Bon Appetit on Delaware

Bon Appetit magazine's May issue is devoted to the best eats in all 50 states.

When it comes to chomping and quaffing in Delaware, they say you can't go wrong with:

- Focaccia at Black Lab Breads, 812 N. Union St., Wilmington.

- Crab cakes at Sambo's Tavern, 283 Front St., Leipsic.

- 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach (brewery is in Milton.)

(We have to say that's not a bad list - to start.)

For Bon Appetit's complete list of the "United Plates of America," visit www.bonappetit.com/

What do you think?

I'm going to be a guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius XM Satellite Radio later this month to talk about Delaware food. (More details to come.)

What Delaware food/restaurants do you think deserve a mention? Comment, comment, comment.

What's brewing

UPDATE: Having some technical difficulties with publishing this post...Stay tuned while we work through it...........OK. DONE.

Buongiorno. While I'll finish my breakfast of champions - coffee and a chocolate chip cookie - I thought I play catch-up.

I'm not recapping last night's "Top Chef" reunion because it was one big snooze fest. Big Baldie, a.k.a. Hosea, is the most charisma-free winner in some time. Shut it, baldie.

And in other "Top Chef" news: Fabio is now shilling a line of frozen pizzas (mamma mia!)and about 90 people showed up at yesterday's Philadelphia "Top Chef" casting call.

Any Delaware chefs attend? Let me know.

Right now, I chomping at the bit for Marco Pierre White's show "The Chopping Block." More on Marco here

Philly Beer Week begins Friday and runs through March 16. Hop heads go nuts. There are more than 650 brew-related events at venues in and around Philadelphia that include beer brunches, neighborhood pub crawls, bus tours, meet the brewer dinners and historical culinary events. For more info visit www.phillybeerweek.org.

My story yesterday was about brew and food connections and cooking with beer.

The pork braised in Guinness from Daniel Boulud's "Braise" cookbook is worth a look. I made this recipe a month ago, but substituted prunes for the cherries because I just received a package of prunes at work. (Oh, the things that arrive in my mail....) It's a wonderful comfort food stew. Froze the leftovers - and then reheated them after Monday's snow; it was still delicious.

BBQ lovers can look over Mark Bittman's barbecue sauce recipe - Bittman gave me the recipe several months before his updated 10th anniversary edition of "How to Cook Everything" was released. I'm very grateful for his generosity.

Haven't yet tried the malty potatoes from Scott Kerkmans, the CBO or chief beer officer for Four Points by Sheraton (and isn't that a dream job?) but Scott has very reliable recipes.

PORK SHOULDER WITH GUINNESS, DRIED CHERRIES AND SWEET POTATOES

Adapted from "Braise" (Ecco, 2006) by Daniel Boulud and Melissa Clark. You can use a smaller roast, but keep the ingredients for the sauce the same.

5 cups Guinness stout
1 cup dried cherries (or you can use prunes)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil
1 (5 1/2-pound) pork shoulder or pork butt
Coarse sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large red onions, peeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
5 whole allspice, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup molasses
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and roughly chopped


Bring the stout, cherries (or prunes), and vinegar to a simmer in a saucepan. Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Warm the oil in a large enameled cast-iron pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Season the pork shoulder with salt and pepper and sear on all sides until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer pork shoulder to a platter. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan. Add the onion and crushed black pepper to the pot and saute for 7 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the pork shoulder, the marinated cherries and liquid, allspice, bay leaves, molasses, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 cups water. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pot, transfer it to the oven, and braise for 1 hour, turning the pork once during cooking. Add the sweet potatoes and continue to braise for 2 more hours, turning two more times. If the sauce is too thin or not flavored intensely enough, ladle most of it into another pot and simmer it until it thickens and intensifies. Slice the pork and serve with the sauce on top. Makes 6 to 8 servings.


MALTY ROASTED POTATOES

From Scott Kerkmans, Chief Beer Officer for the Four Points by Sheraton.

1 cup Scotch Ale or Brown Porter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 tablespoons of rosemary or thyme
4 large red potatoes (washed and cut into pieces)
1 medium onion (peeled and cut into pieces)
Sea salt
Pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Mix ale, oil, garlic and rosemary or thyme in a one gallon zip-top bag. Mix well and add potatoes and onions to the bag. Seal and marinate for 1 hour. Preheat over to 450 degrees. Use a slotted spoon to remove potatoes, garlic and onions from marinade, reserving liquid. Place in a single layer in a nonstick, foil-lined roasting pan. Pour 1/3 of the marinade over the potatoes and onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover pan and bake for 30 minutes. Stir mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until browned.


FAST BEER BARBECUE SAUCE

From Mark Bittman's 10th anniversary edition of "How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food" (Wiley, 2008).

2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup beer (the darker the better; use stout or porter if you can)
1/4 cup wine or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients except the salt and pepper in a small saucepan; turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors have a chance to blend, about 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Use immediately or cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to a week. Makes about 2 cups.

Reader mail

Happy, happy Friday. It's been an emotionally draining week and I'm looking forward to a fun weekend that includes chopping down a Christmas tree, heading to a party and tossing flour around the kitchen during a marathon baking session.

Do your part for the economy and try to dine out at a locally owned restaurant.

Need something to do:

Tonight through Sunday, Moore Brothers Wine Company is bringing in a slew of German wine makers. There's also a cool beer tasting on Saturday at Iron Hill Brewery in Wilmington (see second and third items.)

The mailbag is stuffed like Santa's sack today. Lots of great questions. Keep 'em coming. You ask. We answer. Every Friday. Email me at ptalorico@delawareonline.com.

QUESTION: Edea Barilo of Bellevue Manor had mentioned her gravy that won first place. Is there any chance of getting the recipe? It sounds very good. My aunt used to make a red gravy with pork and spearmint leaves to help with digestion wish I had that recipe as well.
Thanks
Ray

ANSWER: Spearmint leaves? Really? That's a new one to me. It's amazing the diversities when it comes to Italian gravy.
Americans who sing about sauce of their childhood that would sputter in a large pot on their mother or grandmother's stove are actually talking about ragu napoletano. Ragu is something that makes Edea Barilo nostalgic for her youth and brings back memories of her parents, now deceased. The Brandywine Hundred resident grew up smelling and eating Sunday gravy and continues the tradition with her own family. At the annual Vendemmia Italian food and wine festival in Wilmington this past October, Barilo's full-bodied sauce took top honors at the annual Gravy Contest.

Another reader asked for Barilo's recipe. But she told me doesn't have one written down. Barilo says the secret of her sauce is to have everything fresh. She starts by sauteing onions and garlic. From there, she makes her own braciola, the flattened beef that she spreads with a blend of flat-leaf parsley, garlic, salt and pepper, rolls up and then braises. Sausage goes into the pan, followed by homemade meatballs made with a combination of ground veal, beef and pork. An added layer of flavor comes from the addition of sauteed country-style ribs.
Barilo's mother Ada always canned her own homegrown summer tomatoes. Her daughter does the same. But sometimes Barilo also uses cans of San Marzano tomatoes.
"I'll add the spices, salt, pepper and garlic. The parsley comes from my yard as do the bay leaves," she says. Fennel seed is also part of the mix. The preparation takes about an hour and Barilo slow-cooks the sauce for another 2 1/2 hours. "The whole house smells great."

QUESTION: Hi Pat, Several months ago you did a write up on a new restaurant that opened in Glen Mills, U.S. 202, Route 1 area and I believe it was a steakhouse. Could you please give me the name. It 's not Brandywine Prime because I was thinking this new restaurant might give them some competition.
Thank you,
Carolyn D. Brown

ANSWER: I believe you're thinking of Mile High Steak House in Glen Mills, Pa. Here's the link: http://www.milehighsteakandseafood.com/


QUESTION: Hello Patricia,
My name is Joe Louden and I am a teacher in the Fine Arts department at Ursuline Academy.
I am interested in having parents and students bring food items to the Christmas concerts next Tuesday and Wednesday at our school.
Is there a chance you would be able to drop off barrels for collection of any food items?
I await your response to report this possibility to our leadership.

ANSWER: Hi Joe. I'm so glad your organization is participating. My book club just gathered together items that we plan to drop off very soon. When we first ran stories about the initiative of Delaware Does More, supported by The News Journal and spearheaded by the United Way and the Delaware Food Bank - more than 30 companies, churches and organizations promised to get involved. Since stories first ran and appeared in print and on DelawareOnline – more than 250 Delaware companies, churches and organizations have signed on to help local Delawareans in need. These organizations are doing everything from employee / employer food drives, bake sales, collecting extra cash donations and more during this campaign to raise $250,000 and 300,000 pounds of food during the next 90 days.

The Food Bank of Delaware needs your help now more than ever. They will drop off and pick up barrels for you. The contact person is Charlotte McGarry at 292-1305, ext., 211 or cmcgarry@fbd.org


QUESTION: Hi Patricia. My husband and I went to Orillas Saturday night. The place was crowded, but we were seated right away. Our server was awesome, filling us in on things the menu did not tell us,such as how the seafood and vegetarian paellas could be made for one person and how everything is freshly made so special orders are not a problem. We ordered several dishes to share and were very happy with our choices. The chef and sous chef both came out to speak to us, as did other people working there. Our hope is that the good news about Orillas speads and that the location is a plus, not a minus.
Beryl Gamiel

ANSWER: Beryl, your experience mirrors my own. Here's my review of Orillas.

QUESTION: I enjoyed your article about Vincente's. It was a favorite of mine when I had out of town customers to entertain. In addition to the table side salad and talking menu, he did an outstanding act named Cafe Diablo. It was a real crowd pleaser. I wonder if that will be included at the new location. Hal Lynch

ANSWER: My guess is that Vincente's owner Vincent Mancari will bring back many favorites from his old menu.

QUESTION: Patricia - I have a coworker coming to town from Houston with a church group of 30 people. She is looking for a place for the group to have dinner on Thursday evening and wants to keep the average entree price at $15-$20 per.

A friend recommended looking at the Italian restaurants in South Philly for a real experience and good food but he couldn't think of any names. I came up with Ralph's Italian Restaurant using Google.

Do you have any suggestions? I am trying to avoid sending them to a chain restaurant.

ANSWER: Ralph's is definitely an old school "red gravy" joint. I can't remember the prices - went there with my uncle about a year or so ago - but it's a fun South Philly place.

I also like Villa di Roma, 936 S. Ninth St., (between Christian Street and Washington Avenue) (215) 592-1295. It's also in the Italian Market - just down the street from Ralph's. I think it's a little more casual than Ralph's, but good food, very homey and as South Philly as it gets.

Just so you know, I'm almost positive that both places are cash only.

In Delaware, there's always Ristorante Attilio's (my first choice for "red gravy" Italian) or Madeline's Italian Restaurant.

Reader Mail

The mailbag is overflowing this week - so, Second Helpings fans, we will have two days - count 'em two, two, TWO! - of Reader Mail.

Greek, Turkish and German food are the topics today.

Come back Friday and I'll have more mail and also a link to Eric Ruth's 55 Hours review of Ole Tapas Restaurant & Lounge.

Keep the email coming to me at ptalorico@delawareonline.com. You ask. We answer. Every Friday (and sometimes on Thursdays...)

QUESTION: Hi Pat, I read Second Helpings last week and enjoyed it very much. It also prompted me to ask a question I have asked at every Greek Festival I have attended here in Wilmington, the first week in June, for the past 10 years or so.

Why, with the large Greek community in Wilmington and the number of people who seem to LOVE the traditional Greek food, is there NO Greek restaurant here?!

I don't mean a restaurant that makes some dishes with a Greek influence, or a fancy gourmet Greek restaurant, but a "taverna" style one that serves souvlaki, lamb chops, moussaka, gyros, fried calamari, saganaki, tzatsiki, taramasalata, etc.

As it is now, we drive to Bryn Mawr, Pa., to Lourdas Tavern (very near the train station in Bryn Mawr) when we need our "fix" of great Greek food.

And it's a BYO on top of that!

Thanks,
Beth Tomanelli, Wilmington

ANSWER: Beth, that's a very good question. One of my dearest friends is Greek and very picky about Greek food and, well, we just haven't found any place in Delaware that she approves of.

You could try the European Bistro, 1710 Naamans Road, Wilmington, 529-7773, which serves gyros, spanakopita and avgolemono.

Or, if you're willing to drive to Philadelphia, I'd head to Dmitri's BYO at 795 Third St. (Catharine Street), (215) 625-0556 - it's casual and often very crowded.

I hear wonderful things about Estia, 1405-07 Locust St. (between Broad and 15th street); (215) 735-7700, but it is a more expensive, "gourmet" dining experience.

Readers? Do you know of any other places? Restaurateurs, why aren't you offering Greek food?

QUESTION: Istanbul is Back. The former owner [of a Turkish restaurant] has re-opened under the Cappadocia name in same location on Fletchwood Road in Elkton, Md. The food is as it was when it opened in 2000. He and his son wanted to get the place back to serving great food. The location has gone from basic to night club to pizza joint. Go back and try the food again.

ANSWER: I believe you're talking about Istanbul Kabob House (175 Fletchwood Road, Elkton, Md.), a restaurant I haven't visited since 2004.

The restaurant had ZERO atmosphere - really, it was like a bingo hall - but a slice of its lahmacun, sort of a Turkish version of pizza absent the cheese, would bring me back to that plain Jane dining room in a minute. I loved the ultra-thin, melt-in-your mouth pita that was spread with an addictive spread of ground beef, onions, peppers and parsley. The restaurant's superb puffy bread and spreads, especially the wonderfully smoky baba ganuj and patlican soslu, or mixed pieces of eggplant in a spicy sauce of tomatoes, green peppers, onion and garlic, were other winners.

I do hope this is true and will make a trek there soon to check it out. Fingers crossed.

QUESTION: Ms. Talorico, thanks for the long list of German Restaurants [in a recent Second Helpings Reader Mail post.]

Here's a link to one more: Sebastian's Schnitzelhaus . Channel 10 did a short story on it a month ago. It is in Wrightstown, N.J. near Fort Dix.

It is somewhat expensive with a full Schnitzel meal with red cabbage and potato pancakes about $20.

Many thanks for recommending the Dumpling House in Wilmington. Delicious food and comfortable experience.

Rasa Malaysian Cuisine, [a new restaurant in Independence Mall, 1601 Concord Pike in Brandywine Hundred, 543-5286]; had good food, but the noise level at lunch was intolerable. Imagine the cacophony at dinnertime after cocktails!

Will Prost

P.S.: For serious chileheads only, I would recommend the last appetizer on China Royal's menu: "salt roasted green peppers." Out came five or six long green chilies in a faintly sweet brown sauce. I got through two and took the rest home to add to some stew.

I've never had such a hot and tasty long chile and I grow two or three dozen different chile plants each year obtained from ChilePlants.com Home Page . They also ship unusual fresh chilies this time of year from their farm up across the river from New Hope.

ANSWER: Great letter, Will. Lots of helpful information.

And more good German food news....

QUESTION: Pat, I read your column and have the name and location of German restaurants.

One that I have visited several times is" The Alpenhof Restaurant and Guest House." It is located at the following address: 903 Morgantown Road; Reading Pa., 19607; (610) 373-1624; alpenhofbnb@aol.com

Another place for German food is "Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein." The Cannstatter is at 9130 Academy Road, Philadelphia, 19114; (215) 332-0121 Both of these restaurants require some driving but the food is well worth the trip.

"Guten Appetit."

They also have a good selection of German Bier.

Yours for gut eating,

John Nothstein.

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.

Reader mail - UPDATEd

First things first:

Greek Festival ends tonight and the Italian Festival starts Sunday.

No dining review today - we're gearing up to unveil changes to our dining coverage in next week's 55 Hours weekend section.

Keep reading. I'm not spilling the beans just yet.

Read what Victor Greto has to say about Iron Hill's Belgian white beer.

Last week, I wrote about Soybean Asian Grille in Pike Creek. It has lots of promise, but I was hoping for a little more punch, something that other Second Helpings readers have commented on.

Here's what was in the mailbox this week (I JUST ADDED ANOTHER LETTER):

Dear Patricia,

Thank you for taking the effort of writing Soybean Asian Grille review. Your article posted on May 30th has definitely drawn the attention of Pike Creek area diners. We had a big crowd on both May 30th and May 31 and portion of the customers came because of your article.

In addition, I'd like to thank you for your candid feedback and we are working diligently to make any possible improvement as we can. For example, I've informed the chefs to be bold and daring to add in extra spice into our dishes.

Being a brand new business owner, I am very honored, grateful and excited to receive the Restaurant review from you. Thank you again.

Hope to have your visit in the near future.

Regards.

Allison & Peter

Here's a reader's take on my review of King Tex-Mex in Elsmere:

Dear Mrs. Talorico:
Just about the time Tex-Mex opened up I have been going at least twice a week. It is a wonderful restaurant. The service is great. You are greeted at the door with a smiling face. They help you to select what you want to eat. Beginning with breakfast most are regular meals that is served in most American Restaurants.
Dinner and Supper is not Mexican food. The manager and staff are from San Salvadore. The food is great, different from American Restaurants. You have to get use to the food if you never eat any but American food. Ever since you wrote the article about Tex-Mex I noticed an increase in customers. Many come back time and again. I don't know what you mean by, "an overall middle -of- the road blandness.". To mention spice and fiery heat, you have to ask for it.
Sincerely yours,
John Parisi

Wild about Whirlwind Wit

Over the weekend, I stopped into the Eighth Annual Brandywine Valley Craft Brewers beer fest at Iron Hill in Media, Pa.

The crowd atmosphere had a definite "Frat Party: 10 years after Graduation" vibe.

Lots of 30 somethings (mostly men) wearing T-shirts, shorts, drinking brews and smoking stogies.

This wasn't a smart place to carry a suede pocketbook. It was entering a fashion hazard zone just walking through the crowd due to frequent cup bumping and spillage.

Hey, watch it guy, brown ale stains!

But, singles, just a suggestion: if you're looking for guys, then maybe you should start attending more beer festivals? Wear a dark shirt and leave the suede at home. Though, I can't guarantee the guy won't have beer goggles on...

The festival, held outside of the restaurant, featured 25 of the region's top breweries.

I'm much more of wine lover than a beer drinker, but I had a few sips of Dogfish Head IPA (it deserves all the kudos it receives) and I loved the Victory Brewing Company's Whirlwind Wit.

It's a Belgian style witbier and you could taste lovely hints of orange peel and coriander. This is a great summer sipper.

Tried to pick up a sixpack at Kreston's for a beer drinker who missed the brewfest, but couldn't find it.

- Patricia Talorico