City Restaurant Week, new Rehoboth eats places

Hey gang, no Reader Mail today.

Instead, our staff continues to blanket the city, pull out credit cards and chow down at the 10 restaurants participating in City Restaurant Week. (And we're getting very, very full.)

See Eric Ruth's review on Harry's Seafood Grill.

Coming up later today: Mikimotos and Cafe Mezzanotte.

In other news, if you pick up today's Fri./Sat./Sun. edition of USA Today look inside and read the new Open Air magazine. I wrote a story for the "Adventures in Eating" column about Chinese food and interviewed Susanna Foo and Chinese food expert Nina Simonds.

I have another article coming out in the magazine in the fall edition on cooking with beer.

Also, I'm heading down to Sussex County later today to see Jay Caputo's new Porcini House restaurant in Rehoboth Beach. (It used to be Chez La Mer.) Jay also owns the fabulous Espuma. Look for a report on Monday.

Sam Calagione, owner of Dogfish Head brewery in Milton - and author of the new, fun book "He Said Beer, She Said Wine" (DK Publishing, April 2008) and rock star of the beer world - told me to stop in the new Mexican restaurant in Lewes on State Street. Can you say margarita?

And here's some exciting scoop:

Darius Mansoory has taken over the former 59 Lake Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach (previously Third Edition and, more memorably, Fran O'Brien's) and plans to open Stingray Sushi Bar and Asian Latino Grill.
Mansoory, owner of Mikimotos, Washington Street Ale House and Presto!, all in Wilmington, is the middle of renovations. He says he has lot of plans for the 200-plus seat restaurant, which includes a lounge and bar.
Look for an opening later this month.

Now, go dine some where and then share, share, share.....