Restaurant freebies

Here's one of the stories in Wednesday's Life section:


By PATRICIA TALORICO
The News Journal

Forget the complimentary bread basket.

Some restaurateurs are doing a little more for customers than handing out free rolls.

Restaurant "freebies" or little extras given before, during and after a meal can be a savvy way to thank diners for their patronage and possibly ensuring their return.

Wilmington's Moro restaurant and Sovana Bistro, of Kennett Square, Pa., are among the many eateries that start diners with a no-charge amuse-bouche, a one-bite nibble, sent out by the chef.

The Hotel du Pont's Green Room has long ended meals with its signature freshly baked macaroons, while for nearly 16 years Pizza by Elizabeths has presented free pieces of handmade toffee to each diner along with the bill.

"We call it Greenville crack cocaine," jokes Pizza by Elizabeths' co-owner Betsy LeRoy about the toffee, which became a customer favorite not long after the restaurant opened in 1993.

"We decided when we opened that we wanted to give the customer one little last sweet bite before they left," LeRoy said. "I'm not a big dessert eater, but I always like something a little sweet at the end of a meal."

At first, the restaurant gave out buttercreams and white and dark chocolate bark. But LeRoy soon began looking for another confection to offer and turned to her family for advice.

"My mom made what we called 'chock o' nut toffee' every year for Christmas. I asked her if I could have the recipe."

The toffee - which has a crackly caramel base made with sugar, butter and cream - is topped with melted chocolate and toasted pieces of walnuts.

"It's pretty labor-intensive," LeRoy says of the toffee, which cools on baking sheets before being broken by hand.

While the Pizza by Elizabeths staff continued making buttercreams and bark, it wasn't long before customers began asking solely for the toffee - and sometimes even fighting over the pieces.

"Everyone just wanted it. Now that's all we make. I told my mother, 'You missed the boat. You should have been a candy maker. You'd be sitting on easy street right now,'" LeRoy says laughing.

The gratis toffee - one piece per customer - has actually made some diners lifelong Pizza by Elizabeths fans. After one man left a comment card complaining that the restaurant was "stingy with that toffee," LeRoy wrote him a letter explaining the involved process of the candy making, thanked him for his business and then sent along a free box of toffee.

"He said he would be a walking advertisement on Kennett Pike," LeRoy says.

For those customers who want more than one piece, the candy is now available for sale at the restaurant in 1/4-pound boxes for $6 and 1/2-pound boxes for $12.

Savory chips

Free bowls of salty munchies are a given at many restaurants and taverns. But Capers & Lemons takes it one step further.

The Italian restaurant makes the rosemary-flavored potato chips that it sets out for customers sipping cocktails at the bar.

"We were trying to do something unique and were looking for a different way to set us apart," says Carl Georigi, owner of the Mill Creek-area eatery, off Centerville Road.

Homemade potato chips have been a part of Georigi's Hockessin restaurant, Dome, for several years.

The deep-fried chips at Capers & Lemons, which also grace some plates in the dining room, are made with thinly sliced potatoes that are sprinkled with rosemary, garlic power and salt and pepper.

Georigi says the homemade chips are a natural extension of the kitchen, where executive chef Mike O'Hare also makes his own mozzarella and cures his own meats.

"They're out on the bar as a savory, salty offering. It encourages you to drink and it's a little tease as to what's to come," Georigi says.

Bags of the chips also are sold in the restaurant's adjoining market for $2.95.

Cutting costs

Not every restaurateur believes in giveaways, especially in a dodgy economy.

Last fall, Harry's Savoy Grill, in Brandywine Hundred, offered customers plates of complimentary pickled mushrooms. Now, the only freebies at the Naamans Road restaurant are the mints at the front door.

"Over the years, we've done those things, but we currently don't," says Harry's owner Xavier Teixido. "It's expensive."

And the free crocks of smooth, creamy, homemade cheese spread that had graced the tables at the Hunter's Den restaurant for more than 27 years have been removed.

Owner Don Jester says the cheese spread, a family recipe, was first served in 1981 when his parents, Don Sr. and Helen Marie Jester, purchased the old Blue Lantern Inn on Kirkwood Highway and renamed it the Hunter's Den.

The tradition followed when the Hunter's Den moved to its present Marshallton location, at 3517 Old Capitol Trail.

But several months ago, Jester stopped giving away the cheese spread. "Some people would eat it and say 'I don't need an appetizer.' "

"We're trying to cut things back," says the restaurateur, who also has scaled back prices at the eatery and now offers a $5.95 lunch menu and $10.95 dinner menu.

The cheese spread isn't gone; it's just become a part of the menu.

"We're still offering it as an appetizer, and for $3.95 it's pretty dirt cheap," says Jester, adding that the spread also is available for takeout. A one-pound container is $5.95.

"It's staying," he says. "We're selling about 20 to 30 pounds a week."

Just don't ask for the recipe. "It's a secret," Jester says. "I've had phone calls asking what's in it, but I can't tell you."

Sometimes the best things in life aren't free.

Wednesday food page round-up.....

Gentleman (and ladies) start your grills..... Memorial Day weekend is always the unofficial start of the BBQ and grill season.

Our own Gary Soulsman talks to World Champion Pitmaster Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Alabama about "Q."

Check out Chris's recipe for "white sauce" which sounds to me somewhat similar to the sauce the "chicken guys" at the Greenwood Fire Company in Sussex slap onto their own barbecue chicken.


I stopped into Annie's in Elsmere recently for one of their triple decker sandwiches (I got a turkey club) and saw a bunch of reading glasses at the front counter.

What's up with that? Then owner Wendy Scully told me about her unique customer service - she keeps several pairs on hand for people who forget their specs. I think that's very cool.

So Pulp Culture blogger Ryan Cormier goes to Capriotti's on Basin Road for a late lunch and runs into - Kumar (aka Kal Penn.) Now, that's pretty hilarious. No White Castles here, but every Delawarean worth their Blue Hen know that Caps is where it's happening. Kumar got a Bobbie. Are you surprised? Me neither. Also, Caps is getting ready to go Hollywood. (See second item.)

What's new

I'm very, very late with the post today. It's been "one of those days" - reporting needed to be done, stories written, and, well, just other stuff.

I just now looked up and noticed it's way after 5 p.m. Gotta get going soon. There's a pair of running shoes and a track waiting for me. (Training for a 5K, my first!, is in full swing.)

OK, so I couldn't keep an interview today with Chris Lilly of the award-winning Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q Team- but LUCKILY my esteemed colleague Gary Soulsman stepped in for me.

(Thanks, G. I owe you one.)

Gary's story on Q - and recipes from Chris's book (photo to the left) is coming next week, just in time for Memorial Day.

And look for Chris Lilly's appearance tomorrow on the Today Show.

In other news:

Had a terrific dinner recently at Harry's Seafood Grill on the Wilmington Riverfront. We sat outside and it was a perfectly beautiful night - cool, but not cold; no humidity. Is this really Delaware??

I was torn between oysters and tartare of big eye tuna and hamachi ponzu with wasabi and wakame - and finally went with the tartare. The landlubber with me looked at it with interest - especially the wonderfully crunchy chips served on the side- and was ready for a big bite until I mentioned tartare and hamachi were raw. (Well, kind of raw, the acid in ponzu "cooks" the fish.) Yeah, well, raw was a big n-o. I always forget there are people who don't like sashimi or ceviche. Just more for me.

My server suggested the pan-roasted escolar (about $23) and he was so spot-on. The fish's flesh, when cooked, is snowy-white and slightly sweet.

The landlubber - no big surprise - went with Harry's surf and turf - or braised prime short rib of beef and crabcake with California slaw.

Anne Hood, Harry's sommelier, suggested a great Viognier that paired very nicely with the escolar.

Second Acts

Does absense make the heart grown fonder?

Apparently it does in the restaurant industry.

David M. Dietz, owner of the popular Brandywine Brewing Co. in Greenville, is making a return to the business after stepping away from his brewpub nearly five year ago. That's David (pink and white shirt) in the photo to the right, along with executive chef Mark Doto, who plan to open the BBC Tavern & Grill later this summer.

And Matthew Curtis of Union City Grille in Wilmington came back to the stove after leaving three years ago to become an investments advisior.

The fast-paced, long hours (and long nights) of the industry can become an addiction that's hard to kick.

Here's my story today.

Meals from the Masters wrap-up

Happy Monday. Hope you had a food-filled weekend.

I spent most of it at Meals from the Masters events, the fundraisers for Meals on Wheels Delaware.

Here's photographer Fred Comegys' gallery of photos from Sunday's event.

Friday night's "Evening with the Masters" event at the Center for the Riverfront was a SCENE (so was the traffic, due to a prom and a Blue Rocks game). Organizers said the event eventually sold out - about 200 to 300 tickets were sold at the door. Total attendance, they say, 1,600. But some people said it seemed less crowded. This was my first year attending "Evening", so I'll have to take their word.

It had a completely different vibe than Sunday's brunch - more casual, the lines for the drinks were as long - or longer - than for the food. Bands jamming. (Jazz music on Sunday.)

Popped into the Cellar Masters' Wine Auction on Friday where they were pouring Cakebread Cellars wines (that's one very nice chardonnay).

I chatted for a while with Dale DeGroff a.k.a. "King Cocktail" who recently released a new book "The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks" (Clarkson Potter.) I'm doing a story on Dale and cocktails later this spring. He was shaking "Ritz cocktails" and flavored them with a orange peel that he first lit with a match. (What's up with that?) Dale had me put out my palm, stuck a match and touch it to the peel The heat released the oils and aroma of citrus in my hand was amazing.

(That, apparently, is one of the secrets of his tasty cocktails.)

Food was being passed around from three Stephen Starr restaurants (Tangerine, Buddakan, and Barclay Prime) - but I can't tell you how it was. Never sampled a bite. In fact, never saw a tray that wasn't empty. Which was disappointing.

And I'm not the only one who found it a bit off-putting that volunteers were walking around shushing the crowd. I understand that the wine auction was going on and it was difficult to hear the bids - but it's hard to keep a large group - who's been drinking wine and cocktails - quiet. Especially at a social event where they have paid $90 a ticket.

Maybe next year they can think of a way to put the wine auction in a separate room than the food and drinks? Just a thought.

Some chefs really stepped up to the plate. Some of my favorite bites of Friday night: Scallop ceviche from Ameritage; crab and crawfish cake from Augusta Grille; shrimp remoulade po'boy from Harry's Seafood Grill; Home Grown Cafe's tea smoked tuna sashimi with spicy sprout kimchee; and coconut ice cream from Woodside Farms Creamery.

On Saturday afternoon - I ran into Seattle chef - and Delaware native -Tom Douglas at Casapulla's in Hockessin. (Yet another example of Delaware: Small Wonder.) Can't get good old Delaware subs and cheesesteaks in the Pacific Northwest.

On Sunday, Douglas, helped by longtime pal Tom Ditzler, made an amazing dish using fresh Wild King salmon rubbed with his special spice rub and topped it with quail eggs that he ordered from Vermont. (Douglas, nominated for the James Beard Award of Most Outstanding Restaurateur this year, changed his dish at the last minute - it was supposed to be corned beef hash with quail eggs. Douglas said the salmon just came into season and he wanted to use it.) It was so good, I wanted to go back for seconds.

Here's my story on the event with just a few more tidbits to add:

- Ben Pollinger from New York's Oceana made one of the most wonderful springtime influenced dishes of the day: Alaskan scallops with a salad of English peas, fava beans and pickled ramps. Just lovely. "We're looking for something packed with flavor," said Pollinger about his dish that could be eaten in two or three bites.

Ben said he came to the Meals brunch after chatting with Hotel du Pont chef Tom Hannum. A cook who used to work for Hannum used him for as a reference when he applied for a job at Oceana. Pollinger called Hannum to talk about the job candidate and while Hannum had Pollinger on the phone, he decided to recruit him for the brunch. (The restaurant industry can be a very small world.)

- Sunday's event also was sold-out (all 1,300 tickets were gone) - but there seemed to be less people than the previous years..... Anyone notice that??

- Rumor was going around that Vice President Biden would make appearance. He didn't. But no big surprise. He's never been a regular attendee to the brunch. (If he's ever come?)

- Sign of the economy? The flower arrangements were smaller and no ice sculptures or vodka "luges" this year.

- I noticed a line all morning for the spicy shrimp and sausage with tasso gravy with creamy white grits from Magnolia's of Charleston, S.C.

- The Little Savannah Grill, marking its third brunch appearance, was mentioned in a Sunday New York Time's travel piece on Birmingham, Ala., The chefs had the paper propped open at their station.

- Kobe beef meatballs from chef Randy Donze at Michele's at Dover Downs had plenty of fans.

- Some of the out-of-town guest chefs told me they were hopping Amtrak today to dine around New York. (They loved that NYC is so close.) California chef Jesse Mallgren of Madrona Manor - who made the really cool liquid nitrogen ice cream along with maitre d'/wine director Joseph Bain - said he had reservations at Le Bernardin. (Say hi to Eric Ripert.)

On top of spaghetti

Forget March Madness. It was Meatball Madness on Monday at the West End Neighborhood House.

Fun morning. Here's my story about judging the meatball contest.

Restaurant winner was Matthew Curtis, owner of Union City Grille.

Community winner was Nicole Durney, whose family owns Timmy D's Deli.

Meatball lovers are very particular about their likes and dislikes. I'm open to all kinds of intrepretations - and not necessarily those in tomato sauce - but I do like a juicy meatball.

The cookbook "Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen" (Artisan, 2007) by Pino Luongo and Mark Strausman has a chapter that includes "The Great Meatball Debate."

Strausman says he loves "a sense of abundance you get with a big, juicy meatball."

But Luongo argues that the proportions are "all wrong."

Luongo, born in northern Italian, says that "there's nothing more incongruous than a big meatball and a skinny strand of spaghetti."

Strausman's answer?

"You are insulting a dish invented by Italian immigrants and embraced by every single citizen of the United States."

I agree. Spaghetti and meatballs - made by my mom - would be near the top of my list of last meals.

Sussex County eats and updates

Spent the past weekend in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach and RB wasn't exactly slower Delaware on Saturday afternoon.

There were plenty of people strolling Rehoboth Avenue and a parking spot on the main thoroughfare wasn't that easy to come by. I sat in the Cafe A Go-Go coffeeshop with my cafe au lait and laptop and was amazed at how many people were about and out.

The Chefs Showdown at CAMP Rehoboth was a very cool event. Chefs Jay Caputo (Espuma, Porcini House), Kevin Reading (Nage) and Ian Crandall (Kindle, Half Full) are pros who make cooking look easy. They had to saute on hot-plates - which are better suited for food demonstrations in grocery stores rather than culinary competitions - but still produced some impressive dishes.

Some things I noticed (some of which are covered in today's Diners Digest column):

Second fire at Irish Eyes in Lewes on New Year's Eve was devastating. Went to take a look at the restaurant and all that remains now is a few supporting walls and the foundation. This is so sad, especially since the web site has photos of the restaurant when it was rebuilt after the 2007 fire.

- Stopped into Stingray's in Rehoboth for sake. It's a gorgeous place - love the framed pictures of Ultraman! (Nice touch Darius.) On a cold Saturday night, there were few diners during my visit - and that's a big building. We drove around and not too many restaurant dining rooms were filled. (What happened to all those people from the afternoon?)

- The place that was jumping was Dos Locos. We had to wait 20 minutes for a table. The Mardi Gras vibe was strong - beads galore, Cajun specials on the menu and an Elton John wannabe - wearing oversize glasses circa John's "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" period - performing in the lounge. Guacamole was great. I got the fish tacos and could have done without the melted cheese on my battered cod. A dining companion ordered grilled catfish, a much better choice. I've had better meals there.

- We almost went to the Crystal Restaurant in Rehoboth for breakfast. (One of the best places in Delaware for breakfast, in my humble opinion.) But then we saw that Blue Plate Diner in Lewes was open. I love this place. Service is always great and the blueberry pancakes never fail to please. My buddies enjoyed a crab omelet and eggs Benedict.

- Hey, when did Saketumi open? It's a sushi place on Del. 1 that's where the old Ann Marie's used to be. I must have missed it this past summer.

- Kindle restaurant is moving from its location in Paynter's Mill, off Del. 1 near Milton, to a spot in downtown Lewes. Ian Crandall, one of Kindle's owners, says he had an "awesome opportunity" to move the 2-year-old restaurant to the space currently occupied by Books by the Bay, off Second and Bank streets. The Books by the Bay cafe has been a popular Lewes breakfast and lunch spot.

The move puts Crandall near his other Lewes eateries. He is part of the team that owns Striper Bites Bistro, 107 Savannah Road, and Half Full, the cozy pizza and wine bar at 113 Market St. Both are a few blocks from Books by the Bay. The last night of business for Kindle in the Milton location will be this Saturday. Crandall says Kindle will keep the same menu items – and will start serving lunch.

The Lewes space will have about 20 fewer seats, he says. The restaurant should reopen in April.

- Nourish Specialty Foods & Catering opened about two weeks ago in the Rehoboth Beach space that was formerly home to Beautiful Foods.

The gourmet foods store is at 37385 Henlopen Junction. The space has been completely renovated, and owners are now offering sliced meats, cheeses and other gourmet foods. (This past weekend, I picked up a tasty and vinegary black bean dip, punched up with fresh cilantro, and some homemade tortilla chips.)

Catering should begin later this spring. Call 227-6282 or visit www.anourishingidea.com

- Lily Thai Restaurant & Cocktail Bar recently opened at 10 N. First St., Rehoboth. The menu includes noodle and fried rice dishes, curries, and offerings for vegetarians and children. Call 227-3348.

- Pop Pop's Donuts, 4 W. First St., Rehoboth, 226-2266, is coming soon. The shop is next to Nicola Pizza.

Not so mystery meat

Bring on the bagpipes and a strong stomach.

The 250th anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns is being toasted Sunday with whisky, haggis and neeps and tatties (which, on this side of the pond, we call turnips and potatoes.)

Haggis is usually a mash of sheep organs, or some other offal, blended with oats, barley and spices.

I tasted haggis in Edinburgh, Scotland, and it wasn't as bad as it sounds. It kind of reminded me of spicy meatloaf.

The Fair Hill (Md.) Inn, on Maryland routes 273 and 213, will host a Robert Burns/Haggis dinner at 5 p.m. The four-course meal is $30. Tax, alcohol and gratuity not included.

The meal includes smoked salmon soup, traditionally prepared haggis with rutabaga and potatoes - which will be paraded into the room along with a bagpiper - a selection of Scottish cheeses and dessert. Courses will be paired with aged single-malt scotches. Braised beef is available for diners who are not haggis-loving Bravehearts.

Reservations are required. Call (410) 398-4187. Stoney's British Pub at 3007 Concord Pike in Brandywine Hundred, also is throwing a Burns dinner. Call 477-9740 for more information.

Here's your seafood stew, Mr. President

According to this interesting story by Jane Black of The Washington Post, the first meal Barack Obama will eat as president was inspired by the Lincoln White House.

On the menu for his inaugural lunch: seafood stew of lobster, shrimp and black cod topped with a puff pastry dome; duo of pheasant and duck served with sour cherry chutney and molasses sweet potatoes; and apple cinnamon sponge cake with sweet cream glace.

Arlington, Va.-based Design Cuisine chefs spent months researching the food and cooking style of the 1860s. Wild game, especially duck, appeared on many White House menus of the day.

"Stews were very popular. It wasn't rare to have stew for breakfast," says Design Cuisine account executive Rickie Niceta of the decision to serve seafood stew. "But we were also thinking about who will be attending. They'll be cold, and they'll be starving. We wanted to start with something hot and substantial."

Beware [not so] hidden costs

So here is something you may not think about when dining out: Soft drinks and coffee aren't all that cheap.

And they do add up on the bill.

Looking back over some restaurant tabs recently, I found that I've paid anywhere from $1.50 to $3.50 for a glass of iced tea; $4 for lemonade (!); $3 for "ginger water" - some fancy schmancy beverage that sounded interesting; $3 for a "small" Italian soda; $3.50 for cappucino; and $2 for a plain old cup of decaf coffee.

My colleague and Pulp Culture blogger Ryan Cormier stopped recently into Kildare's Irish Pub in Newark and liked the Express Lunch menu which allows you to choose smaller portions of dishes such as Guiness stew and onion soup, getting both for just $5.99.

But then he noticed that a soda to wash it all down cost him $2.25.

I think I may start drinking water. Plain, ordinary tap water.

Soup is good food

Where do you go for soup?





As in get in the car, drive and sit down in a restaurant or local eatery for a steamy bowl of utter deliciousness?





I'd go out of my way for the tomato garlic parmesan soup at Cajun Kate's at the Booth's Corner Farmers Market. And all of Hockessin knows about the pumpkin mushroom soup at the Back Burner restaurant and the Back Burner to Go.

But I want to hear some other ideas... Where do you go "bowling"? What places have the best food in a bowl - i.e. chili, stews and soups.

Comment, comment, comment.

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.

A Tale of Two Chefs

For your reading pleasures, we offer recent stories on Delaware chefs.

Jay Caputo (to the left) runs the very classy establishments Espuma and Porcini House, both in Rehoboth Beach. He travels between the restaurants on either his skateboard or motor scooter.

Jay was on the long list of chefs being considered for this year's James Beard Foundation's Best Mid-Atlantic Chef award. He sat down recently for a story by Victor Greto.

Danny Profita, chef at Cafe Scalessa's in Wilmington, is heading to Beijing to cook for NBC during the Olympics. He also cooked at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Danny is a super guy. I met him last year when he was working at the Chef's Table in old New Castle. Here's Shruti L. Mathur's story.

News Journal Dining Review news

Another time out from Italian Festival coverage to share some news.

The News Journal dining reviews are taking a new approach. High-end restaurants will still get ink, but expect 55hours' weekly dining coverage to focus more on value and affordability.

In joining forces, critics Eric Ruth and Patricia Talorico are tweaking some other approaches as well:

**We're ditching the "Dish" and "Dining" column names. The column will now simply be known as "Taste."

**The old "star-rating" system is being 86ed. We will be using a fork rating instead. (Just to clarify: Eateries will receive a fork up or a fork down. A sideways fork means a so-so experience. We will not be giving out one through four forks.) Let us know what you think. We've already received a call from a reader this morning who said: BRING BACK THE STARS.

**Expect a broader scope -- some columns might focus on a single eatery; others might take a far-ranging look at some specialty, whether it's authentic tacos or steamed crabs.

**Expect quicker reporting -- the old guideline of giving a restaurant a few weeks before swooping in for a write-up doesn't mean we can't deliver an early look at a place that's creating buzz.

**More voices are on the way -- News Journal reporter Buddy Hurlock will soon begin "Regular Guy Grub" postings Second Helpings. Hurlock will write about casual eats such as pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers.

Click here for the stories on the changes and Eric's reviews of Ponos, Nalu and Que Pasa, all in Dewey Beach.

Best mashed potatoes ever?

Had dinner last night at a very busy, as usual, Culinaria in Brandywine Hundred.

Here's the funny thing that happened while we were waiting at the bar for a table:

We're sipping a smooth glass of pinot noir, enjoying the bustling Saturday night atmosphere and were happily chatting away, when the hostess comes over to tell us it was going to be a few more minutes for our table and that the kitchen has now run out of mashed potatoes.

Uh, OK.

"Is that a problem?" she says very sweetly.

Uh, no.

"It is for some people," she tells us.

(Nosy journalist that I am, I can't let it go at that.)

Really? Why?

Then she explains that a couple who also had been waiting for a table just left after they found out there were no more mashed potatoes.

Now, I love mashed potatoes, perhaps the world's greatest comfort food, but I'm not leaving a restaurant I enjoy visiting, such as Culinaria, just because they run out of spuds. And the thought of doing that just struck me as really funny.

Then I became intrigued: People come to Culinaria just for the mashed potatoes?

"Yes, people love them," the hostess says. I couldn't pry out much more information about the mashers other than "They're just really good." (And, as if on cue, I heard a couple at the bar begin waxing poetic about the mashed potatoes. No lie.)

I've eaten at the restaurant many times before - the roasted salmon curry with Jasmine rice is one of my favorite menu items - and the food is always terrific. I know I've had the mashed potatoes there before but I was drawing a complete blank about the taste.

I feel like a woman possessed and now I have to know more about these mashed potatoes.

This is a case of Nancy Drew culinary sleuthing and I need to unravel The Great Mashed Potato Mystery.

Are these really the best mashed potatoes ever? What makes them SO good?

Inquiring minds - and palates - need to know.

- Patricia Talorico

No heat in this Tex Mex

Bland should never be used in a sentence about Tex Mex cuisine.

And I couldn't work up much enthusiasm about my middle of the road meals at King Tex-Mex Restaurant in Elsmere.

A chef's fight against oral cancer

One of the most surprising, and saddest stories, within the culinary world last year was the news that Grant Achatz of Alinea in Chicago was suffering from Stage IV tongue cancer. (This is as serious as it gets; there is no Stage V.)

Achatz's Alinea has been proclaimed by Gourmet magazine as the most exciting restaurant in the U.S.

Achatz, a follower of molecular gastronomy who worked in the kitchens of Charlie Trotter and Thomas Keller, re-imagines flavors and combinations in truly unexpected ways.

The New Yorker just profiled Achatz and his fight. Surgeons wanted to remove his tongue, but Achatz wasn't having it and sought other options.

Read his story. And click on the slide show.

City Restaurant Week

So if you haven't read the story today, then maybe you don't know that Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant is no longer a part of City Restaurant Week.

Significant? Worthy of a front page story?

I think so - though I don't make the call on what to put on the front page.

Here's the thing: Iron Hill is one of Wilmington's largest and most popular restaurants. And for the eatery to bow out of a program that supposedly attracts at least 15,000 diners is telling.

This is certainly clear - when you get a bunch of strong-willed restaurateurs together you're going to get a lot of opinions. And you know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen.....

I understand why organizers want to bring visiblity to downtown and Riverfront restaurants, and there are GREAT places to eat there, but I still don't quite get why the invitation hasn't been spread out to other city eateries, such as Moro.

Hey, Rehoboth's Restaurant Week which begins May 4 usually has more than 20 eateries participating. City Restaurant Week has 10.

Moro owner Michael DiBianca says he would certainly consider it - if asked. And he hasn't been. Getting a discount meal at Moro is certainly a bargain - just as a $35 three-course meal is at the Hotel du Pont's Green Room, which is the state's and East Coast's, most beautiful dining room.

What do you think?

Reader mail

It's been a while, but it's back - the Return of Reader Mail.

You ask. We answer. On Fridays. (But, heck, I'm early today.) Keep the letters coming....

Here's what's in the mailbag:

TURN DOWN THE VOLUME

Patricia and Eric,

Recently the Washington Post decided to add noise ratings to their dining reviews: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/04/04/AR2008040402735.html.

I would LOVE if you all would do this too, or at least include some critique of how noisy a restaurant is at peak times. My family and I LOVE Jasmine, especially for celebratory or other special family dinners. However, for the 10 or 12 of us that there are we have to reserve their back room because we cannot hear each other in the main dining rooms.

When we were thinking of where to host a birthday dinner for one family member this was a real concern: Harry's Seafood, Jasmine (in the main dining room), Potstickers, and Mikimotos were all considered generally too noisy.

Letting us know how loud a restaurant is, with or without noise meters (as the Washington Post is doing) would be great!
-Rebecca

ANSWER: Rebecca, I often wonder if I need a hearing aid when I go out to dine. Maybe it's the cranky, old, hard-of-hearing lady inside me, but I often feel myself straining to hear someone in some restaurants. I know the Philadelphia Inquirer's restaurant critic Craig LaBan brings along some kind of device that measures noise when he goes on reviews.

I'll talk to the Big Cheeses here at The News Journal and see what they think.

Readers, what do you say? Is it too loud in some restaurants??

NEW MARKET DOWNTOWN?

Hi Patricia,

I just saw a sign in the window of the old Corner Market that says Lapp's Market is coming soon.

Do you have any further info?

David Mathe

Hi, David. I don't know what's up. I tried calling Corner Market when they closed and left several messages, but never heard back. But I will check it out the new sign and let you, and readers, know ASAP. Thanks for the heads-up.

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.