Restaurants offer entrees with a side of history
Several Delaware restaurateurs have rescued, repurposed and restored old buildings in recent years for charming eateries that retain their architectural history, character and sense of place.
Not only is there a story to tell in these significant structures – important to history buffs – there’s also a good meal to be found. It’s like getting a side of education along with the entree.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be time-traveling.
While many historic elements of the buildings have been carefully preserved, blending the old with the new means the amenities are modern. And forget about raising a tankard and forking through “ye olde” cuisine.
The menus at the majority of these dining spots tend to be contemporary. Though some, such as Jessop’s Tavern, located in a 342-year-old building in Historic New Castle, do strive to maintain authenticity. Colonial fare at the 114 Delaware St. restaurant includes shepherd’s pie as well as Dutch pot roast.
Chef Patrick D’Amico, whose RM Hospitality Group opened Middletown’s Metro Pub & Grill in December, is currently renovating the town’s former Delaware Trust building on West Main Street. D’Amico and his partners plan to maintain the architectural integrity of the 1918 building including its arched windows, brick walls and columns. A former bank vault will become a wine cellar and tasting room. The original upscale, fine-dining concept has changed to Italian since D’Amico announced the project last year. He is hoping to open the eatery this summer.
New Delaware restaurants coming soon
Cantwell’s Tavern in Odessa, The Inn at Duck Creek in Smyrna and Lewes’s new Heirloom are some of the most recent restaurants to open in renovated historic buildings.
Here’s more about these new, or newish, restaurants – one in each of Delaware’s three counties – where you can get supper, sip a libation and soak up local history.
New Castle County
109 Main St., Odessa; (302) 376-0600. Visit www.cantwells-tavern.com/
History lesson:
Sleepy Odessa, once known as Cantwell’s Bridge, is the town that time forgot. Tucked away at the crossroads of U.S. 13 and Del. 299, it can be easy to miss while zooming along the much more well-traveled Del. 1. The Historic Odessa Foundation, looking to lure more tourism dollars to this historic gem, knew it needed a destination restaurant. Plans were made in 2010 to renovate the stately Cantwell’s Bridge Hotel, later known as the Brick Hotel. The 1822 Federal building, which began operating when James Monroe was president, housed travelers for about 100 years. The space was leased about four years ago to restaurateur Robert Ashby, who has experience with beloved historic buildings. In 2002, Ashby renovated the Deer Park Tavern, a Newark landmark since 1851.
Get cozy:
Modeled on an early 19th-century style tavern, Cantwell’s Tavern, which opened in late 2011, offers regional fare. One of our favorite dishes at lunch was baked oysters ($11.99), five juicy oysters topped with hot, gooey mozzarella, fresh jalapeños and tangy onion baked jam. You can grab a table near one of the six gas fireplaces, the most requested area, or belly up to the bar in the tavern for craft beers, cocktails and hearty dishes like crabcake sandwiches ($13.99), rib eye cheesesteaks ($13.99) and Caesar salad with salmon ($18.99). Look down: All flooring on the first floor is original. Look around: Walls on the first and second floor are adorned with photos, paintings and newspaper clippings celebrating Odessa’s history. The historical documents are especially interesting such as one listing rates for innkeepers in New Castle County that includes the cost of everything from gin and brandy to “inferior wines” and ale to oats, corn and hay.
Go exploring:
Du Pont family member/preservationist H. Rodney Sharp and his descendants restored multiple properties in Odessa and the town offers some of the best examples of Colonial homes in the state. Sharp, who married Isabella Mathieu du Pont, the sister of the modern DuPont Co. founder Pierre S. du Pont, once taught school in Odessa. He roomed at the Brick Hotel and later purchased it.
Take a tour of the Historic Homes of Odessa, which includes the Collins-Sharp House, built about 1700. It is one of Delaware’s oldest structures. The Georgian-style Corbit-Sharp House, dating back to 1774, was built by William Corbit, who owned a tannery on the Appoquinimink Creek. The house remained in the Corbit family until 1938, when it was acquired by Sharp. The Sharps also owned Gibraltar, a Wilmington estate at 2505 Pennsylvania Ave., well-known for its gardens designed by pioneering landscaper Marian Cruger Coffin.
The Historic Houses of Odessa are open March through December from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays. Monday visits are by reservation only. Cost is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors and students: and free for children younger than 6. The visitors center is in the old bank, circa 1855, next to Cantwell’s Tavern. Visit www.historicodessa.org.
Kent County
2 N. Main St., Smyrna; (302) 389-6700. Visit www.theinnatduckcreek.com
History lesson:
The quaint town of Smyrna on the southern bank of Duck Creek, the dividing line between New Castle and Kent counties, was once a thriving community of merchant vessels and shipbuilding. Two major thoroughfares in town formed what was known as Duck Creek Crossroads and later called the Four Corners. Smyrna’s historical district off U.S. 13 has been bypassed by travelers mostly since Del. 1 opened in stages from 1991 to 2003. The Inn at Duck Creek is made up of three adjoining 18th-century buildings at Four Corners, or East Commerce and North Main streets. It was rehabbed by owner Edward H. Ide. In late December, business partners Howard Johnson and Donna Ignasz and investor Robin Burris opened the 100-seat eatery that includes farm-to-table dining and a casual tavern.
Get cozy:
The restaurant has five gas fireplaces in its six dining rooms, which are named for town residents. A tavern was created in what had once been Vance Cole’s barber shop for nearly 50 years. The buildings have housed an antique shop, a beauty shop and served as apartments. The restaurant’s bottom floor showcases the Governor’s Room. Check out the portrait over the fireplace of Smyrna resident William Temple who, at age 32 in 1846, became the youngest governor to serve the state. Ignasz says visitors love to take a walking tour through the building, especially those who had been Cole’s customers or who had previously lived in the building. “We had people who lived here from 1966 to 1972 and they wanted to book their anniversary dinner in their [former] bedroom.”
The farm-to-table menu from chef Christopher Rauber, formerly of Bouley in New York and the Gladstone (N.J.) Tavern, includes burgers with house-cut fries ($12) at lunch or a half sandwich ($10) with a choice of side salad or cup of soup. At dinner, there’s seared duck breast, confit medallions, butternut squash, pinot noir cranberries and duck jus ($26) along with cedar smoked salmon with horseradish crème fraîche, roasted potato, roasted root vegetables ($24).
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Go exploring:
There about 500 historic buildings in Smyrna, a mix from the Colonial and Victorian eras, and the town has retained much of its character. Check out the Smyrna Museum at 11 S. Main St. The Painted Stave on West Commerce Street is the state’s first standalone distillery. It’s housed in the former Smyrna Theater, which opened in 1947. Blue Earl Brewing, the state’s seventh brewery, has been serving beers in the Smyrna Business Park since last spring. Odd Fellows Café, a small Main Street eatery, is located in a 19th century building. The Drunk’n Baker is a family-owned bakery across from the Inn at Duck Creek. The 145-year-old Smyrna Opera House, closed down after a 1948 fire, re-opened in 2003 as a performing arts center.
Sussex County
212 Savannah Road, Lewes; (302) 313-4065. Visit www.heirloomdelaware.com
History lesson:
The rich history of Lewes dates back to 1631, when this first European colony in Delaware was established by Dutch whalers who called it Zwaanendael. The Savannah Road mansion that now houses Heirloom restaurant came 268 years later. The Victorian structure on one of the town’s main thoroughfares was built in 1899, two years before the assassination of President William McKinley. It was once the home of dentist J.B. Robinson. (The restaurant’s bar area was his office.) It had been a residential home since the 1940s when owner Meghan Lee purchased the property. Heirloom opened in late December.
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Get cozy:
There’s no sign out front for now, though the Heirloom name is etched on the front door of the 70-seat eatery next to the Ocean Retreat Day Spa and Hair Studio, the big, purple rambling Victorian house. Lee has renovated Robinson’s former home and introduced a warm, stylish, feminine decor that’s not over-the-top girly. “It’s a look I love,” says Lee, who prefers to keep the design simple to let the beauty of the historic home shine. Soft votive candles, mismatched china and flowers grace the wooden tables made by youths in Wilmington’s Challenge Program, a vocational training program. Floors, fireplace and trim are all original. Lee, a Chester County, Pennsylvania, native, worked with Aimee Olexy at Talula’s Garden in Philadelphia, and the restaurateurs have similar tastes. Heirloom, open daily at 5 p.m., has some touches reminiscent of Olexy such as a top-notch selection of cheeses and a 12-seat farm table surrounded by cheery cherry red chairs. The bold and ambitious menu from executive chef Jordan Miller, who has worked at kitchens in Baltimore, right now includes sweetbreads, bone marrow, steak tartare and more. It changes with the season. Start with bottled water flavored with fresh mint leaves, and warm slices of sourdough bread studded with caraway, fennel, sesame and pepita seeds. Slather on homemade butter made with heavy cream from the Lewes Dairy. We noshed on housemade mozzarella with arugula and persimmons ($11), excellent charred octopus and fried potatoes ($16), flavored with, of all things, butterscotch (it works!), and buttery rich foie gras ($20) paired with maple-brandy poached pears and apples. Chocolate pot de creme ($11) with dulce de leche and salted peanuts is a decadent way to end the meal, but save room for the complimentary homemade marshmallows.
Go exploring:
There’s much to see in Lewes when it comes to historical and architectural interest. Start at The Lewes Historical Society’s campus between Second and Third streets at Shipcarpenter Street. The shingled Ryves Holt House at Second and Mulberry streets, built about 1665, is believed to be the oldest house in the state. Take a stroll through St. Peter’s Episcopal Churchyard at 211 Mulberry St., where four Delaware governors are buried. It’s also the final resting place for Margaret Huling, born in 1631. A much more recent addition is the Crooked Hammock Brewery, where we stopped in for a beer. The funky new spot features reclaimed items like bar stools made from tractor seats. A beer at the 16989 Kings Highway restaurant is named for Richard Mootz. The World War II veteran and Sussex County resident was an inspiration for one of the “Monuments Men,” a group that worked during the war to recover Europe’s stolen art and cultural items.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 orptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter@pattytalorico Read her blog atwww.delawareonline.com/blog/secondhelpings
Some other historical eateries:
The Brick Hotel on The Circle in Georgetown. This inn with casual dining was built in 1836. Visit www.thebrickhotel.com
Buckley’s Tavern, the house where the restaurant at 5812 Kennett Pike in Centreville stands dates back to 1817. Visit www.buckleystavern.com
The Buttery, 102 Second St., Lewes, is housed in the former Trader Mansion, a Victorian landmark built about 1890. www.butteryrestaurant.com
Cavanaugh’s Restaurant, 703 N Market St, Wilmington, is in the former Reynold’s Candy Co. which opened in 1929; www.cavanaughswilmington.com
Columbus Inn, a city of Wilmington landmark at 2216 Pennsylvania Ave. since the 18th century. Visit www.columbusinn.net
Crabby Dick’s, 30 Clinton St., Delaware City. The building, circa 1826, housing the restaurant was once a hotel. Visit crabby-dicks.com
The Deer Park Tavern, a landmark at 108 W. Main St., Newark, since 1851. Visit www.deerparktavern.com
The Green Room at the Hotel du Pont, 42 W. 11th St., Wilmington. Fine dining in a 1913 Italian Renaissance hotel, considered one of the most lavish hotels of America’s Gilded Age. The Green name refers to a family, not the color of the dining room. Visit www.hoteldupont.com
Governor’s Cafe at 144 S.W. Kings Highway in Dover is registered as the “Leason House” on the National Register of Historic Places. The house was built in 1857. Visit www.governorscafe.com
House of William and Merry, 1336 Old Lancaster Pike, Hockessin. The property was built as a farmhouse in 1922 and expanded at least twice. Visit www.williamandmerry.com.
Jessop’s Tavern, originally built in 1674 at 114 Delaware St., New Castle. Visit www.jessops-tavern.com
Kelly’s Logan House, 1701 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, was built in 1864. It is the oldest Irish bar in Delaware and oldest continuous family-owned Irish bar in the country. www.loganhouse.com
Klondike Kate’s, 158 E. Main St., Newark. Located in the Exchange Building also known as Center Building. Two jail cells were built in the basement of the building which dates back to about 1880; www.klondikekates.com
Krazy Kat’s at the Inn at Monchanin Village, 528 Montchanin Road, Montchanin. Once part of the Winterthur estate, the village has 11 buildings dating from 1799 to 1910. The restaurant is housed in a renovated blacksmith’s shop, complete with one of the original forges. Visit www.montchanin.com
Tea for Two. One of Dover’s “painted ladies,” the 1906 house at 224 N. State St. offers tea, sandwiches and dessert. Visit teafortwoteahouse.com.