Oh, really?

I had an interesting and kind of funny restaurant dining experience last night. It's also a good lesson to not believe everything your server may say.

The menu listed a fish special with Moroccan tapenade. Hmm, that's interesting.....now, what makes the tapenade Moroccan, I asked the server?

Now, I wasn't being a smart ass. I'm quite aware that tapenade is a Provencal condiment made with crushed olives, but this sounded intriguing. I was expecting to hear that, perhaps, harissa, a red North African chili paste, was blended along with olives.

Nope. The server goes on to say that tapenade is a traditional Moroccan dish - and gives me the "like, duh, don't you know?" face - and explains it's an olive dish.

(Thoughts racing through my brain: Tapenade is Moroccan? Really? Since when? Tell that to all the people in the south of France who claim the condiment as their own and spread it on crusty bread like we use butter.)

I didn't share those thoughts, but my dining buddy, a guy who knows me so well, started laughing when the server walked away.

"Tapenade isn't Moroccan, is it?" he said.

Mediterranean, yes. Moroccan, well....like, I said, France comes to mind before Morocco....

(This is yet another reason to get an iPhone so I could google tapenade on the spot and prove my point.)

The tapenade came - served on the side - and it was a red paste. I'm guessing that was the addition of harissa. And it was delicious with the fish.

Reader mail

Are you starting the holiday weekend early?

Lucky you. I'll be chained to my desk on Friday. You call it a holiday, we call it "early deadlines" here at Biden Central. So it's nose to the grindstone and all that.....

Next week, I will be taking a few days off so there will be little Second Helpings updating. Well, unless I have some fab meals, recipes, shopping tips or food news that I need to share....

But look for Buddy Hurlock's "Regular Guy Grub" postings every Tuesday. I think Buddy's take on food is great fun.

Also, please pick up USA Today on the newsstands on Fri., Sept. 5, and look inside for Open Air magazine. I've wrote another "Adventures in Eating" column for the glossy magazine about cooking with beer.

I talked to our own Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Mark Bittman of The New York Times and author of "How to Cook Everything" and Scott Kerksman, the Chief Beer Officer (CBO) for Four Points by Sheraton. (Kerkmans works with chefs at more than 125 hotels around the world and encourages them to pull draughts and pour beer into everything from marinades to ice cream floats.) It's a fun story. And it has recipes from Scott and tasting tips from Sam. Woo-hoo!

Here's the digital magazine version.

Had dinner Wednesday night at Kyoto in Pike Creek. Lovely, fresh, tasty sushi and sashimi. And, no, John, sake does NOT taste like lighter fluid. Give it more of a chance next time. Or we'll go to Soybean Asian Grille.

Remember, every Friday is Reader Mail. You ask. We answer. Email your thoughts, questions, ramblings....and we'll post 'em.

I recently asked readers to share tales of "What I Ate on My Summer Vacation." The stories ran Wednesday, but I missed one letter in the mailbag. Sorry! Here it is:

LETTER: "I had emu pate, crocodile satay and kangaroo in Caines, Australia."
Terry Oosterom

ANSWER: Very brave Terry. I've had emu and crocodile, but kangaroo? Not sure if I could do it. Visions of Winnie the Pooh's pals Kanga and Roo would be going through my head.......

AND SOME MORE MAIL:

QUESTION: Should have known better, but we relied on Eric Ruth's recommendation and went to Firebirds Wood Fired Grill in Stanton tonight. It was mediocre at best. (He had also raved about Valle restaurant in Pike Creek which disappointed us when we went there based on his recommendation. Steak was awful there.)

My husband had a thin and fatty rib eye steak. At least half of it was fat! I had a filet that was about a half-inch thick...I have never seen such thin steaks! The steak seasoning is way too salty and I love salt! The outside of the baked potato was crusted with salt and it was overkill. We did have a great salad--the BLT salad which is big enough to split.This is not a place to which we will return. I noticed a while back that he "panned" Walter's on Union Street.

Well, Walter's is five times better than Firebirds and Valle.

J

ANSWER: J, taste is certainly subjective. And it sounds like Firebirds had an "off" night. HERE'S ERIC'S REVIEW. Readers, any thoughts? I haven't yet been to Firebirds.

Walter's is certainly an "old-school" Wilmington steakhouse that has lots of fans. I had a fine steak dinner there earlier this summer.

IMHO, Valle has very good - but very expensive - crabcakes.



QUESTION: Have you checked out Ole Tapas Restaurant and Lounge, near Newark? They've taken a long time to open - and it's definitely been worth it. Would love to see them around for a long time! Am sure you already know - but on Kirkwood Highway - near Soffrito Italian restaurant. I enjoy your reviews.

ANSWER: Eric Ruth will be weighing in soon on Ole. Glad that it's finally open. I've been driving by that place and nosily peering into their windows for what feels like months now. Stay tuned.

Finding pho: UPDATED

An early heads- and forks up on Friday's Taste column.

Pho Nhu Vu, 1146 Pulaski Highway (U.S. 40) in Bear, 595-2529 is a delicious new find.

I've been driving to Pho 75 near Philly's Italian market for my pho fixes. So I'm so excited to finally find a place for good pho (pronounce it fuh) in Delaware.

Pho is Vietnamese noodle soup and most Delaware restaurants seem to treat it as an afterthought.( The broth has been lackluster; the side offerings of bean sprouts, basil and lime wedges have been tired and limp.)

But Pho Nhu Vu owner Thu Nguyen says she spends eight hours developing her hearty full-flavored beef based broth that's dotted with scallions, herbs and thinly sliced onions.

It shows. The pho ranges from about $6.95 to $8.95. Here's the link to the web site.

Food travel tales

Hey all, I hope you get a chance to read today's "What I Ate on My Summer Vacation" story from Brian DiSabatino.

Brian is a super guy and he and his wife Kelly had a blast during their two-week Italian adventures. (Photo above is Brian and Kelly in Venice.)

We also asked other readers to share their favorite meals. Really interesting stuff - eland sausage, elephant meat, Maine lobsters. Wow. My Fractured Prune doughnuts from the shop near Rehoboth pale in comparision.

This weekend is summer's last hurrah even though it's not over til it's over later in September.

Joe's Joe

Alisa Morkides founded her first Brew Ha Ha! location in Greenville, Delaware in 1993. The company now operates 10 retail coffee shops in Northern Delaware, and one in Center City, Philadelphia.

Brew Ha Ha! also happens to be Biden's local coffee house.

Alisa just sent me this piece she wrote:

WILMINGTON, DE : August 26, 2008

Joe Biden probably was sitting at the breakfast table last week pondering weighty matters.
How can I persuade Barack Obama to put me on the ticket? What can I do, in my role as head of the Senate foreign relations committee, to prevent nuclear war? What should I have for breakfast?

So, Biden probably did what most people do: he skipped the hard questions and attacked the no-brainer. He opted for breakfast. More specifically, he opted for coffee and bagels from Brew Ha Ha!

The clip ABC News ran last week -- the one showing Biden handing out bagels and coffee to reporters hungry for news and caloric sustenance -- doesn't merely show what everyone at Brew Ha Ha! already knows: that Brew Ha Ha! is the coffee of choice for the man who soon might be the second most powerful person in the free world.

It also may show the direction in which our country is going.

How so? What is the most important domestic issue - if you exclude people who choose to speak on cell phones when there's a real, live person sitting next to them in a restaurant - nagging our country? Fuel. Or, more specifically, gas prices that have soared to the level of, dare we say, gourmet coffee.

So, Biden attacked a fuel problem when he stopped at the Greenville Brew Ha Ha! last week and ordered enough coffee to swing supposedly objective journalists in his direction .

He was providing fuel to the media. How, exactly, does this solve the nation's other fuel problem? We, at Brew Ha Ha! don't profess to know. But we do know that long-time Brew Ha Ha! customer Joe Biden knows something about fueling himself -- and the media -- at breakfast.

And, if that's the case, he may know a thing or two about lowering prices at the gas pumps.
What other clues does Biden's now famous "Brew Ha Ha! Decision" provide for the country's future?

The prospective VP went local. He didn't patronize a chain with offices outside the state of Delaware. For all of those worried about the unemployment rate and the continuing loss of jobs overseas, this should provide welcome relief.

Global warming? Bagels are warm. Coffee is hot. Was Biden signaling his preference to keep warming within the kitchen and off our polar ice caps? The war on terror? Has anyone considered tossing bagels in front of all of those caves in Afghanistan to lure Osama bin Laden out of hiding?

Anyway, one thing's for sure. We are Joe's Joe....and we'll milk (pun intended) that fact for all of the publicity we can get.

A cup of Joe

Our Joe is one natty dresser.

Betsy Price and I wrote a story on Monday about his sense of style - he shops at Jos. A. Banks in Greenville - and the "Biden" cuff links are popular donated items at local charity auctions.

Last night, Biden was wearing on one of his French cuff shirts. The links he's sporting may have been an upgraded version of the links he hands out.....

And, hey, did you see the LA Times story that says Barry Manilow and Cher are Biden supporters?

Hmmm, what's that gonna do for the Joe Cool factor?

It's some mad mad (good) french fries

Regular Guy Grub

Went to Tyler Fitzgerald's in Pike Creek recently. Had the wings, which were great, but the big hit of the night were their Seasoned Fries.

These french fries have quickly become my absolute favorite. How so? The seasoning. It's not just Old Bay and it's not just salt. But whatever they put on there makes these fries very tasty and highly recommendable. I saw someone else get the seasoning on the side, a nice option if you just want to sample the seasoning.

But go ahead and be bold, and try an order of these when you can. Be sure to have something to drink as you're eating them. You'll need to. Oh, and no dousing these with ketchup. Save that for fries from somewhere else.

Tyler's, as it is sometimes called, is named after the Jim Backus character in the 1963 comic epic It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Backus, of course, is better known for being Thurston Howell III in "Gilligan's Island" and for voicing cartoon character Mr. Magoo. Perhaps you've heard of some other local bars that base their names on those two roles.

Tyler Fitzgerald's (234-0240) is in the Shops of Limestone Hills, at 5343 Limestone Road, about halfway between Stoney Batter and Paper Mill roads.

Green Dragon Market

It's been all Biden, all the time, here at The News Journal. (Well, it feels a little like that, but, hey, these are history making events, especially in little Delaware.) And I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that a guy you can see fairly frequently around town - at Angelo's Luncheonette, the Charcoal Pit, BrewHaHa! - could be our next Vice President.

But, it's time to get back to food.

Friday, I took a trip out to the Green Dragon Market in Ephrata, Pa., in Lancaster County. I thought it would be more of a food fest, but it's kind of like Booth's Corner Market and Cowtown flea market on steroids. Lots of knockoff handbags, socks and sneakers for sale....

I did get some homemade horseradish from an Amish farmer - and a huge bucket of beets for $3. (Everyone I know is getting roasted beets today...)

Had a good pork and sauerkraut lunch with homemade mashed potatoes at Jake and Leona's Restaurant. I was tempted to try their "cracker pudding." (Not the most political correct name.) It's a pudding made with saltines and coconut. Our server said was a local Pennsylvania Dutch treat and was very tasty, if you like coconut. Seriously

But was too stuffed after my lunch. I was so looking forward to good birch beer, but the cup I had was flat. Boo.

Several of the Amish farmers make and sell their own homemade rootbeer. Didn't get a jug...maybe on my next visit....

This is the place to go if you love big apple dumplings and shoo-fly pie. The pie was everywhere and selling fast.
But I'm still not quite sure what a pie with a "wet bottom" is.

And, frankly, I'm not really sure I want to know.

Reader mail

"You never call anymore. You never write."

Call it Catholic guilt, but it's time to confess: I've been a tad neglectful of Reader Mail.

Every Friday, it's supposed to be:

You Ask. We Answer. All dining questions.

Lately? Uh, yeah, well, not so much so.

I'll blame the slacking on a bad case of The End of The Summer Blues. Last night, sitting on the deck of the Logan House with the dearest group of friends (that's my shout-out: you all know who you are) and being waited on by sweet and oh-so accommodating and patient Jess E. (Will you always be our server? Pretty please? Hey, Logie managers, give that guy a raise!) it no longer felt like summer. The chill in the air and goosebumps on my sleeveless arms made me think of fall. But donning a sweater in August? Outside on a deck? No. No. No. Not going to do it.

While I so love autumn , I'm so not ready for summer to slip by. (Sentimentalists, feel free now to start humming Sinatra's goopy "Summer Wind" ...)

But (insert long, heavy sigh!) school will soon be back in session, so I guess I'll get an early jump on my own homework.

Here's what's in the mailbag:

QUESTION: Hi Patricia,

There is a little French place in the heart of Rehoboth on Penny Lane. Papillion(sp?) that serves the best croissants and crepes around. I wasn't sure if they were an offshoot of another restaurant locally, or only there for the summer months. But if they only serve during the summer, is there anywhere in the Wilmington/New Castle area to get the same type and quality food?
Thanks
Stephanie

ANSWER: Hi Stephanie. I think you're talking about Cafe Papillon, Penny Lane Mall, off Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth; 227-7568. It's not a chain and I don't know of another off-shoot in the state. But a French style place -run by a true French woman Louisette Amblard - can be found in North Wilmington. Have you tried Amblard's Bon Appetit Gourmet Food, 3629 Silverside Road, Wilmington, 478-4344? I know Louisette bakes bread and you can smell the baquettes when you walk into the shop.

Readers, any others you would recommend?

Not a question but a short excerpt from an email I received from Chef Danny Profita who is now in Beijing helping to feed athletes and media. Click here for a story about Danny.

"I am having such a fantastic experience over here but I do miss the USA."

Much thanks, Danny Profita

ANSWER: Danny, have a safe trip home. I'm looking forward to hearing - and writing about - your Beijing adventures. Any little nugget would be nice now, though. C'mon now: Does Michael Phelps really eat Frosted Flakes? Inquiring minds want to know.

QUESTION: In the August 20 [Life section,] under the "Top Tomato Recipes" there is a recipe named "Mato Sammidges". These tomato sandwiches were delicious and easy to prepare. Hats off to Mary Jo Sweeney who submitted the recipe.
Lawrence Klevans of Elkton, Md.

ANSWER: You say tomato, Mary Jo Sweeney says 'mato.

Lawrence, SO glad you liked our "Red Menace" package. (Boss? Oh, boss? Did you read what Lawrence wrote? He likes us, he really likes us. Show me the money! OK, I ran out of Hollywood cliches....)

Since tomatoes are about to overtake the earth right now - ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES - I wanted to provide readers like you with some interesting recipes.

The Washington Post's Food section recently held its 2008 Top Tomato Recipe contest - an idea I may shamelessly steal for next year - and we ran their recipes. (Good recipes are always worth sharing.) Thanks Posties!

QUESTION: Hello! I am writing to rave about our recent experience at the Fair Hill Inn.

I'm not aware of a recent review/article of this little gem only 4 miles from Newark. Just this weekend, we hosted a rehearsal dinner there, and it was completely wonderful and special in every way.

I dealt with chef/partner, Brian Shaw. He was very capable, enthusiastic and passionate about the food. The service was impeccable. All vegetables are grown in their garden. I believe they put in a small vineyard this year.

It is such a delightful, historic place, and the owners care very much about the food they present.I would urge you to take a trip there to see for yourself the quality of fine dining just a hop and a skip from Newark. I know they would benefit from the publicity and the encouragement.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thank you

Janice Keane

ANSWER: Janice, glad to hear your experience was so positive. I've been hearing raves about the Fair Hill Inn lately. Must get out there soon. I hope you sent the owners a letter telling them likewise. Owners Phil Pyle and Brian Shaw are great food and wine people, truly dedicated to their craft. Attaboys, and all that.

Readers, please support your local independent restaurateurs. Do your part for the economy and dine out!

Now, go enjoy what's left of the summer.....I've got an out-of-town assignment on Friday, so I probably won't be checking back in until Monday. See you soon. Happy cooking and eating!

More on Utage closing

I had a story in today's paper about the closing of Utage restaurant in Independence Mall. (It includes more information from the previous post.) Here it is:


The Oka family, owners of Utage Authentic Japanese Cuisine, said they are closing the 22-year-old eatery that's parked in the corner of the Independence Mall off U.S. 202. The last business day is Aug. 30.

Chihiro Oka, whose father Yuichiro opened the Brandywine Hundred restaurant, said he had hoped to revamp and renovate the restaurant but couldn't come to an agreement on the lease with the mall's owner.

The Okas have not sold the business or the Utage name.

Chihiro Oka said he hopes to find a new location in the next six months to a year for Utage, which has been serving sushi and sashimi since 1986. "It won't be in the same area, but it won't be real far from where we are now."

In the meantime, Oka said he plans to offer private parties and events for Utage fans who are on the restaurant's mailing list. (To have your name included, visit the web site here.)

"We've had very, very great customers for the past 22 years. They are so loyal to us," he said. "We want to be able to provide our food to them."

Before Utage, which means "banquet of celebration," opened in 1986, diners had to drive to Philadelphia to belly up to a sushi bar. While Delaware did have a handful of Japanese restaurants, none had an authentic sushi bar.

Utage owner and executive chef Yuichiro Oka, who had previously worked with Benihana of Tokyo for 15 years, told The News Journal that he had decided on the Wilmington area for his then-brand new Japanese restaurant because it was less competitive than the Philadelphia area.

In recent years, his son and business partner Chihiro Oka has served as manager and head sushi chef.

Getting cozy at the Kozy

Anyone who's anyone eats at the Kozy Korner on Union Street in Wilmington.

Well, OK, not really, but it sure seems like that.

Had breakfast there this morning - coffee and a bagel - while the rest of the gang had eggs, oatmeal and scrapple. (Someone's gotta eat that stuff. I'm just glad they didn't smear it with ketchup - like most members of my family like to do....)

The Kozy has so many regulars that almost no one needs a menu when ordering.

Noticed quite a few familiar faces and it was especially nice to see former UD former football coach Tubby Raymond.

Joe Biden and Toscana booths

If Joe Biden becomes the vice-president candidate, I don't think I'll ever score a booth at Toscana.

One of the cool things about living in little old Delaware is actually getting to see some of the folks we voted into office (like Biden) around town. I've seen Sen. Joe and company dining at Toscana - and friends have spied him at the BrewHaHa in Trolley Square. Joe is Joe and when he walks through the crowd, it's like an appearance of the pope. Everyone wants to shake his hand. He's always very cool about it.

If Joe becomes VP, he's going to spending a lot of time in D.C. and other parts of the world.

But he always remembers where he comes from, so if he does get the V.P. nod, I'm sure he'll come to Toscana every once and while. But he'll also be traveling with a boatload of Secret Service. And you know they're gonna get the booths before the rest of us, uh, Regular Joes.

The booths go fast at Toscana and when they do, the hostess always seems to try to seat me in the "upper deck" or tiered riser near the open kitchen. I hate those seats. I've listened to hostesses and managers try to explain the merits of those seats, but, sorry, it's Siberia to me. One of the fun things about dining out is looking to see who else is there. Can't do that in Siberia.

I once sat in Siberia after a hostess explained that she couldn't give my party of two one of the open booths because there might be a sudden influx of larger parties....(it was after 8 p.m. on a weekday night). Uh, yeah, well maybe if this was Rome and not Wilmington, Del. But I let it go.

Five minutes later, the booth was given away - to Beau Biden and a companion....

That's life in the little city. And I better get used to Siberia.

Hungry, hungry reporter

Regular Guy Grub
Where is your favorite place to go when you have worked up a really big appetite?

After a long day of work Monday, there was only one place for me. Cafe Napoli Restaurant & Pizzeria, in the Kirkwood Plaza Shopping Center.

Well known for its large portions as well as its good food, I was in the right mood for a stromboli, and I was not disappointed. In short, it hit the spot, and that might be the best review one can give.

I went in there around 6 p.m. and the place was hopping, with both dining rooms bustling. But the cooks and wait staff were up to the challenge, because this a place that cares about its customers and actually has concern that the customer comes back. At another place I went to for a bite to eat in the past week, the vibe was certainly one where they could not have cared any less if I patronized them or not. I won't name names, but think Riverfront, and no, not on the side of the harbor.

Anyway, if for some reason you have never heard of Cafe Napoli, check it out (4391 Kirkwood Highway, Kirkwood Plaza Shopping Center, between Limestone Rd. and Farrand Dr., 999-7553).

Meanwhile, as I waited for my dinner, I ducked into the nearby Pathmark for some quick shopping. I checked out the cereal aisle, to see if maybe this grocery chain sells the Monster Cereals (Frankenberry, etc.). I was again shut out. Does any place sell these cereals? I did like Pathmark's take on the self-checkout registers. They have conveyor belts, unlike those at Acme. The method is better at recognizing items after you've scanned them (meaning, no repeat hearing of "item removed from bagging area," though I'm pretty good now at never hearing that).

Going Gourmet

This should be really cool.

In mid-October, I'm heading to "The Gourmet Institute." It's a three-day weekend of chef demonstrations, seminars, wine tastings, and dinners in New York City.

Now in its sixth year, The Gourmet Institute offers an insider's view of the magazine's Times Square epicenter, a meeting with Editor in Chief Ruth Reichl and watching culinary techniques from the likes of Grant Achatz, Andrew Carmellini, David Chang, Rebecca Charles, Todd English, and others.

One of the events I'm most looking forward to is the chat with Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel's "No Reservations" and chef Eric Ripert.

Ripert, chef of Le Bernardin, just opened a Philly outpost...... and he's been a frequent guest judge, along with Bourdain, on "Top Chef."

Way to go, Jose

Caught the last 5 minutes of "Iron Chef America" last night on the Food Network - just in time to see Philadephia's own Jose Garces (whose wife Beatriz is a Delaware dentist) kick Bobby Flay's butt.

This is satisfying on two counts:

I'm a huge fan of Jose's - we worked together on a few stories and his Amada and Tinto restaurants are must visits.

It's great to see the smug mug of Bobby Flay, who really hates losing, falter a bit.

It's the little things in life.....

Sushi sayonara: UPDATE

Just saw a sign this weekend that Utage restaurant on Concord Pike in Independence Mall is closing its doors. Web site says by Aug. 30.



I'm pretty sure Utage was Delaware's first Japanese restaurant. I'll check News Journal archives and make some calls on Monday and see what's up.



UPDATE: I tried to call the restaurant and a recording says it's not taking any messages at this time. I sent an email to owners and I'm waiting to hear back.

According to News Journal files, Utage wasn't Delaware's first Japanese restaurant but it was the first Delaware Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar. The bar opened in 1986.

Attack of the tomatoes

Vine-ripened tomatoes are the jewels of the summer. Wednesday's Life cover will be all about these juicy treasures.

Last night, I made spinach-and-ricotta stuffed tomatoes using a recipe adapted from The Silver Palate cookbook. That was dinner - along with a side of baby arugula leaves lightly dressed with lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil. It's a nice vegetarian option.

Spinach-and-ricotta stuffed tomatoes

4 ripe, red tomatoes, best you can find
Salt
2 tablespoons best quality olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted, drained and squeezed dry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Grated nutmeg to taste
15-ounce container of ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Wash and dry tomatoes and cut off tops. With the handle end of a small spoon, scrape out the seeds and partitions, being careful not to pierce the sides of the tomatoes. Salt the cavities and set tomatoes upside down on a paper towel to drain.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat, add the onions and cook until tender and lightly colored.

Squeeze the liquid out of the spinach and add it to the skillet. Combine the onions and spinach thoroughly and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Do not let mixture scorch. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350. Blend the ricotta and egg yolk together in a mixing bowl. Add the spinach mixture, the pine nuts, half of the cheese and the basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Blot the tomatoes cavities with a paper towl and spoon the spinach mixture evenly in each of the four tomatoes. Top each with the remaining cheese.

Arrange in a shallow baking dish and set in the upper third of the oven. Bake until the tops are well-browned and the filling is hot and bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 4 portions.

Random food thoughts

Hey all, don't know about you, but I'm so looking forward to the weekend.

I'm making Michel Richard's corn nugget crab cakes one night (see photo to the right) and grilled pork with peach chutney the next. The crab cakes take some work - OK, a lot of work - and you must use impeccably fresh corn - but this dish is summer on a plate.

Tonight, I'm checking out a new Vietnamese restaurant at 1146 Pulaski Highway, Bear; 595-2529. It's called Pho Nhu Vu.

Pho is Vietnamese noodle soup and it's wonderful. But, I haven't found any place outside of Philly that has good pho. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and will let you know what it's like.

Just saw that a new Tapas Lounge & Restaurant has opened on Kirkwood Highway in a small strip center near the Soffrito Restaurant, just outside of Newark. No details yet, but stay tuned.......

Eric Ruth "steaks" out Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, 1225 Churchmans Road, Stanton (in Center Pointe Plaza, across from Christiana Hospital). 366-7577 or www.Firebirds Restaurants.com, and gives the good, old "forks up."

Just call her Child. Julia Child. Julia was a spy? And she could make a mean souffle?

Sorry, Mr. Bond, but I think Mrs. Child's cooking and spooking abilities best you. Now, go have a martini any darn way you'd like it.

Things you find....and learn....

Do you know what that thing in the photo above is used for?

For a long time I didn't. But, for years, my mother had a utensil (?) very similar to this in one of her junk drawers. What the heck is that thing?? I think we used it to brush the dog.

She even forgot what it was for - and I think it was eventually tossed after the dog died because now I can't find it.

This week, I started researching a story on angel food cake, the spongy, yet tender cake that's baked in an ungreased tube pan. (Why angel food cake? It's a perfect summer dessert and I found a tube pan with a removable bottom recently found while digging through one of my mom's kitchen cabinets.)

Angel food is hard to cut with a regular knife. You usually use a serrated knife, two forks to pull it apart or - a CAKE BREAKER (which is sometimes called a cake comb.)

So that's what that thing is - a cake breaker or cake comb.

OK, cool. Now, if I just had one to break the angel food cake I made last night.

Olive Garden doesn't "heart" Kendra

The Olive Garden would like it very much if Hugh Hefner's Girlfriend No. 3 would just take her breadsticks and go somewhere else.

Funny story from The Wall Street Journal about how not all businesses welcome celebrity endorsements.

Kendra Wilkinson, one of the trio of blonde babes trailing Hef on the E! reality TV show "The Girls Next Door" - she's wearing the salmon pink dress in the photo to the right - often proclaims her love for the Olive Garden.

But it's unrequited love. Read it here.

The Olive Garden is, apparently, a happening place among reality TV people. I remember on the ABC show "The Bachelor" one of the chicks trying to win serial dater Andrew Firestone's attention also proclaimed her love for the Olive Garden and said it was the best Italian restaurant ever. The look on his face was priceless.

When I interviewed Andrew during a wine tasting he held at the old Columbus Inn - his family owns Firestone Vineyards - a couple years ago, I had to ask him about that Olive Garden line. He started cracking up laughing.

Let's just say loving the Olive Garden wasn't the way to his heart. No word on if his new wife is an Olive Garden fan, but my guess would be a big fat no.

Hey ho

The Hi-Ho Tavern, the former Newport dive bar, has been renovated and converted into a wine & spirits shop.

The site also will have take-out area offering breakfast, lunch and dinner and the separate tavern has been renamed James Street Tavern and will have a new menu. Same owners as Dewey Beach's Ruddertowne.

Read about here.

In a pickle

Quick pickling is the topic today in the Life section.

I ran across quite a lot of pickled vegetables on menus during a visit to some New York restaurants so when my neighbors Anthony and Virginia gave me a bunch of cucumbers from their garden, I was inspired to get busy making a hot brine.

(Aimee Olexy, an owner of Talula's Table in Kennett Square, Pa., shared some great pickling tips in today's story. Thanks, Aimee! Don't want to make your own pickles, but still want a homemade taste? Buy 'em at Talula's.)

But pickling is SO much easier than you imagine. There's no canning involved in this recipe and the pickles should keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Give it a try. I was so proud of myself after making these pickles - they are quite tasty. News Journal photographer Jennifer Corbett made the same recipe and she was equally psyched. (These are Jen's great photos.) The cucumbers in the photos came from SIW farm stand near Chadds Ford, Pa.

I'm not sure if we're ready for the State Fair, but I'm making these pickles again. My last batch is almost gone.

SLIGHTLY SWEET DILL REFRIGERATOR PICKLES
An easy recipe, adapted from one that appeared in Bon Appetit's June issue. Substituting rice vinegar (instead of cider or wine vinegar) produces a pickle that's less tart.

1 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Maui), thinly sliced
2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, scrubbed, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1 large bunch dill, coarsely chopped (stems included)
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons whole peppercorns
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons whole allspice
2 teaspoons dill seeds (optional)

Divide sliced onion between two 1-quart, wide-mouth glass jars. Pack cucumber slices horizontally in jars. Top each jar with dill.
Place mustard seeds and peppercorns in a medium saucepan. Add vinegar, water, sugar, coarse salt, allspice and dill seeds (if using). Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Leave jars uncovered and chill 24 hours. Cover glass pickle jars tightly with lids.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated. Makes 2 quarts.

"Overlooked" Rehoboth? Go ahead, giggle away

A Second Helpings reader alerted me to this breaking news story: The Wall Street Journal "discovers" Rehoboth Beach.

Sorry, but I stopped reading after this opening laugh-out loud line:

"Without the cachet of the Hamptons or the familiarity of the New Jersey Shore, this Northeast beach is often overlooked."

Rehoboth is overlooked??? (Yeah, maybe by reporters who need to get out of their New York offices a little more often.....)

Sheez, judging by the crowds there this past weekend, the difficulty finding a parking space and heck, almost every weekend this summer, I'd hardly called a resort town popular with Washington, D.C., residents "overlooked."

All-in with wings

(Regular Guy Grub, by Buddy Hurlock) Most bars that serve buffalo wings also have a "wing night," and if you are a fan of both wings and poker, then Timothy's of Newark is the place for you each Tuesday night.

A normal order of 12 is $7.99, but the special each Tuesday night is 35 cents per wing. I ordered them hot, which isn't at the top of their hot-sauce scale, but plenty hot enough. None of pieces were skimpy on the meat and I liked the equal distribution of drums and wings. The wing night promotion is so popular, they've stopped taking "all drum" requests, so do them a favor and don't ask (as for me, I like the wing pieces better).

Also, each Tuesday and Thursday night here, free poker is held in the upstairs bar, courtesy Texas Hold'em Rental. It's a fun group of players, usually filling 6-8 tables, and plenty of them take a serious approach to the game, honing their skills or just enjoying a live game without having to drive to Atlantic City. Don't forget to order food, because it gets you extra playing chips, with the order usually having to be placed by 7:30 p.m. Registration closes around 8 p.m., though they'll find you a seat if you show up a little late, and the cards are often in the air by 8:15. Prizes vary.

Timothy's of Newark (738-9915) is just off Paper Mill Road at 100 Creek View Rd., also accessible by using Margaret St. off E. Cleveland Ave. For more information about the poker host, and its nightly of schedule of tournaments throughout the area, go to www.texasholdemrental.com.

In other quick asides, the mozzarella sticks at C.R. Hooligan's in Trolley Square are pretty tasty, served inside a tray made to look like a hollowed-out, large beer bottle, a nice touch, and in a trip to Deerhead Hot Dogs in Christiana last week, the plain Herr's corn chips were back. I snared four bags, which lasted less than 24 hours.

Whatever, Martha!

I've met most of the major players on the national food scene.

But there's one person I haven't - and actually don't mind avoiding: Martha Stewart. (Photo to the right: Her Highness of Haughty sitting next to Frolic Weymouth at Winterthur's Point-to-Point steeplechase races.)

I like Martha's cookbooks and I like her magazine. And I've had the opportunity to interview her. But I've passed.

Why?

Too many stories from people who have worked with Martha that all pretty much say she's not exactly warm and cuddly nor the easiest person to get along with. Sorry, but I just didn't want to put myself through that experience. A jerky celebrity experience is never "a good thing."

So it's good to hear that Martha has a sense of humor.

Well, kind of. Check out this story in The New York Times.

Restaurants that begin with the letter A

Work on "the money pit" has kept me on a short leash lately and dining out has slacked off. But this weekend I made up for it. A good reward was needed after so much manual labor.

Friday night had dinner at Azie in Media, Pa.

Philly Inquirer paid eater Craig LaBan wasn't much impressed. I just had a few maki rolls - spicy tuna, vegetable and the Azie roll- which were fine. But nothing we tried will have me running back there anytime soon. The avocado "sashimi" is very good so was my glass of Gruner Veltliner.

On Sat. night, we tried to dine at Agave, the fairly new Mexican restaurant and tequila bar at 137 Second St. in Lewes; 645-1232. (Photo to the left.)

The theme of the weekend: Restaurants beginning with the letter A.

Unfortunately, it seems that eating at Agave was on the minds of everyone else staying in Lewes.

Wait for dinner: A solid two hours. (Agave doesn't take reservations.)

Yowsa!

Every place in Lewes was mad, crazy busy. OK, now I've been hearing about the economy killing restaurant business, but you certainly couldn't tell this past Saturday night.

Saturday afternoon a lot of restaurants - and ice cream and French fry stands - were busy in Rehoboth. I got my customary Kohr Brothers twisted custard (vanilla and orange), but was saving room for my planned Agave dinner - and margarita - to come later in that evening.

But the two-hour wait was even too much for me - and the gang with me. We got glasses of wine at the tiny Half Full pizza joint (behind King's Ice Cream) and waited for take-out pizza. It wasn't a disappointment.

The gourmet pizza there is terrific - especially the corn and crab. Don't mock it, until you try it. Normally, I scoff at anything offbeat on pizza - still can't convince me there's any merit to Hawaiian pizza - but the corn was locally grown and so sweet, it worked really well with the crab.

And we got to watch the Olympics with a really good pizza and great friends.

Now, that's one good weekend.

Reader mail - update

I'm off on a "field trip" on Friday to the Green Dragon Farmer's Market and Auction in Lancaster County.

Anyone been there? It's more than 20 acres of shopping with more than 400 local growers, merchants and craftsmen. It's open every Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

UPDATE: Had to postpone the market trip until next Friday. Any tips before I go next week?

Check out 55 Hours on Friday for my review of Lupo di mare in Rehoboth Beach. I'd spend my own cash there.

Reader mailbag included some snail mail from Bill and Val Robinson, who live in Pennsville, N.J.

I'm not going to type out the whole letter, but the Robinsons, big fans of crabs, said I've got to check out Sidelines Bar & Grill at 106 N. Hook Road in Pennsville, N.J.; (856) 678-3400.

They went recently and ordered two dozen crabs ($19.95 a dozen) and they come to the table CLEANED. Diners can get regular or garlic crabs.

"We have had crabs many places over many years. These were the best crabs I have ever had. I didn't realize how much meat was in a crab. They were very heavy and fresh," they wrote

Now, that's some endorsement. I have to go check this place out.

The Robinsons even gave directions from Delaware: Go over Delaware Memorial Bridge and head for 295. As the road swings left (north) go off the exit to the right to Hook Road. Sidelines is on the left about a mile down Hook Road.

Steeped in Tomatoes

Hey all, I was just at the SIW (Stepped in What??) produce stand off Route 100 , near Route 1, near Chadds Ford, Pa.

Keep an eye out for the white "Open" sign. It's on the right side of the roadway. There's a parking lot. The actually address for the stand is 4317 S. Creek Road, Chadds Ford, Pa. (If you keep following Route 100 you'll eventually come out onto U.S. 1 - directly across the old Chadds Ford Inn, which is now Brandywine Prime restaurant.)

A lot of people just call this rural farm stand Haskell's since it's owned by H.G. Haskell. (H.G.'s pop was a former Wilmington mayor.)

Go there if you love heirloom tomatoes. Or any kind of tomatoes. I bought a few ears of corn, a cantaloupe, a half dozen ruby red beauties and some cute Kirby cucumbers for an article I'm writing about homemade pickles. NJ photographer Jennifer Corbett and I are making pickles tomorrow. It's easy. And no canning is involved. Story/recipes coming next Wednesday.

SIW usually has fresh mozzarella from Claudio's in the Philly Italian Market, but they were clean out during my visit. Employees say a new cheese shipment is coming in on Thursday. I'm there. Got to feed the hankering for caprese salad.

SIW is looking for plastic shopping bags. They like to recycle. So if you have any bags, bring 'em to the stand.

Pies, pies, pies

The baking bug has bitten hard.

Now, I can't seem to get off this pie-making bandwagon. Today, for my hardworking colleagues, I made and brought in the peach-blackberry lattice pie and the three-berry crumb pie.

Pie is good food.

Don't be intimidated by pie, especially the crust. Follow Liz Marden's recipe. It's pretty fool-proof. Here's the crust and pie recipes - as well as Liz's pie tips.

Photo above was taken by Liz's son Matt Marden. And, yes, those are pies made by Liz and her fellow pastry chef, Tom Brown. See Liz at her pastry shop in Hockessin.

I made her crust - it makes a enough for a double-crust pie and a single-crust pie - and baked two fruit pies last night after work. (I even had time to eat dinner.) The pies were cooling on the kitchen counter by about 10 p.m.

Pie baking gets easier with practice.

Or if you don't want to make crust, buy one and at least make the crumb berry pie. (You don't need to roll out a top crust and the filling is a snap.) Just make sure you use fresh fruit, not that "canned goo," as Liz would say.

Fruit is at its peak now. Go for it.

Die hard with a cheese steak

(Regular Guy Grub, by Buddy Hurlock) When it comes to naming my favorite actor, it comes down to two, and of course it's 1980s action heroes Harrison Ford and Bruce Willis.

Upon hearing about Roman Pantry in Carneys Point, N.J., and Willis' opinion that it has "the best cheese steak on the planet," I had to go. Who am I to doubt John McClane?

This was a good steak. I get mine with cheese and no onions, and their $5.95 small cheese steak, on a 10-inch roll is a good deal (the large, $10.25, comes on roll nearly twice the size).

Was it the best steak I ever had? The roll was perfect, the steak was plentiful and they didn't skimp on the cheese, but in the cheese steak debate of "chopped" vs. "not chopped," I am in the not-chopped camp (the steaks here are chopped). But this stop is very good lunch option on your way to the Jersey shore, and not that far off the path. Get on 295 North after traversing the Delaware Memorial Bridge and go up to Exit 4, taking Route 48 West a short distance. Roman Pantry (447 Harding Highway, (856) 299-5257) is on your right almost as soon as you leave 295. To continue on to the shore, take Route 48 East to its merge with Route 40 East.

With seating for about 10, near posters from several of Willis' hit movies, the Roman Pantry is also a deli and a small market. On my next stop there, I plan to try either their deep dish pizza or the hot dog wrap, which at quick glance looked like a fried hot dog inside baked bread. Now, if you don't mind, I have a tall building, an airport, a city and the world's computers to save. Wish me luck.

Sweety Pie: Part III

I had one single 9-inch pie crust left from Hockessin pastry chef Liz Marden's pie crust recipe (recipes all coming Wednesday along with a pie article and pie tips!) and I wanted to test another pie recipe.

So right now I'm baking Miss Patty's berry pie with crumb topping.

Well, the recipe is actually an adaption of Miss Viola's blueberry pie with crumb topping from the cookbook "Sweety Pies" (Taunton Press, 2007.) Yeah! No rolling out a top crust.

"Miss Patty" - that would be me - used a mix of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries instead of just blueberries. (That's butter dotting the top of the pie filling - right before I put the crumb topping on. Photo below is what it looked like right before I popped it into the oven.)

Pie's almost done. My cat Big Boy keeps raising his nose in the air. (Hmmm, a cat that likes pie? A possible children's book? Or maybe the Big Boy still smells the salmon I cooked earlier tonight? Well, to me, the house smells like pie, not fish. And, to quote Martha, that's a good thing.)

I'm having pie for breakfast; so if it's great - and it looks good - I may change the recipe.

UPDATE: Pie is the breakfast of champions. This is damn good pie. I'm tweaking the recipe; I think using three different kinds of berries is the way to go.

Chef, is that poison in my salad?

News Journal editor Justin Williams just alerted me to this tasty morsel from the Associated Press.

Read and enjoy:

LONDON (AP) - A British celebrity chef says he's sorry for mistakenly recommending a deadly plant as a tasty salad ingredient.

Anthony Worrall Thompson says he meant to suggest using the weed fat hen, a member of the spinach family whose leaves are edible. He instead told Healthy and Organic Living magazine for its July edition that henbane could be used in salads.

Henbane, whose name means "killer of hens," is a toxic plant that can cause hallucinations, drowsiness and disorientation if ingested. (SEE PHOTO ABOVE AND - DON'T EAT IT.)

Large doses can kill.

The magazine issued a correction Monday on its Web site.

Worrall Thompson told reporters he's sorry for the mix-up, which he called "a bit embarrassing."

(You think??? I'm pretty certain this is one chef who WON'T be getting a Food Network deal anytime soon. We don't welcome killer chefs with open arms on this side of the pond.)

Pie: Part III

We ate the pie Friday night and it was wonderful. The peaches and blackberries were sweet and crust was flaky. One small problem: the bottom crust could have been cooked a little longer. (I used a ceramic pan, but I'm going back to my usual glass pie pan.) The recipe will run this Wednesday.

I always get excited and tend to pull a pie out of the oven too early. Yet again.

But I did some research on pie making and "The Joy of Cooking" says the top of the pie should be almost as brown as a hazelnut shell before it's removed from the oven. That's one way to ensure the crust is baked through - and the top has the ideal caramelization.

If the top starts getting too brown, you tent it with a sheet of aluminum foil.

Ron Silver and Jen Bervin, authors of "Bubby's Homemade Pies" (Wiley, 2007) offer great advice: Let the pie, NOT the clock, tell you when the pie is done.

Don't worry if your pie takes longer to bake than a recipe you are following.

Chanticleer, a real pleasure

I don't always write about food.

In Sunday's Life section, I had a story about Chanticleer in Wayne, Pa. This is a beautiful 35-acre "pleasure garden" that's worth the 40 or so minute drive from Wilmington. It's a Main Line Eden. (Across the road from Chanticleer is the former Montgomery Scott property. It was owned by Hope Montgomery Scott, she was the inspiration for the Tracy Lord character (Katharine Hepburn) in "The Philadelphia Story." Old money.

Here's the story.

What's really cool: On Friday evenings through Labor Day, until 8 p.m., you can bring some wine and food and have a picnic on the grounds. Can't do that at Longwood Gardens. You can even sit on the seats on the terrace of Chanticleer's "main house." There are chairs all around the grounds - some hidden in little nooks and crannies - where you can sit and enjoy nature.

Chanticleer - open Wednesdays through Sundays - also isn't as crowded as Longwood can be and the displays are amazing.

Check it out.

Photos by News Journal photographer Jennifer Corbett. The bottom photo is the "Teacup Garden." The rooster is Chanticleer's mascot.

Cheeseburger (not quite) in Paradise

Busy writing day today. So can't get to reader mail. But it will return next week. You ask, we answer. All dining/food/drink questions every Friday. (Usually.)

Instead, check out Chris Yasiejko's wonderfully written piece on Jake's Hamburgers.

But be warned: It will make you very, very hungry.

I'm a huge hamburger fan. In an Italian coffeehouse last year in Trieste - drinking the best cup of coffee I have ever had in my life (Hausbrandt brand) - I proudly defended the American hamburger after a new Italian friend dismissed all American food, especially the hamburger. She was very nice, but had the wrong idea that all hamburgers were basically flat, lifeless, juiceless McDonald burgers.

By the end of a passionate conversation - all conversations about food in Italy are filled with passion - I think I had her convinced that she needed to give a real burger a try.

Hungry eyes

We're really not crazy cat people here in The News Journal features department.

But all this talk about Prince Chunky, the 44-pound cat of Camden County, N.J., and my weight challenged kitty Big Boy, led to entertainment editor Peter Bothum's big reveal that he, too, has a cat that could stand to lose a few pounds.

The photo below is Wilkie, Peter's family's fluffy, buddy in all his chubby glory. (I don't feel so bad now about Big Boy and his, uh, weight issues.)