Foodie Friday: The Nook
MILTON, Del. – We’re checking out a cozy spot in Milton for this edition of Foodie Friday.
Feeling Like Family
The owners of this place, Dina and Oscar Escamilla, want you to feel at home. It’s all about home-cooked meals, crafted to order.
“We tried to build our kitchen the way my grandmother had it, and the way it was common in her household,” Dina told the Foodie Friday team. “It’s a lot of dedication, and that’s what we try to do. We use only fresh ingredients, never frozen, we build all of our meals from scratch.”
Brisket Benedict
And that’s pretty easily accomplished when you’re getting lost in their brisket eggs benedict. This dish starts with a béarnaise sauce and herb butter, while the brisket gets seared on the grill.
“Our brisket is cooked for 24 hours, from start to finish. There are no shortcuts,” Dina said.
The eggs are poached, and Oscar starts to build the beauty by layering an English muffin with fresh baby spinach. Then comes the star of the show: the brisket. It’s all topped off with that velvety sauce.
“The yolk has a lot of richness,” said Foodie Photog Mike. “The brisket has been nicely seared on the flat top… This will definitely start your day out right.”
“Something really special”
Another creation that will keep you coming back for more is the ricotta gnocchi with chipotle chicken. This dish is also dressed up with herb butter, but gets a kick of chipotle. Chicken stock, parmesan cheese, and cream round out the sauce, before the chicken, homemade gnocchi, and baby spinach are added in.
“There’s something really special about homemade pasta, and especially homemade gnocchi,” said Foodie Friday host, Hannah Cechini. “I think the chipotle is the perfect addition to this gnocchi, because that spice brings out all the other subtle flavors… All of it comes together for a really beautiful, heartwarming, homey dish.”
Guilty Pleasure, Flavorful Flame
This next dish’s name speaks for itself. The “guilty pleasure” starts with two slices of brioche French toast, each of which gets a generous schmear of Nutella. Then comes a brûlée banana, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce drizzle, strawberries, and whipped cream.
“The creators call this the ‘guilty pleasure,’ because there are so many different things,” Mike mused. “I’m going to say, you’re spoiled for choice. There are so many different flavors to just hunt around and find your favorite combinations.”
The pillowy brioche is a perfect platform for it all, with the fresh fruit cutting through all that sweetness.
“If you go for the guilty pleasure, you’re probably going to need a nap after you eat it, but it’s going to be a really good, satisfying nap,” Hannah said with a laugh.
That’s not the only offering where a lick of flame makes you want to lick it off the plate. Between its glassy top, and creamy bottom, crème brûlée is a perfect way to round out any meal at The Nook.
“What I really like about this, though, is that the custard underneath is super creamy. It’s melt in your mouth, almost,” Hannah said.
The Nook
The Nook is located at 16394 Samuel Paynter Boulevard ,Unit 104/105, Milton, Del. You can call them at 302-291-2857. If you go to check it out, tell the team that you saw them on Foodie Friday.
