Well, it doesn’t feel too much like frostbite weather. Yet if you live in Coastal Delaware, you know one day it can be so warm you’re running outside with your dog and then the next there are 35 mile-per-hour winds so cold that your fingers feel like popsicles.
Winter has been quite good to Delaware so far, but when the inevitable cold weather does set in, you don’t have to spend all winter freezing. One of the many exceptional aspects of Coastal Delaware living is the food, and as Winter deepens, we wanted share four of our Lessard team’s favorite “cold weather comfort food” dishes!
1) The Chili from Crooked Hammock Brewery
Imagine this- The first spoonful of steaming hot goodness and your tongue begins to dance, a perfect balance of spicy and savory awakening your taste buds. You take a second spoonful and are amazed as a smooth balance of shredded cheese perfectly complements the explosion of meaty chili flavor. Yes, the chili at Crooked Hammock Brewery is that good. The local Lewes brewpub hits it out of the park with their chili and in our opinion Crooked Hammock’s chili is one of best cold weather culinary delicacies your money can buy in Coastal Delaware. It’s also served with a huge pile homemade tortilla chips, so whether you’re looking for a warm-you-up appetizer or a light meal, this local dish won’t disappoint. Whether you’re in the mood for chili or a cocktain we highly recommend visiting http://www.crookedhammockbrewery.com/ for more!
2) The Mac from Grandpa MAC
Is it just me or is there something about a hot dish of homemade pasta that can warm you up on even the coldest of days? Well Grandpa Mac in Rehoboth Beach captures that Sunday-macaroni-dinner-with-the-family-feel and then takes it to another stratosphere. When you walk into Grandpa Mac you won’t be disappointed — the menu offers over a dozen signature ‘mac’ dishes or offers pickier patrons the option to build-their-own-pasta bowl which allows you to choose the kind of pasta, sauce, cheese, and meat you want. The service is speedy and the menu offers eaters a crazy number of pastabilities with a very Delaware twist on it. You simply can’t go wrong with anything on the menu on a frosty night, and we especially love the ‘Hot Blue Hen’ and the ‘Chowder Head’! Yummmmy! Check out http://www.grandpamac.com/ for more menu information.
3) The Shepherd’s Pie from Go Fish! and Go Brit!
When frostbite would set into the hills of the Ireland, local families would stoke their fires, line their pie dishes with mashed up potato and then use a filling of leftover roasted meat so their family could have a hearty hot meal to combat the cold Irish nights. Some traditions just age well and a hot dish of Shepherd’s Pie on a cold night is one of those. Go Fish! and Go Brit! make their Shepherd’s Pie just about as authentic as you’d find in Galway; every order is made fresh, every order comes with a creamy, crisp mashed potato crust, and every Pie comes filled with a bubbling core of authentic Irish beef and vegetable. If you close your eyes while you take a bite, you can almost hear the Guinness being poured in the local pub. The Bangers and Mash are out-of-this-world, as well! Perfection for dinner on a frosty night! Check out http://gobrit.com/ and http://www.gofishrehoboth.com/ for more foreign frostbite fighting foods!
4) The Pot Roast from Jimmy’s Grille
From Ireland we cross the Atlantic back to Grandma’s kitchen. There aren’t too many foods that scream ‘American Comfort Food’ and make you feel like a kid again quite like a plate of steaming hot Pot Roast. Jimmy’s Grille captures that Grandma’s Pot Roast taste in award winning fashion. Each plate of Pot Roast comes with a heaping pile of pull apart fork tender beef seated nicely on a bed of traditional vegetables and all smothered in Jimmy’s savory homemade brown gravy. Not only is the Pot Roast spot on, but the price is spot on as well- giving you a whole lot of delicious hot food for not a whole lot of dollars. Jimmy’s Pot Roast is a winner on every level and the picture-perfect food to warm you up when we face that next cold Delaware night. For their menu, hours, and more information visit http://www.jimmysgrille.org/
What is your go-to food on a cold night? Did we miss any delicious local foods that you turn to when you want to fight the frostbite? Let us know with a comment below!