Hockessin's Drip Cafe, Skipjack in Newark expanding
Three years after opening, Hockessin's Drip Café and Skipjack in Newark have proven to be so successful, both eateries are planning expansions this fall.
Drip Café in the Lantana Square Shopping Center will be doubling the size of its dining room, while Skipjack in the Shoppes of Louviers is adding a 50- to 60-seat banquet room.
Greg Vogeley, who opened Drip Cafe in April 2013, plans to temporarily close the popular coffeehouse later this month during the construction, which is expected to take about two weeks.
Contractors will be knocking out a wall near the front entrance to make room for a new, 500-square-foot dining room. Vogeley says he anticipates the project will take about two weeks and he hopes to reopen by early October.
STORY: Garlic, butter and determination help local chef beat Bobby Flay
At that time, he will have increased the seating from 50 to about 102 seats. Vogeley says the new dining space also will have a larger table for parties of 10 people.
Vogeley says he also is planning an upgrade of the entire 144 Lantana Drive restaurant with new paint and more
"It's time for the people who have been coming here to see something new," he says. "It definitely will have a different feel."
The Lantana Square space has housed at least two other businesses before Drip Cafe. Vogeley says the new dining room will be located in a space that has been vacant for several years.
Skipjack chef/owner Donny Merrill says his Newark restaurant, about five miles from Drip Cafe, has been thriving so much, he's also ready for more space.
In June 2013, Merrill opened the eatery in the Shoppes of Louviers off Paper Mill Road. He says plans are now in the works to acquire the space next to the restaurant which has been the home of a nutrition store. The store is moving to a different site in the shopping center next to the gym.
Merrill plans to make the former store space into a banquet room that can accommodate 50 to 60 people.
“We’re very excited. It’s just always been in the plans to eventually expand. We’re right on schedule,” he says.
Construction work should begin in October. He anticipates an opening by Nov. 1.
STORY: Ryan Phillippe calls BrewHaHa! 'my favorite coffee spot'
Skipjack, a casual yet upscale restaurant, offers seafood as well as dishes like Tater Tot-encrusted beef short ribs. (I’m a big fan of Merrill’s crab cakes and shrimp and grits.)
The eatery has gained a supportive following of regular, loyal patrons in the last three years, says Merrill, who had been the longtime chef at Krazy Kat’s, the restaurant at the Inn at Montchanin, before opening Skipjack.
“It’s going wonderful. I’m excited. Every month, it surprises me how well we’re doing.”
Merrill says he began looking to expand because the restaurant already does large parties at lunch and dinner. He said the banquet room, which will adjoin the tavern area, also will be able to handle overflow from the dining room that now has more than 100 seats.
“I’m at my limit. The new room is going to keep me busy. We are already getting phone calls to get in there for Christmas parties,” Merrill says. Next spring, he hopes to add a patio.
For more information, visit skipjacknewark.com
Meeting planner goes for Southern gent meets Key West vibes
Brews by the Bay: Two states, one beer festival
Nearly 60 breweries expected at Saturday’s Brewfest
Tapping into a love history and local brews, the third annual Historic Odessa Brewfest will be held Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
The fundraiser for the Historic Odessa Foundation, which benefits the preservation and conservation of the town’s museum properties, takes place in charming Odessa, one of Delaware’s must-see locations.
Nearly 60 regional and national craft breweries are expected to pour beers. Some of breweries offering new suds include Boulevard, who will be presenting Tank 7 and Calling IPA; Ballast Point presenting Mango Even Keel Session IPA and Sculpin IPA; Rar and their Nanticoke Nectar and Groove City; and 2SP presenting Weiss Wit and Belgian Triple. Dogfish Head Distillery also will be pouring samples of their new line of spirits.
A VIP tasting (cost is $70) begins at noon and general admission ($50 in advance, $60 on Saturday) doors open at 2 p.m. The $15 cost for designated drivers includes food and soft drinks and water.
The event includes local gourmet food, live music on two stages, colonial re-enactors who will be making beer using historical methods and materials, and artisans on the grounds of the 246-year-old Wilson-Warner House, considered one of the finest Georgian homes in Delaware.
Other participating breweries include: 10 barrel, 16 Mile, 21st Amendment, 3rd wave, Allagash, Alpine, Anchor, Bear Republic, Bells, Big Oyster, Blue Earl, Blue point, Brooklyn, Dominion, Duclaw, Elysian, Evo, Firestone Walker, Flying Dog, Flying Fish, Fordham, Golden Road, Goose Island, Green Flash, Harpoon, Heavy Seas, Iron Fist, Lagunitas, Lienenkugels, Long Trail, Magic Hat, Mispillion, Neshaminy Creek, New Belgium, North Coast, Ommegang, Oskar Blues, Otter Creek, Rebel Seed, Cider, Rogue, Sam Adams, Schlafly, Shipyard, Sierra Nevada, Six Point, Smuttynose, Soudts, Stone, Troegs, Twin Lakes, Two Roads, Weyerbacher, Victory, Virtue Cider, Yards.
For more information, call (302) 378-4119 or visit www.odessabrewfest.com/.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 orptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter@pattytalorico