When someone asks me what my hobby is, I will commonly say "Going out to eat at a new restaurant I've never tried before." But during my stay in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, there was only one dinner spot I went to last year that I made a reservation to revisit this year, Lupo Italian Kitchen.
The exterior of the restaurant is an inviting light-yellow color with bright flowers spread throughout the outside dining tables. The inside dining is filled with natural light from the large windows on the front wall. The waiter was incredibly friendly and was excited to talk about the menu. I also have to mention how happy my dad was with their award-winning wine selection.
Every single dish I tried tasted unbelievably fresh. We started with one of the specials of the day, a ricotta spread topped with peaches, corn, basil, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The blend of sweet and savory notes done by the in-season peaches and corn with the creamy ricotta was fantastic. The basil was aromatic and added a delightful herbaceous taste with every bite. The spread was served with grilled bread, but my family used seconds of their complementary bread because it was so delicious. It was the cloud-like texture I go to bed dreaming about but with a blend of Italian spices making it even better. I don't know for certain, but the bread tasted like it was just baked that morning.
The bread deserved another moment to be featured. Pure and simple bread perfection. The difference between the taste of bread with less than 10 ingredients compared to ones full of a list of words hard to pronounce is out of this world.
Now it is time to highlight some veggies! The way to my heart is if a restaurant can make vegetables crave worthy and Lupo Italian Kitchen did that. On the left is their shaved Brussels sprouts salad with toasted almonds and a truffle oil dressing finished with pecorino cheese. That was one of my favorite savory flavor combinations. Brussels with pecorino, very similar to parmesan cheese, and olive oil is a classic that never disappoints, but now elevated with the truffle oil, lemon, and toasted almonds was a gamechanger. On the right was the sauteed artichoke hearts with garlic, shallots, and sun-dried tomatoes sitting on ricotta. The artichokes were cooked to very tender and seasoned nicely. The flavor of artichokes is hard to describe but they have an earthy and slightly nutty taste that was brightened with the tangy and sweet notes of the sun-dried tomatoes. The underneath ricotta on that dish was a little bland but paired with seriously the best tasting and most flavorful artichokes I've ever tried.
Okay it is finally pasta time! I ordered the pasta alla norma with mushroom garganelli, eggplant, roasted mushrooms, tomato, ricotta, red pepper flakes, and basil. The garganelli pasta's texture was tender and silky with ridges that held onto the sauce beautifully. It had just the right amount of red pepper flakes for a little kick to complete the creamy and richness from the cheeses. The mushrooms, eggplant, and tomatoes in the sauce kept the dish feeling lighter. The freshness and quality of every ingredient made all the difference.
Real ingredients, real food, and real happiness.
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