Photo courtesy of De Slider Co.
The new eatery in downtown Wilmington features a menu that includes scrumptious chicken sandwiches, burgers, salads, wraps and more.
DE Slider Co.’s “refined, fast-casual” dining is open for business in downtown Wilmington.
The eatery opened its doors in early September. Chef Will Johnson, also known as “Worldwide William,” has worked in the restaurant industry for 25 years as a food entrepreneur. The restaurant opening has allowed the chef to see “his dreams come true.”
While slider is in the restaurant’s name, Johnson’s menu is expansive.
“When people think of sliders they only think of burgers, but there’s something on this menu for everyone,” Johnson says.
Johnson offers 11 different sliders, including a vegetarian and gluten free option. Plus, breakfast sliders and breakfast bowls. All sliders are served with a side of French fries, housemade chipotle lime coleslaw and house pickles. There is also an option for the sliders to be served on a gluten free seeded bun.
For the greens lovers, the restaurant serves up two entrée salads: a Caesar salad with roasted red peppers and lemon-garlic anchovy vinaigrette and a vegetarian salad with roasted beets, sweet potatoes, quinoa, shaves radishes, brussels sprouts, goat cheese and apple vinaigrette.
Johnson’s world travels bring a variety of flavors to his kitchen.
“There’s so many things I want to do with the menu, but I can’t incorporate everything. It took from mid-June until about two weeks before we opened to make it because I kept going back and forth,” he says.
The owner’s family played a large role in his love for cooking.
“When I was a kid, I would just go in the kitchen and create meals,” Johnson says. “But in my house, in my family, everyone cooks.”
Johnson was able to create each food item on his menu from scratch based on his taste buds and his family history. His two favorite menu items are inspired by his father and his daughter.
“The Goat” slider is named after his father. It’s a beef brisket slow cooked for 24 hours and topped with caramelized onions and smoked gouda cheese. It is also complete with their own barbeque sauce, which is made from the brisket drippings.
Johnson says that before his father passed away, he told him, “Son, I want you to take the food industry by storm. I want you to go and go hard.” It’s something the chef aims to do every day.
The Fat Mama Cheeseburger is named after the chef’s daughter, based off of a nickname he called her after she was born.
“The Fat Mama Cheeseburger is so delicious because of that sharp cheddar cheese and tarragon Russian dressing on the everything bagel bun. It’s delicious,” Johnson says.
Johnson says the customers’ favorite since the opening of DE Slider Co. is the 95 South.
“It’s cornbread with buttermilk fried chicken, chipotle lime coleslaw, hot sauce aioli and baby greens. That’s been flying out the door,” Johnson says. “I knew it would because it’s different.”
DE Slider Co. is currently open for take-out ordering and limited indoor and outdoor seating with counter service.
204 W 10th St., Wilmington; 202-2060;.desliderco.com
