Barbecue, Greek, Dominican among new Delaware restaurants

It could be a banner and an even better bounce-back year for the restaurant industry. Sales for 2023 are expected to be $997 billion, according to statistics from the National Restaurant Association.

Delaware seems to be keeping pace — last year the association said the state had 2,144 eating and drinking places — and more new places keep coming.

Here's a look at some new or new-to-you places that have opened in recent months:

Great Big Jerk Wilmington

1204 Washington St., Wilmington; 302-427-7477; greatbigjerk.com/wilmington-de

Tim Bolt, who runs Great Big Jerk in Landenberg, Pennsylvania, an island-inspired roadside barbecue business off New London Road, has opened a second site in downtown Wilmington.

In May, Bolt took over the former Rosenfeld's Deli location at 12th and Washington streets adjoining the Washington Street Ale House. He offers the same style menu as Landenberg including ribs, jerk chicken, pulled pork, cabbage and carrots, rice and peas, and pimento macaroni and cheese.

Bolt was former culinary director for Big Fish Grill on the Wilmington Riverfront and later helped open the former Big Fish restaurant in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, as well as the now-gone Bella Coast on Concord Pike and the Trolley Square Oyster House.

In Landenberg, he launched with jerk chicken cooked over charcoal and wood and eventually added barbecue, brisket and ribs. He uses Red Stripe beer in his barbecue sauce. It's a three-day process to make and marinade the jerk chicken. Bolt has a smoker in his Wilmington kitchen.

He plans to emphasize lunch in the downtown Wilmington location and offers salad and homemade gelato, he said.

Bolt hopes to get a liquor license in about a month. The restaurant has 30 seats inside and there's free parking.

The summer has been "a little slower than I expected as a new spot," he said, but he's hoping to see a jump in business into September and as the fall season approaches.

"I want to get the word out I'm here. I want people to know I'm open for dinner," Bolt said.

The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Monday.

Troisième Cafe

200 Concord Ave., Wilmington; troisieme.cafe

Also in May, owner James Bradford III opened Troisiéme, the French word for third, a coffee shop in Wilmington's Brandywine Village.

The site has concrete counters and wood seating as well as outdoor seating. Drinks include lattes, chai, iced coffee, red eyes, matchas and frappes. Pastries come from Sweet Somethings in Wilmington. According to its social media sites, the coffee shop is pet-friendly and offers pup cups and water for furry buddies.

The coffee house is open daily. Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Merengue House Bar & Restaurant

837 N. Union St., Wilmington; merenguehousebarandrestaurant.com

The Dominican restaurant on Wilmington's west side, owned by Yosmaira Ramos, added a nightclub to the site in early August. Merengue is located in the building that had once been the home of the longtime home of the former Pan Tai, the Southeast Asian restaurant that operated for more than 25 years and closed in 2010. The building has housed other establishments over the years.

The nightclub is on the restaurant's second floor. Wilmington Mayor Mike Mayor Purzycki gave kudos to Ramos during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This is a great example of somebody who looks at a corner that has had issues over the years but still says ‘I can do this,' " Purzycki said. "And we appreciate Yosmaira’s enthusiasm and energy and welcome her and her team to the growing family of eating and drinking establishments along Union Street.” “When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate,” Ramos said about the addition to her restaurant. “And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow. I just want to say thank you for all the support that the City and City Council have done, bearing with me. They’ve been with me since day one. Thank you for having patience with me."

Cafeneo

139 S. Main St., Suite 101, Newark; cafeneobakery.com

Owner Antonios Fessaras in early May opened Cafeneo, a Greek gourmet coffee shop and bakery in Newark.

All of the cafe's baked Greek goods are made from scratch, he said, and he has two coffee beverages that are usually only found in Greece. Baked goods include bougatsa (sweet cream pastry), milopita (apple pastry), spanakopita (spinach pie), tiropita (cheese pie) and baklava.

"Just like Yia-yia used to make," is the cafe's motto which uses the Greek word for grandmother.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

First State Charcuterie

34407 DuPont Blvd., Suite 7, Frankford; firststatecharcuterie.com

The storefront in Frankford, which specializes in charcuterie boards, boxes, and luxury tablescapes, had a grand opening in mid-July.

Boards are made-to-order and incorporate traditional and modern-day designs. Accompaniments include honey, fresh and dried fruits, olives, nuts, mini jam, crackers and disposable utensils.

The store also has catering, daily grab-and-go items, artisan food items and gifts.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. The business is closed on Sunday and Monday.

Contact Patricia Talorico at [email protected] and follow her on X (Twitter) @pattytalorico Sign up for her Delaware Eats newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington scores new Great Big Jerk & more new Delaware restaurants