The Banking House Inn
I knew before I even opened the heavy lead-glass doors at Milfords historic Banking House Inn that my partner Konrad and I were in for a treat. Opening the door only confirmed my intuition. Standing near an inviting staircase, Sharon Bond smiled warmly and showed us to our seats. This French country inn has three beautiful dining rooms on the first floor, two of which are wonderfully cozy and intimate with a large fireplace and lace curtains, while the third room is much larger and has a huge mirror over the fireplace, a hardwood floor and a grand piano.
Dan and Sharon purchased the inn about 6 months ago, which had been operating as a restaurant for 12 years. They ate here often as the owners of The Towers Bed and Breakfast across the street, so when the restaurant went up for sale they figured, why not? Ron Affayroux, who had served as the sous chef for three years, agreed to stay on as Chef, and other personnel such as Sandy, our affable waitress who had been here for all 12 years, also stayed. Its that kind of place.
Chef Ron believes that freezers are only for ice, so everything here is fresh, and it shows. Hes currently putting the finishing touches on a new summer menu which will be introduced in July, so we sampled four of the items that will remain. Each was a tantalizing indication of how Ron has put the Banking House Inn on the culinary map of Delaware (and beyond).
We started with Shrimp Clemenceau, a New Orleans-inspired dish of jumbo shrimp and crawfish with chunks of potatoes, peas, scallions and mushrooms, all infused with a perfect blend of cajun spices that jazzed up our taste buds. Yum!
After some tender steamed asparagus, we moved on to the Veal Pecan, a lightly seasoned scallopini of veal adorned with large pieces of succulent lump crab meat, all delicately languishing in a rich roasted butter pecan sauce. Could it get any better than this?
Yes! The Steak Diane, one of the Inns best sellers, is a butterflied beef tenderloin simply sauteed in red wine with shallots and chives. On the very rare occasions that I eat red meat, I could only hope that its this incredible: sauteed to perfection, tender enough to slice with a fork, bursting with juices and flavors that made me stop and consider just how good life can be sometimes. (I hope my doctor isnt reading this really, I am trying to follow those ridiculously low cholesterol guidelines Im supposed to be on!)
There arent enough superlatives for the Stuffed Salmon. Though everything we sampled was divine, this was my favorite. The salmon was poached to absolute warm, pink, perfection then nestled between fresh sea scallops and covered with a sundried tomato basil cream sauce. It melted on my tongue and swam around to visit every taste bud in my mouth to make each one individually moan with passion. Its making my heart race just writing about it!
But, as every food connoisseur knows, even the best of entrees serve only as a road to dessert, and even the best of desserts is merely a backdrop for that most perfect creation, whipped cream. The mistake most people make when ordering dessert is in only considering how much chocolate is involved rather than how much whipped cream comes with it and how artistically it will be presented. This being said, our dessert of warm apple pie topped with melted caramel was yummy, the crust butter-soaked and rich, but did those two tiny dollops of whipped cream on the plate work for me? I dont think so. Next time well try the chocolate torte with fresh fruit, the stuffed crepes, or a seasonal berry pie (and request extra whipped cream!).
The rest of the menu includes vegetarian dishes, chicken, and more seafood and red meat. Ron is also more than happy to work with diners in creating a meal to suit special dietary needs.
On Friday nights, live jazz livens up the second floor on the porch overlooking the river. Music begins at 5:00; free hors doeuvres are served, or you can order from the tapas menu: baked shrimp nachos, salmon topped with salsa, green tamales and more.
The food and atmosphere are so splendid youll really wish you could stay overnight, have Sunday brunch and eat dinner here again Sunday night, before heading home. Luckily you can, because The Banking House Inn has several beautiful rooms for guests, or you can stay at The Towers Bed and Breakfast, right across the street.
Sunday brunch is served a la carte. In addition to the traditional omelets, quiches, salads and french toast are seafood creations like crab potato pancakes or crab florentine with spinach and bearnaise sauce. Theres also the mouth-watering but heart-stopping sounding Twin Tornados Timmothy (grilled tenderloin of beef topped with fried eggs on a bed of sauteed onions and bacon with sauce chasseur) or the Shired Eggs Forestiere (oven baked eggs in a sausage mushroom cream).
And now, a word of advice. I have a fear that our readers will think "Milford, why would I drive all that way to eat?" Its only a beautiful 25-minute drive through Delaware farmland, or to put it in perspective, less time than it normally takes to find a parking space in downtown Rehoboth and wait for your table at one of our fabulous establishments (besides, you cant always dine at your favorite local eatery. Plus, you dont have to worry about parking meters all night.) The main draw is that the food and atmosphere at The Banking House Inn are divine, worth a drive two or three times as long.
Directions: Take Route 1 North to the first exit for Milford, Business Route 1. After about a mile youll cross a bridge spanning the Mispillion River; turn left as soon as you cross, and the Banking House Inn is about two blocks down on your left at 112 Northwest Front Street. Phone (302) 422-5708.
The Towers Bed and Breakfast
Ive stayed at dozens of B & Bs across America over the past 15 years, but I have never seen anything this monumentally fabulous. When I walked into The Towers my jaw dropped and it only moved to repeat "Oh my God!" as we moved from room to room. Built in 1783 as a Colonial, it was enlarged and "Victorianized" in 1891. Once vacant and waiting for the wrecking ball, it was saved and lovingly restored (such a mild word for what was done here) by local Rehoboth Beach realtor Michael Real (who knew?) He also brought back glorious antiques and architectural pieces from France to do the house in a French Victorian manner. It is now a certified landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.
The main room on the first floor features grand floor to ceiling windows on every wall, each one a different shape (one is a huge "T" pattern) but all with large blocks of patterned wavy colored glass. Theres a mammoth Hopewell fireplace with a mosaic tile inlay and floor, a grand piano, hardwood floors, and a ceiling the likes of which I have only seen in pictures. A ship carpenter was hired to do the ceiling, which is coffered, a series of criss crossed beams and patterns that has to be seen to be believed, and the doors in and out of the room are delicately carved wooden screens.
Going up the grand staircase we looked at all the sleeping rooms, each one huge, bright, comfortable. Layers of pillows adorn each bed, lace curtains grace the windows, and antique sofas or big comfortable chairs invite you to sit and read. There are 4 rooms on the second floor which share two baths, and 2 beautiful suites on the third floor which have private baths. The shared baths feature oversize claw-foot tubs that beckon you to soak, antique sinks that just sit there being historically gorgeous like old sinks do, the walls are all wood, and the window behind the tub is a wall of wavy deep colored glass. Youll never want to leave!
Outside theres an enclosed pool, a fenced in yard, and a beautiful garden. A definite destination for a relaxed get-away, and Dan will amuse and enlighten you with the fascinating history of the house and town.
The Towers Bed and Breakfast: 101 Northwest Front Street, Milford, Delaware (302) 422-3814.
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6/27/97 Issue. Copyright 1997 by CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. All rights reserved.