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Foodie Heaven

One of the great things about the beach: New restaurants open as frequently as the tides change. Here’s the class of 2008.

At Ponos Hawaiian Fine Dining in Dewey Beach, the
macadamia- and cilantro-crusted opakapaka is topped
with smoked coconut and charred pineapple and served
with a toasted corn and tomato concasse. Exotic appetizers
include the scallop-and-lobster ceviche martini.
Photograph by Keith Mosher, www.kamproductions.com

It’s been a banner year for new restaurants at the beach, with more offerings than ever before. From north to south, here’s a culinary tour.

LEWES
The little town of Lewes isn’t that little, as evidenced by its growing roster of eating spots.

Irish Eyes Pub & Restaurant (213 Anglers Road, 645-6888) is not a new business, but it is operating in relatively fancy new digs this season. After a devastating fire leveled the popular canal-front spot, Irish Eyes reopened at the same site in a spacious, three-story building. The menu features traditional Irish offerings like shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash.

Lewes Pizza (410 E. Savannah Road, 644-8211) displays its New York-style pies at the front counter for take away. For those who feel like hanging out, hit the full-service bar or the 100-seat dining room decorated with scenes of old Italy. Standards like burgers and wings—as well as a well-honed wine list—round out the menu. If you can’t stay, yes, it does deliver.

For the sports-oriented family that plays—and watches—together, The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille (17388 N. Village Main, Unit 21, 644-6840) expands the popular Maryland-Washington, D.C., mini-chain into Sussex County, bringing with it upscale American pub food and higher-end offerings like mahi-mahi, a fun-for-all-ages atmosphere and more TV screens than NASA Mission Control. Join the Mug Club by buying a numbered mug that becomes yours whenever you roll in and is immediately filled by a bartender who’s likely to remember your name.

Rich Nofi, owner of Fisher Bay Gourmet Foods (33323 E. Chesapeake St. No. 31, 644-4747) says his aim is to fill a culinary void, and it’s obvious there was a big void to fill. Bowing to the demand from out-of-towners for a Trader Joe’s-type experience, Nofi’s shop features high-end sandwiches, fresh-baked bread, Boar’s Head meats and imported cheeses, deli specialties and seven aisles of hard-to-find gourmet items. Fisher Bay also caters.

Head to Milton to experience the warmth and romance of Kindle (Paynter’s Mill off Del. 1 at Cave Neck Road, 645-7887). Dishes reflect new spins on traditional favorites, ranging from the simplicity of the ground tenderloin “fillet burger” to more complex offerings such as “deconstructed” lobster ravioli. A gourmet shop offers beers, wines, wine accessories and kitchen gear.

If your tastes head south of the border, you might be disappointed to find that Tijuana Taxi (33401 Tenley Court, Highway One, 644-8294) is no longer holding down the Rehoboth Avenue location it occupied for 21 years. The good news is that the Taxi  scooted up the highway to Lewes, to the former site of Lazy Susan’s Seafood Deli. There, the owners finally realized their dream of having a patio on which to enjoy those famous margaritas. Meanwhile, Lazy Susan’s (1420 Highway One, 645-5115), made a trip across the highway to a larger space that allows for an expanded menu. The food is still simple and great. The crabs are still hot. And you’ll sit on the same familiar picnic tables.

M. Gallucios (33323 E. Chesapeake St., Villages at Five Points, 644-9004) is a new addition from the same family that brought the original Gallucio’s to Wilmington, and will offer more upscale Italian fare than its northern cousin.

Béseme Restaurant (Hotel Rodney, Second Street, 645-8108) provides superior dining and service to sit-down patrons, as well as room service for hotel guests. In the restaurant, find crepes of every description.

REHOBOTH BEACH-DEWEY BEACH
In the heart of the beach frenzy, a slew of new spots have opened to broaden the already impressive list of choices.

It’s about 4,800 miles from Delaware to Hawaii, but twin additions to the beach dining scene will make the 50th state seem a bit closer. Nalu Hawaiian Surf Bar & Grille (1308 Coastal Hwy., 227-1449) and Ponos Hawaiian Fine Dining (1306 Coastal Hwy., 227-3119) bring the Big Island and Dewey Beach together with surf-shack offerings and white-tablecloth repast.

Hawaii might be the most exotic regional cuisine represented, but favorites like Italian, Mexican and Asian still hold their own with a number of new openings. Ledo Pizza (18701 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, 644-1880) brings the square pies and thick-cut pepperoni that made it famous throughout Maryland and Virginia to its new beach location.

On the upscale side of Italian is Spiaggia Cucina Italiano (Hotel Rehoboth, 247 Rehoboth Ave., 226-2240), the latest offering from Fish On, Catch 54 and Bluecoast parent company SoDel Concepts. Two other additions to Rehoboth’s fine dining scene include Vine Restaurant and Wine Bar (207 Rehoboth Ave., 226-8463), brought to town by the same folks behind Abstractions sushi restaurant. Naturally, the focus here is on wine, with wine-based dishes, dinners with custom wine pairings and wine tasting events.

Taking the place of the venerable Chez la Mer in Rehoboth Beach is Porcini House Bistro and Treetop Lounge (210 Second St., 227-6494). The French continental menu has gone out. New owner-chef Jay Caputo of Espuma fame, has imported a more casual selection of European bistro favorites.

Stingray (59 Lake Ave., 227-6476), opening at the site of the former 59 Lake, taps the talents of Darius Mansoory, owner of Wilmington standouts Mikimotos and Washington St. Ale House, by combining the styles of the Orient with the flavors of Latin America in this combination sushi bar-Asian/Latino grill. For a more relaxed and casual Asian experience, check out Shanghai Buffet (18701 Coastal Hwy., 644-2688).

Not new to the scene but under new management is the 1776 Steakhouse (Midway Center, Del. 1 between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, 645-9355). Premium dry-aged steaks, as well as chops and fresh seafood, continue to top the menu. Meanwhile, Surf Side Chicken, known for its Peruvian-style, rotisserie-cooked pollo a la brasa, moves to 20200 Coastal Highway.

On the subject of chicken, the owners of the original Kickin’ Chicken in Lewes have added to their ability to purvey poultry with a second location in the Food Lion Shopping Center on Del. 1 in Rehoboth Beach (227-2922).

If hearty sandwiches at affordable prices are your bag, you couldn’t do better than Boyle Bros. Deli and Catering (70 Rehoboth Ave., First Street Station, 227-6166).

Coastal Café (19406 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth) brings a laid-back surf-shack vibe to the jittery handed caffeine crowd, serving fair trade coffees, sandwiches and smoothies. Also working a surf theme is The Shop (1808 Del. 1, 227-2227), so named because it encompasses the fare of several places—bagels, coffee, subs, pizzas and surf gear. With hours starting at 7 a.m. daily, surfers finally have a place to grab fresh coffee, a made-on-the-premises “Jersey” bagel and board wax before hitting the beach.

It’s not just enough that the Philly Soft Pretzel Factory (Midway Galleria, 18791 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, 645-2271) serves honest-to-goodness, melt-in-your-mouth warm soft pretzels, but it lets you watch them being made, too.

BETHANY BEACH-FENWICK ISLAND
Heading toward the Maryland line, there’s only one debut this year: Penguin Diner (105 Garfield Pkwy., Bethany Beach, 541-8017), which combines penguin-obsessed decor with breakfast, as well as burgers, salads, wraps and sandwiches. There are coffees and smoothies, too.

Under new management is Outrigger’s Seafood Grille & Market (Del. 54, West Fenwick Island, 436-7700), which combines a seafood-lover’s menu with stunning sunset views of Little Assawoman Bay.