Beat Street

 

Located in The Outpost at 348 Hutchison Lane in Wilmington’s Cargo District, Beat Street offers globally inspired street food for lunch and dinner. It is open from 11-8 Sunday-Thursday and 11-10 Friday-Saturday. Online ordering is available.

 

This eclectic offering from the True Blue group offers a killer menu but its logistics leave something to be desired. First, the good: Beat Street has an impressive array of handhelds from around the world. A half-dozen varieties of tacos share menu space with burgers, kabobs, tortas, and ssam. Choosing a side will be a hair-tearing endeavor as ramen, bacon cheddar mac, and truffle fries (with lemon and parmesan!) make for an extremely difficult decision.

 

Beat Street is co-located with Alcove Beer Garden, and there is plenty of seating inside and out. That capaciousness is a double-edged sword, however, as you may need to listen from a distance and over music for your number to be called out. You’ll also be in for a wait (30+ minutes in our case): perhaps due to understaffing, the kitchen here is slow.

 

That said, the food here was as good as it sounded. We went with barbacoa tacos and pork belly steamed buns with the aforementioned truffle fries. The fries were addictive, and both handhelds were well-sauced (birria/avocado crema and hoisin/ginger scallion, respectively) and flavorful. The pork was a touch dry but not unpleasantly so, and it was satisfyingly crispy. Prices ($12 and $14) were reasonable.

Beat Street’s tantalizing menu will make you hungry, and your stomach will be happy by the end, but the in-between may try your patience.

Savorez

Located at 402 Chestnut Street in Downtown Wilmington, Savorez offers Latin-inspired cuisine for lunch and dinner. It is open from 11:30-10 Monday through Friday, noon-10 on Saturday, and from 10-2 for brunch on Sunday. There is a full bar and food specials that change regularly.

 

Savorez takes a Latin-meets-local concept and executes it to perfection. It’s a smallish space and tables may be hard to come by, but there will likely be room at the bar. Red walls and vivid artwork give Savorez a lively aesthetic. The menu here holds lots of appeal, offering everything from salsas and dips to empanadas and tapas to full-sized entrees. The fusionist tendencies come across clearly in dishes like shrimp n grits (a Southern classic accented with chorizo and jalapeno lime) and arroz con pollo (dressed up with jerk chicken, coconut rice, and pickled shallots).

 

My wife and I started with a sweet potato and black bean empanada, followed that up with a vegan rellenos and scallop-tastic (one of the daily specials), and ended with a chocolate chile flan. Everything was fantastic. We were looking forward to the empanada’s pineapple salsa, and it didn’t disappoint, but the accompanying chimichurri sauce was better than it had any right to be. The entrees were artfully plated and well-balanced. The scallop-tastic boasted perfectly cooked scallops and a strawberry salsa that, on its own, would have been too sweet. However, it paired nicely with charred tomatoes and greens. The flan likewise offered a raspberry gastrique to temper the heat.

 

Service was attentive, and prices here were reasonable for the quality of the food. Expect to pay in the $20s for most entrees.

 

Thanks to its bold flavors and excellent execution, Savorez made for a delicious dinner. Try it the next time you are out Wilmington way.