The food scene in Trolley Square is sizzling these days. Trolley Square Oyster House (1707 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, 384-7310, www.trolleysquareoysterhouse.com) opened in late March, adding a seafood tavern and raw bar to the popular neighborhood. The restaurant is part of the Big Fish Restaurant Group, which also operates Big Fish Grill on the Riverfront and the Italian-themed Bella Coast on Concord Pike among other holdings.
Diners barely had time to mourn Satsuma Asian Kitchen & Bar, which occupied the Oyster House space for about two years before closing. But the building was probably best known as the home of Del Rose Café, a longtime eatery that shut its doors in 2013. Next door to the Oyster House, Scratch Magoo’s opened a new spot on Monday, June 27, called Oldbanks Craft Bistro (1711 Delaware Ave., Wilmington). It specializes in craft beer, fried chicken and hand-tossed pizzas.
And a new chef is pumping energy into the menu at Catherine Rooney’s (1616 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, 654-9700, www.catherinerooneys.com). Christopher Montgomery, who previously worked at Talula’s Garden in Philadelphia and at the old Del Rose, took over the kitchen earlier this year. “I was looking for a change,” Montgomery says. “I wanted to show what I could do.” His seared tuna made an impression from the get-go.
