DE.CO is a fantastic idea. Take space in the old DuPont building and turn it into a food hall. When I first heard about it, I thought it was going to be a bit like the food court in the mall. It is not.
For one thing, the space is really well imagined. The vendors are arranged around a central space with tables both large and small. There is plenty of distance between the tables and the sound level is kept to a minimum due to the lower ceilings. For a place that has people coming in and out all the time, it is scrupulously clean. There are also some tables outside.
At one end of the space is a nice bar. There is nothing too fancy about it, but it is adequately stocked with good, local beers on tap, a wine list that will do for a quick drink, and the bottles of booze you would expect. Happy Hour is a bargain. I had a nice glass of white wine for $5 and got to chat with a bunch of people just leaving work for the day.
Next to the bar is a selection of sofas and comfy chairs, the perfect place to perch with a meal or with a drink.
The choice of food venues is excellent, ranging from pizza and salads to coffee and sweets with everything in between. In addition to the full-time vendors, DE.CO has space for what it calls The Pop Up. It is touted as a place for known chefs to try new dishes or new chefs to become known.
The one challenge to eating here is parking. During the day, you need to park on the street which can mean circling a bit and then hiking a bit more. In the evenings and on weekends, DE.CO will validate your parking in the nearby 12th Street garage.
So, without further ado, here is what is on offer:
The Pop Up: 10th Street BBQ
Having worked at a barbecue restaurant for many years, I know from good pulled pork. This was excellent. Loads of flavor and meat so tender I didn't need a knife.
This is the platter. For an incredibly reasonable sum, I got a huge serving of pork, two sides, pickles, cornbread, and two sauces. The helping was enormous and fed me twice.
The sides I chose were the onion rings and the cole slaw. The onion rings were still hot when they were served and were lovely and light, not always the case. The cole slaw was relatively standard, but tasted delicious with the pork.
I tried the regular barbecue sauce which was pretty good but nothing too exciting. The other sauce was a vinegar that was good, but for some reason really didn't work with the pork. The pork was so good, I ended up eating it without any sauce on it and enjoying it that way much better.
One of the best things on offer was the lemonade. It was perfect. Light and tart with a hint of sweet, but not enough to send you into sugar shock. I ordered a large and, when it was finished, wished I could have some more.
Pizzeria Bardea
A truly impressive pizza selection heads the menu at this vendor. You can go for one of the signature bakes, or you can create your own from a long list of ingredients. In addition to standard pies, Detroit Style and upside down pizzas also make the list.
The one that I literally shivered when I saw is Nutella Pizza. I hope someone somewhere orders it and then comments on it below. I would love to know what it looks like, but more importantly what it tastes like.
Added to the list are several sandwiches and some really interesting salads. This one is the Broccoli Salad and it was delicious. In addition to the signature ingredient, the salad contained cheese, cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, some other kinds of greens, and a dressing with just the slightest kick to it. The price is a bit high for a salad, but it was big enough that it fed me twice.
Connie's Chicken and Waffles
I must admit to not understanding the allure of chicken and waffles together. Waffles? Yum. Fried chicken? Yum. Together? Not so yum. Normally I would have run far from such a meal, but because I wanted my article to be complete, I tried it. Still not a fan.
There is a variety of waffles that you can choose, ranging from red velvet to Oreo to standard fruit toppings. I must admit that I went for just the plain old waffle as the idea of dessert with chicken on top really doesn't work for me. It was a very good waffle.
The chicken is chicken tenders and my meal came with two. They were a very nice and were nicely fried, but the batter was a bit bland. Overall, it was not a bad meal. It just doesn't work for me.
Spark*d
This is where you come for breakfast or for dessert after sampling one of the other vendors. For such a small space, there is quite a lot on offer.
The drinks are standard coffee drinks, again featuring La Colombe which is beginning to appear often in the higher rated coffee shops. For good reason; it is delicious. I had a black decaf, usually a recipe for disaster. It was full of flavor and had some substance to it.
If you're hungry, look out. You have a myriad of choices from all kinds of dessert pastries to breakfast pastries. I was trying to avoid sugar, so I settled for a multi-grain bagel. It was good, but noticeably improved by the herb and chive spread I slathered on it.
This is also a place to come to order pies, cakes, or other goodies you do not fancy making yourself. Their website is filled with photos of some of the custom things they have done. Gorgeous.
I was there early on a Saturday morning and it was mobbed. There was a large group of cyclists who start their Saturday rides every week here because the "carbs are too good to pass up."
Stu & Sammy's
You can't have a food hall without a deli, and this is it. The menu is filled with classic deli sandwiches, but many of them have been updated or refined. You can choose from classic subs to hot subs to grilled cheese to soups that change every day. There are also some sides and your standard choices of soda.
The night I went I was hungry, so I ordered The Dip. It is a sub sized sandwich, but the bread takes over. The meat and the cheese covered by the onions were good, but I had to take them out of the roll to taste anything but roll. I gave up on the dip. It was so salty it overpowered even the bread.
The sandwich is accompanied by homemade chips that were the best thing on the plate. I also tried a side of mac and cheese. Unfortunately, it tasted as though either the cheese or the milk had gone off, so after one bite I had to throw it out.
Al Chu's Sushi
I was a bit hesitant to try this one because not fresh sushi is one of the most vile things on the planet. I needn't have worried. While no one is going to call this the best sushi ever eaten, it was very fresh and very well presented.
I ordered the steamed dumplings which were delicious. They were made fresh while I waited and were served piping hot. Great taste and a good sized portion. I followed these up with two rolls. One was the Firecracker which was good, but with a bit too much rice for my taste. The second was the special of the day -- Lobster on the Run. Lobster tempura with crab meat and a yum yum sauce. It was a tad disappointing as the tempura process robbed the lobster of a lot of its taste. And, there was so much crab that everything else rather disappeared. Not that I'm complaining because I love crab, but I would have preferred a bit more lobster taste.
This is not the place to order if you are in a hurry as much of what they make is done to order. It's not an overly long wait, but you will wait longer than you will anywhere else here. Finally, the bill may give you a bit of sticker shock. I was surprised at the cost, but the meal ended up feeding me twice, so I got past it. If you are budget conscious, ask before you order. The menu does not include the prices.
Green Box Kitchen
Known as one of the top vegetarian/vegan choices in Wilmington, I was very interested to try something from this vendor. The choices are limited, but all sounded good. I decided to pass on a bagel or an acai bowl and go straight for a smoothie.
I ordered the "I Need a Vacation." Wow! Pineapple juice, banana, strawberry, pineapple, and agave all blended together into a glass of true yumminess. I drank it in record time and very nearly turned the car around to get another. A wonderful way to start the day.
Overall, I was impressed with what DE.CO has on offer and I highly recommend giving it a try the next time you are in downtown Wilmington. If you can't find something to eat here, you just aren't hungry.
DE.CO
111 West 10th Street
Wilmington, DE
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