Patty’s Deli & Carryout (Lewes)

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. She was very successful there until she lost her lease in early 2020. So she decided to move eastward.

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.

Patty's is also a breakfast place, open from 7am to 6 pm every day except for Sundays. She or one of her loyal assistants (if you're lucky it will be the always-helpful Doug) will happily whomp up something special for you on your choice of a soft roll, a seeded baguette, rye/pump swirl or a wrap. Get the soft roll if you're feeling breakfasty.

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 made fresh daily and share a display case with some mouthwatering cheeses.

By the way, before Patty opened her carryout, she used to work closely with Deb Sutter, formerly of Nourish in Rehoboth Beach. Nourish is but a distant memory, and Deb has moved on to greener pastures (well, California…) but her memory lives on in Patty's signature selection of cheeses and salads.

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 they're 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 is perfectly medium rare and tender.

It's hard to turn down all the big cookies that adorn the front counter. The Reese's Peanut Butter are quite good, along with the Oatmeal Raisin, described by a trusted Foodette as “One of the best oatmeal cookies I've found commercially.” She also has samples of goodies available for your nibbling pleasure, none the least of which the goat cheese caramels.

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 1141 Savannah Road, just over the train tracks across from Bryan Hecksher's Auto Gallery.

Click here to listen to Patty's radio debut on Delaware 105.9's Sip & Bite with the Rehoboth Foodie.

Click here for a look at Patty's sub & sandwich menu

Click here to see Patty's gourmet house-made salads

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