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FeedRiding the Wave
The beach is a culinary destination that just gets better with every season. Meet the new kids on the dining block.
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When Jordan and Michael Ferger opened a new restaurant in Lewes, they decided to let patrons eat cake. And cheese plates. And fries made with duck fat—and even flatiron steak. Welcome to Cake Bar (115 Second St., Lewes, 645-2253, sugarbakerscakes.com), which is part bakery and part bistro.
Cake Bar is an offshoot of SugarBakers Cakes, a boutique bakery in Catonsville, Md., owned by Jordan’s mother, Jamie Williams. The family has long had a home in downtown Lewes, which prompted the idea for a beach-area eatery.
“We like it here,” Ferger says. “We always wanted to do a bakery.” When Second Street Grille closed, the family saw the opportunity.
Cake Bar’s bakery space is lined with cases holding cookies, pastries and, of course, cake, as well as gourmet to go. Second Street Grille chef-owner Ray Richardson and Justin Hoffman are running the kitchen for the bistro, which serves lunch and dinner and boasts a full bar.
Appetizers include shrimp cocktail, steamed mussels and Maryland crab dip. There’s a wide range of salads, and the signature soup is the tomato-based “Cape crab.” For entrées, expect shrimp and grits, Delmarva chicken, meatloaf, day boat scallops, crab cakes and “a ton of specials,” Ferger says.
Cake Bar is just one of the new restaurants that, along with established eateries, continue to make the Delaware coast a culinary destination.
In Lewes, for instance, Cake Bar joins Touch of Italy Salumeria Pasticceria (101 Second St., Lewes, 827-2730), a sister location to the Touch of Italy in Rehoboth (33A Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-1500). “We are a traditional salumeria pasticceria,” says Bob Ciprietti, one of the principals. Everything is handmade or brought in from the Bronx or Italy.
The shop sells cold cuts—“Whatever you like,” says manager Mike Berardinelli. Think three different kinds of prosciutto, mortadella, Genoa salami, capicola. Other goodies include semolina breads, Italian cookies, tiramisu, stuffed peppers and fresh ricotta.
The restaurants share the street with Agave (137 Second St., Lewes, 645-1232, agavelewes.com), which even in the slow season gets packed. Credit Agave’s intimate size and its amazing guacamole—made three ways. Owner Chris McKeown has gained more space by opening into the old Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Not only does the expansion give him more seats—now nearly 70 downstairs—but he also has room for a retail section. While you wait for a table, you peruse the T-shirts, margarita glasses and pitchers. Agave’s popular salad dressings, sauces and guacamole are offered to go, as are desserts.
Page 2: Riding the Wave, continues...
