Reader Mail

Red October. Gotta love it. It's a great week to be a Phillies fan. Let us all bask for just a bit. We deserve it.

Reader mail is early again this week. In Friday's 55 Hours section, look for Rachel Kipp's "Regular Gal" write up about the Cereal Bowl at 181 E. Main St. in Newark. I'll post a link as soon as the story goes online.

Onto the mailbag:

QUESTION: Patricia,

Is there a good place in Wilmington to get delicious soup for dinner? There are plenty of places that have homemade soup for lunch downtown, but the city seems to close down around dinner time. I have heard of The Soup Man, but I can't seem to find any information or reviews on their soups. Thanks!

ANSWER: I just ate a wonderful roasted fennel and goat cheese soup at Sugarfoot in Wilmington. {Soup is good food.} But I'm not sure if they stay open for dinner....And I never get tired of the tomato parmesan soup at Culinaria. (Or the roasted antipasto..)

OK, what's UP with The Soup Man?? I'm intrigued. Never heard of him (at least, not in Delaware) - but, readers, PLEASE, any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated...

While it's not in Wilmington, I would highly recommend the Vietnamese pho soup at Pho Nhu Vu, 1146 Pulaski Highway, (U.S. 40) in Bear, 595-2529.

QUESTION: I'm looking for a good Thai restaurant around Newark, Delaware. I've tried Tasti Thai [in New Castle] and Soybean Asian Grille (in Pike Creek) on recommendations, but neither are very good. I used to live in New York and had the pleasure of an amazing Thai restaurant within a mile of my home. To me, delicious Thai food has the freshest ingredients with a very fresh/clean taste and an abundance of vegetables. Everything I've found is heavy, sometimes greasy, and always reliant on large rice/noodle portions to hide the lack of vegetables. Any help is very appreciated.

Maria Fargo

ANSWER: Maria, New York is the culinary capital of the world, so it's going to be hard to measure up. I'm out of Thai places to suggest around Newark, but maybe you'll enjoy Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine , 275 Wilmington-West Chester Pike (U.S. 202); near Glen Mills, Pa.; (610) 358-4015. It's a BYO just over the Delaware state line in north Wilmington.

There's also the Bangkok House, 104 N. Union St., Wilmington, 654-8555. I haven't been to Bangkok for a while. During my last visit, I recall the dining room needed some sprucing up and patience is a must here since the service can be very slow. (And that's probably why I saw so many take-out bags going out the door.)

QUESTION: PLEASE go check out Burrito Bandido on Maryland Avenue in Wilmington across from Dunkin' Donuts. This is Mexican done authentic and amazing. It is not AmMex, CalMex, or TexMex, but the real deal.. The platters are all very filling, the salsas made right there and nothing like I've ever had anywhere. He uses olive oil for his refried beans and not lard, a totally different and delicious taste that doesn't feel like you're licking a grease barrel. They could put La Tolteca out of biz if they had more pizazz. Not long on atmosphere but the help is great, will take the time to explain the menu without a rush. Have only been at lunch, can't speak for dinner or breakfast times. Give them a look, it is far more than meets the eye.

Love the blog,

Andy

ANSWER: Thanks for the tip, Andy. My colleague Gary and I stopped into Burrito Bandido, 227. N. Maryland Ave., Wilmington, 652-5749, earlier this week. You're right - not long on atmosphere, but they do offer really big portions. I think the burritos were as fat as a baseball bat. (While we waited for an order, a woman at the table near us said she likes the Bandido better than Moe's.) The salsa - red and green (tomatillo) - was indeed homemade and had a lot of fire. My favorite burrito was the carnitas or pork ($6.50) that's stuffed with rice, refried beans, lettuce and tomatoes. I also enjoyed the chorizo ($6.50) burrito. The sausage seemed like it had a hint of cinnamon.

These burritos are by no means a refined meal, but it will feed the gullet quite nicely and very cheaply. More is coming soon about the Bandido.

QUESTION: Hi, after reading the Second Helpings questions and answers recently published in the paper, we decided to try Pomodoro [729 N Union St, Wilmington, 574-9800] another time. We were last there late last winter and had a so-so meal with OK service. Last Thursday night we enjoyed a wonderful meal and good service. As we were savoring Chef Giuseppe's home made mozzarella Caprese, he came by our table to say hello and then sent out another appetizer of Straciatella wrapped in prosciutto he'd made just for us. What a treat! We will definitely be returning often after an evening like that!

Carroll Eaton

ANSWER: I've also had so-so meals there and less than stellar service. But the reports from readers lately have been good, so I will revisit Pomodoro soon.

QUESTION: Hi, Pat. I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for dining out on Thanksgiving. We'd like to try and go out to dinner this year instead of cooking at home.

Thanks in advance,

Christina

ANSWER: Christina, for food writers, Thanksgiving is kind of like the Super Bowl. We train for it all year. I can't recall ever dining out on Turkey Day - so, I'm sorry I can't be more helpful - though, after several years of wrestling a large, unruly bird in-and-out of the oven , and looking at a sinkful of dishes, I understand why people would much rather have someone else do the cooking and cleaning up. I have found out that almost all restaurants are open that day - unlike Christmas when your best bet is usually an Asian eatery. I just received an email from Harry's Savoy Grill about its Thanksgiving offerings. Here's a link to the web site. If I hear of other good suggestions, I'll post them on Second Helpings in early November. Readers, any thoughts?

QUESTION: Hi Patricia!

I'm wondering if this is the appropriate place to ask for some lost recipes! I had a recipe that I was using for an apple crisp with an oatmeal topping. The oatmeal topping included steel cut oats. I have since lost the recipe and wondered if there is anyone else out there who might be looking for one too?! Can you provide one? Or see if anyone else has one to share?

Thanks,

Rebecca Saxton

ANSWER: Hi Rebecca. I forwarded your request along to Nancy Coale Zippe. Nancy's column runs every Wednesday in the News Journal's Life section and she handles recipe requests from readers. Nancy said she just emailed you a recipe. Thanks.