le Bernardin in New York - and wrote about their experience.

Wow. The pair wasn't looking to be recognized, just acted like regular diners who LOVE wine and the treatment was borderline shabby.

The restaurant's sommelier who never came to their table even though they asked the server if he would - and who walked by their table several times during their rushed meal - was eating crow in the article today - as well he should. I'm pretty sure that's one unhappy restaurant today.

The expense account suits who read the WSJ - a newspaper with the country's second highest circulation - may think twice about charging the company credit card at that restaurant.

Way to go Dottie and John!

Food Network says bye bye to Mr. Fibs

The Food Network issued a statement today that they're "looking for a replacement host" for Robert Irvine, the"Dinner: Impossible" guy, who was caught cooking his resume.

"We have not renewed Robert's contract for future seasons but will fulfill our contractual obligations," according to the network's president.

Here's the entire Network's statement as well as Irvine's.

Irvine exaggerations included claiming he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Leeds, was knighted by the queen, was given a castle by Her Majesty, was chummy with Prince Charles and helped make Princess Di's wedding cake.

Irvine is supposed to be cooking at a April 10 charity dinner at Harry's Savoy Grill......I'm giving Harry's a call now to see what's up.

UPDATE: Harry’s executive chef David Leo Banks said. “My expectation is that he’ll be here. As far as chefs go, he’s just great.”

Harry’s owner Xavier Teixido said Friday he has not withdrawn Irvine’s invitation. “He’ll add to the event. He’s a fun person. We'll be delighted to have him.”

According to today's Washington Post: Irvine was just in D.C. taping an episode of the series.

"The wagons were circled at Wednesday's taping -- nervous producers didn't allow press anywhere near as Irvine prepared dinner for 250 guests at the Pink Tie party, the kickoff fundraiser for the National Cherry Blossom Festival."

More reader mail

I got to reader mail a little early yesterday (see below)...

Read the letter below and make sure you link to the site. I had my good laugh for the day.

Patricia,
I thought you might get a kick out of this:


http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/caketalk.asp

Reader mail

Last Friday's Dish column about sandwiches from the Claymont Steak Shop and Gaudiello's in Trolley Square resulted in much web traffic and reader emails.

Sub shop loyalty in Delaware runs very deep, according to your phone calls and emails.

Keep the letters coming. You ask. We answer. Every Friday.

Also, check out Eric Ruth's two-star (good) review of Yi Palace Eurasian Bar & Grill

Here's what's in the mailbag:

CLAYMONT STEAK STEAK STILL GETS LOVE

Hi Patricia,

This picture (above) was taken at the Claymont Steak Shop in Oct of 2007. Pictured are myself (black polo shirt) and four of my BHS Class of ’67 classmates who were in Wilmington celebrating our 40th HS Reunion at the Blue Ball Dairy Barn.

(They are; Left to right: Bruce Kingshill, Mike Houser, Kevin Donohue, Marilyn Monson Nimtz, Linda
Potter.

The Cheese Steak soiree was the highlight of the trip; as you can see, we were amply fed and I was the only one able to finish mine!

Thanks for the review!

Best Wishes!
Kevin Donohue

ARDEN AIN'T BAD EITHER

If you are looking for a great hoagie or cheese steak, then you should try the "Arden Steak Shop" located on Marsh Road. You want to taste a gastronomical delight, this is the place.

Not very big, a couple of tables, but it has atmosphere of what the "old time" hoagie shops were like in the 60's… Give it a try, I am sure that you will enjoy a great sandwich there..

Vic Zubrzycki

Wilmington Trust Security

DON'T COUNT OUT VINNIE'S

Patricia,

I don't know if you've had occasion to try it yet but Vinnie's/Little Vinnie's in the Chestnut Run Shopping Center should definitely be on your list for great Italian dishes, along with sandwiches of all sorts.

This small restaurant and take-out shop boast some of the best food you'll ever eat and the folks there are as nice as the cuisine is tasty.A specialty of the house is the Penne alla Vodka, made with Prosciutto.

And the house salad dressing is incredible.

Say "Hi" to Bev and her family when you visit.

P.S. - I'm just a loyal, very satisfied customer.

Tom Mitten

GIVE GUS A GANDER

(Full disclosure: Chuck McGowen is a retired News Journal photographer. He's also one of the nicest guys you'll ever want to meet. Miss you Chuck! )

Hi Patricia:

I enjoyed your column on cheese steaks today, especially the section about the Claymont Steak Shop. I think that's the same one we used to frequent in the late sixties on the way to visit my wife's family in Philly. We thought the steaks were quite good then.

I have searched for the perfect cheese steak ever since my girl friend (now my wife, Judy) introduced me to the Philly variety back in 1953. I was a sailor from Alabama who finally found something more tasty than bacon and grits! Up to that point the tastiest sandwich I had found was the oven variety we (Navy guys traveling from Maine to Philly) found somewhere in New England of all places. But I digress.

After all those years of seaching and tasting, the best cheese steak came from a place in Wilmington!

I hesitate to mention the name for fear that he has gone out of business since my last visit many months ago. It is the incomparable Gus' on King Street!I followed Gus from his old location across from the "old" News Journal on Orange Street (probably before your time) to his new digs on King Street.

The quality remained and the banter between Gus and his wife was as entertaining as ever.

Meanwhile: Please try to find some decent bar-be-que in the area. I long for the taste of the kind I get during my infrequent visits to Birmingham.

Best Regards,

Chuck McGowen

P.S. I am convinced I would be a millionaire today if I had taken Mary's pizza recipe ( from a place in Philly which was the first and still the best I've ever tasted) and the "oven grinder" and introduced them in the 1960s to Newark. It would have "Chuckie's instead of Papa John's!

What's your signature dish?

Someone recently asked me what was my signature dish.

I drew a blank.

It’s not that I don’t cook often - just the opposite in fact.

But here’s the thing: I’m a shameless food flirt. I never stay with one dish or cooking technique for very long.

I have had flings with Spanish tapas, Chinese dim sum and French tarts and souffles as well as long, passionate love affairs with Indian curries, Italian bolognese and pizza dough, Southern barbecue and Mexican moles.

And then suddenly - poof! - the bloom is off the rose and I wander off looking for a new obsession. (Right now, I'm head-over-heels for braising.)

My fickle heart wanders depending on the season or the cookbook (or cookbooks) that I’m reading or whatever looks fresh and wonderful at the market.

But I once read somewhere that people have maybe 10 dishes that they keep returning to again and again.

Just curious - and maybe for a possible story - what is the dish - or dishes - that you find yourself making again and again?

Chef tasting menus

Great story about tasting menus today in the Washington Post by the always fabulous Tom Siestema .

Tom's no fan. I couldn't agree more. This is my favorite line: "They tend to be too much food and require too much of a time commitment. (They usually seem to take a good three hours per sitting; I'm a diner, not a treaty negotiator.)"

It reminds me when Japanese "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto opened his first restaurant in Philadelphia. I stopped in and ordered the chef's tasting menu or omakase. Morimoto was in the kitchen and he served us a few of the courses. (I had written a story about Morimoto for USA Today and The News Journal; he recognized me and came over to the table a few times.)

The first few courses were fabulous, but by the time the fourth or fifth course rolled around I was beyond stuffed. It was started to feel like torture. My dining companion and I didn't want to offend the chef, but eating much more food - I think there were at least three more courses coming - was beyond our limits. We were at a table where it was hard to share food with other diners, so we started putting food in our napkins - something I haven't done since I was 8 years-old. We also did the old "push the food around the plate to make it look like we had eaten something" trick. (And, no, I'm not proud of myself for doing this.) Eventually, we huddled with the server and said we had hit the wall food wise. Please. Make. It. Stop.

I heard later the omakase portion sizes were a little smaller, but during my last Morimoto visit, I just ordered a few items off the menu and made sure I shared with others.

Too much food, no matter how good it tastes, is simply too much.

A little diplomacy.......

A Second Helpings reader alerted me to this post in the New York Time's Diners' Journal blog.

It seems that there has been an ongoing struggle between some servers, restaurant kitchens and diners when it comes to the whole small plates concept.

Apparently, some restaurants want diners to give their entire order at once, while some customers want to first order a few plates and then see how the appetite is going as the meal progresses before ordering more ......Restaurant critic Frank Bruni weighs in and says its all about diplomacy. He says "a little diplomacy goes a long way."

I'm on Frank's side here. I try to be very understanding in restaurants - in fact, I think I'm a lot more forgiving than most customers. But I can't handle rudeness or brusque behavior.

Last week, a group of friends and I were celebrating a birthday at Pomodoro on Union Street in Wilmington. A friend ordered a mixed drink and didn't like the taste of the soda. The bartender, while trying, I guess, to be helpful, also managed to be insulting. When she questioned if she was really getting club soda, he told her she could come behind the bar and watch him spray it "from the gun."

Then, he wouldn't leave the table until she was "happy." It started to border on badgering. Ugh. Now, really, was that necessary?

While our waiter Carmen was wonderful, the earlier incident left a few people at the table with a bad taste in their mouths.

Cupcakes are so cheery

Been on a crazy baking binge lately. Not really sure why, maybe I've got a case of the winter doldrums.

I'm actually more of a "pinch of this, pinch of that" kind of cook. Baking tends to be too much of an "exact science" for me.

But I found that there's something very calming about creaming together butter and sugar, sifting flour, cracking eggs and breathing in the aroma of vanilla extract. Tonight, I baked the raspberry cream cheese coffee cake featured last Wednesday. Here is the recipe in case you missed it.  Wow. My house smells incredible.

Right around Christmas, I ran a great recipe for red velvet cake. I've been using the recipe a lot lately to make red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Cupcakes seem to make everyone happy. My niece literally dances when she sees cupcakes. It's the most joyful thing I think I have ever seen. I made red velvet cupcakes for a work luncheon around Valentine's Day and the reaction was so great, I just made them again for a very fun Oscars party.

Use the red velvet cake recipe, but instead of a cake pan, line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Don't fill the batter all the way to the top so you can give the cupcakes room to rise. (The recipe makes about 2 dozen cupcakes, maybe a few more.) Bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool and frost with an easy cream cheese frosting. The frosting is pretty simple: whip together an 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese, one stick of softened unsalted butter and about 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Slowly add 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups of confectioners' sugar until well-blended. Use plenty of frosting when icing the cupcakes. 

Enjoy!

They call him Mr. Fibs

Want to know what others in the culinary industry think of the Food Network's Robert Irvine, the chef who likes to tell big whoppers??  (See Feb. 20 post.)

Well, Irvine was just given an award for his creativity with the truth. 

Irvine was named a Golden Clog award winner at Friday's South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Florida. He was nominated in the Cat Cora Category: Most Fame Based on Least Actual Culinary Achievement. 

Here's a complete list of the nominees. 

The "awards" are the boozy brainchild of snarky food writers Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman. The Clog is actually a spray painted Croc.

 Here's a link to live blogging from the event that includes winners. 

Reader mail

Happy, snowy Friday. Now, this is winter weather!

What are you eating today? Soup? Stew? Chili? Who do you think has the best chili? I'm still searching for the perfect bowl .....

On another note, check out today's Dish column on the cheesesteaks from Claymont Steak Shop and Italian hoagies from Gaudiello's in Trolley Square. Claymont's steak sandwich is one of the best I've had in Delaware. It's not made with Cheez Whiz, which makes me very happy. Yeah, I know the Whiz is the more traditional Philly cheesesteak topping, but, sorry I just don't get the appeal of processed cheese. And yes, I do know my Philly cheesesteaks. I've got family born and bred in South Philly - heck, my uncle is in the Mummer's Hall of Fame - and I've been to all the old haunts Pat's, Geno's, Jim's, John's Roast Pork, etc.

Reader mail is back - sorry for the delay. Mexican food and the status of Pala's is on your minds today.

Remember: You ask. We answer. Every (well almost every) Friday. Keep the letters coming.


Can you recommend a really great Mexican restaurant or two?
Thank you!
Kimi

Kimi, not sure how fancy or casual you want to go. Here are a few very authentic taco places, Eric Ruth and I checked out:

For terrific tacos, go to Jalisco Mexican Grocery Store, 1720 West Gilpin Drive (off Del. 141), near Newport; 993-0450.

Don't be put off by the graffiti on the building at this grocer – across from Five Star Pizza – near the intersection of Del. 141 and Faulkland Road. Actually, the taqueria is inside the store which stocks its shelves with cowboy boots, soccer jerseys, diapers, tamale steamers and earthenware bean pots, along with such Mexican food staples as cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and cellophane bags of dried ancho chiles.
The tacos ($1.50 each) are some of the best, and least expensive, we've found. Taqueria el Jalisco offers only three kinds: Beef, pork and lengua (tongue). The menu is taped to the counter, and the taqueria has eight tables for those who want to eat in.

La Poblanita, 3804 Lancaster Pike, Wilmington; 993-0464.
You can eat in at one of the 10 vinyl-covered tables or take out at this clean and neat taqueria planted in a small, slightly gritty shopping center across from a Pathmark grocery store and a Mercedes-Benz dealership off Lancaster Pike. The eatery offers a good selection of tacos ($2 each): Al pastor (spicy pork), lengua (cow tongue), chivo (goat), carne asada (grilled beef), pollo (chicken) and chorizo (Mexican sausage).

The counter staff will ask if you want your tacos on one or two corn tortillas. (We got two.) Takeout tacos, dressed with chopped onions and fresh cilantro, are served on Styrofoam plates along with chunks of radishes, lime wedges and pickled jalapeños.

While the al pastor wasn't spicy enough for us, we found the grilled beef very good. The chorizo taco is so moist and flavorful it didn't need a slathering of green or red salsa. The bland chicken taco, clearly aimed at scaredy-cat gringos, would never be my first choice. Definitely order – especially if you're daring – the goat meat taco.

For more of a restaurant experience, I like Taqueria Moroleon, 15 New Garden Shopping Center, Kennett Square, Pa., (610) 444-1210. It's a BYOB tucked into the New Garden strip shopping center off West Cypress Street near Kennett Square, Pa. The sign just says "Mexican food." What is worth the drive is the steak and chicken molcajete ($13.95.) Grilled strips of skirt steak and chicken, hunks of soft cheese and spicy sausage, whole scallions and blistering hot peppers are served along with onions and wedges of tomato inside of a deep, rough-textured volcanic rock bowl known as a molcajete. The entire contents are smothered in a red salsa made with tomatoes, garlic, onions and chile de arbol, or you can choose a spicy salsa verde. The impressive and steaming bowl is delivered to the table along with tortillas -- get the corn ones -- so you can make your own tacos. You also get rice, beans and guacamole. It's a definitely a dish to share, though our server said that some men can finish the entire bowl themselves.

I recently called Pala's, one of our favorite places for take out, and their telephone lines were disconnected. Did they close(I hope not)are they under going renovations or is something else going on? Thanks. - Mitch.

Mitch, I got a phone call that Pala's Cafe was bowing out last August after more than 60 years on Union Street in Wilmington's Little Italy neighborhood.

Delaware longtimers know Pala's, a city institution, as the home of the "World's Worst Pizza." The sign was always a big joke to family and regulars. Actually, the tavern - not a restaurant - used to serve one of Wilmington's best pizzas, along with good strombolis and chopped antipasto salads.

Capriotti's shares a piece of its subs

Capriotti's is selling a piece of the business.

What does that mean for our Delaware subs?

Not so much, according to the company president. (Let's hope so. Please, oh please, don't change the rolls or the turkey subs or the Bobbies....)

Cap's has been a part of Delaware's casual dining scene for 32 years. They once only sold franchises to family members, but now it's open to the public.

Some food for thought: Company headquarters are in Las Vegas and there are now more Vegas Capriotti's shops (20 with two more coming soon ) than there are in Delaware (14 locations).

Just call him Mr. Pants on Fire

Seems Robert Irvine, the Popeye muscle armed, fast talking "Dinner: Impossible" guy of the Food Network - the show which Anthony Bourdain has dubbed "Dinner: Not So Difficult" - has been caught cooking up a few fibs.

See my story today. The St. Petersburg Times checked out his boasts and found most not to be true. (C'mon now, people really believed that the Queen of England bought him A CASTLE??) The dude lives in South Jersey!

Yesterday, I called the Food Network to see if he was still working there. His bio is gone from the web site. They said, "yes" and then quickly added, "we'll send you a statement." (It's in the story.)

Irvine is still supposedly cooking at Harry's Savoy Grill in April.

Now, that is one dinner I'm not missing. I hope he comes. Can't wait to hear what he has to say.

Today in local food news

Trying to get to reader mail, but I dunno, my plate is very full today..... In the meanwhile, chew on these tasty food tidbits:

Eric Ruth gives a well-deserved three and half stars (very good to extraordinary) to Domaine Hudson in Wilmington. Thanks a lot Eric! It's tough enough scoring a table at this fab city restaurant, now I'll never get in. (We kid, we kid. Kind of. Sort of.) Domaine is now serving lunch. Something to keep in mind. Jennifer Corbett's photo to the right is of the pan-seared sea bass with mussels, mushrooms, and smoky white bean ragout.

Also, Gary Soulsman checks out the Fa-Sol-Latte cafe. I'm not usually much of an oatmeal fan - mushy tends to be a problem for a crunchy foods person like myself - but I'm going to give the baked oatmeal a try.

Chocolate and wine

A couple of interesting food stories today in our Life section. First, check out Shruti Mahur's story on exotic chocolate. And photographer Jennifer Corbett's outstanding photos. (Jen, you rock, as usual.)

Forget almonds and cherries. Now you can eat sweets with wasabi, bacon, chilies and cheese. (I've had some of the Vosges' chocolates, including the Taleggio cheese - not bad, but wouldn't be my first choice. But I do like some of the new flavors, especially chilies and chocolate.)

Also, the story on families introducing their kids to wine at a young age is a conversation starter.

 I usually spend 2 to 3 weeks in Europe every year and seeing youths sipping wine is hardly unusual. But the European approach is much different. I know in Italy wine is never served without food. It's certainly not considered a cocktail. I don't think allowing youths to try a sip of wine will lead them on the path to alcoholism. Of course, parents have to be responsible, encourage their kids not to abuse alcohol and use common sense. Michael Downs, supervisor/agent with the state Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement, says there's a big difference in allowing an 18-year-old to have a sip of wine at a holiday celebration versus handing a 5-year-old a 12-ounce bottle of beer to chug.

What are your thoughts?

Just to let you know........

Hi gang. Sorry it's taken me so long to post.
Just a quick FYI: I was recently bumped up to an editor position at The News Journal and have more responsibilities - and meetings to attend. It's been really great so far (well, I could probably do without some time-eating meetings), but my day seems to fly by before I know it. I'm still involved with food coverage, in fact, even more so now. Once I figure out how to balance the new position a little better, I'll be back to Second Helpings postings on a regular basis.
Bear with me, food friends. I've got some good food news coming in the next few days. And reader mail will be back on Friday. Please keep the letters and questions coming.

Having a crazy day today, so no Reader Mail.

But keep the letters coming. I'll answer them on Monday, or save them for Feb. 15.

Pick up the phone and make your Valentine's Day dinner reservations right now. Seriously. Don't wait or risk being a stupid cupid........

And speaking of that, check out Peter Bothum's Valentine Day guide story. (That's chocolate fondue from Presto! in Wilmington. Mmmm, chocolate.)

Also, give a look-see to my review of BellaVista, a new pizzeria and trattoria in the Shops of Limestone off Limestone Road.

Have a good weekend.

Eating "extreme"

Country Butcher in Kennett Square, Pa., catered the opening day of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project last night and will cater another on Tuesday.

The crew working on the Wilmington house had to be happy campers judging by the menu prepared by chef, Sara McCarthy, a graduate of Johnson and Wales. It included:

Exteme Antipasto Salad - Roasted Eggplant, Plum Tomatoes, Sharp Provolone Cheese, Parma Prosciutto, Kalamata Olives, Fresh Basil, enhanced with a White Truffle Vinaigrette.

Baked Macaroni Au Gratin - Made with four Artisan Cheeses: Stilton Blue, Emmentaler Swiss, Mozzarella, and Canadian Cheddar.

Country Butcher's Signature Sausages - Mild Sausage (one of the shop's "heirloom family recipes dating back to the 1800s") with sauteed Kennett Square Mushrooms, Peppers and Onions

An "Extreme Home Makeover" Cake, made and hand decorated by pastry chef Melissa Jenkins, a graduate of Drexel University, consisted of a two layer full sheet cake of raspberry white Chocolate with Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Dorothy Boxler, who owns Country Butcher with her husband Dan, says the food and cake was transported to the site and filmed by the ABC camera crew.

"The evening was exciting and the food well received," she says. "The cake was cut and served at the home site before being taken to the catering tent (one half block away)

Extreme madness

Let the "Extreme Home Makeover" madness begin.

Wow. People really go bonkers over this show. (Look at the comments.)

Just got a call that Country Butcher in Kennett Square, Pa., is catering a crew party tonight and will cater the "reveal" party on Tuesday.

Has anyone seen Ty out and about in local restaurants? If so, drop me a line at ptalorico@delawareonline.com. (Apparently, Pennington was "under the weather" on Tuesday and couldn't chat with reporter Gary Soulsman. Yeah, or maybe he was looking for a place to get a "fake bake"? Seriously. Look at that face. Someone needs to back away from the spray tan. Is there a 12-step program for tanning?)

I know, I know. Meow!

NOLA

It's been, maybe, 10 years since I last visited New Orleans. But I've been thinking about the city lately - and especially today since it's Fat Tuesday.
Last night, Anthony Bourdain featured the Big Easy on his Travel Channel TV series "No Reservations." Bourdain visited some local restaurants that are still having a hard time.
It's heart-breaking to watch such proud establishments as Antoine's, a classic American restaurant, struggle to survive post Katrina.
Gotta give Emeril Lagasse boatloads of credit for sitting down and breaking bread with Bourdain, who, in the past, has called him an "Ewok" among other things. (And, believe me, the Ewok comment is about the nicest thing Bourdain has said about the Bam Man.)
A couple of New Orleans chefs are coming to Harry's Savoy Grill for an April 10th charity dinner at the Brandywine Hundred restaurant.
But the more I think about it, the more I want to make a New Orleans trip and support the local restaurant industry.

Anyone been lately?

Reader mail

Happy rainy Friday.

Lots going on this weekend - Polar Bear Plunge in Lewes, Super Bowl Sunday and Sen. Barack Obama in Wilmington.

And this is really cool Robert Irvine - the "Dinner: Impossible" guy on the Food Network will be cooking at 20th anniversary Share Our Strength Dinner at 6:30 p.m. April 10 at Harry's Savoy Grill. (More information to come soon. Stay tuned!)

Can you stand all the excitement? Now, onto the mailbag:

Patricia,

Have you been back to Prince on Delaware for dinner? Do you know where/if I could find other reviews of the restaurant?

Thank you, Michael T Smith

Give a look-see to Eric Ruth's three-star review today of Prince on Delaware. It's the new restaurant on Delaware Street in Old New Castle.

Hi Patricia,
Here's a question for your Friday blog...we're looking for a relatively inexpensive but nice restaurant in the Wilmington area that can handle a group of about 20 people. This would be for a casual Friday night dinner with friends. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks. Karen

What about Iron Hill Brewery on Riverfront? It's definitely got that something for everyone appeal. They can fit large groups into the upstairs room. I think The Exchange on Market Street in downtown Wilmington can also handle larger crowds in a second floor room. (But, I must say, I think the food is better at Iron Hill.)