Greek Festival underway

Had lunch today at the Wilmington Greek Festival - plenty of open outdoor tables - but inside the church, tables, covered with blue plastic tableclothes the same color as the Greek flag, were pretty full by about 12:30 p.m.

Lunch service starts at 11 a.m.

A few outdoor stands at the back of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church looked like they were selling food, but most of it could be found in the church basement. (Outdoor stands with gyros and souvlaki open around 4 p.m.)

Greek music blares through the speakers to get you in the mood. (Gotta wait until the evening for the dancers.) There's a mobile ATM machine from Wilmington Trust parked out front of the entrance on North Broom Street, just in case you forget to tap MAC. Parking on street was pretty easy at lunchtime, but there is a shuttle bus available.


In the church basement, you grab a tray and then go cafeteria-style through one of two lines where the church ladies will very generously load your plate. (I had to ask one very sweet grandmother type to ease up on the orzo after she spooned up two heaping helpings and was about to go for a third.)

A bar tended by the church guys includes Miller Lite draft ($4), Heineken and Greek beer (each $5), ouzo ($6) and Greek wine ($6.) And, yes, I did see a few people belly up to the bar at noontime for beers. (I have a feeling they weren't returning to work.)

Prices are more than reasonable - orzo ($2); Greek salad ($3) - my pal got it just to eat the hunks of feta; keftedes or little meatballs in tomato sauce, (3 for $3) are very good; dolamades, or stuffed grapes, had a nice lemony flavor and and were filled with beef and rice (3 for $3).

A square of spanakopita, or spinach pie, was very flaky ($2.50.) I only wish the top was a little more brown. There's also moussaka, pastitio, lamb, string beans and rolls and butter.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the basement food court will be serving stuffed peppers for $9 and on Friday, the special is baked fish with string beans for $9.

My lunch plate below, which included a 20-ounce bottle of water, was only $9. Good deal. Didn't see much in the way of dessert at lunchtime other than rice pudding, which I try to avoid at all costs. It's one of the few foods I never developed a taste for.

Bear with me.....

I've been having major computer problems for the past two days - so sorry for no new updates.

As soon as it's worked out, I'll be back. In the meantime, go enjoy the foods served at Wilmington's Greek Festival which opened this morning.

Reader Mail

Happy Friday. A short week was just the ticket I needed.

A story is coming Wednesday about our hunt for some of the best crab cakes in and around Delaware. The quest will continue for at least a month - and then we'll share our findings. Stay tuned.

KENNETT SQUARE HAS A LOT MORE THAN MUSHROOMS

In today's Taste column, I finally grab a table at Sovana Bistro, near Kennett Square, Pa.

(What do you mean, finally? You've never been? )

I know. I know.

Colossal dining mistake, which has since been corrected. Verdict: It's worth a trip.

FIRST THE WINE, THEN THE WOMEN......

Ryan Cormier's 55 Hours cover story today on the jumbo Outlet Liquors in Rehoboth Beach for women is really interesting. According to Ryan, the 20,000 square foot store offers everything from a "$30,000 limestone women's bathroom to an entertainment lounge area with live music to flat-screen televisions tuned to the Food Network."

I dunno, I never shop at a liquor store and think "Oh, I wonder how the restroom is??"

I have a feeling it's going to get used as a bathing suit changing room more often than not this summer...

But, then again, this could be a marvelously brilliant idea - the 21st century version of the coffee shop.

Good luck, Outlet Liquors.

NEW PLACES TO CHOW DOWN

Just a quick note: Vincente's Italian restaurant on Kirkwood Highway (near the Kirkwood Highway Library and across from All Saint's Cemetery) has opened for business.

Word is that Big Fish Grill on the Wilmington Riverfront should be serving customers in about two weeks or so.

Now onto the mailbag. You ask. We answer. Every Friday. Email me at ptalorico@delawareonline.com.

GOOD STORIES, BUT......

Last Friday, we offered our super-sized version of 55 Hours. It is online for your reading pleasure. Readers did call and write to say about a few places we missed.

In an article about pick-your-own places, a reader told us we should have mentioned Filasky's Produce, 1343 Bunker Hill Road, Middletown; 378-2889, which has u-pick strawberries.

Also, in an article about crabhouses, a reader says we missed The Alibi Inn, Sassafrass Road, Warwick, Md., (410) 755-6862‎. (It's near Cecilton, Md.)

LET'S GET CHEESY

QUESTION: Hi Patricia, I always enjoy your articles. I just wanted to mention after reading recently your pick of Janssens as a great place to select cheeses. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's the article about where to find a good slice - pizza, cheese, pie, etc.]

I agree they do a great job. Equally, I would suggest that the Country Butcher in Kennett Square, Pa., has a terrific selection, albeit a more rustic setting, and they encourage you to sample the cheese to see if you like it.

Thank you, all the best,

Rosella Porro

ANSWER: Rosella, you're right. Country Butcher is a good shopping destination. And if you're in Kennett, then you must also stop into Talula's Table. (Another great place to find cheese.)

MORE SCREAMS FOR ICE CREAM

QUESTION: A sad omission; there was no mention of the new (last year) Hopkins Dairy operation on the S.W. corner of the Georgetown-Lewes Road (Rt. 9), and Dairy Farm/Sweetbriar Roads; there are pictures of cones on the silo(s); they use their own milk and cream, and the result is no less than deadly. There are always persons waiting during the summer. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Reader is referring to an article about where to find the best ice cream.]

Another interesting mistake, but not yours...the ADC Sussex Atlas has Sweetbriar and Dairy Farm Roads transposed, each being on the wrong side of Rt. 9.

RFD

ANSWER: So noted. Thanks RFD.

First look: Kooma Asian Fusion Sushi Bar

EDITOR'S NOTE: This isn't a review, per se, just a first glance at a new eatery.

Dropped into the new Wilmington Riverfront restaurant Kooma Asian Fusion Sushi Bar, 543-6732, after work yesterday with two pals.

Very cool place - at the corner of Harlan Boulevard and Justison Street.

The address is 400 Justison St. (It's near the old Kahunaville, if that's any help. There were also huge signs - and balloons - outside of the building.)

High ceiling, big sweeping bar (actually there are two bars -one is for sushi). Very white overall color scheme. Looks like there is a place for a DJ to set up equipment in one of the dining rooms.

It seems much like a place you'd find in Philly. Not many people yet - servers and sushi chefs were mostly standing around with little to do during our visit - but then the restaurant just opened.

The doors and windows were flung open and it was actually almost a little too warm sitting at the bar. (Gotta love that Delaware humidity!) Just when I wishing for some AC action, a cool breeze kicked in.

We dove into the martini menu and agreed that the $10 "French Whore" was the way to go. (And a couple of guys at the bar couldn't get enough of three chicks talking about "French Whores," which - get your mind out of the gutter, chuckleheads - is a combination of Grey Goose, Chambord, pineapple juice and o.j.

Very tasty drink, though the dirty-brownish color - hence the name, I guess? - leaves a lot to be desired.
A much more pretty drink is the Smooth Criminal ($11) - see my crappy cellphone photo above- a blend of Herradura tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, orange juice and a splash of cranberry.

The Stoli Razzle ($9) - champagne, Stoli Razberi, drop of grenadine and sugar around the rim of the flute - is a girly-girl drink, but, if truth be told, I preferred the other cocktails.

JUST A PRICE-SAVING FYI: During happy hour, appetizers and beer are 40 percent off.

We skipped the sushi [this visit] - and shared the appetizer sampler ($22 normally, $13.20 during happy hour) a combination of chicken yakitori (skewers), edamame, tempura, negimaki (grilled sirlon steak wrapped around cream cheese and scallions), and three crab shumai. Chicken was a little overcooked, but the negimaki and shumai were very good. You get a huge bowl of edamame.

I also ordered the tuna tataki ($11 normally, $6.60 during happy hour) - tuna seared and sliced - served with a side of ponzu sauce which was perfectly fine, though nothing I'd brag about eating.

I'm interested in working my way through the menu during another trip - entrees range from $15 to bibimbab and tofu teriyaki to $37 for twin lobster-scallop hibachi dinners.

Nigiri is priced per piece - $3.25 for tuna, "special" rolls can go as high as $22 (that's the lobster tempura roll.)

Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat. includes $12 sushi lunch - six pieces of sushi or sashimi and a choice of a California or tuna roll. The Kooma combo ($9) includes a choice of two rolls.

Gosselins revisited

I did catch the season premiere of "Jon & Kate Plus Eight" and found it to be downright painful TV.

While I'm a self-admitted reality show junkie - a habit I'm trying, unsuccessfully, to kick - the raw emotions of a marriage falling apart in front of a ratings-grabbing national audience was beyond sad.

And I still don't really get the appeal of this show. I was at a party once where some guy (!) was talking about this show with the kind of enthusiasm that some people show for football or baseball. Weird.

But what do I know? I love "The Real Housewives of New York."

Back in September 2008, I interviewed Kate Gosselin while she was on a press tour in New York.

At first she seemed guarded, but after a few minutes, she was funny and seemed very sincere and not at all snippy, though we were mostly talking about sandwiches, lunches, shopping and not about allegations that her husband was apparently stepping out on her with a 23-year-old third grade school teacher.

Here's the story - can you find any read-between-the-line clues as to what was really going on when cameras weren't rolling?

The queen of the brown-bag lunches
With eight kids, TV celeb Kate Gosselin packs plenty

By PATRICIA TALORICO
The News Journal

Kate Gosselin treasures her sleep.

You may already know that if you've watched the popular TLC TV series "Jon & Kate Plus Eight" which chronicles the life of the central Pennsylvania woman, her husband, Jon, and their energetic sets of multiples - 4-year-old sextuplets and 7-year-old twins.

When it comes to packing school lunches for eight kids - and that means going through a loaf of bread each day - Gosselin likes to get it out of the way the night before.

"I know the crazy morning," says the 33-year-old, whose day begins with getting together 56 pieces of clothing for the children, cooking 16 pancakes, cleaning 80 sticky fingers and tossing in five loads of laundry.

If she wasn't a pack-it-the-night-before mom, "I'd have to get up a half hour early. I'm not a morning person," says Gosselin by telephone last week from New York, where she is working with the Grain Foods Foundation to encourage moms to pack lunches for themselves and their families.

While she and Jon share parental duties, Kate is charge of the cooking and nutrition.

"I've always cooked for Jon and I. When the girls [7-year-old twins Cara and Mady] were little, it was very important for me. I want to know what I'm putting into them," she says of the rest of the brood which includes sextuplets Alexis, Aaden, Collin, Leah, Hannah and Joel.

Gosselin buys organic foods whenever she can and says she is lucky to live close to Lancaster County. "The Amish community is less than 10 minutes away, and I go to a wonderful produce grower."

The advantage of a large family: "You're never eating food that's not fresh," she jokes.
The disadvantage? A big grocery bill. Just don't ask Gosselin how much she spends each week on food.

"People always ask that, and I honestly don't know. I shop at so many different places, and we do a lot of bulk shopping. I try never to buy stuff that isn't on sale."

Despite the TV show and the attention it brings, the Gosselins are determined that their children have "a normal, happy childhood."

When she makes sandwiches, Gosselin likes to change the shape of the bread. Sometimes she'll even cut the bread into the shape of the first letter of each child's name. In school lunches, she also adds "a little love note" - each one individually written. "I try not be repetitive."

Her children are like any others, and they often go through finicky phases. "Mady went through a no-cheese, no-yogurt phase," she says.

Gosselin tries to give them choices at lunch time - "Cara and Mady will make special requests," she says - but when it comes to dinner, the mother of eight is clear that she is not a short-order cook. They eat what she has made for dinner or they don't eat at all.

"I don't give the kids an option."

The children's tastes change often, but one flavor the whole family enjoys is Gosselin's homemade hummus.

"I love it. That is one thing that goes over so well. It's funny, Collin's middle name is Thomas and he thinks when we say 'hummus' we're really saying Thomas. So he thinks it's named for him.

Now, we all call it Thomas," she says, chuckling.

Life at home is getting a little easier, though Gosselin admits "I'm not always patient. I try, and I'm having a lot of fun. It's very loud and it's moment by moment. But the kids are wanted, and I have so much fun with them."

The 4-year-olds are in pre-kindergarten this year, and the twins, who turn 8 in October, are in second grade.

"I feel old. I can't believe this has gone by so quickly," Gosselin says. "The other day Jon said, 'Mommy, you have second-graders now.'"

The perfect burger

Hey all - hope your holiday weekend was filled with good times and good food.

The barbecue season is in full swing and weekend dinners and parties included fresh mahi-mahi, barbecue and Mexican food - I need to get the recipe for a kicky pasta salad made with a sauce of roasted poblano chilies and cilantro - and surprisingly sweet (for this time of year) Sussex County corn. (Thanks Christine and Matt. Good times!)

Wow - the Greenwood Volunteer Fire Company barbecue chicken stand off U.S. 13 in Sussex County was crazy busy this weekend and a super long line on Sunday. People can't get enough of their slightly vinegary tasting chicken. It's worth a stop if you're ever in the area.

Also, I had to feed the need for the perfect burger after thumbing through "Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes" (Clarkson Potter, $25.95) cookbook.

I followed the grillmaster's suggestion for the "perfect burger" - he uses 80 percent lean, 20 percent fat ground chuck - this is really important, don't get 90 percent lean meat or the burger will be too dry - salt, pepper and canola oil. That's it.

According to Bobby: "Fat carries flavor and moisture. So if you want a juicy, flavorful burger, chuck is definitely the way to go."

I dig the fact that Flay is a purist when it comes to beef burgers. He makes his patties only with ground chuck and doesn't like to mix in any extra ingredients like onions, eggs or garlic. (That's meatloaf, he says.) He saves creativity for toppings.

Flay forms the meat into 3/4-inch burgers, about 6 ounces each, and then makes a deep depression in the center with his thumb. Then he seasons both sides of each burger with salt and pepper and brushes them with canola oil. Grill about 3 to 4 minutes per side - total of 6 minutes for rare, about 7 minutes for medium-rare and 8 minutes for medium.

(If you want to cook it longer, well, you're on your own. That's just burnt meat, in my opinion. If you're adding cheese, put it on during the last minute of cooking and close the grill cover.)

Guests agreed these were very tasty, very juicy burgers. (I served the burgers on toasted potato rolls, along with big slices of sweet onion, ketchup and mustard along with sides of pickles, baked beans and homemade cole slaw. Now that's some good eats.)

This is my new simple-yet-oh-so-perfect burger recipe for the summer. Thanks Bobby.

Enjoy the weekend

Second Helpings is taking a long, much needed, weekend break.

The only sweat we want to see is on the outside of a glass. See you Tuesday.

In the meantime, enjoy a cocktail recipe for the perfect margarita from my Seattle pal Kavita Varma-White - formerly of Wilmington and Fort Lauderdale- who was once a Dewey Beach beachhouse buddy. (Ah, who can forgot those wild-and-crazy nights dancing at the Waterfront, eating curbside pizza at Grotto and jamming at the Cork's jam session?)

(One tip from K: Before you start, she says it makes a HUGE difference to have a juicer for the limes.)

THE PERFECT MARGARITA

1.5 parts tequila (2 if you want it stronger) she prefers Sauza or Patron

1 part fresh lime juice

1 part Cointreau or Triple Sec

1 packet of Splenda

Put in shaker with a bit of ice.. Shake it up. Serve either up in a martini glass, or on the rocks in a small (7 to 10 ounce) tumbler glass. If you like salt, rub the glass rim with a lime and then twist in salt. Salud!

It's been a little crazy lately....

I haven't meant to be neglectful of the blog lately, just have been up to my eyeballs in assignments.

It's been a crazy, crazy few weeks and we've finally finished up our super-sized 55Hours section - 55 ways to do summer on a budget. Look for it on newsstands on Friday - stories should go online later today....

Friday also brings my Life section story on Emeril's Chop House at the new Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Pa.

(Here's the link to the story.)

It takes less than two hours to drive there (think about the same amount of time it takes to go from Wilmington to, maybe, Fenwick Island?) Well, if you don't get lost - like photographer Jennifer Corbett and I did on Tuesday. We were chatting in the car and missed the Bethlehem exit and even GPS wasn't sure where we were at one point.

Reasons to drive to Bethlehem: If you're looking for a new gambling outlet to play slots - casino opens on Friday - and if you're a huge Emeril fan and absolutely MUST eat in one of his restaurants. (Just don't expect to see him in the kitchen that often.) Prices aren't bad for a white tablecloth eatery - entrees about $24 to $42 (that's for a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye.)

We sampled both the herb goat cheese stuffed Amish chicken breast and the filet mignon at the press lunch. The chicken was moist and the filet was very good - nice char on the outside - though I found Emeril's homemade sweet and smoky Worcestershire sauce to be a little too much. (It has a slight throat burning after taste.) The strawberry rhubarb pie with Penn State Creamery vanilla bean ice cream was excellent.

When Jen and I were leaving, we saw a store in Bethlehem called Tallarico's Chocolates. I almost stopped in to chat - long lost relatives perhaps?

What else is going on?

- Looks like the new Kooma Sushi & Lounge Bar is open at the Wilmington Riverfront, 400 Justison St. Visit http://www.gokoomarestaurant.com/ I'm hoping to get a first look soon. I'll fill you in.

- I've been overwhelmed - overwhelmed! - by the amount of comments (135) and emails (100 plus) about where to find the best crab cakes.

The quest begins this weekend. I have a lot of miles to travel and cakes to eat. Stay tuned.

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.)

My lunch with Emeril

Just got back from lunch at the new Emeril's Chop House at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pa.

The big E was there - this is his first Northeast restaurant - and said he wanted to make sure that the menu was geared toward local products.

(He's not kidding. I flipped throught the wine list and found a 2006 Chaddsford Winery cabernet sauvignon for $45. Seriously.)

A story is coming Friday - same day that the casino and restaurant opens. Stay tuned.