All manner of Elizabeths summoned up and honored at upstate eatery

Regular visitors to this page know that I love to write about Cape Region restaurant history. My occasional reward for that is an email box-full of reader feedback about eateries that used to be but no longer are. Food can elicit memories, and so can restaurants.

I recently had the honor of attending the Delaware Restaurant Association Educational Foundation dinner in Wilmington. Our “beach crew” consisted of Josh Grapski (Fork & Flask @ Nage), Steve “Monty” Montgomery (The Starboard, Starboard Raw, Bethany Blues and 99 Sea Level, to name a few), Kevin Roberts (managing partner of Bethany Blues), and Matt DiSabatino of Striper Bites, and co-owner of Kindle and Half Full in Lewes.

I was lucky to be seated next to Betsy and Ben Leroy, the owners and operators of Pizza By Elizabeths in Greenville, Del. Interestingly, that restaurant figures neatly into the business of eating here in the Cape Region, because Betsy owned and operated a Pizza By Elizabeths in the ocean block of Baltimore Avenue in downtown Rehoboth Beach.

In 1995, Betsy Leroy purchased an old building on the lot where Eden Restaurant now stands. She demolished the old structure and replaced it with the newer and more attractive building that now stands there on Baltimore Avenue. Betsy and a business partner (also named Elizabeth) opened a second location of their Pizza By Elizabeths restaurant in the brand- new building. Over 15 years ago, the two Elizabeths dialed things back to one location, and the original Pizza By Elizabeths in Greenville continues to be an unusual and particularly attractive restaurant. I never miss a chance to go there if I find myself in the northern hinterlands.

Betsy and her friend Elizabeth used to share a pizza recipe that their friends loved. Of course, we all know that liking to cook for people is most certainly not a reason to open a restaurant! But the two Elizabeths (with Betsy’s 3-year-old and 9-year-old boys in tow) did just that. Their first location, opened in 1993, was just a few miles from the present one on Kennett Pike in verdant and rather upscale Greenville. Located just a few minutes from Winterthur Museum and Longwood Gardens, a steady stream of Delaware visitors was virtually guaranteed. So much so, in fact, that after 15 cramped years, they found it necessary to move to the larger space.

The two Elizabeths wanted the place to be a little elegant - if not a bit campy – and memorable. Walk into Pizza By Elizabeths and the first thing you see is a life-size statue of Betty Boop! Refocus your eyes, and huge images (in all variations of media) appear. Each and every one is, in Betsy’s words, a “famous Elizabeth.” Movie stars, TV personalities and even political notables are honored, including the Queen Mum, Elizabeth Montgomery, Betty Grable, and even Lizzy Borden and the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship.

A plethora of bigger-than-life Elizabeths actually forms a room divider flanking a two-sided fireplace. The wall can be opened or closed to accommodate events and private parties. As you reel from the massive renderings, you open the menu to find, for example, the Barrett Browning (plain with cheese and sauce). The Browning is followed closely in popularity by the Davis (blackened chicken, bacon, cheese & honey mustard), the Montgomery (sausage, peppers, roasted onions, pepperoni and mozzarella) and the Queen, sporting Betsy’s wildly addictive mushroom duxelles sauce, white chicken chunks and chives. Along with that delightfully decadent selection there are somewhat more healthy choices such as the Claiborne (pesto and chopped tomatoes) and the Arden, with rosemary onions, broccoli, tomatoes and cheese.

Even the bathrooms pay homage to her namesakes, with chandeliers, silver foil wallpaper and multiple images of Betties past and present. Betsy and Ben offer every one of their wines by the glass, and they’re even trying their hand at making their own beer, using a small system almost identical to what launched Sam Calagione’s foamy empire.

Ben Leroy works closely with his wife to keep things running smoothly. But he brings a lot more than pizza to the table: Denizens of Dewey Beach will surely remember The Snap, longtime house band at the Bottle & Cork (before it was purchased by Alex Pires). Ben was lead singer and guitarist in that popular group, and fans can still hear him perform every third Thursday at Pizza By Elizabeths. Now I know why that beautiful grand piano dominates the bar area.

It’s too bad that we can no longer stroll down Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth to pick up a signature pie from the clever and very funny Betsy Leroy, but if you find yourself in Wilmington or on Kennett Pike in Greenville, treat your taste buds – and your eyes - to this one-of-a-kind pizza party.