Top Chef recap

Go Bears - go home Ryan.

Even if you're a metrosexual - as Ryan gleefully admitted last night on "Top Chef" - and you have absolutely no interest in sports, the task last night was to make food that people could enjoy at a Chicago Bears tailgate.

So this California bonehead makes bread salad with chicken and poached pears for dessert.

That's a fumble. But I think I know the reason why Ryan went home and not sloppy Mark who had a penalty flag thrown for dipping a spoon into his soup, tasting it and then using the same spoon - without washing it! - to serve the judges. (Man, Colicchio you were brave to eat that soup! Talk about taking one for the team. )

Ryan just stunk of elitism and a very off-putting I'm-not-a-sports-guy, but I'll-show-you-slack-jawed-football-fans-how-to- eat kind of attitude.

Forget ribs (like Dale) or pork and potatoes (like Stephanie) or burgers (Richards), this guy BELIEVES poached pears and chevre are what football fans want to eat. That or he simply doesn't care. (He's really lucky he didn't pull that at an Eagles tailgate. Boo Birds can get really ugly.)

Ryan, this is the Planet Earth. Have you never watched a Budweiser commercial?

And what was up with judge Gail - again - dissing someone for using rosemary in a dish? Rosemary is a beautiful, aromatic herb and Stephanie used it in a pork dish, which is a natural pairing. Weird.

I dunno I'm having less enthusiasm for this season and these cheftestants.

Don't have any favorites or anyone to root for. (And I still want to knock Spike's hat off his arrogant head. OR punch a hole through the top of it with my fist and put it back on his head. I think I need to do some yoga exercises.)

Seafood and Venice

Had a meeting today with some folks from St. Anthony's Italian Festival. It made me long for Italy. Sauteed some beautiful sea scallops and had a glass of Soave. Simple, fresh seafood almost always transports me back to Venice, which I visited (again) during my 3-week European jaunt last October.

I love Venice. This is a romantic view from the Grand Canal. (The Santa Maria della Salute Church is in scaffolding.) I didn't take this photo while sitting in a gondola - are you kidding?? a trip in one of those long skinny boats is more than $150 and there was no way I was spending that kind of money on a boat trip that's essentially for tourists.

No, I'll take the much more economical vaporetto any day. (Sorry, but all my weak American dollars always go toward a good meal and wine - or maybe a great Italian opera. And dinner and the La Fenice opera theater in Venice certainly ain't cheap.)

New Thai restaurant

Just noticed the sign for the new Thai restaurant in Pike Creek Shopping Center - Soybean Asian Grille.

Haven't yet checked out the menu/food. But I will soon.

Phone number is 636-0800. It's open 11 to 3 p.m. and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 11 to 3 p.m. and 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; and closed Sunday.

Anyone been there yet?

821 temporarily closed

Hi everyone,

I'm back after a scary health emergency with a family member, who is now on the mend. Thanks for the kind emails/comments.

Just tried to call 821 restaurant in Wilmington after I noticed that they're no longer listed as one of the participating eateries in the upcoming City Restaurant Week 2008 - April 28 through May 3.

Hmmmm.....What's up with that??

Phone message says the eatery is temporarily closed "due to unexpected emergency repairs. We're not sure when they will be finished."

Stay tuned.

I'll be back soon

Hey Second Helpings readers,

I had promised to be back today and I planned to have lots of updates - but then a scary family health emergency suddenly changed things.

It's been the kind of day where you hope for the best as you struggle with cold fear and try not to show it, while somehow managing to adopt the strongest, most positive attitude you can have for someone you love dearly.

I'm exhausted and my stomach is in knots. I think about the only thing I can think about eating right now is something comforting....like chocolate pudding. I don't even care that it's sugar-free chocolate fudge.

I hope to be back to regular blogging later in the week. Please keep checking back. I haven't abandoned you - just need to direct my attention somewhere else for a couple of days.

Thai New Year feast and new restaurants

Hey gang,

I won't be around next week so here's some food news to chew on until I return April 14.

The Thai New Year, known as Songkran, is celebrated every year from April 13 to 15.

"Water wars" are often a part of the festivities. Water ceremonies are a tradition meant as a symbol of luck to bring rain for the spring and summer crops

"We play with water because Thailand is so hot," said Sung Falke, owner of New Castle's Tasti Thai restaurant, which will be holding a Thai New Year celebration on April 13. "I'd like to do it [in Delaware] but it's still cold here."

Falke is planning a special New Year feast - albeit without the water tossing. The banquet will feature many varieties of Thai food including grilled fish and chicken satay, from 12:30 p.m. to about 2 or 3 p.m.

Tickets purchased in advance are $15. At the door, the cost is $17; or $12 for university students with an I.D. and $10 for children 10 and younger. Call 322-1306 for more information.

The Tasti Thai eatery in the Community Plaza Shopping Center, off Del. 273 and Airport Road, celebrates its two-year anniversary this May. It’s open daily for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m.

NEW DOWNTOWN EATS

Armitage Bistro, a new downtown Wilmington restaurant at 900 Orange St., recently began welcoming customers.

The bistro, which had been the home of the former Brandywine Brewing Co., is owned Michael Hynansky and his partner/general manager Henry Dawson. It includes a market offering sandwiches, salads, DiBruno Brothers cheeses and pastries from Miel Patisserie and Hockessin's Liz Marden.

Executive Chef Sean Holland, formerly Wilmington's Moro and the Farmhouse Restaurant in Avondale, Pa., is creating such menu items as Chilean sea bass over a citrus-fennel-onion salad with black truffle vinaigrette and Parisienne gnocchi with lobster, brie cheese and roasted garlic.

Prices range from $6.50 to $22.The bistro is open for dine-in service from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday. The market serves foods and beverages from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Call 427-2300 or visit http://www.ameritagebistro.com/.

POP OPEN A BOTTLE AT A NEW CHADDS FORD BISTRO

Bistro on the Brandywine is Wilmington restaurateur Dan Butler's new eatery in Chadds Ford, Pa.

The 70-table "French-leaning" BYOB, housed in a former antiques store off U.S. 1 and Pa. 100, sits next to Butler's Brandywine Prime restaurant.

The restaurant kitchen, headed by Deep Blue alum Seth Harvey, offers stone hearth baked gourmet pizzas and dishes such roasted skate wing, salade Nicoise, moules frites and coq au vin.

Diners can bring their own bottles (corkage fee is $5), though the bistro will have an abbreviated wine and beer list.

Longtime Toscana manager Paul Bouchard is the managing partner of the Bistro and it's on-site "Bistro to Go" coffee shop. It's open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call (610) 388-8089 or visit http://www.bistroonthebrandywine.com/.

In other news, Brandywine Prime now has new chef, Danny Marcantuno, banging pots and pans. Marcantuno was the former executive sous chef at Philadelphia's Brasserie Perrier.

Crab cakes and Reader Mail (UPDATE)

I don't know about you, but I rarely order crab cakes at a restaurant. When I do, I'm often disappointed. That was the basis of today's Dish column.

I love crabs and hate to see a restaurant kitchen take this sweet meat of the sea and turn it into a leaden lump or a mealy mess. To think a crab gave up its life for a poorly produced patty just, well, bums me out.

So I was skeptical about Henretty's Prime Meats $5.99 crab cakes. But I must say, these cakes, made by the Hockessin shop off Old Lancaster Pike, aren't bad at all. For $5.99 crab cakes. (That's a photo of the cooked cakes.) Don't get me wrong - it's not the BEST crab cake I ever had. But, again, for $5.99 not at all bad.

The crab cakes at Valle in Pike Creek are certainly worthy of the accolades, but each cake is $13.50, (two for $27). Steep, steep. And that's all you get for that price - crab cakes. I got a side order of grilled asparagus. It was $4. I'm not saying it wasn't tasty, but if you're on a budget, this isn't the meal for you.

Where have you found top notch crab cakes? Let's hear it. (I thought the crab cake at Sambo's Tavern, $11.50, in Leipsic were very good. See earlier post.)

Comment, comment, comment. I feel a follow-up column is coming.

UPDATE: Here's an email I received this morning:

Believe it or not, Seasons Pizza has amazing crab cakes - they got their hands on the old Tiffin Restaurant crab cake recipe and they give you two, huge crab cakes which are loaded with sweet lump crab meat - Very Good!!

Top Chef recap

Take a memo, Memo: You're out.

Manuel a.k.a. "Memo" falls on his knife after failing to impress anyone with his leadership abilities and his cooking - or lack thereof - in the Elimination Challenge, which was to base a dish on a favorite movie.

It could have been a very cool challenge - but the dynamic duo of Manuel and Spike, whose stupid, stupid, stupid "I'm so hip" pork pie hats I want to knock right off his arrogant head - picked "Good Morning, Vietnam"????!!!!???

So they made a very predictable Vietnamese spring roll - with a weird side dish of pickled swiss chard - that had zero appeal. Kind of like Robin Williams.

I'll give this episode a big, fat Eh. Here's judge Ted Allen's take.

Get the mallets ready

Sambo's Tavern, a Kent County seafood eatery in the tiny, tiny town of Leipsic, has reopened for the season. No hard-shell crabs available - just yet.

The crabs are coming soon - call ahead, 674-9724, before you go if you're interested in doing some mallet mashing - in meantime get the very meaty $11.50 crab cakes. (Next time though I'll ask for mine broiled instead of fried.) Wasn't as crazy for the crab bisque; it was a little thick for my taste.

The more than 50-year-old crabhouse, about 5 miles northeast of Dover, just off Del. Route 9, is a quirky, and charming kind of place. It's a Delaware institution. If you're looking for a real authentic crab house, this is the place. Newspapers blanket the tables and rolls of paper towels are used as napkins. It's very casual - most people wear blue jeans, T-shirts and ball caps- and bring cash. No credit cards accepted.

Windows in the back dining room overlook the Leipsic River - and it was gorgeous during yesterday's summer like weather. Maps hang on the walls with push pins and tags bearing the names of customers and their places of residence. Photos of NASCAR drivers - it's apparently a popular driver hangout - also line the walls.

Keep in mind it is decidedly NOT kid friendly. Sambo's only has a tavern license, so noone under 21 is allowed.

But some customers believe that's part of the charm.

There's not much to Leipsic. I walked up the street from Sambo's and wanted to check out a very dusty, ancient looking antique shop, but it was closed. No worries. I'm sure I'll be back in town a few more times this summer and before Sambo closes for the season in November.

Giada's new addition

Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis and her husband Todd Thompson have welcomed a new baby girl, Jade.