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| Check out these new eateries in Greenville and Wilmington |
That would be Greenville’s Pizzeria Maki, the 19807 zip's newest eatery option.
Pizzeria Maki
4007 Kennett Pike
Greenville
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| Pizzeria Maki chef-owner Matt Hans says pizza and sushi are the #1 and #2 most ordered items for takeout in the U.S. |
Chances are when your family is in the mood for tasty takeout, pizza and sushi would likely be at the top of the list. That’s certainly something Chef Matt Hans considered when he decided he wanted to make the leap from Newark to Greenville to open this unlikely craving combo.
That and the finicky tastebuds of his two daughters who could never seem to agree on what to order for dinner.
“Half of our family likes pizza and half likes sushi,” says Hans. “Our daughters are older now. So we’re all kind of getting into everything. But this is really our answer to the age-old question, ‘What’s for dinner?’ Our tagline is ‘Problem solved.’”
Pizzeria Maki features two industrial 675-degree pizza ovens perched next to a clean sushi prep area filled with Yellow Tail, octopus, salmon, crab, other tasty fish and lots of sticky rice. Friendly servers cheerfully describe the restaurant to newcomers, who arrive with a balance of intrigue and satisfaction as they survey the new landscape. Maki literally means rolled sushi.
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| "Salmon T.N.T. Yama Maki" (left). "The One" - a white pizza with bitter greens, bacon and red onion plated with a butter crunch shrimp and spicy avocado roll. |
Hans kicked off his foray into food offerings back in 2010 with his wildly popular Wood Fired Pizza Truck, housed on a 1956 bright red Ford flatbed which served up delicious pies at local farmer’s markets, city centers, even private parties. In 2014 Hans put the brakes on the seasonal food truck biz to open Wood Fired Pizza Shop in Newark, his hometown.
With the Newark location firmly established, Hans says his new restaurant, located in the Greenville Crossing shopping center next to Walgreens, is where he is focusing all of his efforts. Open less than a month, Pizzeria Maki is already satisfying customers with a hankering for pizza, sushi – or both, even if more than a few still ask whether their pizza is actually topped with sushi. (One pizza offering does in fact offer marinated octopus!)
Hans hired a team of people, including chef Diego Soriano, with 18 years in the business, to oversee the sushi operation. preparation of sushi classics along with about a dozen Yama Maki (sushi salad) offerings such as the OctoEel roll topped with Kanikama, cucumber, avocado, red pepper, scallions and a black garlic soy sauce.
“There is tradition steeped in it. But we’re not going after a traditional sushi approach. It’s more Americanized flavors and combinations of things," says Hans.
Their offerings are just suggestions – Pizzeria Maki will gladly satisfy custom orders.
Pizza prices are a bit higher than other takeout spots – between $13 and $22 for a 12" pizzas and $18 to $31 for 16" pies. But the two most expensive pies – one with marinated octopus, and the other with Pennsylvania bacon – pack a delectable punch.
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| Located in the Greenville Crossing, Pizzeria Maki also offers 3 desserts to go |
One satisfied customer with her own wood-fired pizza oven at home has ordered pies three times from Pizzeria Maki. “The pizzas were very good, and I’m a pretty harsh pizza critic. They get it really crusty. Typically crust steams in a box while you're driving it home, and that becomes tricky. But this crust holds up,” she said.
Each pie is topped with Grana Padano, a finishing cheese similar to Parmesan but a bit more nutty and buttery. Hans is currently testing gluten-free crust options and hopes to add that to the menu soon.
The takeout restaurant also offers eight appetizers, three salads and a trio of desserts in the grab-and-go refrigerator including Mango Rice Pudding, Ginger Walnut Cheesecake, and Smore’s Dream Jar. We dipped into each of the desserts and enjoyed them all.
Sweet Charlie’s Ice Cream & Cookies
1404 N DuPont St
Wilmington
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| Sweet Charlie's gives little ones their first peek at rolled ice cream |
Trolley Square neighbors were disheartened in January when Scrumptious ice cream shop on Delaware Avenue closed its doors for good, citing challenges posed by the pandemic. But in that closure restaurant owner Tony Matulis saw opportunity.
“This area is filled with restaurants, nightlife and activities,” says Matulis, owner of Trolley Square's Opa! Opa!, a busy greek restaurant. “We get a lot of traffic, and I knew an ice cream shop would have lots of potential,” said Matulis.
This past spring, Matulis opened Sweet Charlies Ice Cream & Cookies on North DuPont Street across from the ACME with partner Michael Goldberg, who at the time owned the franchise in Rehoboth. Sweet Charlies has about two dozen locations across the mid-Atlantic and the south.
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| Kids enjoy watching as their ice cream request is made to order |
Sweet Charlie's is as fun to watch servers make as it is tasty.
The hand-rolled ice cream – available in eight base flavors – is made to order on ice-cold slabs that are whopping negative 20 degrees. Because the cream hardens so quickly, it eliminates the need to add stabilizers, emulsifiers and preservatives. Nonfat yogurt and dairy-free vegan options are also available in all base flavors.
Half the fun is watching staff pour the cream and chop, mix and scrape it with a spatula as it hardens. The entire process takes about two minutes. The final product – six ice cream rolls -- almost resembles a flower when placed in your cup.
“When kids come in here for the first time, they almost always take a video,” says Matulis.
Have room for more? Ask for the Tall Charlie, which nestles one large roll atop a warm glazed donut. Or try yours atop a warmed Belgian waffle.
Sweet Charlie’s offers unlimited free toppings and drizzles galore, such as Fruity Pebbles and Cinnamon Toasts Crunch cereals, glazed donut bits and chocolate peanut butter pretzels. Each cup costs about $7.
Juice It Smoothie & Juice Bar
3842 Kennett Pike
Greenville
There are essentially two ways to operate a juice bar – juicing large batches each morning and offering a half dozen refrigerated grab and go options, or making custom juices to order.
The new Juice It Smoothie & Juice Bar in Greenville’s Powder Mill Shopping Center follows the latter methodology – where customers can choose their own combination of fruits or veggies, and each cup (16 or 24 ounces) or bottle is made to order.
Half the fun is watching staff pour the cream and chop, mix and scrape it with a spatula as it hardens. The entire process takes about two minutes. The final product – six ice cream rolls -- almost resembles a flower when placed in your cup.
“When kids come in here for the first time, they almost always take a video,” says Matulis.
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| Your Sweet Charlie's server can turn a bottle of cream into these creations |
Have room for more? Ask for the Tall Charlie, which nestles one large roll atop a warm glazed donut. Or try yours atop a warmed Belgian waffle.
Sweet Charlie’s offers unlimited free toppings and drizzles galore, such as Fruity Pebbles and Cinnamon Toasts Crunch cereals, glazed donut bits and chocolate peanut butter pretzels. Each cup costs about $7.
Juice It Smoothie & Juice Bar
3842 Kennett Pike
Greenville
There are essentially two ways to operate a juice bar – juicing large batches each morning and offering a half dozen refrigerated grab and go options, or making custom juices to order.
The new Juice It Smoothie & Juice Bar in Greenville’s Powder Mill Shopping Center follows the latter methodology – where customers can choose their own combination of fruits or veggies, and each cup (16 or 24 ounces) or bottle is made to order.
"It's the most nutrient dense right as it first comes out of the blender ," says co-owner Rachel Ilogu.
Juice It welcomed its first customers just last month and already has developed a following. People often line up at the door most mornings before 9 am, when the store opens. Greenville servers say smoothies and Acai bowls are popular pickup options in the morning.
There are just three locations for Juice It in the entire country – two in Fargo, North Dakota and one in Greenville.
“We actually have an acquaintance that we know out there (in Delaware) who wanted to open a juice bar. So this is our first franchise outside of our home state of North Dakota,” said Rachel, who opened the first Juice It seven years ago with her husband Chuck Ilogu.
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| Juice It opened last month in Greenville's Powder Mill Square, replacing Rita's Water Ice |
Juice It welcomed its first customers just last month and already has developed a following. People often line up at the door most mornings before 9 am, when the store opens. Greenville servers say smoothies and Acai bowls are popular pickup options in the morning.
There are just three locations for Juice It in the entire country – two in Fargo, North Dakota and one in Greenville.
“We actually have an acquaintance that we know out there (in Delaware) who wanted to open a juice bar. So this is our first franchise outside of our home state of North Dakota,” said Rachel, who opened the first Juice It seven years ago with her husband Chuck Ilogu.
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| This smoothie has almond milk, peanut butter, honey, yogurt, banana, blueberry and granola. The Acai bowl is packed with antioxidants and vitamins. |
Fresh pressed juices can be as green or as pink as you would like – with options including kale, carrots, cucumber, spinach, celery, beet, apple, pear, lemon, orange, and ginger. For an additional 75 cents, you can add a boost of antioxidants, probiotic blends, or other nutritional supplements. Whey, soy and pea protein powders are $1.49 extra. A complete list of juice boost blends is available in the store, and nutritional facts for all juices, smoothies and Acai bowls can be found on their website.
Music is a passion for owner Chuck Ilogus, who is also a music promoter along with his brother out in in Fargo. So Juice It assigned themes like Motown, Lullaby, Bluegrass, and Calypso to smoothie categories and offerings. “We thought we would just have some fun with our menu rather than just offering smoothies based on their ingredients,” said Rachel.
Traditional smoothies come with your choice of yogurt or sherbet. Non-dairy and vegan options are also available. “In Fargo we get a lot of people in there that just want a great tasting smoothie and they just don’t care if there’s sherbet in it. Then we also get the moms who want something super healthy for themselves and their children,” said Rachel.
Rachel says she confident choosing Greenville was the ideal location for the first expansion of her business.
“Our general manager in Delaware strategically looked at numerous properties out there, and his feedback, coupled with what we know works here in Fargo, led us to Greenville. We were challenged because of course we don’t live there, but we’ve heard Greenville’s a great location and we’re excited about it,” she said.
Juice It is open 9 am to 8 pm daily except Sunday, which is open 11 am to 7 pm.
