Del's Café -- Consistently Good at Being Bland…read more
Let me begin by saying I'm genuinely grateful Del's Café exists. In a small town with precious few options for a homestyle meal, having a dependable family restaurant is something worth appreciating. And Del's is certainly dependable. The food is consistent, the portions are familiar, and nothing is particularly fancy.
Unfortunately, neither is the flavor.
I've sampled much of the menu over numerous visits, and the one thing that consistently disappoints me is just how remarkably bland the food is. It's almost as though seasoning is something to be approached with great suspicion.
Salt, pepper, and mayonnaise seem to constitute the culinary spice cabinet at Del's.
Take the fried fish, for example. It's genuinely impressive in one respect: the batter is wonderfully crispy. The crispiness can compete with any chip shop on the global stage. They have the technique down. But the flavor? Virtually no seasoning. With the right seasoning, this dish could easily go to an 11. Instead, it's just crispy, battered fish.
The tartar sauce is a real head-spinner. It looks amazing, with visible pickles, appealing color, and all the visual promises of a flavorful accompaniment. But taste it, and there's nothing there. It's essentially a paste with texture, something to wet the fish rather than complement it. How something can look so promising and deliver so little flavor is a let down.
And please, don't ask for rice. Judging by my experiences, it seems to be regarded as something of a culinary trespass.
The prime rib is another example. A cut of beef that should be rich, savory, and deeply satisfying somehow manages to arrive without much character. I've even found myself having to explain what au jus is when requesting it.
The chili is something else entirely. I've been to Texas. And New Mexico. I've had chili. What Del's calls chili is a cultural enigma. I swear it's a bean stew that tastes like a can of baked beans and bean soup with boiled hamburger and a splash of bbq and or ketchup.
Then there's the salad bar, which others seem to rave about. I confess I don't share their enthusiasm. You'll find an assortment of prepared "salads," but if you're imagining a traditional salad bar with a generous variety of fresh vegetables and toppings, temper those expectations. I'll leave the final judgment to others, but I've never been impressed.
The dumpling soup deserves a mention. It's wonderfully old-school, the kind of dish that evokes traditional home cooking. It's worth trying for that reason alone. But once again, the flavor is missing.
Now, lest you think I find nothing worth celebrating at Del's, there are a couple of bright spots.
The blueberry pancakes are my number one favorite item on the entire menu. I won't reveal the secret, but there's something about them that Del's gets absolutely right. They're genuinely worth ordering, and I look forward to them.
And the pies! Del's makes honest-to-goodness homemade pies and desserts, prepared from scratch. That's increasingly uncommon and deserves recognition. If you have room after your meal, they're absolutely worth trying. There's something special about a restaurant that still takes the time to make its own desserts.
Which makes the rest of the menu all the more frustrating.
The food looks good, sometimes even great. The preparation can be perfectly respectable. There's clearly a passion here to produce genuinely memorable homestyle cooking. But somewhere between the kitchen and the table, flavor seems to have been left behind.
As a member of the community I've brought out of town guests and family to Del's. My bland experience is a shared one. I honestly ask, where is the flavor? For me, my experiences over four years now is grounded in the consistency that Del"s offers. It's bland food. Sustenance.
Perhaps the regular clientele prefers things this way; local palate favoring mild, uncomplicated food, and Del's knows its audience exceptionally well. I can't say.
I can only describe my own experience. After a few visits I need a break; the absence of flavor becomes genuinely disheartening. Its is disappointing sitting down to a beautiful-looking plate of food and discovering that it offers almost nothing to the palate; like the chicken bkfst burrito last night. Sustenance only. Zero seasoning.
I ordered ice cream just to feel.
If you appreciate very mild, familiar, unchallenging food, Del's may be exactly what you're looking for. But if you enjoy savory depth, thoughtful seasoning, or even a little umami, I'd suggest leaving those expectations at the door.
I'm grateful it's here. I appreciate the consistency, the familiarity, and the role a restaurant like this plays in a small community.
I just wish the kitchen would embrace the idea that homestyle cooking doesn't have to mean flavorless cooking.
Del's has mastered consistency. I only wish it would champion flavor with the same enthusiasm.
