Extreme Pizza (Wilmington, DE; http://www.extremepizza.com/)

The last time we ate Extreme Pizza, we did takeout.  This time, we decided to eat in the restaurant.  It has a really nice interior for its location.  My husband and I took my father there for lunch when he came to visit and he really enjoyed himself.  We ordered sweet potato tots as an appetizer – how can you go wrong?!?!  They were crisp on the outside and very tender and warm on the inside.  They were served with a sweet chili sauce that added a great flavor to the potato.  My dad said that he didn’t like sweet potatoes, but we finally convinced him to eat one.  He loved it and had about 5 more to follow that first taste! 

As my pizza, I ordered the Pandora’s Box without the artichokes.  The pie was topped with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, garlic, fresh basil, oregano and mozzarella.  It had a good flavor and I even like the sundried tomatoes that were hiding under a layer of cheese.  The different colors of the ingredients looked inviting and the taste of the garlic, basil, and oregano was predominant.  I like the pizza at this chain restaurant because the crust is not too thin and slices hold up well to the heavy ingredients that top them.

Corner Bistro (Wilmington, DE http://www.mybistro.com/)

I have been wanting to go to Corner Bistro for quite sometime, and finally got the opportunity to go with a colleague during the workweek.  When you enter the restaurant, you are met with a bar and stools on the left and a couple of tables on the right.  Through this area is the dining room.  It was bright and inviting and, in the dining room, there is a big chalkboard with the wine list.  Unfortunately, I could not partake since I had to go back to work.

I decided to order the Black Bean Soup and House Salade.  I confirmed that the Black Bean Soup is 100% vegetarian prior to ordering it.  The presentation was inviting – in the middle of the soup was a swirl of crème fraiche, and the black and white mixture was pleasing to the eye.  The taste was distinctly black bean, but there were also some other spices mixed in.  It was delicious and I wanted another bowl immediately!  The salad was mixed greens with some lightly fried goat cheese and a beet vinaigrette.  The vinaigrette was served on the side, which is always a nice way to serve a salad.  The goat cheese was soft and warm, quite tasty, and the vinaigrette added a sweet taste to the salad.

CB also has some vegetarian Tarte Flambee (i.e. flatbread pizza) options that I want to try next time I go (for dinner, so that I can also try some tasty wine).

Homegrown Café (Newark, DE http://www.homegrowncafe.com/)

I absolutely love Homegrown and am sad that it is not closer to where I live.  The atmosphere is comfy/homey and welcoming and the selection of vegetarian/vegan meals (or meals that can be made that way) is great!  There are so many options that it was hard or me to choose when my husband and I went there.  I even had a tough decision on whether to go there for lunch or dinner, since the menu varies slightly.  We eventually opted for lunch, although I plan to go again soon for a scrumptious dinner.

I started off my lunch with a cup of the Southwestern Chili – a bean chili with peppers, onions, tomatoes, spices, and some homemade crackers to top it all off.  It was a little spicy, enough for me to take a sip of water after a couple of spoonfuls.  I definitely liked it and kind of wish I would have ordered a whole bowl.  The peppers, onions, and crackers provided some crunch to the soup; although, the crackers did get a little soft after awhile.  The crackers had a nice spicy kick to them as well.

For lunch, I decided to go with the Sloppy Joe and a side salad.  The Sloppy Joe is beer braised seitan simmered in house-made sauce, topped with caramelized onions and served on a country, crispy roll.  I ate the whole thing!  The seitan was so tasty!  It was almost like I couldn’t stop myself from savoring each bite while I was in the restaurant.  The caramelized onions were perfectly cooked and the house-made sauce smothering the seitan had a wonderful, tomato and BBQ taste.  The side salad was a bed of fresh greens and house vinaigrette.  There was just a touch of vinaigrette, so it was slightly dry, but the dressing that I did taste was similar to an Italian dressing, though not distinctly Italian.

I definitely recommend checking out Homegrown and enjoying all of the wonderful options that they have to offer!

Nirvana (Wilmington, DE)

My husband and I ate here for a weeknight buffet.  There were about 5-6 vegetarian options on the buffet (plus rice and bread).  Unfortunately, there was no salad, which I was kind of hoping for.  The basamati rice wasn’t that good, kind of dry, but all of the actual Indian dishes that I had were good. One was a lentil soup mixture that was slightly spicy.  The Indian potatoes were very good with a good kick of red pepper.  There was an okra dish that was a little sweet and no heat.  And then there were the spicy peas – a wonderful dish that I probably could have kept eating if I had not been sampling the other options.  They also had fried vegetables, which I steered clear of due to my issues with most fried foods.  I do plan on going to Nirvana again, but will probably choose something off of their expansive menu.

Union City Grille (Wilmington, DE, http://www.unioncitygrille.com/)

My husband and I took my father to Union City Grille when he came to visit us.  I had purchased one of the daily deals to the restaurant because it looked like it had meals that would please both my husband and me.  We entered the restaurant through the Dining Room entrance and were greeted by a small hostess stand and a coat check.  While waiting for a table, we entered the lounge area.  There were a number of tables as well as a bar.  It was not too dark in the lounge and the bartender was quite friendly.  When our table was ready, we entered the brightly lit dining room.  There are tables and booths and the atmosphere is slightly upscale for a grill restaurant.  The patrons were mostly dressed in khakis and skirts, but there were a few people in jeans.

I started with the UCG house salad – mixed greens, grape tomatoes (chopped), cucumbers, carrots, and croutons in a champagne vinaigrette.  The salad had a nice coating of vinaigrette, not overly dressed, but certainly not under dressed.  It had a sweet taste and I ate every bite (except for the croutons).  Our salads were accompanied by sesame seed rolls.  They were served warm and were very soft and delicious.

I was really excited about a gnocchi dish that I saw on the menu, Ricotta Gnocchi Gratin.  Its description “roasted exotic mushrooms with tender hand-made gnocchi in silky goat cheese fondue drizzled with truffle oil” made my mouth water.  I had to order it.  Unfortunately, the actual dish did not live up to my excitement.  I found it slightly bland and think that it would taste much better with a little cracked black pepper added to the top.  Even though I was disappointed with my entrée, there were 3-4 other vegetarian options to choose from.  I do plan on visiting this restaurant again.