Moon Child Eats visits Chuck Lager – America’s Tavern. This new Celebrity Chef co-owned restaurant is located in Pike Creek, Delaware. As if I haven’t already given you enough reasons to visit I’ll give you another! This restaurant is co-owned by Top Chef fan favorite Fabio Viviani.
About Fabio Viviani
Firstly, this Florence, Italy native is very easy on the eyes!!! I had to go ahead and get that out of the way. After doing some Wikipedia research I was made aware of some details that I did not know about Fabio. At age 11, he was working nights at a local bakery in Florence. From there he began his life in the industry. By the time he was 27 he had opened and operated several restaurants. He moved to South California in 2005. He made his first television appearance on Top Chef Season 5 as one of the contestants. Unfortunately, he did not win but he did take 4th place. He is a restaurateur, chef, cook book writer and has a line of wines as well!
Moon Child Eats visits Chuck Lager – America’s Tavern
Chuck lager was opened in May of 2019 in Pike Creek, Delaware. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to opening of the restaurant. This was very unfortunate because Fabio was there to open the restaurant! There was a couple set backs but it was finally open. I had a couple friends that were able to go and meet him and get pictures. Sooo jealous! The restaurant menu is described as classically American comfort food. It seats about 175 people with outside seating available as well. The atmosphere is very comfortable and laid back. The brick interior goes well with the metal piping deco around the bar. They offer a very versatile menu and plenty of draft beer options as well. I’m sure there is something for everyone on the menu!
Appetizers
Of course I was joined by one of my foodie friends for this visit. He and I have worked in the industry for several years; even some of them together. It’s always a pleasure to have him join me when scoping out a new restaurant. He of course was starving so he ordered the appetizers before I arrived. He has a great palate so he ordered a couple things that I would have chosen myself.
We started with the Deviled Eggs and the Guacamole and Chips. The guacamole was your basic guac served with pickled red onions and tortilla chips. It was tasty. Now let us talk about these deviled eggs. You have your basic deviled egg filling but what makes this traditional appetizer different is the additions. The eggs are topped with a candied bacon. Not bacon crumbles but thick pieces of hand-cut candied bacon. These eggs are accompanied by a spicy lemon chutney. This chutney was a great combination of tangy sweet heat. It pared with the deviled eggs very well! We both found ourselves eating the chutney on the extra tortilla chips once the eggs were gone. I’m a sweet heat kind of girl so it hit my palate in all the right places.
Entrees
Lastly we ordered from the handhelds section of the menu. We chose the Beer Cheese Burger and the Smoked Brisket Grilled Cheese. The Beer Cheese Burger was served with potato chips but I substituted sweet potato fries in their place. The burger was topped with caramelized onions, house cured smoked bacon, arugula and a garlic aioli. This burger was oozing with cheese and bacon deliciousness!!! It was sooo good and filling. I definitely was full before finishing but it was so good that I couldn’t stop eating it. The smoky bacon was a great companion to the beer cheese sauce that topped the burger.
The smoked brisket grilled cheese was perfectly toasted. It was served with a tomato basil soup. They definitely weren’t stingy with the brisket! It was overflowing from the sandwich along with the cheese. I love the combination of grilled cheese and tomato soup but add in smoked brisket and you’ve got a winner. The combination of flavors is tantalizing to the palate. Definitely a great plate for lunch.
Overall Feels
I am so glad I get a chance to finally stop into this restaurant. It is super comfortable and the service was great! I forgot to mention that they offer mocktails (fancy non-alcoholic drinks), which is a fantastic option for someone that isn’t consuming alcohol but wants something besides soda, water or tea. Unfortunately, that day they were out of watermelon for the mocktail that I ordered. Thankfully, our server decided to bring me a passion fruit iced tea instead. I love passion fruit so it was a great substitute; delicious and refreshing! I definitely will be returning in the future to try out some other items on the menu.
Check out the pics from our meal here.
