New bistro from Moro chef coming to Riverfront wine shop

Since 2014, Venu Gaddamidi has been making and serving Indian food lunches at his Veritas Wine & Craft Beer boutique shop at the Wilmington Riverfront.

It's not exactly a secret, though you have to know to know. Gaddamidi does little advertising besides setting up a blackboard outside of the 321B Justison St. building that features the daily specials.

In the next few months, after renovations to the Veritas space, Gaddamidi plans to start evening meals at his 9-year-old shop.

But the tapas-style dishes and small plates served there will be made by former Moro chef/owner Michael DiBianca, who closed his critically acclaimed Wilmington eatery in August 2016.

It's a public comeback of sorts for DiBianca given that he seemed finished with the local culinary industry.

“I’m completely out of cooking,” he told The News Journal after shuttering Moro, the 14-year-old two-story restaurant at 1307 N. Scott St. that emphasized Mediterranean flavors.

At that time, DiBianca did not divulge his plans.

“I’m taking a break,” he wrote in a message.

Since then, the chef and another partner have been running Sikar Lounge of Wilmington, a membership-based cigar bar at 1624 Delaware Ave. in Trolley Square that boasts 10 flat-screen TVs and a full bar.

Gaddamidi, who had dined at Moro and long enjoyed the cuisine, said he and DiBianca, longtime friends, have talked about creating a bistro.

DiBianca said they have kicked around the idea for the past three years and will likely open the 24-seat Wilmington Riverfront operation in May.

The plan is to open the bistro Tuesday through Saturday evenings and eventually host wine dinners.

On Thursday, DiBianca said he wasn't ready to talk about the menu yet – "It's a secret, and I'm not ready to divulge anything" – but he did say it will be entirely small plates and completely different than Moro.

"It's going to be an entirely different experience. It's going to be based on the freshest ingredients we can get. It's just going to be me and another person," the chef said.

Veritas, in operation since 2009, has long been more than what Gaddamidi called "your average wine shop."

Over the years, the business has hosted events, such as weekly tastings, book club meetings and private dinners.

In 2012, Gaddamidi began operating the Cafe Bar at Veritas Wine and served cheeses, cured smoked meats and olives. He started offering Indian food at lunchtime more than three years ago. His most frequent customers are area office workers.

"It's just enough to fulfill the needs of the locals. We're not holding back on the authenticity," he said.

Chicken curry is available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Lamb is sold on Tuesdays, and salmon is served Thursdays. Vegetarian meals are offered throughout the week. Service begins at noon and goes until the food is gone.

The $12 to $16 meals include a complimentary soda or bottled water. Customers can get takeout or eat in at the high tables in the slightly cluttered space that's separate from where the wine, beer and liquor are sold.

It's in that same space that Gaddamidi is planning the 12-table bistro. DiBianca said the partners are still deciding on a name.  

Gaddamidi plans to continue making and selling Indian food on weekdays as well as operate Porter's Mini-Mart, a tiny convenience store/upscale "bodega" that's been in the shop since December. It's named after his friendly 6-year-old black Labrador that frequently greets customers.  

Since Gaddamidi has a taproom license for the bistro space, only customers 21 and older will be allowed to dine there.

He and DiBianca are planning renovations to the site, including adding a new kitchen area. But the space won't have a hood nor will DiBianca be doing any frying.

DiBianca, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, might have temporarily left the restaurant industry 18 months ago, but he said he never really left the kitchen.

"I've been doing some private chef stuff, very quietly," he said.

DiBianca has been a part of the Wilmington dining scene for more than 15 years. The New Jersey native came to the former Restaurant 821 in Wilmington to work as then-owner Tobias Lawry’s sous chef and then chef de cuisine.

Earlier, he had worked with Lawry at Ajax Tavern in Aspen, Colorado. Lawry sold the snazzy 821 in 2004 and relocated to California.

DiBianca opened Moro in 2002 and quickly made his mark as one of the region’s most talented chefs. He has been a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Mid-Atlantic regional chef award.

Moro was highly rated by several publications, including the Zagat Restaurant Guide and the Philadelphia Inquirer. In a review, Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan wrote Moro was a “gem” and “one of the best restaurants to open in our region.” Former News Journal restaurant critic Eric Ruth wrote Moro had “a menu that’s one of the brightest in the state.”

In 2013, DiBianca opened his second eatery, Satsuma Asian Kitchen & Bar in Trolley Square. The 1707 Delaware Ave. had been the 51-year-old home of the former Del Rose Cafe & Restaurant. It didn’t last long. The Big Fish Restaurant Group took over the location and revamped it as Trolley Square Oyster House.

Gaddamidi said the new bistro at Veritas will close around 10 p.m.

"It's going to be for people who want to come and eat some good food and learn about wine."

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

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