Mark Hunker and Jeff McCracken of Eden/JAM Bistro fame (they also own Coho's Market & Grill (where Grub used to be) plus several properties in Washington, D.C.) have totally revamped the building where Gelato Girl used to be, just south of Coldwell Banker on the Highway at Rt. 1a. Their new restaurant is named for their former DC eatery, Red, White & Basil. It's up and running!
Learn more by listening to Mark and Jeff on a recent Beach Eats broadcast with the Rehoboth Foodie. CLICK HERE to listen to the guys talk about the new concept!
Had dinner for 3 last evening. Worst restaurant food we have ever had. We were the 2nd seating, arriving 4:45. It took 45 minutes until our entrees arrived. Lasagna was burnt on one side and very mushy. It was clear this lasagna was very old and reheated several times. Had very little flavor, was awful. Spaghetti bolognese was not much better. I had Shrimp Veracruz for $24 which consisted of 4 med steamed shrimp on top of bucatini pasta in a Mediterranean medley of capers, peppers, tomatoes, arugula, garlic and chili flake but it was so bland without any flavor of the aforementioned ingredients. I ate the shrimp and that was it. I did have a house salad which was acceptable. The greens were fresh with heirloom cherry tomatoes and shaved parmesan. Garlic bread was bland without any hint of garlic or butter. It had a slice of cheese melted on top. Tomato bisque was okay but spicy. Shrimp bruschetta was a huge disappointment. It was served on a roll cut in half with rather large Heirloom cherry tomatoes cut in half. There were some white specs which I assume was chopped shrimp but there were no visible shrimp and no shrimp taste. It was rather difficult to eat as the roll was thick and the large 1/2 cut tomatoes kept falling off the roll. It was quite messy. Desserts were not much better. Because we didn’t eat much of our entrees we opted to use up the remainder of our Gift Cards because we knew we would not be returning. Cannoli was okay but not great, tiramisu consisted of a bottom layer of soaked lady fingers (but I didn’t taste any coffee or rum) and a top layer of what appeared to be whipped cream with a dusting of cocoa. I tasted no mascarpone or cream cheese. Limoncello parfait was very bland, could not detect any lemon flavor and it tasted like creamy vanilla pudding topped with whipped cream and 3 blueberries on top. The cheesecake however was good. Very creamy with a drizzle of blueberries and sauce on top. Because this restaurant was affiliated with Eden I assumed it would be decent. I’ve eaten many, many times at Eden and the food and experience has always been excellent. I really don’t have anything positive to say about this very disappointing experience. Even the chairs were uncomfortable, metal with flat wooden seats. Tables bare, no tablecloths. Lastly, our waitress was snippy and not very pleasant.
BEST bolognese sauce iv,e ever had
perfect service
OK ambiance
will definitely be a “regular”
First time visiting the restaurant tonight with 9 family members. Drinks were OK.
One hour to get food and we would give the food quality and taste on a scale from 1 to 10, a 2 maybe. We did tip the waiter 18% as the problems were not his fault. The manager did come by for our feedback and we were honest with him. It will be a long time before we return.
We moved here from Dupont Circle where we were frequent diners at Red, White and Basil. We’re thrilled this restaurant is being resurrected here. Assuming the concept will be the same we are very familiar with the objective. We would be more than happy to be involved with any soft opening or other preparatory steps.