READERS, UPSTATE
Taverna, 121 E. Main St., Newark, 444-4334, platinumdininggroup.com/taverna
EDITORS, UPSTATE
Exposed brick walls and rich wood tones give Pochi Chilean Cuisine and Wine Bar a warm feeling that’s perfect for a unique dining experience. You’ll find plentiful seafood in dishes such as sea bass with blackberry reduction, grilled tilapia with white wine and lemon, and a savory seafood soup loaded with shellfish. Dishes from land include a chicken-pea casserole, grilled steak with fried eggs and onions, and beef empanadas. Then there’s the list of South American, mostly Chilean wines. In a restaurant landscape that needed something different, Pochi delivers. 220 W. 9th St., Wilmington, 384-6654, pochiwinebar.com
READERS, DOWNSTATE
Salt Air, 50 Wilmington Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-3744, saltairrestaurant.com
EDITORS, DOWNSTATE
The old Rose & Crown: safe domestic drafts, standard sandwiches, iconic. Veteran beach chef Jay Caputo’s new Rose & Crown: expanded selection of craft brews, delicious gastropub fare, a welcome resurrection. Now in the Hotel Rodney, the reborn pub offers short rib sliders, the best shepherd’s pie you’ll ever taste (owing to the duck confit) and a bacon burger with the bacon ground into the beef. Heartier fare includes pork chops with potatoes gratinée, creamed spinach and onion rings. Heavenly fare includes the five-onion soup. Welcome back, R&C. 142 Second St., Lewes, 827-4475, roseandcrownlewes.com
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