Welcome to the Home Skillet, Delaware’s most ghoulishly clever food and wine blog. Below, the coolest and creepiest dining events for the coming week.
Friday, October 31: As if its beef carpaccio isn’t spooky enough. Stop by (in costume, if you please) to Brandywine Prime in Chadds Ford Friday for its Halloween Party Friday.
Main beef man Dan Butler and his crew will roll out a special Halloween buffet from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to midnight, a party will rage with a $25 open bar and a “Spooky DJ.” (Probably not DJ Spooky.)
Kids are invited during the first portion of the celebration for pumpkin carving. But the real exciting part is the amazing Brandywine Prime food that will appear in buffet form. That’s in, keep your plate filled, cousin. Keep it filled with Kennett Square mushroom soup, lobster corn chowder, whole roasted pig, prime rib, hearth-baked pizza, crab cakes, house-made ricotta cheese tortellini, and oh so much more.
Call 610-388-8088 or visit www.brandywineprime.com to make reservations.
Friday, October 31: We’re into the final days of October, and that can only mean the end to all the area’s über-fantastic Oktoberfest celebrations. This one’s a bit special, because it involves one of our best restaurants: Iron Hill. Stop into any Iron Hill location before Friday to sample the awesome Oktoberfest menu (and Oktoberfest beer).
First course is a grilled sausage platter with bratwurst, knockwurst, braised lentils, watercress and a stone-ground mustard drizzle. Pair it with Iron Hill’s malty and flavorful Vienna Red Lager. Pan roasted pork tenderloin follows with Yukon gold potatoes, beer-braised cabbage, house-made applesauce and gingersnap gravy. The eponymous Oktoberfest beer is a full-bodied lager with a clean finish.
Saturday, November 1: On Saturday, join a great group of ladies as they raise their chili spoons for an awesome cause.
Helen Hales and Pat Lankford comprise Rose Colored Lasses, a Relay For Life team that’s launching its first-ever chili cookoff to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Fourteen home cooks and four pro chefs will compete for the top prize (the most slammin’ chili, of course) when it goes down at high noon at the Milford Moose Lodge in Milford.
To sign up or for more info, call Helen Hales at 422-3557 or Pat Lankford at 422-5477.
I met these gals face-to-face at the Ruddertowne Chili Cookoff last winter when they hatched the idea to me. They’re such nice folks and very dedicated to their cause. If you’re downstate this weekend, definitely check them out. They’re hardcore chili-heads and, dare I say, a little saucy.
Fancy pants: Wow, but did Sweet-n-Sassy Cupcakes go from “Hot New Thing” to “Potential Delaware Icon” overnight or what?
First, the Newark shop got props locally for its sinful cupcakes and apparel. Then the Food Network came calling this summer.
Now, Sweet-N-Sassy Cupcakes, the creation of Mike and Tara Voigt, find themselves on the shelves of Saks Fifth Avenue, the New York-based upscale retail giant.
Saks came calling “out of the blue,” says Tara, and explained they had seen the Voigts’ Food Network appearance. The Voigts sent up a couple dozen mouth-watering cupcakes, and the rest is history.
(Seriously, these cupcakes are irresistible. Maybe more than any food substance on the planet. We should ship them overseas to resolve international border disputes.)
Visit Saks’ website and search under the “Home and Gifts” section, as well as the “Sweet Desserts” option to find Sweet-N-Sassy.
Tara says Saks will carry the birthday collection, a best sellers package and some seasonal specials. She and Mike are working on a signature collection exclusive to Saks.
Funny thing is, Tara always aspired to have her creations in Saks Fifth Avenue, which is pretty specific, as goals go. Now? “It’s surreal to click on there and see us,” she says.
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