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Showing posts with label Peachy's Picks Delaware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peachy's Picks Delaware. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Top Peachy's Picks January 2017 Best Manhattan Restaurants & Beyond According to Whom You Know Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins


We definitely have always liked going to great restaurants and playing with our food!

Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. Read our first Culinary Queen interview with Kelly Sasuga:

For more information about Fresh Origins, visit their website at 









Top Peachy's Picks January 2017 
Best Manhattan Restaurants According to Whom You Know

-in no particular order-




























These met the following criteria:

They have outperformed their competitors, and their owners are among the most competitive, and are there in person and consistently demonstrate they care the most.  Additionally, they are nice people and you would want to visit them and their delicious culinary endeavors.  
We have reviewed them at least four times, in some cases many more and they all graduated from Terrific Takeout to Peachy's Picks and are in it to win it. They go beyond a single feature in Peachy's Picks and constantly strive to be better and better.  In most cases, they change their menu four times a year at least.  Paul of Kings' Carriage House changes his menu every day.

We have visited them within the last six months and first visited them prior to 2016.

There are other restaurants we enjoy, however, since we do not assign number ranks we believe you should know the best of the best on a qualitative basis.  Many restaurants come and go in Manhattan but these are here to stay we believe.

We are going to periodically come out with this kind of list and it is only coincidental that it the the start of a new year. This will keep owners on their toes and you in the know! Those listed here are absolutely on their toes and no one was made aware of the fact that this list would be released.  No one will know the next time either!

Honorable mention as newest to us in Manhattan: Auden at The Ritz-Carlton Central Park


Our cousin Kevin is our companion dining expert in Washington, D.C. and if you own a restaurant there, you have probably met him! We liked to pretend apple juice was beer so we have come a long way.

Best of Washington, D.C.: Anything by Ashok Bajaj and The Knightsbridge Restaurant Group including 701, Nopa, The Bombay Club, Bibiana, The Oval Room, Rasika; 
and Boss Shephard's


Best of Boston: Sonsie on Newbury Street and of course in Chestnut Hill the Boston College Dining Hall

Best of Delaware: Go Fish and Go Brit by Alison Blyth Best Fish and Chips in America

...and there are wait lists in more geographically desirable locations that you will be kept apprised of as the owners pass our review process.  Owners on the wait list know they are there and we will visit them someday!

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

TAKE A TRIP TO REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE RECOMMENDED BY WHOM YOU KNOW Our Coverage Sponsored by ECO SWIM BY AQUA GREEN




Peachy Deegan in her favorite Eco Swim suit on Rehoboth Beach, land of Go Fish!


ECO SWIM BY AQUA GREEN is a sustainable-minded collection of eco bathingsuits that is committed to making a difference through fashion. ECO SWIM BY AQUA GREEN's focus is to promote ocean awareness and responsibility for our planet while providing an alternative that compliments a discerning mindset for leadership in style and fashion. 

ECO SWIM AQUA GREEN swimwear is made in America with every effort to reduce your carbon footprint in the sand™. ECO SWIM BY AQUA GREEN is about feeling good about your purchases and conscious actions today that create a better world for tomorrow. 


As it cools down in Manhattan, everyone surely is trying to squeeze in that one last beach day before it is really freezing.  In August, we took a trip down to Rehoboth Beach because our friend Richard's fantastic DC2NY has a new route going down there for the summer season.  And Manhattan, sadly, does not have a beach.  It has everything but.

We would go anywhere on DC2NY.  They are in a word, awesome.  They are reliable, they are clean and they are pleasant.  It is a pleasure to work with them.  If you are not living in Manhattan and think traveling here is not easy, the reverse is also true.  It is not easy to get out of here either because of the massive traffic flow which is virtually constant. DC2NY makes traveling a breeze and their upscale service is the best around.
Alison Blyth
If we leave Manhattan, we always want to go somewhere nice to eat.  We know many of the nice places here, but going somewhere new where you can't even walk by and check it out can be very iffy.  We are pleased to report our dining experiences at Rehoboth Beach were tops thanks to Alison Blyth and Hari Cameron.  Alison, next time we get down there we will have to be wearing our English shoes-Lotus or Posh Wellies.  We'll have to find out if they make summer shoes as well...if you haven't been reading us before this we are total Anglophiles and that means GO FISH is a must.
Hari Cameron

Our trip was quite short and we did not have time to do much touring because the beach was a priority for us.  We were delighted to speak to Carol Everhart of Rehoboth Beach's Chamber of Commerce prior to our arrival.  Here's what you should know this from the website of the town:

Rehoboth Beach is a welcoming, friendly community. One mile square, the seaside town has all of the modern amenities. It is a place where people can stroll down tree-lined streets, neighbors know one another, children play outside and a diverse community comes together to preserve the city’s charm and unique character. Click on the links to see what Rehoboth Beach has to offer, namely an energetic day and nightlife in a progressive, year-round resort.

The History of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware


The earliest settlers to this area were Native Americans who traveled to the beach in the summer months to enjoy the cool breezes and abundant seafood. Between 1650 and 1675, English and Dutch settlers put down roots here as the area became home to farmers and members of William Penn's earliest legislatures. Later owners participated in the American War of Independence.

According to information from the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society, in 1872, Reverend Robert W. Todd of St. Paul's M.E. Church in Wilmington visited a Camp Meeting area on the Jersey Shore. He soon pursued the idea of starting a camp area here on the Delaware coast. In 1873, on 414 acres purchased from local farmers, the Rehoboth Camp Meeting Association was formed.

The grounds were laid out in a fan-shaped design with wide streets, parks and specific building lots. That design remains largely intact today.

While the Association discontinued its formal meetings by 1881, other groups utilized the site for services until about the turn on the 20th century. In 1891, Delaware's General Assembly established a municipality for the territory, naming it Henlopen City. In 1891, it was renamed Rehoboth Beach.

The Boardwalk, now a mile long, was originally built in 1873 on high ground between the beach and Surf Avenue, which ran the full length of the ocean front. Many storms have changed the configuration over the years; but in 1879, the original Henlopen Hotel was built on the site now occupied by a hotel of the same name.

With the coming of the railroad - which ran right down Rehoboth Avenue, the second block of Baltimore Avenue became the new center of camp meetings and city life. Many of the original tent houses (small one-room buildings surrounding a center structure) were moved there with new ones constructed as well.

In 1925, a paved highway was completed from Georgetown to Rehoboth Beach. It helped link the resort with the paved roads towards Washington, D.C.; and many legislators, diplomats and government employees began to visit and vacation here. It wasn't long before Rehoboth Beach came to be known as the "Nation's Summer Capital".

From it's beginnings as a spiritual center to the public's embracing of the seacoast as a mecca for leisure activity, Rehoboth Beach has developed as a close-knit seaside town. It's a nod to the past that the city's present day charter includes words that are nearly identical to several words from the 1872 charter of the Camp Meeting Association:

"the maintenance of a permanent seaside resort and the furnishing of proper conveniences and attractions requisite to the same."

Downtown Rehoboth Beach came of age in the era of Victorian influences and evolved throughout the 20th century to change with the times. Both the residential and commercial area, despite their growth and maturation, have retained the warm and friendly charm and ambiance that reflect Rehoboth Beach's historic past.




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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Peachy Picks Delaware Go Fish Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins

Brilliant owner London native Alison Blythe, who of course is Truly British through and through!
Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. For more information about Fresh Origins, visit their website at www.freshorigins.com
***
Imogen Lloyd Webber, Georgie Thompson and Danny Kemp, this one's for you.  Our readers clearly adore your British books 
because you are killing everyone else in traffic and we aspire to your Twitter followings. Thanks for all of the retweets and you need to GO FISH with Alison.
Well, we've never started off a dinner review by meeting the queen, and you know we cover a lot of the releases by BBC Home Entertainment...currently we loved the Royal Collection, though we could go on and on about the great releases they constantly have.  Remember how we reviewed Call the Midwife Season One?
If you are a more recent reader, surely you know about Season Two:
Well what happens to those babies after they are born?
BBC we have a new idea for you.
Start a series on what happened to the babies and here is Episode One and do mention us in the credits please.
You'll need to go to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to find Alison Blythe, who IS one of those babies.  Yes, she was born by a midwife in London in a row house.  We won't say when.  She's very young.  Alison is an authority on Fish and Chips and is a descendant of George Blythe (1570).  Alison came to America after living in Bermuda briefly and spent her entire childhood in London.
You know you are in the right place when you find the phone booth and the Queen.  
You have started off properly when you begin to imbibe Newcastle Brown Ale.  We believe we ordered the British pint which is 20oz.  Do not be a gauche American and order the 16oz once you walk in the door you are British too and you'll be treated with class and distinction like the British are known for.  Yes, the service is tops.  
The bar is well-stocked in case you want to order something different.
If there were a British Disneyworld, this is it.
The entire concept of Go Fish is spot on as we think they say (Peachy lived in London some years ago and visited it before that a few times and after a few times) and Alison has got all of the decor just right.  You do feel like you're in London and everyone in Manhattan should be crying their eyes out that the Tube (check out Peachy's bracelet), does not have a direct route from New York to Go Fish Rehoboth, but you know who does: DC2NY, highly recommended.
Almost never do we see an idea as well-thought out and executed as this.  But what do you expect?  Alison is the real deal from England and she is a stickler for detail and clearly passionate about what she does, in addition to being one of the smartest restaurant owners we've met.  Go Fish has been going strong since 2002.
We almost died of laughter when we saw the book in the waiting area Captain Peaches Takes the Delaware Beaches.  That has been there for awhile and preceded our first call to Alison.  Go Fish is one of the pages along with Go Brit, Alison's other restaurant.
The atmosphere is cordial and relaxed yet proper.  Remember this is London in Delaware.  There is nothing loud or obnoxious like you can find at some casual spots.  Everything is sparkling clean.
We began our culinary endeavor with the Ultimate Shrimp Appetizer.  At a towering 5'1" guess who is an ultimate shrimp here....
You should know that everything at Go Fish is breaded properly and is extremely fresh.  This is not yesterday's shrimp or frozen shrimp like you may see at inferior venues!  Though in decor Go Fish is casual they are extremely serious about their cuisine.  This is a meal in itself: beer-battered shrimp (terrific!), fried coconut shrimp (excellent if you like coconut) and crab-stuffed jumbo shrimp (the best!) you will absolutely devour with glee, they are that good.
Not to be ignored are the sauces: sweet chili, cocktail sauce and homemade tartar, all extremely flavorful and the right touch.
We have never had onion rings before drizzled with stout and anything drizzled in stout has got to be even better.  These beer-battered onion rings are so superb you may develop an addiction to them.
Onto the piece de resistance: The Famous Jumbo Beer-Battered Fish and Chips dinner!  Alaskan Pollack dipped in their homemade signature light and crispy batter served with tartar, lemon and house made coleslaw is simply the best.  You will not find better in America, and Peachy ought to know as she has eaten Fish and Chips in Cork, Dublin, London, and St. Andrews.  This is what they DO over there on the other side of the pond (though we have yet to find great pizza or bagels over there).  Alison and her stellar team make authentic chips and that they start out as real potatoes at the beginning of the day. They prep them to the exact shape and size as you would get in England.  Every bite is pure bliss and you will want to eat this for dinner after you are at the beach and come back and get take-out for lunch to bring it with you on the beach.  If your name is Peachy you may even want it for breakfast.
Our panelist ordered the Flounder Stuffed with Crab Imperial which rivals the best seafood venues with tablecloths we've tried.
Even the bathroom is fun at Go Fish because Alison is fun.  We can assure you there is no product or business that is great without a top owner behind it.
There are even appropriate signs in the bathroom.
The above one would be well-placed in a lot of spots in America...
Alison had a glass of wine with us at the conclusion and we don't have to tell you she greeted us when we arrived, sat us at a top table, and introduced every course to us and endured every one of Peachy's questions with a smile!  You know who asks a lot of questions when she likes something.  
Peachy could hardly eat dessert she was so full, but Alison's homemade English sticky toffee pudding is to die for.  Quite divine, this dessert will leave you you so sad when you are in New York and you can't eat it anymore.  But then you just have another good excuse to get to the beach...but please, please, please open one in Manhattan!   And move here!
Our esteemed panelist adds:
After spending a lovely day at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, what I want more than anything else for dinner is seafood. Where is the best place to get seafood? Go Fish! This British Fish and Chip Shop has the best fish and chips outside of England - hands down! And their menu has plenty of other delicious options to choose from, too. The first thing that got me interested in Go Fish! was its fun decor. The outside of the restaurant features a giant British flag and an iconic British red telephone booth. If you're lucky, you may even get to pose with the queen out front! Upon entering the restaurant, you'll feel that you've stepped across the pond into a real fish and chip shop in England. It truly is a fun and friendly atmosphere. The staff at Go Fish! makes the experience even more enjoyable. They were so welcoming. 
 After a long day in the summer sun, I started off my meal with a cold draft of Newcastle Brown Ale. It was cool and refreshing, and it really hit the spot! 
 For the appetizer course we shared both the Black & Tan Fried Onion Rings and the Ultimate Shrimp Appetizer. The onion rings were out of this world! 
 Beer-battered and drizzled with stout, they were crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. The Ultimate Shrimp Appetizer is ultimately delicious. There are three types of shrimp: fried coconut, beer-battered, and crab stuffed. The platter also comes with sweet chili dipping sauce, cocktail sauce, and homemade tartar sauce. My favorite was probably the fried coconut shrimp, but the other two options did not last long on the plate either! 
 For the main course, I ordered the Flounder Stuffed with Crab Imperial. The flounder was light and flakey, and it practically melted in my mouth. The crab was flavored perfectly and really complemented the fish perfectly. The dish also came with a side of fresh steamed vegetables (the broccoli was cooked perfectly!) and seasoned rice. Of course, I still had to try the famous fish and chips! They were the best fish and chips I have ever tasted. I had no idea that fish and chips could even be so good! The Alaska pollack was fantastic and the light and crispy batter was heavenly. You could tell the chips were made from freshly peeled potatoes, and they tasted far better than any french fries that pretend to be chips at other restaurants. Even though I was ready to burst, after such a delicious meal, I had to try dessert. We shared a bit of Prince William's Groom Cake, the Beer-Battered Creamy Devon Cheesecake, and Alison's Homemade English Sticky Toffee Pudding. Each of these 
desserts was amazing! 
 
 Can you think of anything more decadent than fried cheesecake? 
 I had never had groom cake before, but it has now become one of my favorite desserts. It consists of layers of English rich tea biscuits and chocolate, served with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. It is a real winner! The best dessert, however, is the sticky toffee pudding. People come from far and wide to taste this dessert, and now I can see why. It is absolutely delicious! I didn't care how full I was, I had to eat it all! Dinner at Go Fish! is an experience I won't forget! From the delicious food to the friendly service, you cannot go wrong. I left that night having one of the best meals of my life!
By George, we think she's got it! And once he's on solid food, we expect to see the latest prince here too.
Peachy Picks Go Fish!
Go Fish is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
Oooh next time we will have to go to Go Brit.

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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Peachy Picks Amuse in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins

Executive Chef and Owner Hari Cameron

Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. For more information about Fresh Origins, visit their website at www.freshorigins.com
We agree-Amuse IS inspired food and drink. Owned by the infinitely imaginative Hari Cameron, Amuse is a lovely concoction of delectable edible endeavors that you'll enjoy right down to the bathroom sink, and we're not kidding. Read on!   Amuse was first featured in Tasty Tidbits:
The decor is decidedly inspired by the sea, which it should be as it is literally steps from the beach. It is a shame not all our summer dinner reviews were steps from the beach this year but Manhattan has got to build one...Mayor Bloomberg- how about before you leave?  (We dread the day you are not in office.)
Hats off to Hari for his extreme flexibility with us.  As you know, we ride the amazing DC2NY and as soon as we put our luggage away (you know who does not travel light), Hari was priority number one.  Normally we are 100% on time but since you never know with traffic we could not say an exact time-we were in New York during the day we had dinner at night at Amuse.  Amuse has a kitchen open late so we were thankful for that.  Hari greeted us himself personally as soon as we arrived at Amuse and could not have been more cordial or professional all evening.  
As you know Peachy Deegan loves a robust red, and she sipped on this stellar Cabernet by Josh which pared well with everything she ate.
Hari surprised us with Potted Chicken, which was certainly quite a robust dish for a summer starter.  Foie gras, port and toast and the pot of chicken itself was a hearty start.
Here is the chicken, in the next layer.
Summer vegetable dip is what Peachy chose as an appetizer and it came out in a lovely presentation.  Cherry tomatoes, tomatillo and a lovely creamy cheese dip ignited our appetite.
The flowers at each table of Amuse are fresh and welcoming.
The bar was quite popular by the time of our arrival, and the wall near it is aqua-inspired!
Have you had a Triggerfish?  When we are not in Manhattan, we want to dine at places that are of the same caliber of what we would find here, but that have something new and exciting for us to try.  When you leave Manhattan at all, it is hard to find establishments in any discipline where the owner is as cut-throat and competitive as the owners are here which can be entirely frustrating for us.  As you know we don't even cover the other boroughs and the closest geographic location to Manhattan that is covered by Whom You Know is Connecticut.  We are pleased to say now that we have been there and can personally verify this, 
Amuse is definitely new and exciting, and Manhattan-caliber.  
So, we're betting you answered: "No, Peachy.  I have not had a triggerfish."  Peachy hadn't either.  But she has now thanks to imaginative Hari.
New York (and London, and Paris and the multiple other states and countries where our readers reside), meet the triggerfish of Amuse.  Shake its fin, perhaps.
Everything from Amuse is sourced from a 200 mile radius of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  Though the lobster was calling our name so loudly, we just had to see what this Triggerfish was all about.  It is a local delicacy in Rehoboth Beach we are told.  Pounded thin and torched lightly (we wonder what they torch with in Delaware...Lady Liberty and her torch did not make the trip with us!), Triggerfish was dressed up in fava, onion, lobster mushroom and green almond.  A tantalizingly fresh seafood, this new fish to us is something we'd recommend you try as well.  Its caught close to the rocks and the triggerfish itself eats crabs, lobster and shellfish.
There are six options on the main course section of the menu at Amuse, and the one that looked the best to Peachy was the Prime Flat Iron, and it was spectacular.  The steak was tender and juicy and definitely sourced well.  Served with fingerling potatoes, pole beans cherry tomato and blue cheese butter, it was a winner through and through.  Peachy wishes she was at Amuse this minute eating it.  It exceeded Peachy's expectations for Delaware overall and you'd swear you were in a New York steakhouse, it was that god.
We totally can tell when an owner has been reading us or not, and Hari must have though we did not ask him.  It was his idea to close with some lovely port and a chocolate dessert.  The proper name of the dessert is Horsing Around: Chocolate Ganache, Dogfish Indian Brown Ale and Malted Milk.   (Grilled Bennett Peach and Heirloom Melon sounded tops to Peachy...) We are sure he will keep us posted on his future success and we hope this is the first of many times we will be telling you about him.
At the end of the day, we were highly AMUSEd and we believe you will be too.
And we did mean it when we said down to the bathroom sink. We are big believers in words meaning things...and even the sinks Hari was creative with. See the crab impression below, which he molded himself:
And the seashell sink: 
You'll have to go to the bathroom at least once in each to check these out.
Note that the hall to the bathroom doubles as an art gallery.
Not every place is this sophisticated by the shore. Bravo Hari.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
On my recent trip to beautiful Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, I was expecting warm weather, sandy beaches, crashing waves, and lots of fun. I got all that, but what I wasn't expecting was fine dining. I was delightfully surprised! Not far from the main drag of Rehoboth Avenue lies Amuse, a restaurant that offers a menu similar to one you would find in a trendy New York City neighborhood. From my experience, it is clear that the chef at Amuse, Hari, has worked extremely hard to make sure his guests have a wonderful dining experience. From the creatively prepared dishes down to the uniquely designed bathroom sinks, every last detail of Amuse has been thoroughly thought out. 
 The meal started off with a classy cocktail called Who Doesn't Love a Ginger? This refreshing drink is a mixture of ginger infused vodka, fresh lemon and apple juices, and sparkling wine. Yes, it does taste as good as it sounds! For an appetizer, I tried the Summer Vegetable Dip. This creamy dip has a cream cheese base with tomatoes and tomatillos mixed in. It had a wonderfully fresh flavor, and its smooth texture was perfectly complemented by the thin, crisp crackers served with it. 
 I also had to try the Heirloom Tomato dish. I love fresh heirloom tomatoes in the summer, and this plate exceeded all my expectations. The tomatoes were topped with a frozen olive oil mousse and served with Greek yogurt, basil seed, and croutons and accented with palate pleasing opal basil and baby Thai basil. This was a real treat for my taste buds! 
 For my main course, I had the Atlantic Yellowfin Tuna. This tender fish was extremely fresh and flavorful. It was served with hearty oats and wild mushrooms. It was the perfect food to fill me up and bring me calm and comfort after a day of traveling. 
 Finally, for dessert, I tried the Cake from Heaven. I think this cake really was from heaven, but no matter where it came from, it was gone in a couple of minutes! This light and fluffy white cake was served with peach sorbet, black cardamom, and white chocolate. The unique flavors blended together to create a dessert symphony in my mouth.
 And with a small glass of Bouchaine Chardonnay from the Napa Valley to go with it, I couldn't have been happier! 
 Amuse is a fine restaurant in a lovely town. When visiting Rehoboth Beach, make sure to stop by and treat yourself to a fantastic meal!

Peachy Picks Amuse!
Amuse is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.

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