Pam George June 15, 2022 Food, Headlines
Among the many surprises at Bardea Steak is the way meals are served, such as a server cooking unseasoned squares of Wagyu tableside. Photo by Pam George.
We fully intended to get a steak. After all, that’s what carnivores normally do when visiting a steakhouse.
But once we entered Bardea Steak’s sleek space, we succumbed to the allure of the unexpected.
And there’s much that’s surprising about the new Market Street restaurant in the heart of downtown Wilmington.
The steakhouse quietly opened this week with nary a phone number on the website. (Tip: use Open Table.)
We snagged a 6:45 p.m. reservation on a Tuesday and a parking spot near the newcomer’s sister restaurant, Bardea Food & Drink. We strolled by alfresco diners tucking into the Italian cuisine, and made our way to Bardea Steak.
Seasoned restaurateur Scott Stein and chef Antimo DiMeo separated their two businesses with a cosmopolitan courtyard divided into conversation sections with coffee table fire pits, plantings and fairy lights.
In the future, guests dining outside can enjoy selections from each restaurant; the point-of-sale system will send the information to the respective kitchens.
But let’s talk about the inside of Bardea Steak. The owners have made do while awaiting furniture shipments, but the attention to detail still shines.
Votive candles softly pulse under translucent domes, the gleaming cutlery is arranged on a rest, and napkins are folded into triangular packages. A statue of a bull, created by a Philadelphia artist, calmly gazes at the mixture of booths and tables.
The energy is an integral part of the ambiance, from the rolling sound of the flames in the open kitchen to the light laughter at the bar to the tableside preparations that turn strangers at neighboring tables into friends.
“What was that!” “What did you have?” “How was it?”
Veteran server Chris Unruh — wearing a crisp white shirt, knotted tie and mustard-colored apron — is the “meat sommelier.”
He’s on hand to explain the steak side of the menu, which includes a page with information on the breeds and another on the cuts — but no prices. (He can supply that as well.)
The approach provides diners with an education — Meat 101 — which is either appreciated or annoying, depending on your interest level.
Some people just want to see the cut and the price tag.
But Bardea Steak isn’t that type of steakhouse.
Instead, the James Beard semifinalists are creating an experience that includes finding the breed and cut that will please your individual palate and pocketbook.
So, why didn’t we order a steak? Simply put, the rest of the menu was too tempting to bypass.
Few steakhouses extend red meat options to kangaroo, elk, bison, ostrich and beef heart (empanada).
These meats aren’t on the menu for the fun factor. DiMeo demonstrates that there is more to the animal kingdom than mass-produced cattle. (All the meat comes from small farms.)
He’s also showing his guests that all parts of an animal have merit and using them smartly defines sustainability.
Known best for Italian cuisine, the James Beard-nominated chef lets his imagination travel the globe at Bardea Steak.
For example, we ordered plantain tamale with oxtail barbacoa delivered in a small white steamer with red and green salsa.
Once the tidy packets hit the plate, the steamer is whisked away.
It was not the only show that night — or ethnically inspired cuisine.
Yakiniku features unseasoned squares of Wagyu cooked tableside on a hibachi decorated with Japanese characters. Seasonings include salt — use with caution — and harrisa ssamjang, a spicy Korean barbecue sauce.
Every presentation is beyond pretty.
For instance, tender sweet dates en nogada (with walnuts) are studded with pomegranate seeds and served with crispy chicken skin “chips.”
Rivers stones and tufts of green moss turned clever turducken croquettes into a work of art. (Just don’t pop the rock into your mouth.)
Speaking of art, a rye cracker resembling the silhouette of a bull’s head covers Wagyu beef cheek with uni and remoulade. Under DiMeo’s deft touch, it tastes like an elevated Reuben.
The beef cheek is under a “raw” section with items that aren’t all raw, so don’t shrink when you see lobster or shrimp.
There’s also a menu category for skewers, and we had venison rubbed with chili and coffee with oyster mushrooms and a tamarind-sweetened sauce. The B at the end of the skewer is a nice touch.
Of course, there is no shortage of exacting accoutrements, which extend to the desserts.
If you watch any baking show, you’ll appreciate the pastry chef’s efforts, including a snowy pavlova and aubergine-colored macarons — a happy departure from Day-Glo varieties.
We need to go back if only to order a steak. Granted, that might be difficult given the other menu options that intrigued me.
But there’s another reason to return.
Wilmington is a city, which means of course means it’s urban. But it’s not always as urbane as our metropolitan neighbors.
Bardea, however, is a big city concept, and it’s nice to have a slice of the Big Apple without boarding a train.
DNREC will block off some areas of beach to allow birds to nest and wants to train volunteers to man those boundaries and let beachgoers know what’s happening. Piping Plover photo courtesy of DNREC. Delaware beachgoers should be prepared to share the sands this summer, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said this week. Piping Plovers and American oystercatchers will be nesting during the time, and visitors can make their 2022 season successful by doing a few things. One is to walk close to the water on the lower beach, so the travel-weary birds can rest on the upper beach. In May and part of June, DNREC will close sections of the beach where the birds are nesting and rearing their chicks and is seeking volunteers to man those boundaries and explain what’s happening. The department will hold a volunteer training session May 7 to train volunteers to do that. The class will be from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cape Henlopen State Park Officers Club Mess Hall in Lewes. It will include a slideshow and light refreshments, followed by a discussion about the monitoring program that helps ensure the success of the birds’ nesting periods. Volunteers can just show up on May 7, or they can pre-register here. Fees to enter Cape Henlopen State Park will be waived for volunteers. Piping plovers are federally listed as “threatened,” which means they are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. The birds are found in coastal areas along the Eastern corridor and throughout the center of the country. Their eggs incubate for 26-28 days and chicks normally take three to four weeks to fledge, which means they’ve developed wing feathers that are large enough for flight. Delaware has categorized the American oystercatchers as “endangered,” meaning the species is likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular geographical area. The bird is native to beach towns on America’s East Coast, the southern borders of Texas and Louisiana and Mexico’s West Coast. Oystercatcher eggs spend 24-28 days in their incubation period, and the chicks typically fledge in 30-35 days. For those who can’t attend the volunteer session, the DNREC recommends the following to protect the birds: Walk close to the water to avoid disturbing the birds. Birdwatching can be a great way to pass the time and maintain wellness, but keep your distance so the birds feel safe. There pets are permitted on the beach, keep them leashed and away from birds. Remove trash and food scraps, which attract animals that might eat piping plovers and their eggs. Do not feed animals on or near the beach. Follow all other guidance on posted signs and respect all areas fenced or posted for protection of wildlife. Your actions can benefit sea turtles, terns, American oystercatchers and black skimmers, among other animals.
Concert organist Nicole Keller said the largest organ she ever played was the 17,000-pipe Passau organ. Photo by Eric Mot/Unsplash Nicole Keller’s mother played the organ. So did her grandmother. “So, of course, I never wanted to touch the instrument for the longest time,” said Keller. With a father who was a minister in African Methodist Episcopal Church and a mom who played the organ at several churches, she grew up steeped in the music. Then, after her junior year of high school, the Berwyn, Pennsylvania native spent a summer in Venezuela. She returned missing the music she loved. She began playing the piano again and decided to study music at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music in Berea, Ohio, majoring in piano and minoring in organ. She went on to earn a master’s in organ performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Today, Keller’s one of the few Black female concert organists, and she’ll be in Delaware Sunday, April 24, pulling out all the stops when she performs at 3 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew in Wilmington. Nicole Keller The performance, which has a suggested free-will offering of $20, will feature music by Bach, César Franck, Florence Price and Anne Wilson. The concert also will be livestreamed from the church website. Learning organ in college was demanding, she said. Unlike pianists, who contend with a keyboard and a set of pedals, organists must master as many as five keyboards while managing the stops. They are buttons or knobs that control the flow of air to the pipes to create layers of sound. At the same time, organists also deal with more foot pedals — which generally add the bass notes — than a pianist and often must move their feet quickly up or down or to the extreme left or right. Some organs also have space pads or mechanical action pads that are linked directly to the pipes. “So I’m literally pulling open the pallet to open up the sound underneath,” she said. “You are actually physically opening up every single pipe every time you play, which is a cool feeling as well.” Keller, and other organists, wear special organ shoes. They look like Mary Janes, but the soles and heels are made from flexible felt, allowing her to play with a single toe, or with her heel. Ultimately, that means that Keller is unlikely to walk out on stage in a frilly, glittery formal gown like most other concert soloists. All that material pooling around her legs and feet can really get in the way, she said. “I tend to be more practical in that,” she said. With so many Black women who play organ for their own churches and organizations, Keller said she’s not sure why she’s one of only a few Black organ female concert performers. Another — Joyce Johnson of Spelman College in Atlanta — taught for decades there and was known for playing while 20,000 people filed past the body of Martin Luther King Jr. as it lay in state for 48 hours at Spelman’s Sister’s Chapel after his assassination. Keller hopes to help guide more Black women into the field starting this fall when she begins a new job at the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at the University of Michigan. While Keller never had to worry about hauling her instrument around in college, and doesn’t ever have to worry about, say, checking her antique cello for a flight, she has to contend with the great variety of organs she plays. No two are the same, from the size, shape, arrangement of keys, pedals and stops. That means Keller spends a lot of time becoming familiar with the instrument before performing. She will be playing on SSAM’s recently refurbished Kathrine Esterly Organ, which has 2,477 pipes, created by combining pipes from three church organs. Keller was already practicing on the organ at 9:30 a.m. Friday and said she would practice all day Friday and Saturday to be ready for the Sunday performance. “It’s a lovely room, a very warm room,” she said. “The pipes are a little bit farther away from the organ console than I expected, but so far it’s been really lovely and it’s responding the way that I expect it to respond to the things that I asked it to do. I’m able to fairly quickly find some really beautiful colors that I can build ensembles around.” The largest organ she’s ever played is the Passau organ in the stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Passau, Germany. It has 17,974 pipes and 233 registers and is said to be the largest Catholic Church organ in the world and the largest organ in Europe. While her console was in one place, the bulk of the organ was in the back of the church, about one and one-half city blocks from the choir organ at the front of the cathedral. Other parts were a half block away. “You know, you’re controlling all that from this massive console that really looks like it’s the cockpit of a plane,” Keller said. “It was really a lot of fun, and it was a bit daunting. You know, you never have enough time, especially when you’re in Europe, to practice on these giant instruments as you would like.” She does have a bucket list of organs she’d like to play. One is the new organ at Christ Church in Philadelphia, which she hopes to have an opportunity to play soon. Keller said organists can’t quite sneak into churches and start playing because the consoles generally are locked up. But she’s found that most churches welcome people to play them, partly to keep them in good working order, as long as the time doesn’t interfere with church services. The soloist said she generally has two different kinds of programs planned for performances each year, with the program chosen to match the organ’s capabilities. She continues to learn new […]
More than 100 people attended a Monday night panel about alternatives to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments Update: This story has been altered to reflect a change of employment by a panel member. More than 100 people gathered in Newark Monday evening to hear a panel of medical officials offer alternative ways to deal with COVID-19. Panelists denounced COVID-19 vaccines and advocated alternative treatments such as horse dewormer ivermectin, antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, vitamins and essential oils, many in direct conflict with mainstream medical advice. The town hall event, hosted by the Delaware Medical Freedom Alliance and Patriots for Delaware, featured an eclectic group of doctors and medical professionals from around the world, including three medical doctors, one osteopathic doctor, one naturopathic doctor and one chiropractor. The event began with the pledge of allegiance, after which Lewes artist and panel moderator Abraxas Hudson remarked, “We need to work on the liberty part.” A donation basket was passed to help pay for the venue. Delaware Medical Freedom Alliance founder Jeremy Malin said that he created the group because “there are more pathways to health than vaccination and that message is not being told.” Emcee Abraxas Hudson shows what he says was a blank insert he got from his pharmacist that is included in all Moderna vaccine packages. Seated to the right is Dr. Adam Brownstein of Beebe Healthcare in Milton. On the panel were: Dr. H. Bruce Carrick, a Wilmington-area chiropractor who plugged naturopathic remedies. Dr. Peter J. Glidden, a Minnesota-based naturopathic doctor, via Zoom. Dr. Shankara Chetty, a medical doctor in South Africa who said he has treated his patients with hydroxychloroquine, via Zoom. Dr. Craig M. Wax, a New Jersey osteopathic doctor whose website says he can “help you to gain your best health though [SIC] positive thinking, motivation, nutrition, hydration, exercise, sleep, avoiding poisons and #notfood, and lifestyle modification.” He spoke via Zoom. Dr. Daniel W. Stock, an Indiana medical doctor whose comments at a Mt. Vernon Community Schools board meeting went viral in early August within anti-mask and anti-COVID-vaccination crowds, via Zoom. Dr. Peter McCullough, a Texas medical doctor currently being sued by his former Dallas-based employer for allegedly spreading vaccine misinformation while using his former job title and employer name in media interviews, via Zoom. Dr. Adam Brownstein, a Milton family medicine doctor, who went into private practice Wednesday. After Stock spoke, Hudson said, “I prefer vitamin D to tyranny” to great applause. A table at the entrance to the venue was positioned to allow each visitor to complete a “Covid Immunity Certificate.” The certificates allowed individuals to select which kind of immunity they claim to have, from “robust innate immunity” to “acquired immunity.” Other options include medical and religious exemptions, as well as the choice to mark “vaccinated” with blank spaces for the vaccine manufacturer and batch number. After a Beebe spokesman asked for a correction about Brownstein’s employment, Brownstein said he had left healthcare system to go into private practice, a move that had been planned for three months. His departure and the panel were not related, he said. During the meeting, Brownstein said he was not pro- or anti-vaccines, but believed people should have a choice. “He is not a spokesperson for Beebe Healthcare,” said a statement from Beebe Healthcare spokesman Ryan Marshall. “As a science-based health system, we firmly stand behind the science of the COVID vaccine and related safety measures, and their vital role in helping prevent serious illness and furthering our collective goal of ending the pandemic.”
Silvester Scott Beaman. bethelwilmington.org Bishop Silvester Scott Beaman, the Delaware pastor who delivered the inauguration benediction for President Joe Biden, is presiding over his last service in Delaware on Sunday. That’s because he was in July elected and consecrated as the 139th bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He has been assigned to serve the 15th Episcopal District of South Africa. Sunday’s service starts at 9 a.m. at Bethel AME Church, 604 N. Walnut St., Wilmington, with a farewell celebration at 10. The service will also be live-streamed. Because seating is limited by social distancing, a drive-by parade of well-wishers (they’re urged to gather at Christiana School District parking lot, 600 N. Lombard St.) is at noon. The church’s announcement calls Beaman one of few members of the clergy in the nation to offer prayer in both the US Senate and House of Representatives. So it’s no surprise that the farewell is expected to include remarks by U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. Since coming to Bethel in 1993, Beaman has grown his congregation by more than 2,700 members, eliminated the church’s debt, and oversaw more than $500,000 in renovations. The church also credited him for: • Establishing the Beautiful Gate Outreach Center, a full-service HIV/AIDS testing, medical, outreach and educational program that serves thousands annually. • Expanding more than 50 ministries, including an AIDS task force. • Fully funding mentoring programs for youth. • Serving as past president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Action Council of Wilmington. • Being induced into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College. Beaman is married to his childhood sweetheart, Renee Palmore Beaman, a registered nurse who is the governor-appointed director of the Delaware Division of State Service Centers.
Former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, in blue shirt and now White House coordinator of Operation Allies Welcome, and U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Mark Camerer greet Afghan guests in Liberty Village at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey in September. Photo by U.S. Army Spc. James Liker Former Gov. Jack Markell may be pulling 65- and 70-hour workweeks, but he’s doing it from one heckuva swanky address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. As the White House Operation Allies Welcome coordinator for President Joe Biden, Markell spends much of his time talking on the phone, convening and connecting the nation’s nine big resettlement organizations, government agencies and state officials to bring 95,000 Afghan refugees into the U.S. during the next year. “We’re really in a sprint,” Markell said. “And I think by the end of the year we’ll have done a lot of that important work.” Biden’s call in early September was not one Markell expected as he was waiting on Senate confirmation as ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Markell, who was governor of Delaware from 2009 to 2017, is expected to leave the Operation Welcome job by the end of the year. He’s working with a small team out of the National Security Council. “It’s really interesting and I feel incredibly honored to have this opportunity,” Markell said. “I just think it’s so important that we provide a safe and dignified welcome to our allies from Afghanistan. And being able to do that work from the White House is really such an honor. My job is to make sure that the country does provide a safe and dignified welcome.” The Department of Homeland Security is the lead agency in the resettlement effort, Markell said, but the Department of Defense and the Department of State’s Health and Human Services are also involved. He talks to people in Homeland Security multiple times a day, he said. In addition, those groups are working with the nine resettlement groups such as HIAS, the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society, that is steering 30 refugees to Delaware through Jewish Family Services in Wilmington. Those families are expected to live in New Castle County, near services they will need. Veterans service organizations, faith-based organizations and private sector employers also are involved with the effort, Markell said. “The President wanted to make sure that this is not just a whole of government approach, but it’s a whole of America approach, and that’s really my charge,” Markell said. Those nine resettlement organizations are working with 200 local groups like Jewish Family Services. “This is a ground up process because those 200 affiliates literally work with the local communities to determine what the capacity of the community is in terms of housing, health care, schooling and so forth,” Markell said. “So the idea is, where can we find housing that would be acceptable, that would be safe and appropriate for that particular family as well as school resources and the like.” There are already 67,000 Afghanis on U.S. military bases being screened for health and background checks, among other things. Several thousand already have been settled. Another 40,000 are expected to arrive. Markell said he has not seen a lot of blowback from people questioning why the country is allowing 100,000 foreigners into the U.S. after the country abandoned the war in Afghanistan. “I honestly have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of compassion for the group of Afghans,” he said. “I think that’s in large part because our Veterans community understands so clearly how many, many of these people fought by our side in Afghanistan and believe that we owe them not only our gratitude but we owe them our hard work to get them appropriately and safely resettled.” Markell said he had talked to people across the political spectrum and many have questions about the vetting process. “But when I explain how the vetting process takes place and the public health measures that are taking place in the military bases, people really get it,” Markell said. “We are fortunate to live in a country where immigrants and refugees throughout our history have brought new ideas, new energy, new perspectives and have enriched our lives, and I really think that is at the heart of why there’s been so much goodwill toward these allies from Afghanistan.” Those who arrive with a Special Immigration Visa will be fast-tracked to become U.S. citizens. Others will be able to work through the regular process, he said. Markell said he’s also been able to visit places like Fort Dix in New Jersey and Quantico, Virginia, who are processing the refuges before they are released to final destinations. People who want to help should reach out to their local agencies, such as Jewish Family Services, or to a website called Welcome.US, which he’s impressed with and which will help visitors donate cash, airline miles, Airbnb space or sponsor an arriving family, among other things. Markell said Delaware has benefitted so much over the years from new people that he thinks the Afghan resettlement is another change for Delaware to show off the spirit of hospitality, inclusion and generosity that he believes is at the heart of the community. “I think that can be a real win-win,” he said. Working in the White House is exciting, Markell said. “It’s also humbling to be given the magnitude and the importance of the work that takes place here,” he said. He’s been impressed by the quality of people there and those in the agencies he’s dealing with, all of whom have a remarkable combination of competence and compassion. As governor and a businessman, he’s had to deal with complicated issues, and he likes doing that. “This one is really complex when you consider the housing, health care, education, employment,” he said. “Adding the international dimension and adding the opportunity to work with people across the country is just very exciting, and I would say one of the best parts is being able to connect the dots.” […]
Copyright © 2021 Townsquare Live Founded in 2011