Escaping the Norm

I am currently in the midst of planning a huge gala, and haven’t been taking time for me. It’s not too late for a New Year’s resolution, right? If so, I vow to make time to write more!

Recently, for a friend’s birthday, I went with a group to Exodus Escape Rooms in Newark. The location is what used to be a large house, which is now transformed into a series of themed rooms. Each room contains a variety of clues and puzzles to help you “escape” the room.

Rooms vary in difficulty and number of people the room can hold. Due to having a large group, we booked the Shawshank Redemption room. If you have read the Stephen King book or seen the movie 

 you’ll understand the concept of the room quickly. This room was broken into two parts – the prison cell, and an outer room. 

We started things out by being handcuffed together. After finding the handcuffs’ key (which was disappointingly easy), we combed the room for clues. Each clue was a puzzle based on finding a series of numbers to unlock multiple padlocks.

I was a bit let down by the fact that there weren’t any riddles to solve that didn’t involve numbers, but it was definitely a challenge. Thankfully, a tv screen prompted you with clues if the group was having trouble figuring things out (oh, I forgot to mention, you are being watched on camera the entire time!). The hardest part was trying to concentrate with a large group. I am very competitive and easily annoyed when people goof off vs trying to solve a problem, so I got heated a couple of times! Haha

Although the room wasn’t what I’d pictured in my head, I would definitely visit Exodus Escape Rooms again. For $20 a person, it is a unique way to spend an hour with friends and a great alternative to a night out at a bar. It would also be a fun team building activity. Main Street continues to lure some unique new businesses – I love it.

You can book a visit at http://www.exodusescaperooms.com/.

Deep Thoughts and Donuts

Yesterday, after having a particularly shit-tastic morning, a co-worker made an intriguing comment: “Have a donut. It’s like a reset button for your day!” It made me laugh, but being the pensive soul I am, it also made me think about humanity and our indulgences.

There really is something wonderful about “allowing” ourselves a treat when we’re stressed, but why do we continue the cycle of treating only when it’s a reward for something bad? Overindulgence is a fear for many people, but there’s something to be said for allowing ourselves to do what we want, purely because we WANT to do it! In moderation. 

Although I did not have a donut yesterday, the last time I allowed myself to eat one was out of full on food lust. And it was worth it. Over the summer, Duck Donuts opened on Main Street in Newark, and each of their donuts is fresh and made to order. You can choose a variety of coatings and toppings.

When my girl friend and I first arrived at Duck Donuts, I didn’t think I even wanted a donut. I was wrong. The smell in the store is so lusciously enticing and sugary…I couldn’t resist. I ordered a donut with chocolate icing and chocolate sprinkles to appease the chocoholic inside me. 

 It was warm, with crispy little fried edges, and the chocolate soaked into the melt-in-your-mouth cakey goodness of the donut…LORD. You can purchase little cartons of cold milk to go with your donut, which took it to another level. If you’re going to have a donut, this is the type of place to go. Dunkin Donuts always tastes of stale regret 😦

I hope Duck Donuts does well! Main Street businesses are ever-changing, but this is a unique and welcome addition. And well worth the occasional indulgence…just because you want to 😉 

DE Saengerbund Oktoberfest

Getting sick as an adult sucks. There is no one to take care of you, so since yesterday I’ve been dragging myself around while dirty dishes pile up. I made the mistake of attempting to work today, and my body said, “hell nah.” So, back in bed, with the only perk being I have time to blog.

Before I moved to DE, I began attending Newark’s annual Oktoberfest. There are two guarantees: great food and not being able to remember the second half of your experience. Oktoberfest takes place off of Salem Church Road, and is put on by the Delaware Saengerbund and Library Association. They serve the beer and even make the food! The set up is pretty large, which is much-needed for the huge crowds the event attracts.

  
   
I took these photos early in the day. Oktoberfest starts at noon, and after the sun goes down, it is a madhouse. There are carnival rides for children included in the $8 admission price, but I would not want to keep a child around at night amongst so many drunken adults. Why do people get so drunk? For merely $12, you can get an entire LITER of beer. You can also purchase a glass boot if mugs don’t strike your fancy. The initial purchase is $25 (which includes the beer), but you can bring your mug/boot back every year and get the $12 refills.   

 I highly recommend the Franziskaner Hefeweizen…it was very good, and the banana really came through. For $6, you can get a normal-sized cup of beer.  

This year, there were quite a few varieties of pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest brews; I was impressed! To combat all of the alcohol, I think it’s essential to try a variety of the food.   

My background is German, Irish and Native American, and I am admittedly not very in touch with my German roots. However, I grew up eating brats and other various German meats, so it is nice to be able to get this kind of food. The potato salad is amazing. They also typically have Black Forest and German chocolate cake, which I had zero room for this year.

Despite my best intentions, I was pretty buzzed by the time we left.   

Oktoberfest is always a good time! The website already has dates up for next year, so mark your calendars: http://www.delawaresaengerbund.org/v5_Oktoberfest.shtml. And while you’re at it, read up on the origin of Oktoberfest…the website gives a nice historical summary. Because no, the event is not a festival celebrating October but randomly held in September. 

I strongly recommend getting a ride to the event. There is limited parking, although some houses along Salem Church Road do allow people to park at their homes for a fee, and it is great to have the high school available to park at (not always the case). However, with the amount of beer to try, you will not want to be designated driver! Get a ride, or use Uber…have I mentioned how much I love Uber being legal in DE? It’s the best. 

So, dig out those lederhosen and prepare for next year! Cheers. 

The Best Pizza and Beer in DE

Yeah, I said it. And I’m not talking about nasty Grotto’s with their weird rings of sauce and cheese. As a non-native Delawarean, I don’t think I’ll ever care for their pizza. 

The best pizza/beer combo in Delaware is at Argilla Brewing Co. at Pietro’s Pizza off of Kirkwood Highway. The beer is never the same as new creations come out frequently, and the wood fire pizza is AMAZING.

Let’s start with the craft beer. This small brewery puts out a surpringly diverse and frequent rotation of beers. They are hit or miss, like any rotating new beers, but the majority are wonderful.

  
The last time I was there, my boyfriend and I each ordered different drafts and sampled each other’s. I ordered the Meeting House Pale Ale, which was delicious, but the best beer on the current menu was their Sin City Strong stout.

  
This American style stout had strong coffee and bitter chocolate notes, and was very tasty, despite my usual preference for a thicker mouth feel with stouts.

The real diamond in the rough here, and I say that in terms of the random strip mall-esque location and unassuming appearance, is the pizza. Well, the food overall is just fabulous. Don’t let the well-worn booths and lack of a wait fool you…I truly do not understand why this place isn’t always jam-packed. I’ll chalk it up to lack of awareness, because it is some of the best pizza I’ve ever had, including the pizzas I’ve had in Manhattan.

  
If you try Pietro’s out, you really must try one of the house pies. I’ve been a few times, and stand outs are their bacon and apple pie (instead of marinara sauce, they use apple butter. LAWD) and their cheesesteak pizza. My favorite is the simplest: they have the best margherita pizza I’ve ever tasted. They slightly changed it recently, so I recommend ordering it the original way – with roasted garlic cloves instead of fresh chopped garlic. 

  
I also like to add mushrooms to mine, which are fresh, not canned, by the way.

  
Ugh. I’m not even hungry and I want one! The flavors are always fresh and perfectly balanced. I’ve also never been to another pizza place offering whole roasted garlic cloves on their pizzas. It takes things to another level of indulgence.

My boyfriend also tried some wings the last time we visited. I sampled to try the sauce, which was maple syrup and sriracha. My immediate reaction was, “why isn’t maple syrup and sriracha on everything?!” It sounds unusual, but the combination was phenomenal.

  
So, so good. 

Last but certainly not least, the people who work at Argilla Brewing Co. at Pietro’s Pizza are simply wonderful. Service is great, and everyone is very friendly. The general manager helped wait on us, and he went above and beyond to check on us and make certain we loved everything.

I haven’t been, yet, but they also offer a variety of live entertainment, and regularly host comedians and live bands. NOT cover bands – actual bands who wrote their own music! Love it.

My hope is for more people to visit this little restaurant and spread the word…I can’t think of a place more deserving. The next time you want pizza, skip the delivery, put on some pants, and give Pietro’s a try – it’s worth it! 

Dela-where?

If you don’t live in Delaware (or don’t ENJOY living here), you’re likely wondering why the hell anyone would create a blog about it. As a newcomer to the state, I’m creating this site to share the fun adventures I have and break some stereotypes.

I moved to Newark in May 2014 with a fair amount of trepidation. Growing up outside of DC, DE was considered “that small space between Baltimore and Philly.” I never dreamed I would end up moving here! My biggest concern was activities. I like variety, and have always lived near a big city, which spoiled me with endless things to do. What would happen to the diversity?

I am not going to back track and re-live my first year in DE, but will sum it up in saying it was a huge surprise. There is always something new to do, and my area is a refreshing melting pot of cultures (yes, DE has a lot of white people; however, Newark – Wilmington is quite diverse). I will try to post about the fun, the beautiful, and perhaps even the rare boring places I visit as I begin my second year as a Delawarean.

Let’s start with Main Street. Any local knows Main Street is the mecca for activity in Newark – to give non-locals some perspective, it’s where University of Delaware is located. I’d visited Main Street before moving to DE back when I was attending Salisbury University, but it has really evolved the past couple of years. Main Street has two seasons: college season and summer. The “townies” aka locals older than mid-twenties typically avoid the area during college months. For good reason – as a woman in her late 20’s, I quickly discovered sloppy drunk kids spilling their cheap drinks everywhere weren’t my scene anymore. Not to be a hater…when I was 21, I thought life couldn’t be better. Outside of the college life, Main Street offers a plethora of shops, restaurants, and great happy hours. That’s where summer comes in. After the college kids leave, you’ll find Main Street fills with adults looking to have a good time. I am confident this blog will include a LOT of upcoming Main Street adventures.

Lately, there is always a new restaurant to explore, and tonight I visited Ramen Kumamoto. It was POURING rain, but somehow the weather made me crave a big bowl of ramen even more, so I was determined to go. Ramen Kumamoto opened in May 2015, and I heard about them on Reddit. Visitors raved about the food, claiming the ramen is as good as can be found in Manhattan.

I confess, my own exposure to ramen before tonight consisted of a mild addiction to Nongshim spicy instant ramen, but never anything close to a “traditional” Japanese bowl. I love Korean food and also frequent Asian grocery stores, but haven’t had much Japanese outside of sushi and the very American hibachi restaurants. After slogging through the rain with my boyfriend, we found Ramen Kumamoto tucked behind a Subway on a side street. It was rather crowded, but we were seated immediately. The restaurant is very clean, with trendy minimalist decor.

The menu looked to be a yummy modern take on Japanese food. My boyfriend ordered some spicy shrimp tempura, which was delicious. I decided to go with their signature ramen, the “Kumamoto Ramen.” This dish was served with thin white noodles, pork broth, roasted pork, pickled ginger, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, bean sprouts, scallions and a boiled egg. It included a type of dark sesame/garlic oil I wasn’t familiar with (a smart person would have made note of it…guess who didn’t!).

Doesn’t it look amazing?! Definitely a far cry from packaged ramen. I’d forgotten how much I don’t care for pickled ginger, but otherwise, it was delicious. The mushrooms mingled with the pork broth created a rich earthy flavor, and the yolk from the egg complemented it sooo nicely. We weren’t assigned a waiter – staff rotated to make sure all of the tables were happy. And I was happy! For my next visit, I’ll be sure to try a spicy ramen, but had to initially try their signature bowl. It’s nice to have this type of place in Newark, and I’m hoping they continue to do well.

My boyfriend’s sister just returned from Japan, and I can’t wait to pick her brain about how Ramen Kumamoto compares to the real deal.