A Night in Wilmington, DE (and Maryland)

Cafe Drake, Jen L and Jen R piled into the Cafe Drake Mobile and headed south recently to Wilmington, DE. A glorious day was spent strolling the grounds and touring the mansion at Winterthur Estate, and dinner was a splendid four-course affair at Elkton, Maryland's Fair Hill Inn.

A house cocktail was unusual and inventive - essentially a Tanqeuray Stinger adorned with fresh cucumbers and thyme branches straight from the kitchen's garden.

The produce steps from the front door of the 1700s farmhouse also figured prominently in a starter salad of deer's tongue and other flavorful baby lettuces (with shaved radishes and hazelnuts). A chunk of King Salmon came braised and sided with (also garden fresh) peas, polebeans and fiddlehead ferns.

Our main was a tender, butter-poached game hen with cauliflower and pea risotto and sugar-sweet, just-plucked baby carrots. Desserts included a butterscotch brownie, rhubarb "pudding", almond cakes, homemade ice creams and Fair Hill's own, first-of-the-season honey.