Veggin’ Out in Wilmington
I was in Wilmington last week and had a couple of yummy vegetarian meals at restaurants I would like to recommend.
I’ve been hankering to eat at Caffe Phoenix since I was cheated out of visiting it several years ago by a huge traffic jam and a friend’s tight schedule. So it was my first stop for lunch as soon as I got into town. I had been planning to get the roasted-veggie panini, but the soup of the day—tomato and goat cheese—sounded so inviting and so perfect for the rain-soaked day, I opted for that instead, paired with the pear-and-fennel salad. Both were fresh and excellent. As a bonus, all their glasses of wine were half-price that day, so a nice Gewurtztraminer helped round out my lunch. The restaurant is snazzy and inviting, from the wrought-metal sculpture of a phoenix above the door to the large windows that provide a great view of the street outside.
For dinner that night, I ventured out of downtown to Nagila, a fabulous kosher Moroccan cafe in an unassuming strip mall on the quiet end of Wrightsville Avenue. I ordered the vegetarian sampler plate, which was a beautiful and very filling entree of six items, including falafel, tabouli, hummus, stuffed grape leaves and Moroccan carrots, served with pita bread. Everything was wonderful, and I cleaned my plate. Dessert, a poppy-seed pastry, looked delicious, but I was simply too stuffed to give it a try. The friendly proprietor checked on the diners several times to make sure we were enjoying our meal or to answer questions.
For those with a sweet tooth, I also recommend Apple Annie’s Bake Shop. It was daunting deciding what to get from their many glass cases filled with pastries, breads, cakes and a plethora of cookie varieties. I can heartily vouch for the eclairs, cranberry-orange biscotti and blueberry scones.
