Wilmington Visitors Restaurant Tour

My parents are coming for a visit next week, so I've been planning the days around food, of course. My tentative itenerary so far:


Thursday Lunch: Osteria Chiccetti. They arrive around noon, and Mom has already said they're going to be hungry. They can't check in to their Bed and Breakfast (The Verandas) until 3:00, so we'll go straight from the airport out to the Forum and eat lunch. After that, we'll rat around Mayfaire and let them shop a little. I'm sure we'll wind up at Fresh Market so my dad, Mr. Snack, can load up on squirrel food and Jelly Bellies. (I come by that predilection honestly.)


Thursday Dinner: Since we'll have been shopping and mostly relaxing, I'll cook dinner that night so they can visit with the furry grandchildren and us.


Friday: I'll pick them up and probably wander around downtown some in the morning. Then we'll lunch at Catch. From Catch, I want to take them to La Gemma Italian Bakery on 17th Street. I've tried some of their bite-size pastries at tasting events, but haven't actually been to the bakery. Everyone should enjoy that. From there, I'll take them to Aerlie Gardens so they can see that. They've never been, and it's beautiful, even this time of year when there's not much blooming. For dinner, we'll take them to Marc's on Market, where they can have an excellent meal, and meet our friends Marc and Sara.


Saturday: I'm looking for a good place to do lunch in the Carolina Beach area. We're going to take them down to Fort Fisher and the Aquarium, and I wanted to go somewhere down there. I've got requests in to some friends for recommendations, because I just don't get down there that often. For dinner, we're going to head out to Brasserie du Soleil. They'll both enjoy the salads and Dad will love the Pommes Frites as much as I do.


I'll give everyone a rundown of the weekend once we're done, and re-review the places we've chosen. Mom and Dad are both pretty picky eaters, so feeding them can be a real challenge. We'll see how it goes!