Rehoboth Foodie

Patty Jacobs has been in the restaurant business all her life. When she and her husband emigrated southward from New Jersey, she wanted to open a place where she could serve her tasty sandwiches, salads, cheeses and prepared goodies year 'round, but still be sort of "beachy." Georgetown, the County Seat of Sussex, seemed like the perfect spot.

Word is certainly getting around about this place. I've received numerous emails urging me to visit, and one of my cherished columnists right here on RehobothFoodie.com is a regular customer. It seems like no visit to the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (just down the street) is complete without at least grabbing something tasty from her tiny, perfectly located carryout. (Why not nosh a chicken salad or shrimp salad sub while waiting in line for your vehicle inspection?) Paralegals and office managers throughout Georgetown (you can't throw a rock in Georgetown without hitting a lawyer) count Patty's as a closely guarded secret.

One of the undisputed stars of the show is the Chicken Noodle Soup. Lots of finely chopped dill joins forces with a hint of ginger, slow-roasted chicken and thin, flat noodles to make one of the most satisfying bowls of soup I have had in a long time. On one of our visits, the special was cauliflower soup. Despite the siren song of the chix noodle, we tried it. It was equally good.

Patty whomps up 2 (yup, count 'em, 2) kinds of chicken salad. Snow-white meat from slow-roasted chicken is cubed and lightly mixed with mayo salt and pepper. Period. Simple and delicious. For the crunch lovers, there is Deb's Chicken Salad, with tiny cubes of apple and sweetly soft currants. We'll get to why she calls it "Deb's" a little later. Her shrimp salad is just as straight-ahead: Plump, perfectly cooked shrimp take the spotlight with a bit of mayo, a dollop of sour cream and dill. Egg, tuna and pasta get pretty much the same light treatment.

Though Patty's is not a breakfast place per se (they open at 10am), she or one of her loyal assistants will happily whomp you up a scrambled (or fried) egg, bacon (or rosemary ham) and cheese (provolone, cheddar, chevre or that miraculously creamy Land O' Lakes white cheddar) breakfast sandwich on your choice of a soft roll, a seeded baguette [pictured, below left], rye/pump swirl or a wrap. Get the soft roll for the breakfast sandwich.

On our last visit, the Grain Salad du jour was a cool and delightfully vinegary melange of Red Quinoa, Grilled Eggplant, Red Onion, Tomato, Olive Oil and flavored vinegar. (Cous-cous or millet might stand-in for quinoa depending on the seasonal veggies available locally). Another contender for Best in Show is the lentil/carrot/veggie salad, a variation on the basic Bean Salad that also changes depending on what's fresh out there. Word on the street is that any salad sprinkled with Patty's Butter Toffee Pecans is an instant winner. Salads are all made fresh daily and share a display case with some mouth-watering cheeses [pictured, right].

By the way, before Patty opened her carryout, she used to work closely with Deb Sutter, formetly of Nourish. Now that Nourish is but a distant memory, Patty and Deb work together to not only maintain Deb's signature selection of cheeses, but to help her with catering. Hence the name, "Deb's Chicken Salad."

Being from New Jersey, Patty sees no humor in a substandard cheesesteak. The Top Round (featured on the "Patty's Favorite") is blackened, slathered with blue cheese and topped with a jaunty crown of fried onions and arugula. The more traditional Steaks and Cheesesteaks use the same slow-cooked beef, but of course it's not blackened. All of them are available with sliced chicken breast in lieu of the beef. Pay particular attention to the Roast Beef Sandwich with Boursin Cheese, lettuce and tomato. It was perfectly medium rare and tender.

It's hard to turn down all the big cookies that adorn the front counter [pictured, left]. The Reese's Peanut Butter are quite good, along with the Oatmeal Raisin, described as "One of the best oatmeal cookies I've found commercially." She also has little samples of goodies [pictured, right] available for your nibbling pleasure. Celebrate your next affair with her moderately priced party trays, and stock up on imported cheeses, olives, crackers, fruits, olive oils, coffees, nuts, preserves, mustard and desserts.

Patty's is at 517 South Bedford St, on the point where S. Bedford splits to the right. Traveling west from the Circle in Georgetown, follow S. Bedford St. (leave the Circle in between the County Administrative Services building and the bank).

If you're on 113 coming up from Millsboro or down from Bridgeville, turn east onto S. Bedford St. at the Motor Vehicle Administration and Social Services complex. Patty's will be on your right as you merge with another smaller road from the right. (L., D.) Price range: Inexpensive. Click here for a look at Patty's menu (credit for the menu link goes to the Greater Georgetown Chamber).