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AREA RESTAURANTS PROVIDE A TREAT FOR THE TASTE BUDS
From chef-owned eateries to dockside cafes, dining in southern Delaware is truly an adventure. Dine alfresco next to crashing waves, or kick back dockside and enjoy happy hour as the sun melts away. There are dozens of restaurants in the beach areas and beyond that provide all the elements of an excellent dining experience-a delicious meal, friendly service and an atmosphere like no other.
From the Rehoboth Beach to Fenwick Island, you'll find a wide variety of restaurants, from family-owned eateries that have withstood the test of time to new innovative establishments with unique menus. The variety ensures every vacationer will be able to find the perfect meal in the perfect setting to complete their
perfect vacation.
What most local restaurants have in common is a focus on quality atmosphere, good service and local flavors, such as the famous Chesapeake blue crabs, fresh seafood from the Atlantic Ocean, and fresh veggies from the many farms on the mostly rural Delmarva Peninsula.
Rehoboth Beach has also been attracting loads of media attention lately, as area restaurants have expanded beyond the typical beach resort establishments to creative and gourmet eateries for any palate. You'll still find the classic mom-and-pop diners, with classic beach food, seafood dishes and a unique atmosphere. But added to the mix are cosmopolitan eateries with fusion cuisine, international restaurants and chef-owned eateries with changing menus using the best of local flavors.
After dinner, the town continues to sizzle, with nightly concerts at the oceanfront band shell, popular downtown hotspots and bars to mingle with friends. Many also head to nearby Dewey Beach for a night out on the town. Dewey, a more casual and smaller version of Rehoboth, features many popular restaurants and bars that attract crowds into the wee hours.
What To Eat When
Wondering what fresh catch you might find on vacation? Here are a few ideas: Blue Crab, the pride of our neighbor Maryland and a tasty menu item sought out by tourists and locals alike, is mainly available from April through December. The season for the soft shell variety ends a few months earlier, in October. That means, during the summer months, you'll find crab on many menus throughout the area, in an infinite array of presentations. The classic way of cooking crabs, which gives them their signature fl avor, involves steaming the live crabs in large pots with water, vinegar and Old Bay seasoning.
Many restaurants will substitute or add ingredients to give their crabs a unique flavor. Of course, pasteurized crabmeat is available allyear. Striped bass, or rockfish, is another popular fresh catch, particularly from the Chesapeake Bay. As the official state fish of Maryland, striped bass is a deliciously moist fish that area restaurants can cook up in a multitude of ways. The mild flavor is usually complemented by many added spices, herbs or sauces and grilled, blackened or broiled. While you'll probably find striped bass on the menu all year, the best season for the popular fish is during the fall and winter months,when they migrate south from New England.
Tautog is often plentiful in the surrounding areas, and because of its lean, firm and tasty meat, it is a popular menu item and choice for the "Catch of the Day." Find the fish served baked, basked with butter and covered in crumbs, or rubbed with spices and grilled. The main fishing season for tautog is May through September, but anglers still manage to reel them in year-round. Another popular local fish is flounder, which is found in the bay during the summer (June through September) and in the ocean all year long. Flaky and delicate, flounder is a mild fish that can be prepared in a myriad of ways, but for the most part, you'll find this tasty fish pan-fried to perfection.
During the summer, you'll find many other Fish on the menu or specials board, including Spanish mackeral and bluefish. Of course, local menus also feature seafood favorites like shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams, lobster and salmon. Always check for specials for the freshest catch and innovative chef's creations.
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