Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Taverna: Fine Italian Fare

Italian fare served in a warm, inviting setting is what’s up at Taverna. Favorite dishes at this Newark Italian restaurant include a variety coal-fired pizzas, such as the Neapolitan with crushed tomato, asiago, provolone, and mozzarella and the San Danielle with prosciutto, mozzarella, and arugula.

Taverna also offers a wide selection of sandwiches, including an Italian sandwich with mortadella, capicolla, and salami and the Taverna burger with provolone; and the chicken cutlet with parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Frequent guests also enjoy entrees such as gnocchi, baked salmon, chicken ravioli, spinach mushroom agnolotti, and chicken taverna with cappellini. If you visit for Taverna's popular weekend brunch, you'll choose from delightful choices like eggs benedict, breakfast pizza, and cast iron omelets.

Taverna is open daily in Newark, Delaware.

Taverna
121 E. Main Street
Newark, DE 19702
(302) 444-4334
platinumdininggroup.com/taverna

Read the reviews on Yelp.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill: Steak, Seafood and Other Fine American Fare

At the Newark branch of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, you'll find everything you'd expect of this local chain: glossy hardwood floors, softly lit stone walls, and decadent steakhouse fare. In fact, many Yelp reviewers have a hard time believing that Firebirds resides within a strip mall given its upscale aesthetic and high caliber cuisine. It does, though, so keep an eye out for the storefront when you get close.

Step inside to sink your teeth into juicy steaks, plump seafood, and other high end American eats. Locals highly recommend the coconut shrimp, which comes as both starter and entree. The main course version boasts tortilla slaw, mango habanero chutney, and a hearty serving of steak fries (the appetizer skips the fries). You can also opt for wood-grilled salmon, parmesan-crusted mahi, or cilantro-grilled chicken breast if you're not interested in steak. If you are, however, then try the bacon-wrapped filet mignon or the center-cut, pepper-crusted sirloin. You also might be able to order the slow-roasted prime rib if it's available.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
1225 Churchmans Road
Newark, DE 19713
(302) 366-7577
wilmington.firebirdsrestaurants.com
www.yelp.com/biz/firebirds-wood-fired-grill-newark

Horace Shellhammer’s: Seafood in Delaware

If you’re in the market for a friendly neighborhood spot to unwind with a refreshing cocktail and a bite to eat, head to Horace Shellhammer’s. Sit at the bar and you can watch your favorite sports events while you kick back with a beer. Order yourself a martini or glass of wine and something tasty from the appetizer menu like Chips & Salsa, Nachos, Spicy Crab Chowder, or Chicken Fingers, and let the cares of the day become a distant memory.

Big, juicy burgers are a favorite here and they're available in creations like the Black & Bleu Burger with bleu cheese, and the Baja Turkey Burger with avocado. Other options include Sizzling Fajitas, Jambalaya, French Dip Sandwich, Philly Cheesesteak and Crab Cake Sandwich.

Horace Shellhammers is open every day in Newark, Delaware.

Horace Shellhammer's
9C University Plaza
Newark, DE 19702
(302) 738-0758
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shellhammers/330362148894
http://www.yelp.com/biz/horace-shellhammers-newark

The Blue Crab Grill: The Best of the Sea

If you’re looking for delicious, fresh seafood, the Blue Crab Grill is the place for you. Located in the Suburban Plaza shopping center jut off Elkton Road, the Blue Crab Grill is a casual spot with upscale seafood specialties. The cool-casual feel begins when you walk into the restaurant, with its modern décor, light woods and neat accents, courtesy of talented local artists. The lunch menu features lots of hot and cold sandwich options, and the dinner selection has terrific entrees (try the seafood sausage or the deep fried soft shells). Accompany your meal with something from the nice selection of red and white wines. And now, the Blue Crab Grill is including live music on Sunday afternoons! Stick around after enjoying the Sunday brunch.

The Blue Crab Grill
322 Suburban Plaza
Newark, DE 19711
(302) 737-1100
http://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-crab-grill-the-newark

Sixth and Pine: Where Comfort Food Gets an Upscale Makeover

Don't count out Sixth and Pine just because it's located inside of the Christiana Mall's Nordstrom. The big-name department store actually has a reputation for serving high quality cuisine in its in-store restaurants, and Sixth and Pine is no exception. Modeled after the quintessential '50s diner, Sixth and Pine recreates comfort food in a contemporary way that both delights and surprises diners.

Snag a red vinyl booth or a stool at the counter and browse the menu of revamped diner fare. Try the BLTA sandwich, which takes the classic BLT and adds avocado (plus whole-wheat bread). Or dig into the crisp roasted chicken served with garlicky fingerling potatoes, a far cry from the typical chicken tenders. Flat-iron steak, turkey chili, and cilantro-lime chicken salad round out the menu of modern American fare. Save some room for a classic dessert, perhaps the apple cobbler a la mode or the warm chocolate cookie sundae.

Sixth and Pine
100 Christiana Mall
Newark, DE 19702
(302) 613-6000
restaurants.nordstrom.com
www.yelp.com/biz/sixth-and-pine-newark

Sushi Sumo: Traditional Japanese Cuisine With a Special Twist

Newark's Sushi Sumo serves classic Japanese dishes in a sleek, contemporary space. You'll find all the typical sushi rolls you expect, like spicy tuna rolls and dragon rolls, but regulars say you should pay special attention to the chef's special sushi menu, which changes each month and features the restaurant's most unique sushi creations. On the special menu you'll find items like spicy crunchy salmon with cucumber and avocado or black pepper tuna with shiitake mushroom. If raw fish just isn’t your thing, don’t worry. Sushi Sumo features teriyaki and bento box menu with lots of delicious cooked options.

No matter what you decide to order, Yelp reviewers note that the Sushi Sumo staff is especially attentive, doing things like offering a warm damp towel to clean your hands, and in one case, actually opening the restaurant half an hour early to accommodate some customers who mistakenly arrived before the restaurant’s official opening time.

Sushi Sumo
2653 Kirkwood Highway
Newark, DE 19711
(302) 366-1188
welcometodelaware.biz
www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-sumo-newark

Pinang Asian Cuisine: Tasty Food in Newark, Delaware

Enjoy a large and varied menu of international food at Newark's Pinang Asian Cuisine. The broad menu here features tasty Malaysian food, which has the influences of Indian, Chinese, Thai and Indonesian cuisines.

Pinang's lunch specials are a bargain and are served with your choice of Wonton or Hot & Sour Soup, Spring Roll or Egg Roll, and Rice. Stop by for dinner and order a flavorful cocktail and an appetizer like Roti Canai – crispy Indian pancake, Pinang Satay Chicken, or Satay Tofu with peanut sauce. Entrée options include Asilemak – coconut rice with curry chicken, Hainanese Chicken with Rice, Mango Beef with sweet & sour sauce, Beef Rendang simmered in coconut milk & lemongrass, and Malaysian Spicy Chicken with cucumber & onions.

Pinang Asian Cuisine
218 Louviers Drive
Newark, DE 19711
(302) 368-2298
www.pinangcuisine.com/
www.yelp.com/biz/pinang-asian-cuisine-newark

Jake’s Wayback Burgers: Where Burgers Are Well Done and Done Well

Jake's Wayback Burgers serves big, juicy, hand-shaped burgers to a happy crowd of loyal regulars, and once you try these burgers you just might become a regular yourself. This is a quick, casual burger joint, but it's got little in common with the greasy fast food places you might be used to.

Bite into a one of Jake's signature "cheesy burgers," each piled high with four slices of cheese, two all-beef patties, and served on a grilled, buttered bun. Add a few slices of bacon or some grilled onions, and add a side of chili cheese fries or beer battered onion rings. Wash it all down with one of Jake's hand-dipped milkshakes. Sip on a traditional chocolate shake, or go gourmet with chocolate mint or cafe mocha. In addition to the standard menu, Jake's offers a new, custom-crafted burger and shake every month, so there's always something new and special to order.

Jake’s Wayback Burgers
1100 Ogletown Road
Newark, DE 19711
(302) 737-1118
waybackburgers.com/restaurantlocations/detail/Newark-DE-Ogletown-Rd/56
www.yelp.com/biz/jakes-hamburgers-newark

The Wood Fired Pizza Shop: Feed Your Pizza Craving

The Wood Fired Pizza Shop started its life as a traveling pizza oven housed in a red Ford F250, serving private parties and farmers' markets around northern Delaware. Today, Newark residents have the pleasure of eating at the Wood Fired Pizza Shop's first brick-and-mortar location.

This new eatery has an expanded menu that includes a range of snacks and appetizers, like pesto cheese bread and house-made pickles in small-batch varieties like curried cauliflower, garlic and jalapeno carrots, and deviled beans. Of course, pizzas are still the main thing at the Wood Fired Pizza Shop, and you shouldn't miss the shop’s signature pies that include fresh mozzarella with basil, tomato sauce, and roasted garlic oil, or the veggie primo piled high with roasted red peppers, sweet onions, mushrooms, and mozzarella over tomato sauce. All pizzas are cooked in a handmade imported Italian oven to achieve their characteristic crispy, slightly charred crust.

The Wood Fired Pizza Shop
140 East Cleveland Avenue
Newark, DE 19711
(302) 737-2135
wfpshop.com
www.yelp.com/biz/the-wood-fired-pizza-newark

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