Reader mail: Dining experiences, muskrat love and meatloaf

Readers are sharing both terrific and, well, not-so-terrific Delaware dining stories after last week's column about an unsatisfying restaurant experience. (We had a follow-up story on Oct. 22.)

While I always urge readers to give a restaurant a second chance at redemption after a rocky visit, sometimes an experience lingers on like a tomato sauce stain on a white shirt and apparently nothing will wipe it away.

Restaurant burn lingers years later

Read your [Oct. 22] article and wanted to weigh in that we will give a second chance based on how the restaurant responds.

We dine out quite a bit and certainly enjoy higher end restaurants as a matter of routine. We enjoy quality food and wine.

We had a very bad experience at Moro in Wilmington years ago and it was not our first visit. We were very upset, but there was no manager on duty that night. I ended up sending an email to the owner (he had a link on the website) and he never responded.

About a month later, still irritated at the situation, I sent an email to the more general email address and got the General Manager. His response was a) to say the server was no longer there so that was no longer a concern; b) told us there had been an emergency in the kitchen that night (that nobody mentioned at the time); and c) said he hoped we'd return sometime. No apology, no "drinks are on us," nothing.

We have never gone back, have declined invitations to join friends there, and have not recommended it to others. People still rave about it and we're unimpressed.

So a bad experience that is handled poorly by the restaurant means no second chance from us. Given what we spend on dining out, other restaurants have certainly benefited.

Thanks,

Sheryl Blowman

Iron Hill has 'best crabcake'

It's a shame that Darryl McEwen [who wrote about an unsatisfying dining experience at the River Rock Kitchen Wilmington Riverfront restaurant in a letter published Oct. 17] didn't go a few steps further and take his business lunch to Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant.

They have terrific service, wonderful food (you won't go away hungry), and reasonable prices.

At Iron Hill, his guest that had the crabcake could have had a crabcake sandwich (with or without the bun), accompanied by either fries and coleslaw, or field greens. And in my opinion, the best crabcake in Delaware!

June Barnett

Wilmington

Mourning the end of annual muskrat meal

The Wagon Wheel [in Smyrna] closed up and my annual visit for muskrat is over, unless I can find another spot. I haven't seen anything in your column, maybe I missed it? If you come up with another spot, let me know.

John Barratt

The Wagon Wheel, which closed in September, was easily the most well-known restaurant in the state serving muskrat, which is also known as "marsh rabbit."

But the heirloom meat has waned in popularity and it can be hard to find on a restaurant menu.

In Delaware, the muskrat trapping season begins in December and ends in March.

If want to cook your own muskrat at home – and you probably want to have some experience doing this – Morris Market, 36 Front St., in Frederica, and Bill's Meat Center, 215 N. King St. in Wilmington, have both sold muskrat.

John, as for a restaurant, right now, I don't know where else muskrat might be served in Delaware. Sometimes, Kent and Sussex county senior centers or organizations host muskrat dinners. If we hear about an eatery, or an organization, serving it, we will let you – and everyone else – know.

Meatloaf made like Jeff's mom

Have you ever written about the Bear Diner on Route 40? If so, did you or anyone with you order the meatloaf? We (my cousin, her husband, and I) ate there yesterday (Sunday). My cousin and I ordered the meatloaf, and her husband ordered the chicken. The meatloaf tasted like scrapple, and we both agreed that it was scrapple! It tasted fine, so we ate it!

Thanks.

Dave Heiser

Scrapple meatloaf? Hmmm. Dave, now that does sound interesting. But, I checked with Jeff Yardim, whose family has been running the Bear Diner at 603 Pulaski Highway for the past 14 years, and he says that's not the case.

"Nah," he says, when I asked if the meatloaf is made with scrapple. Yardim says it's ground beef. "My mom's recipe."

The Bear Diner is the kind of place where you can find everything from tuna melts to baked Virginia ham with fruit sauce to chicken croquettes with mashed potatoes. It's open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. And, yes, they are open Christmas Day. Call (302) 322-6242 or visit www.beardinerde.com.

Ask about vegetarian options

I recently read some letters to you referring to the lack of vegetarian restaurants in the area.

I recently completed a course at Wilmington University called "Food: Art and Customs." One of the things we covered was vegetarian meals. 1861 (423 N. Broad St., Middletown) restaurant's owner spent time talking with us about the restaurant business and menus.

He said if people request vegetarian offers he believes most establishments will have several suggestions they would gladly provide.

He is a vegetarian; people just need to ask.

Michael Marriffini

Thanks, Michael. Another reader called to say Noodles & Company, with locations in Dover and the Christiana and Concord Malls, also offers vegetarian options.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com. Read her culinary blog Second Helpings at www.delawareonline.com/blog/secondhelpings and follow her on Twitter @pattytalorico.