Mailbag: Slow-roasted pot roast satisfies comfort food desire

Pot roast just might be the favorite dish of Delaware, judging by the number of phone calls and emails I’ve received in the past week.

When a Wilmington reader recently said he was searching for a homestyle restaurant that serves slow-cooked pot roast (the kind that falls apart) with mashed potatoes and gravy, the humble query struck a deep nerve. Not only did I get numerous restaurant suggestions, one reader even sent a recipe.

The feedback about the unpretentious dish has even rivaled an interest in local crabcakes, always one of our most popular food topics.

Why is pot roast, sometimes known as Yankee pot roast when vegetables are added, such a beloved comfort food?

I guessing part of the appeal is taking an inexpensive, less tender cut of beef and braising it until it’s packed with flavor and so soft, no knife is needed. It’s also a magical, hearty grandma-style dinner that evokes simpler times or maybe even a little bit of hipster, kitschy coolness.

Stone Ballon Ale House executive chef Robbie Jester wrote to say he has it on the menu of his Newark restaurant at 115 E. Main St. Jester makes pot roast-style short rib ($19) over red bliss potatoes with roasted root vegetables, arugula and roasting jus. The dish is gluten-free.

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery in the Liberty Plaza/Possum Park Mall in Newark is a favorite place for one reader who wrote: “It is very good, savory, falling apart and reasonable.”

Evette Coffie says “The Georgia House Restaurant has great pot roast.” It has locations in Millsboro, Selbyville and Milford. Visit eatgh.com.

Phyllis Chudnofsky said the “best place I ever had pot roast around here is the Golden Corral.” There’s a location at 221 Belle Hill Road in Elkton, Maryland.

At least a half dozen readers put in a vote for pot roast served at the Bob Evans national restaurant chain. “I haven’t tried their pot roast, but Bob Evans has pot roast on their menu every day. Just sayin’!” wrote Sharon Rineer.

A caller said Bob Evans pot roast “comes close to Kirby & Holloway,” the Dover landmark that closed after a February 2014 fire ravaged the building.

Terri English said her husband loves Bob Evans’ slow-roasted pot roast with carrots served over mashed potatoes. Barbara Kamm likes the Bob Evans in Middletown for good pot roast and mashed potatoes. “They also have a great pot roast sandwich with coleslaw and French fries. Sooo goood!” she wrote.

Pamella Bounds suggests going to the Smyrna Diner on Sundays for its pot roast special.

“It’s really good and really reasonable,” she said of the diner at off U.S. 13 north at the intersection of Del. 1 at Exit 114 in Smyrna. When I called, a diner employee said they start serving pot roast on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. until “whenever it runs out.”

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Apparently, Sundays are a popular day for pot roast. Another reader said to head to Arner’s Restaurant & Bakery at 201 N. Dupont Highway in New Castle.

“You have to call ahead to make sure they have it. [The pot roast] tastes as good as the trouble I go to make it myself and I make a pretty damn good one,” an anonymous caller said.

Just an FYI, I called Arner’s and they say they don’t offer pot roast every week, but do have it on “some Sundays.” Call (302) 322-3279 before going to the restaurant.

Here are more ideas:

Go to Crossroads or Cracker Barrel

For the reader from Wilmington who inquired where good pot roast could be found, try Crossroads Restaurant in Wilmington at 4579 Kirkwood Highway.

Or, frankly, the roast beef at any Cracker Barrel Restaurant is excellent! The closest one would require going over the Delaware Memorial Bridge to Pennsville, New Jersey (near Exit 1 on the New Jersey Turnpike). There’s also one in Rehoboth as well.

Mary Ann

Smyrna

Editor’s note: John Atkinson was one of several callers who said he likes the pot roast at Cracker Barrel in Rehoboth Beach.

Bethany Beach dish ‘reminds me of my mother’s’

Sorry guys, it’s nowhere near Wilmington, but excellent pot roast can be found at the Cottage Cafe on Del. 1 in Bethany Beach. Reminds me of my mother’s. It’s really worth the trip.

Good luck on your search

Babs Walters

Editor’s note: June Grantland said The Cottage Cafe, 33034 Coastal Highway, in Bethany has a pot roast “to die for.” And Loretta S. Shepherd said when it comes to “great pot roast, two come to mind: Crossroads on Kirkwood Highway and Cottage Café in Bethany Beach. Both are outstanding!”

Dutch Country Farmers Market serves comfort foods

Hi! I’m the owner of Kate & Emmy’s Avon Boutique at the Dutch Country Farmers Market, 701 N. Broad St. in Middletown. Visit delawarefarmersmarket.com.

Our vendor Stoltzfus BBQ makes amazing slow-cooked pot roast with potatoes and carrots. And our market has eight vendors selling food for takeout or to eat in our centrally-located food court. From macaroni and cheese to warm rolls straight from the bakery oven, real milkshakes made with Hershey’s ice cream, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and fresh soups and sandwiches, our foods are handmade from real ingredients, and much of our meats, dairy products, and produce are organic, hormone-free, and locally produced.

We have monthly pig roasts; the next one is the weekend of May 4-6. I can heartily recommend the pulled pork sliders with side dishes of sauerkraut and mashed potatoes with golden pork gravy, and strawberry cheesecake for dessert.

Our market is a special place - Amish-owned and operated, with friendly vendors and a low-key atmosphere. It’s a great place for a springtime drive along Route 301 followed by a hearty lunch. Along with our food vendors, we have a florist creating ikebana-inspired arrangements, an artisan jewelry shop, a pet supplies booth, Amish handicrafts and furniture and many more unique shops.

My own shop is Delaware’s only full-line Avon boutique, featuring over 1000 Avon products on the shelves to take home immediately -- no waiting for the Avon lady to come around. (And Avon ladies are hard to find nowadays, anyway.)

Kathleen “Kate” Otley

Never a bad meal at Jessop’s Tavern

Jessop’s Tavern in Old New Castle serves an amazing pot roast with mashed potatoes and a deep, rich gravy along with root vegetables. The meat is so tender! The portions are generous and the ambiance is quaint.

My friends and I have never had a bad meal or experience at Jessop’s. If your reader hasn’t had an opportunity to explore Old New Castle, it is certainly worth a trip topped off with a great meal. It is open for lunch and dinner. I would recommend reservations for weekend dinners.

M.J. Quill

Editor’s Note: Terry Gavin also suggested Jessop’s Tavern at 114 Delaware St. She said it has “delicious pot roast served with mashed potatoes and a rich dark gravy. Wonderful!” Lisa Napadensky also recommends the restaurant and says she remembers pot roast with “the meat falling apart covered in a rich beef gravy.”

Pot roast found at ham retailer

Honey Baked Ham in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, has great pot roast. Pot roast is probably available at all the franchises (HoneyBaked.com). The pot roast is prepared expertly, seasoned just right, and has loads of thick tasty gravy, but it is frozen.

Lucky’s Coffee Shop on the Concord Pike in Talleyville has great pot roast, too. It is served hot with sides.

Best regards,

Nancy J. Wolf

Talleyville

Lucky’s for pot roast, but where to get spumoni?

Lucky’s on U.S. 202 serves an excellent pot roast daily. It is served with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Now a question: Know of any restaurant that serves spumoni?

Nancy Day

Thanks, Nancy, for starting another crowd-sourcing question. Readers, where do you go for spumoni?

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 orptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter@pattytalorico.