Spring Picnic Breakout!
Is there anything that signals a return to warmer weather better than having a picnic?
Following a year in which many of our meals were picked up at curbside and transported back to our homes, it seems appropriate that we celebrate spring 2021 by continuing to support restaurants and other small businesses who kept us fed and bravely endured the pandemic.
And while planning our curbside-based outing, it’s fun to keep in mind a 19th Century English definition of picnic as a “pleasure party, the members of which carry provisions with them on an excursion, as to some place in the country.”
Northern Delaware is the perfect place for such a pleasure party. Here, the countryside abounds in places to buy great takeout food as well as having lovely patches of greenery to enjoy a midday luncheon in the warming sun and fresh air – whether you’re on a lunchtime break from work or having a distanced meeting with friends you haven’t seen in months.
Three local spots are just right for lunching al fresco: the Newark area around White Clay Creek, Hockessin and Red Clay Creek, and Greenville’s Brandywine Creek. Place your picnic order in advance if you want an early jump on lunch, and check opening times online as many places don’t unlock their doors before noon.
Newark
Newark is, of course, a college town with all the eateries that college towns are known for. Despite the quieter campus this spring, many favorite restaurants have adapted creatively, with new menus and services. Caffe Gelato, the iconic campus Main Street eatery, has expanded its offerings to meet needs brought on by the pandemic, including home food delivery and groceries. For picknickers, call ahead for great paninis – perhaps caprese for vegetarians and roasted turkey and brie for everyone else – that come with potatoes and greens.
For fully loaded burgers and fries, Iron Hill Brewery, also on Main Street, is the place to grab and go. If you’re craving pizza for the picnic, Iron Hill has that, too. Another Main Streeter is Home Grown Café, is an especially tempting place if you want takeout cocktails and don’t have to rush back to the office, even if your office is your living room. Home Grown also has an array of sandwiches and shared dishes to go.
“When picnicking, it is good to order food based on where you are going, what you will be doing, and when you will be eating,” advises Home Grown owner Sasha Aber. “Crab fondue, spinach spread and hummus all travel very well. All three dips are packed separately from the dipping items, and can easily be bought ahead of time, refrigerated and then set out a little before consuming.”
And where can we go for our Newark picnic? While campus spots are off limits for now, a few miles north on Route 896 is the sprawling White Clay Creek State Park, especially good if you want to hike in to a secluded spot or just get a bit of exercise tossing a Frisbee.
Another option is Paper Mill Park, northeast of town at the intersection of Paper Mill and Polly Drummond roads. It’s a very popular recreation area, so while you might not have the place to yourself, they do have lots of space as well as picnic tables and rest rooms. And food trucks are occasionally parked there as well. If you want an after-lunch cone or shake, Woodside Farm Creamery is just a couple of miles away near the intersection of North Star and Little Baltimore roads.
Hockessin
North of Newark is Hockessin, which was once a farm village and has fortunately not strayed too far away from those origins. A convenient and inviting spot to enjoy a picnic lunch is Swift Park on Old Lancaster Pike near the intersection of Valley Road. Park there and it’s just a short stroll to several places for take-out food, including Two Cousins Pizza, Perfect Cup Café and, especially, The Back Burner if you are in the mood for a creamy crab cake sandwich or, one of my favorites, a lick-your-fingers Reuben. Next door to the restaurant is Back Burner to Go, which also stocks cheeses, crackers and condiments.
An alternate place to Swift Park to take your picnic basket lies just west on Valley Road at Tweed’s Park opposite Lantana Square and adjacent to the Hockessin Athletic Club. The park also has paved paths for a walk in the woods. A great place for curbside takeout at Lantana is the Drip Café for sandwiches, sweets and coffee.
Greenville-Centreville
East of Hockessin, the Greenville-Centerville area offers food, drink and sylvan areas to picnic. For those wanting a before-noon start, or who need some assistance in preparations, the Centreville Café at the corner of the Pike and Twaddell Mill Road opens for breakfast and is experienced in helping out with the picnic crowd. “We have picnic baskets we have also loaned to clients,” says café owner and chef Susan Teiser, “and we have often packed foods in client-provided equipment to fit into their own baskets or coolers.” The Café offers an array of readymade sandwiches, sides, soft drinks and potent espresso drinks. Most of the sandwiches are grilled for extra crunch, and they range from the yuppie Chuckie (grilled chicken, brie, avocado, lettuce and tomato on croissant) to the down-home Bubba (roast beef, cheddar, pickled onions, grainy mustard on white).
Teiser can even provide directions to a quiet place to enjoy lunch outside. “The easiest public space is Canby Grove Park, across the street from the Café,” she says. “It has shaded picnic tables and a playground, hosts community activities, and has easy parking on the edge of the park on Twaddell Mill Road.”
For those who want a little something more than soft drinks, Collier’s of Centreville stocks a fridge with chilled white and sparkling wines–plus affordable Champagne if you’re celebrating–at the wine shop a few doors up the street from the Café.
Buckley’s Tavern is the other primary takeout place in Centreville, and the BBC Tavern & Grill in Greenville has an excellent array of sandwiches as well as traditional shared plates such as fried calamari, buffalo wings and nachos, especially helpful if there are more than two for lunch. And don’t overlook Janssen’s Market, with a fine array of ready-made foods and cheeses – again, a great place to pick up food if you want to picnic early. If it’s a hot day, stop in at the Wine & Spirits Shop of Greenville for a wide selection of cold beer to choose from.
Now that lunch is packed, choose where to spread your picnic blankets. Valley Garden Park near Hoopes Reservoir on Campbell Road is a lovely spot. Another is the spacious Brandywine Creek State Park on Adams Dam Road with parking facilities on both sides of the Brandywine. If you have a few minutes post-picnic, stop by the SIW Market on Route 1 for fresh produce, especially the closer we get to summer. It’s a lovely setting and a bucolic drive.
Finally, if you are still working at home on Zoom and don’t have time to zip out for a full-fledged picnic, many places will deliver food to your front door, so invite a friend or two and slip outside for a social-distant backyard picnic on the grass or patio.
Pardon Our French
The word “picnic” sounds French and most likely is. According to Century Dictionary, it hails from the French piquenique (1690s), perhaps a reduplication of piquer, ‘to pick, peck,’ from Old French, or the second element may be nique, ‘worthless thing,’ from a Germanic source. Rising to use in the mid-18th century, it denoted a social event at which each guest contributed a share of the food. “Picnic basket” came in usage in 1857 and “picnic table,” originally a folding table used for outdoor dining, appeared in 1858.
