Pricey crabs, no more Steak and Ale, ice cream

Plenty of food news today. If you're a crab lover, read my Diner's Digest column. After my friends encountered a dozen medium size crabs for $72 - yep, 72 beans! - at a beach crab house, I decided to make a few calls to see what other crab houses were charging. It's not a complete list - just a sampling.

News Journal reporter Maureen Milford writes about the closing of Bennigan's and Steak and Ale. While Steak and Ale seemed stuck in the 70s, I actually kind of liked the place on Kirkwood Highway for a steak dinner every once and while.

Features desk reporter Shruti L. Mathur tries to make her own ice cream and runs into all kinds of problems. It's apparently not as easy as it seems.

We made ice cream when I was a kid with one of those old-fashioned crank machines (though it had an electric crank). We used it exactly ONCE. I actually forgot doing this until I found the cob webbed covered machine recently in my mom's garage.

Cool right? Wrong. After reading the directions, I decided to buy a pint at Woodside Farms instead.

The net

(Regular Guy Grub, by Buddy Hurlock) Anyone order pizza online? When Sandra Bullock did so in 1995's The Net, it got a laugh. Now I think it's the best way to order pizza. There's no being asked to put on hold as soon as they pick up the phone, and there's no being rushed through placing your order.

Papa John's was ahead of the curve when it came to placing orders online, making it an option well before the others. Only recently have Domino's and Pizza Hut come up with sites that make the process easy. The Domino's Pizza Tracker is mildly entertaining. After you finish placing an order, the Tracker lets you know when the pizza is put in the oven, when its put in the box and when it leaves the store. It even gives you the names of the cook and the delivery person, a nice touch. Pizza Hut has a feature that estimates delivery time before you order, though the last time I used their site to place an order, things were a little uneven. The pre-order estimate was 35 minutes, but after I placed the order I was told delivery time would be 100 minutes. Egad! Thankfully, the order was delivered in about 40 minutes.

At least one local joint is joining the world of online ordering. Seasons Pizza has it available for most locations, and it worked just as well as the others, though when I recently made an online order at its Midway Shopping Center location, paying by credit card was the only option. Hopefully, they'll start accepting cash via online orders, at least if you're going to the store itself to pick up the order (which I was).

So, don't be scared to order pizza online. It's easy. It's fun. It's the future. Try it once and you won't ever go back.

In some other observations from this week, I stopped eating Pringles for a while after realizing they are just "potato crisps" and not potato chips, because of their true potato content. Anyway, now that Pringles Minis come in a nine-ounce bag, my addiction is returning. They just need to make the bag resealable.

Additionally, in another plug for candy, I tried the new Mike & Ike Lemonade Blasts, and give them a thumbs up. A portion of the sales benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand (http://www.alexslemonade.org/) which has become a nationwide charity seeking a cure for childhood cancer.

Lastly, try this fun quiz: www.walletpop.com/quizzes/spot-the-fake-product. I scored a 17 out of 20. Here's one hint: On some of the examples, look for some clues that make the fake choice more obvious. For instance, would suntan lotion be advertised as greasy or non-greasy?

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.

Reader mail

A very busy week - along with a sick day - has kept me from regular posting. So sorry!

I hope you get a chance to look at the 55 Hours cover story on local farmers' markets. The "buy local" craze is just getting crazier. And that's great news for "locavores" and for Delaware farmers who need our support. Always buy local whenever you can.

And here's a side bar on U-pick places. Picking peaches at Bennett Orchards in Frankford is one of my favorite Delaware experiences. A family member recently picked blueberries and blackberries at Strawberry Lane Farm in Frankford and brought an unbelievable sweet homemade blackberry cobbler to our beach house. I love summer foods!

Eric Ruth chows hot dogs at the new Johnnie's on Concord Pike.

Here's what's in the mailbag. (If you sent me email while I'll was on vacation, my apologies if I haven't gotten to it yet! I hit the ground running when I got back into town and I'm still not yet caught up.):

QUESTION: Dear Ms. Talorico,

I've seen several lists of U-Pick farms in the area and am always surprised that no one ever mentions our family's favorite, Walnut Springs Farm, off of Blue Ball Rd. in Maryland. My husband and I started going there for U-Pick strawberries when we were still in graduate school (10 years ago!) at the University of Delaware. We've been there this year for strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and black raspberries (with a 7-, a 4-, and a 1-year-old, no less). We're pretty serious about picking fruit and are not fans of the entertainment extravaganza that is Milburn, so we like the quiet of Walnut Springs Farm. It deserves to be mentioned in any future U-Pick articles--we hope you will do so.

Thanks for your time,

Libby Jonczyk

ANSWER: Thanks Libby. I didn't know about this place. Thanks for the suggestion. I just checked the web site and it shows that the last picking day is this Saturday. We'll keep it in mind for next year, though.

QUESTION: Hi, Patty. Every few years I hear a rumor that Cavanaugh's on Market St. in Wilmington is still open. Recently I heard this again, but that they're only open for lunch -- and my source said that lunch was actually very good. Can you confirm this? I enjoyed dinner there, maybe during a city art loop, about 20 years ago. I thought they closed down years ago and am always surprised to hear they're still open. If the food is decent, why is it that we don't we hear more about it? Just curious. Maybe I'll have to get over there one of these days.
Nancy

ANSWER: Hi Nancy. Thanks for the letter. Cav's is still open and last time I was in downtown Wilmington it seemed to be thriving at lunchtime. Haven't stopped in there for some time, but I will soon .

At the movies

(Regular Guy Grub, by Buddy Hurlock) During a quick trip Monday to visit my brother in New York City, we went to see The Dark Knight and then a Yankees game, my second and probable final trip to Yankee Stadium.

I didn't end up getting any pizza up in New York this time, and the hot dogs at the game were just fine, but going to the movies led to some observations.

Has anyone noticed that more movie theaters are pre-bagging their popcorn? This is no good. When they do this, you get popcorn that isn't nearly as fresh, and it makes me question if it's popcorn that was even popped within the last hour, or even popped on site at all.

Note No. 1 to movie theater owners: We want to see you put our own popcorn into our own bag. And if your answer is that pre-bagging makes the lines move faster, that's not a good excuse. We don't mind missing the 20 minutes of commercials.

Also, whenever you get anything larger than a small bag of popcorn, it disappointingly means you're only getting butter on the very top and, nothing more.

Note No. 2 to movie theater owners: Cut us break when we order the larger sizes of popcorn. Fill it up halfway, put on some butter and proceed. Go ahead and charge us 50 cents more. We're already paying a lot anyway.

As for candy, what candy do you like to get at the movies? I went with Mike & Ikes on Monday. And OK, you caught me, I hardly ever do this, but this time I brought in the candy from outside. But usually, I don't mind buying my candy right at the theater.

Note No. 1 to movie-goers: Don't get too mad about the high prices of food at the movies. Theater owners make very little off ticket sales.

In another issue, I always be sure to take my trash with me when I leave, since the bins are right there when you exit. Since when did it become OK to just leave your trash on the floor at the movies, or on the ground at baseball games? You should see all the trash that's left after Blue Rocks games. Disgusting.

Note No. 2 to movie-goers: Clean up after yourselves.

Anyway, make your case for the best movie candy. Is there a certain candy that you only get at the movies? For me, that's Sno-Caps, a perfect fit with salty popcorn. Milk Duds and Sour Patch Kids are two more of my favorites.

Lastly, I still want to hear about Delaware's hidden hot dog places. I know there's one in Seaford right on Rte. 13, but the name escapes me. Anyone know?

Vacations, photos and food

I'm thinking about writing a story and asking people "What I Ate On My [Summer] Vacation..." Going through a photo card, I came across some pictures I took on my trip to Slovenia last October before making my annual trek through Italy. The photo above was the bedroom view from the lovely Hotel Kendov Dvorec in Spodnja Idrija.

The placard below was on a building in the town of Ljubljana. For real.

You gotta love a country that has a society that recognizes the importance of sauteed potatoes and onions. The Slovenia guy showing us around Ljubljana couldn't really explain what the society does besides eating potatoes and onions or why there are bugs etched on this placard......I'm going to chalk it up to a Lost in Translation moment.

The pix below was taken at the farmers' market in Ljubljana. Those are giant vats of freshly made sauerkraut. There is no escaping the Slavic influence in Slovenia, which borders Italy and Croatia. Grandma types were buying big bags of it. I visited several vineyards and some of the wine from Slovenia is quite wonderful, especially Tokai and Rebula, but a local one called Teran, which was fine with the local foods, tasted much too much like the kraut once we opened a bottle of it in Tuscany.


One of my favorite stops in Slovenia was to the Piranske Soline salt store. (See below) Yep, a whole store devoted to salt. The salt is stored in canvas bags tied with red ribbons. You can also buy little wooden salt spoons for serving.


But this is not just any salt. Slovenia salt kicks that Morton babe's butt.

The salt is harvested from the Secovlje Salina Nature Park, on Slovenia's Adriatic coast using techniques dating from the 14th century.

Their slogan: Salt is the sea that could not return to the sky.

The salt's flavor and texture is prized among European chefs, including Alain Ducasse. I bought several bags for friends and family who cook - and, of course, the little spoons. The culinarians went nuts. It's that good. No one wants Italian scarfs or handbags from me anymore. It's Slovenia salt or nothing at all. Well, no one has ever said no to a bottle of freshly harvested Tuscan extra virgin olive oil.

(At customs, however, I did start to have some anxiety about an agent rifling through my luggage and finding all these bags of salt and little wooden spoons. I'm not sure if anyone would believe I was really muling salt for a bunch of sodium-craving Americans.)

I'm getting near the end of my salt and I need a Slovenia salt hook up very, very soon.

-Patricia Talorico

Back from beach bumming

It seems like I've been gone much longer than a week. Then again, it doesn't feel long enough.

A week's vacation at the beach has me re-energized.

Good friends, family and lots of good food. That's the ticket.

However, that old saying, "You'll never know how many friends you have until you get a place at the beach" was certainly true last Sunday. I stopped counting when I got to 23 bodies crowding the sand, and, later, the decks, of our house. Thank God, the cold brewskis, bottles of sparkling wine and plates of pulled BBQ pork were flowing freely....

We're a group that enjoys cooking on a vacation (I'm a wacky food writer, what do you expect?) but I did get a chance to get out and about. Not as much as I would have liked, but, well, here's a few quick notes:

- Best doughnuts in the world: The Fractured Prune near Rehoboth Beach. Soft and hot with really funky flavors. (Lemonade doughnut? Why not? And hey, who counts calories on vacation?)

- I can't let the summer go without a vanilla and chocolate twisted frozen custard cone from Kohr Bros. And the next day I got an orange and vanilla twist just to make sure I had all my bases covered. I get all Corey Haim when it comes to frozen custard. It's my addiction, my version of crack.

- Really spicy, tasty Bloody Mary on the deck of the Rusty Rudder. Don't eat there though - the Rudder is not known for good food. We had breakfast first at the Sunrise in Dewey. Not bad pancakes and bacon, though we were really glad we didn't see the ants on the table until AFTER breakfast. Order a drink at the Rudder and enjoy the view of Rehoboth Bay. Be prepared to pay for it, though. A Grey Goose Bloody was $8.50, (plus 50 cents for the Bloody Mary mix.) Seriously. That's what it read on the bill.

- The peaches from Bennett Orchards in Frankford (bought at a farm stand on Rt. 26 near Bethany) are insanely juicy and sweet this year. This farm is a Delaware treasure.

- Local corn and cantaloupes are outstanding too. Local tomatoes are just starting to gear up. And I saw the Tomato Sunshine stand is back in business after a fire earlier this year.

- Friends went for hardshell crabs at Mickey's Family Crab House in Bethany Beach one night and left, sans crabs, - in a STATE OF SHOCK. One dozen medium-sized crabs were $72.

No lie! That's 6 beans PER CRAB. You people crazy? They had dinner at the Bluecoast instead and couldn't have been happier. (Just had takeout steamed hardshell crabs from Feby's Fishery on Lancaster Pike, which, I believe, were $38 a dozen for large...so c'mon now.....72 beans is highway robbery.)

- Beautiful Foods in Rehoboth hooked us up with a wonderfully creamy gorgonzola - to eat with those peaches- and a smoked salmon, goat cheese and sundried tomato spread to eat with crackers.

- The Sussex County resort area restaurant scene seems to be doing OK in this economy - still the same old lines outside of Nicola Pizza and Big Fish Grill - though I had to shake my head at places like the Back Porch Cafe that are still charging $35 plus for entrees - and weren't filling seats in the dining rooms.

- Really want to check out the new Shag restaurant on Wilmington Avenue - right next to the Planet X. It looks very funky and had a good Sat. night crowd. Didn't get a chance to get over to Stingray, new sushi spot from Mikimotos owner Darius Mansoory. Saving them both for another beach trip very soon.

- Had a wonderful tomato salad and grilled mahi-mahi one night at NorthEast Kitchen in Ocean View.

-NorthEast Kitchen/Bluecoast owner Matt Haley's new Lupo di Mare Cucina Italiano in Rehoboth Beach is definitely worth a visit.

It's Italian, but the cuisine is much closer to what you'll find in Italy rather than a Italian-American restaurant. The stuffed squash blossoms with ricotta and pork were excellent ($6) as was the grilled balsamic marinated lamb leg steak with zucchini strings and rosemary potatoes ($20.) I wish the wine list was a little deeper with Italian vinos, but Lupo shows much promise.

MORE TO COME - i.e. a Taste review - ON THIS RESTAURANT SOON. Stay tuned.

- Patricia Talorico

More words on pizza, and a hot dog query

Regular Guy Grub (July 15, by Buddy Hurlock) Ever hear of Pizza Inn? Donatos Pizza? How about CiCi's Pizza? They're all national pizza chains, all well-established far and wide across the country, except around here. Even through the northeast, these chains don't have too much of a presence, probably because of the loyalty to all of the local shops.

Is it heresy to get any pizza from a Pizza Hut, or a Domino's, or any national chain? I don't think so. As I said in my recent pizza review, I pretty much like any pizza, and once in a while I'll frequent these places as well. The idea that there are other national chains out there that haven't made their way to Delaware (or the region) intrigues me.

Anyone, in their travels, ever have pizza from Donatos? Or Pizza Inn? How was it? Pizza Inn celebrates 50 years this summer. They have to be doing something right.

Also, tell me about some hot dog places in Delaware. Now, don't tell me about The Dog House or Deerhead or the Charcoal Pit. Clearly, these are places I know. I even know about the good "hot dog subs" you can get from shops like Capriotti's and Casapulla's.

What I want to know is, are there any good hot dog places out there that I've missed? Let me know, because I plan to put together a "hot dog showdown" in the near future, and I want to include hot dogs from all corners of Delaware.

Similar to pizza, there's rarely a hot dog I do not like. But just for a guide, I almost always have my hot dogs with only mustard. Once in a while, I'll have one with cheese or with kraut. But never, never with ketchup. Also, there's no need to suggest a hot dog from a convenience store (yes, I mean you, 7-11 and Wawa) or from a gasoline station.

UPDATE: I anticipate support for Jimmy John's. But unless I am completely persuaded, I want to keep the showdown within state lines.

UPDATE: Due to some vacation, my next Regular Guy Grub post won't be up until later on July 22. I'll be coming back from New York City, so I'll report on the pizza I had, plus some other details.

Vacation, all I ever needed....

Hey food friends, I'm taking vacation starting RIGHT. NOW. Yahoo!

Not sure if Eric will have any updates next week, but check back and see. Also, don't forgot to read Buddy Hurlock's Regular Guy Grub post every Tuesday.

On July 18 in 55 Hours, I'll have a Taste column about the lobster specials available at the Back Burner in Hockessin and at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant.

See you back here July 21.

- Patricia Talorico

Regular Guy on Pizza

Our delightful new reviewer Buddy Hurlock, also known as The Regular Guy, weighs in on pizza in today's 55 Hours.

The Regular Guy likes regular pizza. No fancy-schmancy stuff. No other toppings other than pepperoni.

Read the story and his picks. The photo above was taken at Dom's Deli in Newport, the Regular Guy's favorite place for a pie.

Did your favorite pizza make his lists? If not, share your thoughts below.

Read The Regular Guy Grub posts here every Tuesday.