Prime rib, taco and lobster deals lure in diners

Looking for an excellent, high-end meal at a bargain price?

You certainly can't beat the Sunday special going on throughout the year at Harry's Savoy Grill in Brandywine Hundred.

Every Sunday in 2018 from 3 to 9 p.m., customers can enjoy a three-course prime rib dinner for $30 at one of the state's premier steakhouses. 

The special includes classic Harry's dishes. 

For the first course, customers can chose either creamy New England clam chowder or Caesar salad made with organic Romaine lettuce hearts, parmigiana reggiano and sourdough croutons.

The entree is the restaurant's signature 10-ounce chef's cut of prime rib au jus.

Dessert? A luscious and impressive crème brûlée.

Considering Harry's 10-ounce cut of prime rib alone regularly starts at $27.95, soup or salad is about $8, and dessert costs about the same, this is a terrific deal.

Harry's owner Xavier Teixido says the dine-in only special (no substitutions, please) is a way for the restaurant to celebrate its 30th anniversary and to thank customers for their longtime patronage. 

"It’s a great deal and we see it as a way to promote Sunday family dining," Teixido says.

A once-a week-restaurant special can feel like a gift that eateries give to their loyal customers. The offers – many include prime rib, lobster and tacos – also are an excellent way to lure in and seduce new patrons. 

Fickle food flirts are constantly on the prowl for the latest culinary experience. But few diners can resist a bargain.

Of course, you can always find a deal-of-the-day on Groupon. But if you don't feel like using that middleman service, we've hunted down a number of interesting promotions and specials at restaurants throughout the state.

Feby's Fishery in Wilmington has long offered lobster night specials on Monday and Wednesday nights beginning at 4 p.m. For $19.99, patrons receive a 1 1/4 pound whole lobster and two side dishes. Reservations are suggested.

The 3701 Lancaster Pike seafood restaurant also offers a $39.99 all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab special on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and "buck-a-shuck" raw oysters on Fridays.

If tacos are more to your liking, $1 will get you a beef taco (soft or hard) on Thursday evenings at the Touchdown Restaurant in Dover. Chicken tacos that night are $1.25, and steak tacos are $2 for the dine-in only deal. Normally, tacos at the sports-themed eatery at 1666 S. Dupont Highway are three for $7.99. 

BrewHaHa! in Greenville is often mobbed on Thursdays for its Taco Night promotion. The special, from 3 p.m. until the 3838 Kennett Pike cafe closes, includes $2 tacos and $5 margaritas.

The taco selections vary. In January, five different tacos were available at the special price including slow-roasted beef short rib tacos with chipotle salsa verde, queso fresco and radishes and chili verde chorizo tacos with cotija cheese, pickled manzano pepper and red onion.

A special $8 appetizer featured on Thursday was a plate of crisp fingerling potato "nachos" topped with pepper jack cheese, serrano peppers, red onion, cilantro and avocado.

Be forewarned: Seats fill up fast. We got there shortly after 5 p.m. and the Greenville cafe was already buzzing.

But you can make a reservation – and even ask for the seats near the fireplace. Call (302) 658-6336.

At Harry's Savoy Grill, owner Xavier Teixido says he first offered the low-cost prime rib promotion five years ago when the 2020 Naamans Road restaurant, which opened in 1988, celebrated its 25th anniversary. 

At that time, the cost for the three-course meal was $25.

Teixido featured the special again this past November and offered the prime rib dinner at $30 to honor the restaurant's upcoming 30th anniversary. 

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"It was wildly popular. We did it every day," Teixido said. "This is comfort food for us. We're offering something at this price that says you don't need to be a millionaire to go [to Harry's]." 

Teixido said the meal deal has been so successful, he decided to offer it on Sundays throughout the year.

Weekly specials tend to do well at Harry's, Teixido said. On Wednesday nights, all bottled wine is half price. This is another good deal considering the restaurant is known for having one of the best wine cellars in the state. Although not every bottle is available at a discount, the restaurant has more than 50 wines available at half the usual cost. 

Half-priced oysters also are available at the bar every Thursday beginning at 11:30 a.m.

"They are kind of niche days," the restaurateur said. While Friday and Saturday nights have long been busy nights at Harry's, Teixido said he chose Sunday as the day to offer the prime rib special as a way "to rebuild" that day.

"We want people to be aware of us again. We want to make a point. It brings people in and they bring other people in," he said. 

The special also is a way for the restaurant to introduce Harry's new executive chef Michael Heaps.

The chef, a Pittsburgh area native who has worked at a five-star resort in Colorado, Del Frisco's of Philadelphia, the Sullivan's Steakhouse chain, and a private club in Seattle, started at the restaurant in November.

Heaps replaces longtime Harry's Hospitality Group executive chef and partner David Leo Banks. 

Teixido and Banks ended their almost 30-year culinary partnership in October 2017.  Banks is now the sole proprietor of the Harry's Seafood Grill and Harry's Seafood Market operations that he and Teixido co-owned at the Wilmington Riverfront. Teixido continues to own and run Harry's Savoy Grill and Kid Shelleen's Charcoal House & Saloon in Trolley Square.

Some more culinary changes could be coming soon at Harry's and its banquet offerings in the ballroom.

"It's nice to have fresh eyes," Teixido said about Heaps.

At the Stone Balloon Ale House in Newark, executive chef Robbie Jester offers another hard-to-beat bargain. Every Wednesday beginning at 4 p.m., the 115 E. Main St. restaurant in downtown Newark has "Cheap Date Night." 

The $35 special includes two entrees, a bottle of wine or a 32-ounce growler of beer, and dessert.

Want an even cheaper date night? Substitute soft drinks for the alcoholic beverages and the cost is $25.

"We offered that since we've opened almost three years now. It is amazingly busy," said Jester. "In my opinion, it's the best deal in Newark." 

The "Cheap Date Night" menu changes every three or four weeks, said Jester, well-known for his appearances on Food Network programs, including a 2016 episode of "Beat Bobby Flay," where his dish of shrimp scampi bested the celebrity chef in a head-to-head cook-off. 

"It's a creative collection of things I make or the guys in the kitchen come up," Jester said.

The Wednesday special includes a choice from about three to four bottles of white or red wine and sometimes an occasional sparkling wine.

Entrees have included everything from braised short rib tostadas to blackened salmon alfredo to chicken calzones with arugula salad. Dessert can include monkey bread pudding with white chocolate sauce, deconstructed blueberry pie or beignets. And there's always a selection of ice cream from Hockessin's Woodside Farm Creamery.

Jester said reservations are highly recommended. "It starts at 4 p.m. when we open and it goes until we run out of things," he said. "It's a full restaurant by around 6:30 p.m." 

Corner Bistro at 3604 Silverside Road in Talleyvlle now has a special dish every night of the week.

Monday is salmon and shrimp paella ($18), while Tuesday is the night for bistro chicken and waffles ($15). Fish and chips ($16) are served on Wednesdays, lobster risotto ($18) is reserved for Thursdays, and ahi tuna three ways ($22) is served on Fridays. 

Saturday is the night for homemade meatloaf ($16); and homemade lasagna ($16) is made on Sundays.

Owner Mickey Donatello says he started the new daily specials a couple weeks ago when he introduced a new menu.

Donatello said the specials keep the restaurant interesting and evolving. The lower price offerings also might change some diners perspectives.

"I feel like people think we're too fancy, I want us to be more down-to -earth," Donatello said. He likes that there are now many comfort food specials, such as Fish and Chips on Wednesdays.

"Who doesn't like fish and chips?" Donatello said, adding Dogfish Head is used in the beer batter.

The lasagna served on Sundays is made from Donatello's own recipe. Why Sundays? Why not? "My kids love lasagna," he said.

Donatello said the daily specials also are the restaurant's kitchen way to do "R&D" or research and development. If dishes become popular, they might eventually become a permanent part of the menu.

One such dish is Corner Bistro's homemade meatloaf.

"The meatloaf is incredible. We wrapped it with bacon and with a smoky barbecue sauce," he said.

Another winner has been the ahi tuna three ways. The first fish is served as Hawaiian poke, Donatello said, and a second version is encrusted with black and white sesame seeds. The third serving of tuna comes with Korean kimchi.

"It's a beautiful, beautiful dish," Donatello said.

Looking for even more dining deals? Here are some day-by-day offerings we found:

MONDAY

Discounted crab cakes at Big Fish Grill Wilmington Riverfront, 720 Justison St, Wilmington; (302) 652-3474.

Skipjack restaurant, 401 Louviers Drive, The Shoppes at Louviers, Newark, has wild  game selections and whiskey and beer tastings.

The $28 "Steak-and-Cake" dinner deal at the Columbus Inn, 2216 Pennsylvania Ave, Wilmington, includes a salad or soup, a 6-ounce sliced filet, housemade crab cake and choice of gelato or sorbet for dessert. 

Lobster Night at Feby's Fishery, 3701 Lancaster Pike, Wilmington, includes a 1 1/4 pound whole lobster and two side dishes for $19.99. The special, beginning at 4 p.m., also is held on Wednesday nights.

TUESDAY

Want a truly free meal? Check out Timothy's of Newark Facebook page every Tuesday. The 100 Creek View Road restaurant gives away weekly free dinners, but there is a catch: To get the freebie, you must have one of the two first names that are selected each week. 

This week, from Feb. 13 to Feb.19, customers named Renee or Tony can go to the restaurant and get a free Chicken Chesapeake Sandwich. (You'll also need to mention the Facebook post.) Call (302) 738-9915 for more information.

A special three-course, $30 menu is available from 5 to 9 pm at the Columbus Inn in Wilmington.

All-You-Can-Eat Dungeness Crab Night is $39.99 and starts at 4 p.m. at Feby's Fishery in Wilmington. Reservations are strongly suggestion. The special also is offered on Thursday nights.  Call (302) 998-9501.

Legends restaurant at Delaware Park in Stanton has a $19.95 Prime Rib Special. It's also offered on Wednesday nights.

Taco Tuesday at the Lemon Leaf Cafe, 2 N. Main St., Smyrna includes $1.50 tacos and $15 pitchers of margaritas. Call (302) 389-8454.

Taco Night at the Grey Fox Grille & Public House, 140 S State St. in Dover, offers $3 tacos and $4 margaritas, beginning at 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

All-You-Can-Eat chicken and dumplings are offered from 5 to 10 p.m. for $10 at Metro Pub & Grill, 17 Wood St, Middletown, (302) 376-3876.

Cheap Date Night at the Stone Balloon Ale House, 115 E Main St, Newark, includes two entrees, a bottle of wine or 32-ounce growler of beer, and a dessert for $35. Skip the alcohol beverages and the special is $25. Reservations highly recommended. Call (302) 266-8111.

Discounts on whole Maine lobster and lobster nachos at Big Fish Grill Wilmington Riverfront start at 4 p.m.

Kids eat free with an adult meal purchase at Klondike Kate's, 158 E. Main St. in Newark. 

A three-course prime rib dinner is $26.95 from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Summer House, 228 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach. 

THURSDAY 

Lobster Nights specials are available at Trolley Square Oyster House, 1707 Delaware Ave., Wilmington. 

Taco Night at BrewHaHa! Greenville cafe, 3838 Kennett Pike, includes $2 tacos and $5 margaritas, beginning at 3 p.m.. Reservations suggested. Call (302) 658-6336.

Domaine Hudson,1314 Washington St, Wilmington, has a $95 Date Night deal for two people that includes three courses and a bottle of wine. Call (302) 655-9463.

Surf-and-Turf Night at Skipjack in Newark includes filet mignon and lobster tail with salad, a choice of a starch and vegetable side dishes for $25. Or you can chose two twin lobster tails, instead of the filet, for $26. 

Date Night in Tuscany at Lupo Italian Kitchen at 247 Rehoboth Ave. in Rehoboth Beach is a $39 meal for two that includes Caesar salad, fresh pasta, "old school" meatballs and a half carafe of San Bonifaco wine.

Crab cakes are half price (the regular price for a crab cake sandwich is $18) at Matt's Fish Camp, 34401 Tenley Court in Lewes.

Taco Night at Touchdown Restaurant at 1666 S Dupont Highway, Dover, includes $1 beef tacos (hard or soft); chicken tacos for $1.25; and $2 for steak tacos. Dine-in only. (Sour cream is 50 cents extra.)

FRIDAY 

The Brick Hotel Restaurant & Tavern, 18 The Circle, Georgetown, has a $22 prime rib dinner. Call (302) 856-1836

The $36.95 Prime Rib Night at Walter's Steakhouse, 802 N. Union St., Wilmington, includes either Caesar salad or French onion soup, a 14-ounce cut of prime rib, mashed potatoes or broccoli, and a choice of key lime pie, cheesecake or chocolate mousse cake. There's also a entree choice of salmon.

SATURDAY

Lobster Night at The Brick Hotel Restaurant & Tavern in Georgetown, features a single tail dinner for $19.99.

SUNDAY

Three-course, $30 prime rib dinner at Harry's Savoy Grill, 2020 Naamans Road, Brandywine Hundred includes a choice of New England clam chowder or Caesar salad, 10-ounce chef's cut of prime rib au jus and creme brulee. Reservations highly suggested. Special begins at 3 p.m. Call (302) 475-3000.

The House of William & Merry, 1336 Old Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, has a three-course Sunday Supper for $35 from 5 to 7 p.m. Menu changes often and can include choice of homemade meatloaf, linguine-and-clams, and pan-roasted salmon. Call (302) 234-2255

All-you-can-eat paella is $15 at Ole Tapas Lounge and Restaurant, 1126 Capitol Trail, Newark. Call (302) 224-9378.

The Hotel du Pont's Green Room, 11th and Market streets, Wilmington, offers a three-course prix-fixe dinner for $48 per person. Gratuity is additional.

Sunday Night Prime rib special is $16.95 at Six Paupers Restaurant, 7465 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, (302) 489-7287.

Sunday brunch at Buckley's Tavern, 5812 Kennett Pike, Centreville, is normally $18. Come in your pajamas and get the meal for half the price.

Three-course dinners are $19 at most of SoDel Concepts restaurants in Sussex County. Visit sodelconcepts.com/

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