Foodie Friday: Dalmata Italiano
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – If you’re looking for a spot that will remind you of Nonna’s cooking with a playful twist, the proof is in the pie at Dalmata Italiano in Rehoboth Beach.
Proof is in the Pie
The pizza dough is made fresh every single day, and that’s where we start. “You make your crust first, and then you push all your dough to the middle so that when you’re spreading it out, it doesn’t get too thin in the middle there,” explained Chef Craig Clifton as he prepared the circular treat.
“A Good Cheese Pizza” is literally in the name for this pie. It’s got all the favorites: mozzarella, sharp provolone, fontina, and parmesan. And don’t blink, because it’s also time for the White Lightning pie: garlic confit puree, mozzarella, and fontina – topped with a mix of mushrooms, generous scoops of ricotta, and homemade kale chips.
Cooking the Carbonara
While those beauties are baking, Chef Clifton gets to work on a carbonara, made with fresh pasta and mouth watering guanciale.
“Essentially, you just heat it and toss [the pasta]. You’ll notice how it starts getting creamy. The starch from the pasta is thickening up in there,” Chef Clifton said as he cooked the carbonara. “Fresh pecorino Romano. Egg. Back on [the stove]. And finish it with a little bit more fresh pecorino.”
“Just beautiful”
Before all the dishes go out to the dining room, the pizzas get an extra brushing of olive oil on the crust, a sprinkling of herbs, and a little extra cheese.
“If I had to come up with one word to describe this pizza, I would call it umami,” Foodie Friday host Hannah Cechini said of the White Lighting pie. “That’s because there is a lot of umami going on in here, between the mushrooms, the roasted kale. I mean, it’s just beautiful.”
“You have all these nice different umami mushrooms, earthiness,” Foodie Photog Mike marveled. “Almost every texture I can imagine. So rich, it’s like a pizza sundae.”
And, the cheese pizza absolutely lives up to its name. “This pizza is just really satisfying. The crunch on the crust is really nice and crispy. I love how chef has drizzled that little extra bit of olive oil around the edges. It kind of just adds to the levels of flavor that are going on,” Hannah said.
And it may even surpass it, according to Foodie Photog Mike. “Just a great slice of pizza, all the way around,” he smiled after a bite.
Comforting and Rich
Now it’s time to dig into the carbonara. If you’re anything like Hannah, this dish will keep you dreaming about it.
“That is so comforting. Just warm, creamy flavors. The pasta is homemade. So, it’s a little bit of a different ballgame than the stuff that you’re working with out of a box at home. It’s just got such a nice chew to it,” Hannah said. “The fat from the guanciale is really awesome, too, because it’s kind of just melted itself down, and incorporated itself into this dish.”
Foodie Photog Mike also said the carbonara didn’t just hit the mark; it went above and beyond.
“All of the saltiness, and the richness from the guanciale and the cheeses is nice and subtle. Because it’s such a high-quality ingredient, you really don’t need a lot of it to get that lovely flavor out of there,” said Mike. “The pepper, honestly, is a great compliment to the guanciale, as well. It kind of almost wakes up the pallet, a little bit.”
Dalmata Italiano
Dalmata Italiano is located at 28 Wilmington Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Del. You can call them at (302) 227-8512. If you go to check it out, tell the team that you saw them on Foodie Friday.
