New Delaware restaurants: Lots coming in fall 2018 and later
Patricia Talorico
It's been a busy year for restaurant openings.
Newcomers to the scene, so far in 2018, have included Stitch House Brewery, Margaux, Farmer & the Cow, and Bardea, all in downtown Wilmington; Limestone BBQ & Bourbon in the Milltown area; Nal Restaurant in Hockessin; Azzurro Italian Oven and Cuvee Ray in Rehoboth Beach; Pearl Oyster Grill at Dover Downs; Touch of Italy in Brandywine Hundred; and Extreme Sushi in Pike Creek.
We revisited some other restaurants that are said to be opening soon. Here's what we found:
Brick Works Brewing and Eats
Where? 36932 Silicato Drive, Long Neck; brickworksde.com
Longtime chef/restaurateur Kevin Reading and Eric Williams and Ryan Maloney of Milford's Mispillion River Brewing founded the flagship Brick Works in Smyrna in 2016. A second eatery is planned for Long Neck in the new Taormina Square shopping center.
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Reading, who once ran the former Fox Point Grill in Wilmington, later moved to Sussex County to operate Espuma and later Nage. He now runs Abbott’s Grill in Sussex County.
When? No firm date has been given other than this fall.
Chuck Lager's American Tavern
Where? 4500 New Linden Road in Pike Creek,
The restaurant in the new Linden Hill Station at Limestone and New Linden Hill roads from popular "Top Chef" contestant Fabio Viviani has been delayed, according to Craig W. Colby, one of Viviani's business partners.
When? "We are still waiting on permits," Colby said in an email. "Now [we] anticipate a late 2018, early 2019 opening."
Other eateries coming to the shopping center include 1,000 Degrees Pizza, a branch of the chain known for cooking pizzas for 2 minutes, and Cafe Americana. No dates yet other than "opening soon."
DE.CO Food Hall
Where? Inside Wilmington's DuPont Building at 10th and Orange streets; decowilmington.com/
Here's what we know: The 12,000-square-foot site, which will have eight chef-led kitchens and a bar, will be in the same building that houses the Hotel du Pont. The hall will be open daily and will serve weekend brunches. The atrium bar will be open evenings.
It will have 250 seats and a private event space. The $3.5-million project is a collaboration between Wilmington's The Buccini/Pollin Group and Seawall Development, a company that developed Baltimore’s food hall, R. House.
Who are the chefs? That's the $1 million question – and no one is saying. Yet. While no names have been released, word is that one space will be given to the Hotel du Pont's bakery department.
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An Aug. 24 newsletter this summer said: "Almost all of the stalls are full with chefs working on building their menus and kitchens, but we can't say who just yet!"
An early name batted about included Philadelphia celebrity chef/restaurateur Jose Garces. But Garces involvement is now likely doubtful since the chef filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and has sold his restaurant group.
A real contender could still be SoDel Concepts, the Sussex County-based restaurant group that runs such eateries as Blue Coast in Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach and Fish On Seafood Bar & Grill in Lewes.
"We are considering many options in New Castle County," Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, said in January. Stay tuned.
When? Late 2018.
Drip Café
Where? 60 N. College Ave., Newark; dripcafede.com/
The popular 5-year-old business in Hockessin's Lantana Square Shopping Center is getting a spin-off soon.
Owner Greg Vogeley says he is gearing up to open a second 40-seat eatery in Newark.
The new 2,000-square-foot cafe, also named Drip Café, will be situated between East Cleveland Avenue and West Main Street. It's near the University of Delaware's Carpenter Sports Building and in the site that formerly housed the old Down Under bar in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s.
When? Vogeley says he's shooting for Monday, Oct. 22, as opening day.
First Watch
Where? The newly-designed 60 Geoffrey Drive center off Churchmans Road in Stanton.
The breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant from a Bradenton, Florida-based chain concept is being constructed in a 3,500-square-foot space near Delaware Technical Community College.
The restaurant's name is a nautical term referring to the early shift for a ship's crew. First Watch eateries are open daily from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Restaurants offer traditional morning foods like omelets, frittatas, French toast and lemon ricotta pancakes.
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When? Before the end of November, according to Eleni Kouvatsos, public relations and communications manager
Lhasa Bistro
Where? 837 N. Union St., Wilmington; (302) 691-7890; www.lhasabistro.com
A contemporary Asian restaurant near the city's The Flats neighborhood has taken over the spot formerly occupied by North Quarter Creole, and, way before that, Pan Tai.
The menu includes Vietnamese egg rolls, spicy Tibetan beef and bulgogi tacos.
When? It's open. Hours are: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mon.-Thurs; 11:30 to 1 a.m. Fri.-Sat.; and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun.
Naf Naf Grill
Where? The newly designed Geoffrey Drive center off Churchmans Road in Stanton.
The fast-casual Middle Eastern grill, part of a national chain, is located in the same Stanton area shopping center as First Watch and a coming-soon Chipotle Grill.
The restaurant offers bowl dishes with basmati rice, hummus, dry-rubbed chicken shawarma, steak, falafel, vegetables and sauces like tahini and harissa.
When? "The target range is early 2019, but that is subject to change," a spokesman recently told The News Journal.
Savanna Salad Bowl & Sandwiches
Where? Wilmington Riverfront Market. 3 S. Orange St., Wilmington; (302) 425-4890
The latest addition to the European-style public market tucked in a historic warehouse on the banks of the Christina is a new sandwich-and-salad concept.
Savanna's will offer grilled chicken, black Angus steak, shrimp, kale, arugula and romaine lettuce salad bowls. Artisan sandwiches will be made on ciabatta or wheat bread. The kiosk also will offer a variety of soups.
When? A sign just says "coming soon."
Taverna Rustic Italian and El Camino Mexican Kitchen
Where? The Concord, a new complex from the Buccini/Pollin Group at 3535 Silverside Road, Talleyville; www.platinumdininggroup.com/
Platinum Dining Group, founded in 1996 by Carl and Lisa Georigi, owns and operates some of the state's best loved restaurants, including Eclipse Bistro, Capers & Lemons and RedFire Grill & Steakhouse.
The organization is planning two restaurants in The Concord, a newly constructed site which includes retail, office buildings and apartments.
Platinum plans to reproduce Taverna, their popular rustic Italian eatery in downtown Newark. El Camino Mexican Kitchen will be a new restaurant concept from the hospitality group.
When? In 2019.
The Pines
Where? 56 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, (302) 864-7778; www.thepinesrb.com/
Renovations have been ongoing since last spring to transform the old Hobos, which bowed out in 2016, into The Pines, a "modern coastal tavern" with a menu that reflects both the land and the sea.
Owner/partners are Bob Suppies, a Maine native and Rehoboth resident since 1997 who has had a career in retail, and Tyler Townsend, a former baseball player who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2009.
Suppies says the building, dating back to least the 1970s, has been gutted inside and out and the stairs have been moved.
The restaurant will be on the first floor. The second floor will have a lounge, live music and offer small plates. The building also will offer 750 square feet of outdoor dining space.
Suppies says the building will have a modern flair, but also pay homage to old Rehoboth. And that's where The Pines name comes from.
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He says the partners were researching the town's history and found an old postcard that read "where the pine forest meets the ocean." Perfect.
When? "We are getting very close to our grand opening," read a Sept. 28 post on The Pines Rehoboth Beach Facebook page.
The Vineyard Wine Bar and Bistro
Where? 28 Wilmington Ave. in Rehoboth Beach
The restaurant (formerly Espuma) has been closed for repairs since an October 2017 freezer fire in the kitchen. Damage was so extensive, according to a post on the restaurant's Facebook page, that the HVAC ductwork and hardwood flooring has to replaced, along with kitchen walls and the ceiling.
The restaurant also needed new electrical work and light fixtures.
"I feel like we're building the place all over again," owner Joseph Lurtch wrote on Facebook.
When? It reopened Sept. 25, three days ahead of schedule. Hours are: 4 to 10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 4 to 11 p.m. Fri.; 5 to 11 p.m. Sat.; and 4 to 9 p.m. Sun.
Two Stones Pub
Where? 840 Kohl Ave. in the new Hedgelawn Plaza off Middletown-Warwick Road in Middletown; www.twostonespub.com
The local chain offering a large variety of craft beers along with upscale pub fare plans to open its sixth location in Middletown. Chef/owner Michael Stiglitz is leasing a 4,766-square-foot site.
The eatery will have a 648-square-foot, 40-seat outdoor patio. The new Middletown site also will have 200 seats.
When? It should be opened by the end of this year.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico
