This tomato tart was one of the offerings when Bar Reverie opened; its chef and sommelier have moved on.
Manisha Collet-Govinden, the opening chef at Bar Reverie in Greenville, is no longer at the restaurant.
Owner David Dietz had “moved mountains” to bring the family to Delaware. (They previously owned a restaurant in Paris.) But ultimately, it was not a good fit.
The new chef, Steve Taplin, started Sept. 17 after working on new dishes at Dietz’s BBC Tavern and Grill next door.
He previously worked at the Union League in Philadelphia and at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
However, Taplin is no stranger to Wilmington.
He went to Salesianum High School, and his parents live in Hockessin, Dietz says.
Look for a new fall menu with Taplin’s imprint.
Bar Reverie is open for coffee and pastries, lunch and dinner.
One of Snuff Mill Restaurant’s owners will open The Brandywine Restaurant in October.
Coming soon to 2200 Pennsylvania Ave.
Bill Irvin, an owner of Snuff Mill Restaurant, Butchery & Wine Bar, plans to open The Brandywine Restaurant in late October.
The seasoned restaurateur was inspired more by the posh department store eateries of his youth than the shuttered Brandywine Room in the Hotel du Pont, and the décor proves his point.
The intimate space near Santa Fe Mexican Grill boasts elegant Japanese wallpaper with cranes, antique mirrors, a barrel-vaulted ceiling and an underlit bar.
Stay tuned.
Jerk eggrolls are one of the offerings at Justin Womack’s Oath ’84, which is among the restaurants featured in Wilmington’s Black Restaurant Week.
Wilmington Black Restaurant Week
More than 25 restaurants are participating in Wilmington Black Restaurant Week, hosted by the Wilmington City Council and the Office of Economic Development
The list includes Justin Womack’s Oath ’84, which opened on 405 King St. in 2022 and is moving to 902 N. Market St. this year.
The week culminates on Sept. 23, from noon to 5 p.m., with a food truck event at the Wilmington HBCU Week Block Party. (HBCU stands for historically black colleges and universities.)
The event will be at 10th and Orange streets near DE.CO.
Minh’s Bistro, a Vietnamese restaurant near Rehoboth, closed Sept. 19.
Minh’s Bistro closes
Minh’s Bistro, a Vietnamese restaurant on Route 1 near Rehoboth, announced its closing on Sept. 19. Owner Thinh Pham said he wanted to spend more time with family.
The restaurant opened in 2017 to great applause. It specializes in pho, the Vietnamese soup that eats like a meal.
The space near Rosenfeld’s Jewish Delicatessen won’t be vacant for long. The Secret Sauce Thai Kitchen is moving into the small shopping center.
Oldies but goodies
This week, I had the opportunity to visit two Delaware favorites that I haven’t frequented in some time.
The first, Eden in Rehoboth Beach, has achieved culinary icon status.
It initially opened as a café on Rehoboth Avenue but later moved to the short-lived home of Pizza by Elizabeths on Baltimore Avenue.
MORE RESTAURANT FARE: Iron Hill shows off its new menu
The café morphed into a two-story fine-dining destination with fanciful food and a fairy-like décor that appealed to Mark Hunker and best friend Jeff McCracken, who purchased the restaurant in 2005. (They also own JAM Bistro.)
Antelope tenderloin has been an intriguing menu mainstay, and the blushing pink meat is as good as it looks. Kurobuta pork tomahawk is another winner, and the bone is as long as a pot handle.
Among the lovely dishes at William & Merry is this duck breast with beets, chanterelle mushrooms, truffle puree and red wine jus.
We recently went to The House of William & Merry, owned by Bill Hoffman, a James Beard Award nominee, and his wife, Merry Catanuto.
The Hockessin restaurant has some of the prettiest plates in Delaware, and the ingredients are clearly top shelf.
For proof, consider the Hudson Valley duck breast, which shared the dish with beets, chanterelle mushrooms, truffle puree and red wine jus. (It would be the perfect Valentine’s Day delight.)
Hoffman loves to play with foie gras, so it’s not to be missed if you’re a fan.
The 12-year-old restaurant has not run out of steam.
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