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Hey there, home cooks: The next cooking demo at Northeast Seafoood Kitchen in Ocean View is pure Pennsylvania. From Dutch country to Philly East to Colonial fare, chefs Ronnie and Doug will prepare pickles of all kinds, jams, chow chow and more. They’ll also bake a shoofly pie from scratch on Oct. 14. (We hope you like molasses.) Cocktail hour starts at 4:45 p.m. The cooking begins at 6 p.m. The next Sodel Concepts cooking demo happens at Catch 54 in Fenwick Island on Nov. 6. (Don’t forget to vote first.) For rezzies, call 537-1785. northeastseafoodkitchen.com
The Art of Food
This one bears repeating because it’s unique and cool: In the Brandywine Valley, museums aren’t just for art and history. They’re places where you can enjoy fine food and drink. Here’s a rundown of what’s happening.
Explore the “Picturing Poe” exhibition and the wines of Spain at the Brandywine River Museum in nearby Chadds Ford Oct. 10. This special evening event, hosted by the Young Friends of the Brandywine Conservancy, was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado.” Tickets are $25 for members and $35 non-members.
“Uncorked! Wine, Objects & Tradition at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library” celebrates the objects and imagery created by society’s relationship with wine from the 1600s to the 1800s. In association with the exhibit, Winterthur will host The Art of Food & Wine Pairing on Oct. 12 and Nov. 9. Enjoy an evening of wine-tasting with Bouchaine Vineyards and delicious hors d’oeuvres on Oct. 12 and Pasternak Wine Imports on Nov. 9. Tickets are $45 for members, $50 for non-members. Wining and Dining Tours will be held every Friday through Nov. 16. In the Rotunda on Oct. 25, enjoy a Lunchtime Lecture: The Wine Cellar at Winterthur. Examine the history of wine-drinking at Winterthur from the early 20th century, through Prohibition and into the 1960s with estate historian Maggie Lidz.
Finally, join the Golden Pheasants at Hagley Museum and Library on Oct. 25 for the Golden Pheasants Seagram’s Tasting. Sample old and new Seagram products while exploring the early history of this distilled spirits company. Chief Curator of Library Collections Lynn Catanese will be on hand to discuss highlights from Hagley’s collection on Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. Jared Card from The Wine and Spirits Company of Greenville will provide a tasting of Seagram products, including a special mixed drink in honor of Golden Pheasants members. Enjoy light refreshments and a few cannon firings. Cost is $15 per person. For more information about all events, visit brandywinetreasures.org. Remember, legal drinking age is 21 in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Please drink responsibly.
The Best of the Fests
Plan now to attend the third annual Delaware Wine and Beer Festival on Oct. 21. The event gets better every year. This version happens at the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village on Dupont Highway in Dover. Meet vintners and brewers from Delaware and beyond. Talk about their locations, their products and their processes. Who will be there? So far:
Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company
Great Shoals Winery, Princess Anne, Md., featuring Black Twig Hard Apple from T.S. Smith’s, Bridgeville
Unplugged & Uncorked — Sonata Wines
Yards Brewing Company, Philadelphia
New location. Great food. Better drink. And more fun than you can stand. Be there. 734-4888, dewineandbeer.visitdover.com
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
“My husband calls the moment of truth, the point at which you decide to stay at a restaurant or leave, the “sit-or-split” moment,” says food writer Pam George. “He coined it when we went to an Italian restaurant in Wilmington that a friend recommended. The lights were bright, a blaring TV faced the dining room, and a woman chattered on a cellphone. I thought of soldiering through, but then my husband and I exchanged glances. ‘Sit or split?’ We bolted when the server’s back was turned. Looking for a quick bite in Lewes, we sat at a bar to speed up service. Two other couples had the same idea. We all waited—for menus, a napkin or even a friendly hello. ‘Well,’ one man said to his companion, ‘we could always just get a beer.’ And we could always just get out of there. We left without seeing the bartender.” Why stay or why go? Find out here.
More, By George
As we’ve said many times, there’s no time like fall for dining at the beach. This from Pam George:
During a week at the beach, I had my Facebook friends begging for mercy. Each day, I posted the objects of my gluttony: clams, shrimp and fish lolling in a roasted tomato broth; a glistening egg, drizzled with lemon-parsley vinaigrette atop a raft of asparagus; and a plump rabbit leg, resting near homemade fettuccine. And that’s just to start. The high number of comments under each photo was to be expected. Rehoboth Beach is arguably Delaware’s culinary capital. But on my calorie-laden visit, three spots stood out. Call them the new, the redo and the tried-and-true. The New: a(Muse.) The Redo: Salt Air. The Tried-and-True: The Back Porch Café. Read all about them here.
A Special Special
Also worth repeating: The Green Room of the Hotel du Pont recently started a fabulous offering for early diners. Visit Monday through Thursday between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. for the three-course early eating menu. Price: $35. It’s a bargain price for dining on fresh, seasonally inspired food by chefs Keith Miller and David Lattomus served on Versace china while seated in cozy wingback chairs. We’re in. 594-3154, hoteldupont.com
Not Your Average Wine Dinner
This at the Stone Balloon Winehouse in Newark: Four Course Wine Dinner on Oct. 18. Food by executive chef Andrew Matulaitis, wine from the Pacific Northwest. Your menu: crispy mushroom roll with miso lobster bisque paired with 2008 Argyle Brut (Willamette Valley, Oregon) followed by quick-smoked salmon on toasted bagel with panzanella salad, tomato, charred lemon emulsion, bacon powder, all served with 2010 Canoe Ridge Chardonnay (Columbia Valley, Washington). Course three features braised pork cheeks with pickled octopus, white bean and ponzu aioli, crispy kale served with 2009 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir (Dundee Hills, Oregon), then roasted elk loin with potato confit, sweet onions, chanterelle purée and parsnip frites paired with 2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle “Indian Wells” Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington). We know what you’re thinking. The cost is $59 per person, plus tax and gratuity. 266-8111, stoneballoonwh.com