Rehoboth Foodie

Owner Mara DePace's childhood memories of Sunday Italian dinners with family and friends inspired her to go into the restaurant business over 25 years ago. Her latest venture, Villa Sorrento in Lewes, is a friendly, crowded little spot that is testament to her love for food and fun (more about that later). Tucked-in next to Happy Harry's on Savannah Road, just past the Villages of Five Points, this is basic Italian with burgers, cheesesteaks and parm sandwiches for lunch, plus all the required Italian main courses for dinner.

My latest visit was with a party of 10. I started with the Chopped Antipasto Salad. I cannot tell a lie: It was cool, crispy and loaded with Italian meats and cheeses. Everything was chopped to the same size (making it easy to deal with fork-wise). If you're looking for the quintessential "big salad," this is it. Another in our party had the Caesar Salad and she loved it, with the sharp and cheesy Pecorino/Romano topping apparently sealing the deal. My preferred dining companion started with the Italian Wedding Soup, loaded with happy little meatballs and noodles. The bowl was spotless upon its removal. 'Nuff said.

For dinner, that same culinary cohort (like that?) ordered "Tony's Favorite," a veal scallopini dish loaded with shrimp and crabmeat in a light brown sauce. It was one of the stars of the show, and was pronounced delicious (don't worry...I tried some, and it was). The other star of the show was the Stuffed Shells (four or five large shells bursting with ricotta and mozzarella, topped with a light marinara). I have to trust the person who ordered the shells: First of all, his name is "Tony" for goodness sake, and second, he could very well qualify as a Foodie in his own right. He gets the shells every time he's at Villa Sorrento.

Other main courses included Veal Marsala (with wild mushrooms and a golden brown Marsala wine sauce), and Chicken Saltimbocca (a sauteed chicken breast layered with fresh sage, prosciutto and mushrooms, then topped with that wine sauce and perched atop a bed of bright green sauteed spinach). The Veal Parmesan was thin and crispy, layered with creamy cheese and their light (not too thick, not too sweet) marinara. The lemony Chicken Francaise was also thin and lean, prepared with a light egg batter.

The only negative of the evening was my entree. I ordered the Romano pizza, and asked for it "well-done." It came out with the toppings cooked OK, but the dough was white and undercooked. (I wonder what part of "well done" they didn't get. And why didn't the waitress catch it in the kitchen?) Pizza cannot be put back into the oven once it has started to cool (the toppings will burn and dry out long before the dough heats up enough to brown), so I went against my first Foodie rule and I didn't send it back. Y'know, ya win some and ya lose some. Eveything else was good, so I WILL go back, and I WILL order the "Tony's Favorite" (or the Stuffed Shells...or maybe the Saltimobocca).

Speaking of food and fun, be on guard for Mara to burst into song without warning! It could be anything from Dean Martin's "That's Amore" to Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" (you know, the one about the bullfrog), or even an aria from some opera, oratorio or cantata. She is in fact a good singer, and it's not unusual for everybody (properly lubricated with alcohol, to be sure) to join in. In spite of my unhappy pizza incident, this crowded, noisy little place is warm and friendly and you will not leave hungry.

UPDATE! Went in there last night with a group of 4. We started with the Shrimp Palermo appetizer special (broccoli rabe with shrimp). It was bright green, firm and the restrained spice didn't upstage the shrimp. For entrees, one member took Tony's advice (see above) and had the stuffed shells. He loved 'em. But the star of the show was the Fettuccini Carbonara. The surprisingly light parmesan/cream sauce, combined with bits of fried pancetta and bacon (throw in a few peas, too) topped the al dente fettuccini very nicely. One of my favorite Foodies in Waiting had the Chicken Piccata. The little breast pieces were pounded appetizingly thin, and the golden coating was flavorful and not bready. She pronounced it fresh and lemony (I'd better watch out...she's getting good at this stuff). I had that big chopped salad (told you so...). I wish Mara would pair it with a not-so-ordinary dressing (or offer a choice). Value Added Dept.: Mara sang a ballad for a very old lady who might have been a relative; the entire restaurant fell into silence as her trained voice filled the room. As applause rang out, it was the perfect musical topping for a tasty evening.

Villa Sorrento is open every day except Monday. They also have off-season specials (check the Specials List on this site), and they do take reservations (302) 644-7051. (L., D.) Price range: Moderate.