Patricia Talorico

The News Journal

The owners of Oldbanks Craft Bistro are hoping to start serving customers at the new Trolley Square restaurant and bar by Monday.

Earlier this week, workers were putting finishing touches on the interior of the 56-seat Wilmington eatery at 1713 Delaware Ave. It’s situated inside a former WSFS bank franchise that’s next door to Scratch Magoo’s, its sister operation.

Oldbanks is owned by Scratch Magoo’s founder, Scott Martin, who opened the eatery 27 years ago with the former Shemp Group, and two longtime employees, John Russell and Lauren Orga.

Russell was general manager of The Shemp Group for 18 years and Orga has worked at Magoo’s for a decade. The Shemp Restaurant Group, which once ran Scratch’s as well as Tyler’s Bar & Grill in Pike Creek and Horace Shellhammer’s Restaurant in Bear, has been dissolved. All three restaurants are now independently owned and are no longer under one umbrella group.

Martin says the biggest challenge with Oldbanks was creating a comfort foods menu that rivals Scratch Magoo’s but doesn’t duplicate dishes. Magoo’s has had a home at 1709 Delaware Ave. in the heart of Wilmington’s Trolley Square since 1989.

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Martin predicts pressure cooked fried chicken will be the hit of the Oldbanks menu created by the owners and chef Mary Austin. Chicken cooked in a pressure cooker tends to be crispy, less greasy and more juicy on the inside than fried chicken. Customers can order the chicken in various sizes, ranging from $2.95 for a breast only to 12 pieces for $20.75. Sides ($2.50) include seasoned wedge fries, steamed broccoli, coleslaw and macaroni and cheese. Take-out is available.

The menu also includes gourmet pizzas such as Thai chicken with peanut sauce, vegetables, nuts and cilantro ($13.75), along with meatball sandwiches ($11.75), shrimp skewers with Bloody Mary cocktail sauce ($12.25) and Korean pork belly tacos ($12.75)

In 2014, Martin purchased the bank building, last used as a police and firefighters credit union, along with a 28-spot parking lot in the back of the restaurant that surrounds Magoo’s. Martin offers free parking at the site. The restaurant also has brought back the ATM machine in the front of the building that was often used by area residents and visitors.

Unlike Magoo’s, Oldbanks Craft Bistro does not have outdoor seating. But it does have a separate room for private functions and can accommodate large parties. Martin is hoping it will appeal not just to Trolley Square’s traditional 20-something crowd, but to all ages. “We can accommodate Little League teams or a funeral lunch,” Martin says.

While summer in the city can be a slow time, especially on weekends as crowds head to local beaches and the Jersey shore, Martin says he isn’t worried about business at Oldbanks or Scratch Magoo’s.

“We just had our best Memorial Day weekend ever,” he says.

Oldbanks Craft Bistro will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Jimmy’s Grille opens in Rehoboth

A new branch of a favorite Sussex County eatery, Jimmy’s Grille, is up and running in Rehoboth Beach.

A ribbon cutting was held at the Del. 1 site, next to the Outlet Liquors, on June 10.

The flagship Jimmy’s Grille, a 300-seat restaurant and catering operation, has had a home in Bridgeville near U.S. 13 and Del. 404, since the early 1990s. It was founded by James E. Tennefoss, who sold the business in 2006 to the Highway One company run by Alex Pires, owner of the Rusty Rudder and Bottle & Cork.

A second location opened in Dewey Beach about seven years ago.

The third Jimmy’s in Rehoboth will be open daily and year-round for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Jimmy’s is well-known in Delaware for its homemade rolls, bread, pies, cakes, fried chicken and chicken and dumplings. Call (302) 227-4888 or visit www.jimmysgrille.org

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 orptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter@pattytalorico.