January 28th, 2010
Where has time gone? It seems just like yesterday when we were celebrating the opening of a new restaurant in Bethany Beach. I say it this way because at the time I was living in Bethany. DiFebo’s opened 20 years ago. Yes, the year was 1989 and they have been serving the Bethany Beach area since then.
DiFebo’s is located at 789 Garfield Parkway (Rt. 26) in Bethany Beach, DE 19930. Tel. is 302-539-4550. For carry out please call 302-539-4914. The website is www.difebos.com. The Executive Chef is Ricardo Jimenez and you may e-mail him at ricardo@difebos.com.
Remember when I mentioned the group of friends called the Usual Suspects? Well I went to meet 2 of them; Debbie and Shelley. We decided on DiFebo’s because none of us had been there in a long time. I really don’t remember when I last ate there but I don’t have a reason why I have not been there in such a long time. It really has been years. Well, enough of that. I am glad we went because we all had an excellent meal.
Upon entering the restaurant, I noticed that it still looked the same. The dining area where we were directed was a little too dark, too many tables; I was not crazy about the decor; it’s just my own particular taste. I was not there for the decor so that did not matter much.
Sergio was our waiter. I noticed he had an accent. He told us he was from Chile and so I spoke to him in Spanish. He was nice and very attentive.
Last Tuesday there was a special going on; soup, salad, entree and dessert for $19.95. Debbie had the Chicken Marsala and Shelley had the Mahi Mahi with shrimp, asparagus and risotto. Sometimes, when restaurants offer these specials, their portions tend to be smaller. DiFebo’s portions were just the right size.
I chose their House of Greens which was a salad of field greens, classic balsamic vinaigrette and imported Parma cheese. Light and perfect for a starter.
My dish was not on the special but was very reasonable, as well. I had the Fresh Fish of the Day with Mussels en Brodo. The fish was Mahi Mahi and it was grilled over pan-roasted mussels gently poached in a saffron broth with San Marzano tomatoes and fresh spinach. Garnished with frizzled leeks. The word “en Brodo” means “in Broth”. All I can say is that it was delicious.
Mahi Mahi with Mussels en Brodo
The dessert that my friends chose was the bread pudding. I took a few bites and it was not too sweet and had just the right density.
DiFebo’s has plenty to choose from. They are open daily and even deliver. Their Lunch & Carry Out Menu, as well as their Dinner Menu can be found on their website above mentioned.
This family owned and operated restaurant has a unique feature for the beaches. They have Family Style Meals to Go. This catering menu is designed for parties of 10 guests or more. They have created affordable, hot delicious food that can go from their kitchen to yours; ready to serve. You can pick and choose your trays. Have them delivered or for pick up. You can even let them know if you are in need of a chaffing dish to keep the food warm. I have never used this service but I can imagine how popular this is, especially, at the height of the summer season. How convenient!!
Isabella’s, next door, is their sister restaurant. I will review that one at another time.
In the meantime, enjoy the good restaurants the Delmarva Peninsula has to offer……Until next time…
January 10th, 2010
For being the first week-end after New Year’s I was surprised to see that Rehoboth and Coastal Highway were crowded. I thought everyone would be pretty much worn out after all the shopping, partying, and eating.
Debbie and I were getting together for lunch. You remember her? She went kayaking with me this past summer in Fenwick Island and has been with me to some of the restaurants I have reviewed.
We ended up at Casa DiLeo on 721 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. Tel 302-226-8660. The owner and Executive Chef is John J. DiLeo.
Casa DiLeo has been in the area for some time now. It has a big following and back in October they expanded their restaurant. This is the first time that I have seen the expansion and it looked good and certainly added more seating availability.
The hours of operation are: Mondays through Thursdays 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Any time that my friends and I get together for breakfast, lunch or dinner, we must drive the wait staff crazy. We just talk, might glance over the menu, and without missing a beat we keep on talking. We tell them to come back in a little while, many times. It’s just the way it is. But, isn’t it nice to be able to share a meal with best friends? I love it.
Casa DiLeo is a fullfledge restaurant, but I am going to be reviewing lunch time. That is why I went there today. My favorite room is really the first one when you come in. As I come in, the music is playing and I feel the welcoming atmosphere of a Italian trattoria. The colors, the prints; all add to that feeling.
A trattoria is an Italian style eating establishment, less formal than a restaurant, but more formal than a tavern. The service is casual, with the food being mostly regional and local.
Casa DiLeo has a full bar and a very good selection of wines, including the PortoVino Italian wines. Try them and let me know how you like them.
This restaurant has take out and delivery. The specialties are New York Style Pizza, Pasta, Subs, Calzone/Stromboli, Soup and Salads. For dinner, some of their offerings are: Chicken & Eggplant Parmesan, Chicken or Veal Marsala, DiLeo’s Homemade Chesse Lasagna, which is very good, DiLeo’s Homemade Meat Lasagna, which is also delicious.
I usually get the Greek Salad with their balsamic dressing. Both, Debbie and I ordered it today, but we added a slice of pizza for each of us. I had really forgotten how big their portions are. But, check the picture of one slice of NY Style Pizza. The salad was fresh, full of vegetables with a nice slice of Feta cheese on top.
Casa DiLeo has a wide variety of subs. From the traditional subs like Italian to the unique ones like Sausage Parmesan or Veal Parmesan.
The same goes for the Calzone and the Stromboli. Chef DiLeo has his own “Boli” like the DiLeo Boli which is ground beef, Italian seasonings, sauce and cheese.
Calzone? Stromboli? A Calzone is like an Italian turnover which is stuffed with tomato and mozzarella and possibly other ingredients like pizza toppings. The stromboli is a type of turnover filled with various cheeses, Italian meats and veggies. The dough is Italian bread dough.
Everyone has something to say about pizzas. Whether you like the thick or thin crust, I would have to say that Casa DiLeo has a pretty good one. They have non Premium Toppings like tomatoes, low fat cheese, mushrooms, onions, sausage, etc. and they also have Premium Toppings like Bacon, Spinach, Feta Cheese, Anchovies, Portabella Mushrooms and more.
The House Specialty Pizzas; Low Fat Veggie, Diablo Pizza (red devil-hot), Supreme (8 toppings), New York White Ricotta, Mediterranean which has feta cheese, Kalamata olives, spinach, artichokes, fresh tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil. I have had the Diablo Pizza in the past and really enjoyed it.
Casa DiLeo offers about 8 pasta sauces, so you have your pick from tomato sauce to Pomodoro (red) clam sauce.
We come to the sweet endings and how could you leave without having a Canolli with DiLeo’s homemade cream? Very popular and award winning is DiLeo’s Chocolate Mousse, and one of my favorite desserts is the Zabaglione with fresh berries. We did manage to leave without having dessert.
Zabaglione is a dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, Marsala wine or Prosecco and sometimes cream, mascarpone cheese or whole eggs. It is a very light custard.
And off we went, with a slower gait, but happy…
Another cold night in the beautiful Delmarva Peninsula…but I will talk to you later…
Note: Information on trattoria, Calzone, Stromboli and Zabaglione was taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/trattoria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/calzone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/stromboli_(food) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabaglione
0 Comments