Marsh rabbit have long scaley tails...
'Rats. Very good eating, but never saw a menu with them except for in photos.
Never heard nutria referred to as marsh rabbit, but I only lived in LA for 10 years.
Muskrat, not nutria...
https://www.delawareonline.com/stor...l-known-for-muskrat-has-closed/15282117/ Come get your 'rat. The Wagon Wheel, a Delaware restaurant for more than 40 years, was known for its muskrat dinners.Show caption
Come get your 'rat. The Wagon Wheel, a Delaware restaurant for more than 40 years, was known for its muskrat dinners.
GARY EMEIGH/THE NEWS JOURNAL
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Wagon Wheel, known for muskrat, has closed
PATRICIA TALORICO | THE NEWS JOURNAL
Updated 7:43 a.m. AKDT Sep. 9, 2014
The Wagon Wheel restaurant, the Smyrna landmark well-known as one of the few remaining places in Delaware that still served muskrat, closed its doors Sunday after more than 40 years.
The U.S. 13 eatery posted a goodbye note on its Facebook page.
In March 2013, Food Network star Robert Irvine rolled into town and attempted to kill the annual muskrat dinners at the Wagon Wheel.
He helped renovate the 110 S. Dupont Blvd. restaurant for his TV series, "Restaurant: Impossible," Irvine serves as a "fixer" who has two days and $10,000 to renovate an eatery.
Muskrat used to feed past generations, but changing diets and eating habits have made it a quirky heirloom meat.
Still, hunters and those hungry for a taste of the past sought out the Wagon Wheel, which served muskrat during its season. Dinners were served from January through March.
Muskrat tends to be a strong-flavored, chewy meat. It's usually soaked in water for a few days to remove some of the gamy flavor and then pan-fried to crisp it up.
During his visit, Irvine decided, after one bite of Wagon Wheel
muskrat, which is sometimes called marsh rabbit, he was no fan.
"Wasn't for me. Yuk!!" he wrote on Twitter. "Some people love it and I'm not one of them."
This past January, a Wagon Wheel employee said despite Irvine's distaste for marsh rabbit, there was never any thought to take it off the menu.
"A lot of people like it and it keeps the business going," she said.
This was the third Delaware restaurant the celebrity chef had tried to rehab.
Irvine's first Delaware makeover came in October 2010 when he attempted a redo of the old Rascals BBQ & Crab House on U.S. 13 in New Castle. It didn't go so well and the eatery never reopened.
Irvine came back to Delaware again in 2011 to make over Scrimmages off Concord Pike. The restaurant now has a new name and new owners.
The Wagon Wheel, a Delaware restaurant for more than 40 years, got a makeover compliments of the Food Network. The Smyrna eatery has closed
The Wagon Wheel, a Delaware restaurant for more than 40 years, got a makeover compliments of the Food Network. The Smyrna eatery has closed
GARY EMEIGH/THE NEWS JOURNAL
The Wagon Wheel had been a haven for those who wanted to chow down on the humble water rodent, as well as its home-style meals, for more than 40 years.
Patty Gallegos has owned The Wagon Wheel for about 25 years. She told The News Journal it has been a struggle to maintain the business since her husband, Norm, died in 2007.
"It's gone downhill," she said in May 2013. "It's been dropping a lot."
Her granddaughter Jessica, looking to aid her grandmother, filled out a casting submission on the "Restaurant: Impossible" website. It required applicants to answer questions, such as "How much money are you losing?" and "Is there anything you refuse to change?"
After receiving the submission, producers scouted out the Smyrna location and agreed to come back to Delaware in March 2013 to film the renovations.
"It was really a big surprise. Jessie called me and said, 'Nanny, guess what? Robert Irvine is coming to see you,'" Gallegos said.
Gallegos said when Irvine visited The Wagon Wheel, he didn't like the food or decor.
Patty Gallegos, who had owned the restaurant for 24 years, said the restaurant has been struggling since her husband died in 2007.
Patty Gallegos, who had owned the restaurant for 24 years, said the restaurant has been struggling since her husband died in 2007.
GARY EMEIGH/THE NEWS JOURNAL
"He doesn't like any frozen food or plastic tablecloths. He likes real flowers, not fake ones."
His staff whisked in, painting and remodeling the dining room and bar area, Gallegos said. They also replaced tables and chairs and landscaped the outside of the building.
"He was really nice, and I think it went very well. He changed the whole menu," Gallegos said. "Everything is fresh now. We have fresh salmon, we cut pork chops. We have homemade french fries, and steam asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower."
But Gallegos told The News Journal in 2013 that acceptance among the locals was slow coming.
"Some people like it, some people don't. The clientele I had before this don't like it," she said.
"They don't like change. And neither do I. But this was a good thing."
More recently, the restaurant featured bluegrass, metal, rock, pop, and punk shows.
Originally Published 8:33 a.m. AKDT Sep. 8, 2014
