June 18th, 2012
It is the casual attitude of the Delaware Beaches that make them a destination. So many restaurants and shops opening this year; the expectation are, definitely, high for the Summer of 2012.
One of my neighbors, Mel, had told me about Root Gourmet. He has become a fan of this unique place which opened its doors just a few weeks ago.
Root Gourmet is located at 19724 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. Tel. 302-727-5664. Website? www.rootgourmet.com. I love what they have done with the building. It looks so inviting. The door handle? Original!! Plenty of parking, as well.
Root Gourmet welcomes its customers with fruit infused waters. A special treat to cool off after the summer heat at the beaches.
Don’t kid yourselves, Root Gourmet is not a grocery store. Their foods are mainly ready to go home style entrees. The idea is that they will do the work, giving you easy and tasty foods. You can do the rest with the reheating guidelines that accompany each order; therefore, allowing you more time to spend with guests or family.
The foods are placed in aluminum containers for conventional ovens. Don’t use microwaves; most dishes reheat best and retain their quality in conventional ovens, anyway.
Root Gourmet is perfect for those unexpected guests. You can order full meals or just a few items, like side dishes, to enhance what you are already cooking.
The first item that caught my eyes was the gluten free popadom chips. In talking to them, they mentioned that they can accommodate customers with food related issues.
Baked goods are all done in-house. Special orders are welcomed. Those special orders include gluten free baked goods.
Inside is all about your comfort. Everyone was so friendly. Root Gourmet is also a Cafe; sit down and relax. They open early and stay open late. The daily offerings are on the board.
I decided to have the Quinoa Salad. It really was delicious and refreshing; dried cranberries and apricots were some of the ingredients found in this super grain. It was also, gluten free.
Then, a crab cake. If you like the crab cakes from Nage, then you will like theirs, as well. Root Gourmet is part of Nage’s family.
I followed the reheating instructions; bake uncovered on a 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes with a target temperature of 165 degrees. It worked!! It really did reheat well….. I did have my doubts. Crab cakes can be tricky to reheat.
The crab cake tasted good. Lump crab on top; would have preferred the same on the bottom, though. Still, a perfectly good crab cake.
I will have to go back. Too many delicious looking items left to try. Potato Gruyere Gratin, Tomato-Spinach White Bean Casserole, Potato-Queso Filled Peppers, Brie Apricot Tartlet, salads…and a Daily Vegetarian Option.
Too easy….Just a call away…..ask about delivery!!
Have a good one!! Psssst…find Root Gourmet on Facebook.
December 26th, 2009
Let me tell you about my Christmas Eve’s dinner. I figured that I could handle a small crowd of about 10 or so for that evening, so I invited a few friends. All in all, there were 11 of us and a few more that showed up and we loved including them, as well. When my children were younger I never had anyone over on Christmas Eve. It was just too hectic.
The thought of having a relaxing evening where I could have everything pretty much made ahead of time was what I was trying to achieve.
This is how it started. On December 22nd I marched myself into Hickman’s Meat Market. They have 2 locations, but the one that I went to is on Highway #1 (Coastal Highway), Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. Tel. is 302-226-8345.
I wanted a rib roast for about 10 people. I thought I should get 8 ribs and Mr. Hickman thought I was nuts. I would be feeding people for some time with that many ribs. He thought that 4 ribs would be plenty. But not me because I know best, right? I told him I had big eaters and I would compromise with 5 ribs. The roast was 15 lbs. I could not help but take a picture. And, oh my gosh, thank goodness I had a pan big enough to fit that piece of meat!! It’s the 26 and we are still eating beef.
Cooking the beef was an adventure. The method of cooking I used was the one where you place your beef at mid-day in the oven on a higher temperature for about one hour and then turn the oven off and leave it like that all day without opening the oven and before you get ready to eat you turn it back on and cook it for 50 minutes for medium/rare.
So, everyone was having a great time; drinks, crabmeat courtesy of Shelley, oysters and shrimp courtesy of John and in the back of my mind all I was thinking was “I hope that meat is ready”. Well, it was not. It was raw. So, let’s go the convenction oven route for another 1/2 hour. Well, it was still too rare. Then Debbie, who came from Great Barrington for our beef extravaganza, took over. Knife came out and she started carving and slicing and I could tell the natives were getting restless, but, we put the sliced meat in the oven for a bit more and believe it or not it worked. It had a great taste and the salad and potatoes, sweet potatoes, curried fruit, veggies and ham also courtesy of Shelley were all very good.
I learned that next time I will listen to my butcher. He knows best. And that method of cooking? It works but in a much smaller roast; 3 ribs.
Hickman’s gives you such personal service. They have been voted Best in Delaware Today Magazine 5 years in a row. Hickman’s offers prime beef, award winning and famous hot stix and applewood smoked bacon from their own smokehouse.
Their line of all natural fresh and smoked sausages, hand made by them is a combination of generations of family recipes, plus new ideas. They also have gluten free sausages that are made to order.
In their store you will find desserts to finish your meals. Some of the puddings are gluten free, as well. Sauces and dips, etc. are available.
Mr. Hickman told me that his family started in the meat business in 1881 in the Eastern Shore. In the Hickman’s family, there are 31 relatives; all in the meat business. He gave me a list of all their meats and it really would take a lot of space to mention them all here. Some of their specialties are cured corn beef, farm raised rabbit, farm raised ostrich, frog legs, bacon burger, venison patties and steaks, jerky, spicy jerky, pepper shooters, stuffed bell peppers, hunters sausage, venison steam ship round, and venison boneless back strap.
Please feel free to call them ahead and place your order for pick up. They also have shipping available.
It really was so nice to talk to Mr. Hickman. He was so busy and had about 1,000 orders for rib roasts but he was gracious enough to tell me he was fixing my roast for easy carving. Thank God he was not here to see how we actually butchered that beautiful piece of meat.
I have mentioned before that there is nothing better than the company of family and good friends to share a meal; on Christmas Eve that’s exactly what I found in my home.
Note: The other address for Hickman’s Meat Markets is Highway #1, Lewes, Delaware. Tel. 302-645-0600
Hope your Christmas was nice and talk to you later….
October 4th, 2009
Rehoboth Beach
It has been a year since my husband started eating gluten/wheat free. It has made such a difference. When they tell you that the only thing you can do when diagnosed with celiac disease is diet, then you plunge into a new way of eating.
I thought it was going to be hard but, actually, once I cleaned my kitchen and my pantry; turned it into a “gluten free kitchen” it was not bad at all. You get used to it; you have to.
There is so much more awareness in this country about gluten allergies and intolerances. People have so many choices. Grocery stores have isles with plenty of gluten free products. Product labels have to disclose glutens. Restaurants are offering gluten free menus, and the list goes on. I have tried different products and some I like better than others.
The grocery stores in Rehoboth Beach have a lot of products available. But, one of my favorite stores is Rainbow Earth Foods. It is located right on the Avenue specifically at 220 Rehoboth Ave., Tel. 302-227-3177 , fax #302-227-7215, website is www.RainbowEFoods.com, and e-mail address is RainbowEFoods@aol.com.
I love this store. It is not big but they have everything I need. And, if you cannot find it, either Mike or Diana will order it.
For many years it was known as Peter Rabbit but Mike has had it for 7 years.
When you come into the store you will find on either side of the store refrigerators with natural juices, milk, and grab and go prepared foods like dips and cheeses.
There is one section with pure spices that are sold by weight. They smell so good.
The store also carries soaps, beauty products, shampoos, toothpaste; all natural with no additives.
How about essential and botanical oils? I did not know there was a difference. Essential oils are single oils like lavender. The botanical oils are a mixture of teas and spices.
They even have greeting cards that are “tree free” meaning they are made of earth friendly materials.
If you are using herbal and vitamin supplements, well stop by the store. They have way too many for me to list on this post.
Since the holidays are soon approaching, they will have gluten free – Eberly’s organic turkeys. They also carry 100% organic fed beef, free range young chicken breasts, and organic uncured bacon by Applegate Farms; no nitrites added.
My favorite products there are the following items and I really buy them all the time:
Organic Buckwheat flour – gluten free- for pancakes (delicious with molasses on top)
Organic Gluten Free pancake and baking mix
Namaste Foods Products like, Spice Cake, and cookie mix
European – gluten free crispbread and crackers
All products from the Grainless Baker, Inc. like muffins, cinnamon buns, pizza and bread. These products are frozen and use as needed. The pizza is amazing. It is small but is the closest to the real thing. I add chopped onion, sundried tomatoes, peppers, anchovies and Voila!! Include a salad and you have a meal. Truly love those products.
Nustevia – sugar substitute. I first saw it in Colorado. No bitter taste, safe for diabetics and naturally processed.
I buy their gluten free vanilla. Yes, you have to be careful about vanilla too.
Soy sauce? Yes, I buy the Tamari, wheat free. I just saw one that also has low sodium. I might have to have Mike order that one for me soon.
One thing I have to tell you is that one day I was at their counter paying and I noticed some bottles on the left hand side. It was called The Natural Miracle Conditioner by Tate’s. There are so many uses for this lotion. It is for hair conditioning, skin, bath and shower, make-up remover, poison ivy, diaper rash and the list keeps going on and on. I bought it and it is true; it does all those things. I really like it. No animal testing, colors or dyes, fragrances or pesticides. And, gluten free. The company is from Ohio and their website is www.ourtatefamily.com. Check it out.
Since starting this blog, I have learned so many interesting things….
Comments Off on Root Gourmet, Rehoboth Beach, Cafe, Crafted Foods to Go, Homemade Baked Goods, Entertainment Made Easy, Delaware Beaches