Lewes/Rehoboth Dining

[Cuoca]

I'll be spending the coming weekend in the Lewes/Rehoboth, DE, area and would appreciate good eats advice. I'm interested in all types of fare in any price range. Thanks!

[SWoodyWhite]

We were able to collect a few comments on Lewes/Rehoboth not too long ago, on the following thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...T&f=34&t=18029& (Hungry in Delmarva). I've also had luck with the following site, which covers good eats and all sorts of other Delaware interests: http://www.delawareshore.com (Delaware Shore). Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[BobL]

Don't know if you've gotten the help that you need yeat but let me recommend the following:

Espuma - $$$

Big Fish Grill $$ (wfey's fav)

Blue Moon $$$

Back Porch is susposed to be great but I can't say from experience.

Jakes if not picky about salad.

Breakfast:

In Rehobeth - Robin Hood - basic and very local

out of town - White Caps Cafe in Oak Orchard. Drive out Rt 24 for a few miles. Follow the signs to Oak Orchard. Great place.

If you want any more LMK and I'll dig into the memory bank for more.

[BobL]

Don't know if you've gotten the help that you need yeat but let me recommend the following:

Espuma - $$$

Big Fish Grill $$ (wfey's fav)

Blue Moon $$$

Back Porch is susposed to be great but I can't say from experience.

Jakes if not picky about salad.

Breakfast:

In Rehobeth - Robin Hood - basic and very local

out of town - White Caps Cafe in Oak Orchard. Drive out Rt 24 for a few miles. Follow the signs to Oak Orchard. Great place.

If you want any more LMK and I'll dig into the memory bank for more.

[BobL]

Don't know if you've gotten the help that you need yeat but let me recommend the following:

Espuma - $$$

Big Fish Grill $$ (wfey's fav)

Blue Moon $$$

Back Porch is susposed to be great but I can't say from experience.

Jakes if not picky about salad.

Breakfast:

In Rehobeth - Robin Hood - basic and very local

out of town - White Caps Cafe in Oak Orchard. Drive out Rt 24 for a few miles. Follow the signs to Oak Orchard. Great place.

If you want any more LMK and I'll dig into the memory bank for more.

[BobL]

Sorry about the multi posts.

[SWoodyWhite]

One more word about restaurants and bars in Delaware should be added: the Governor has signed into law a bill that bans smoking in most indoor public places. Big Fish Grill has had a no-smoking policy on it's own for a while, and cites an increase in patronage, ditto at Nicola Pizza. And many restaurants have outdoor dining areas, which (if unroofed) should be exempt. But it should be interesting for a while, since the ban is not as well known as the one in NYC, and many travellers may be caught unawares.

[Cuoca]

Thanks to those who provided dining suggestions. Thought I'd give you some feedback on the places I ended up eating.

In Lewes (which I learned is pronounced "Lewis"), my partner & I had dinner at Striper Bites. The restaurant used to be a private home and now consists of two dining areas: the pub-like inside and the protected porch, where we sat. We split a salad of a wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with blue cheese dressing, accompanied by tomato quarters, crumbled blue cheese, chives, and slivers of yellow and red pepper. Very visually appealing but ordinary. I ordered the crab cake, which turned out to be a mistake. Not only was it mostly filler and utterly bland, but it was served atop a mound of steaming mashed potatoes -- spoiling any crispness it might have obtained in the pan. The mashed potatoes were flavored with rosemary and quite good. Steamed veggies on the side weren't noteworthy. My partner's seafood pasta, on the other hand, was delicious... Lots of moist, plump scallops and shrimp in a rich and slightly spicy tomato sauce over fettucine. For dessert, we split the berry cobbler a la mode, which wasn't cobbler at all -- just warm, lucious blackberries in thick syrup, garnished with mint and whipped cream. With one glass of wine and one of beer, the bill totalled about $55.

The next evening we ate at Espuma in Rehoboth and enjoyed a fantastic meal. (Espuma means spray or foam in Spanish -- as in sea spray.) We ordered a bottle of Rioja (I don't remember the vineyard) and gobbled up the complimentary country bread served with black olive tapenade and two heads of lovely, warm roasted garlic. We started with pan-seared foie gras with pistachio & onion confit and warm fig strudel. Awesome. My partner then had potato-crusted Chilean sea bass with a spinach & white truffle sauce and brandade potatoes, and I had porcini-seared filet mignon atop a crispy risotto cake and truffle fondue. Both entrees were served with beautiful baby steamed veggies. The truffle essence in the dishes was heavenly. The fish was wonderfully crisp on the outside and meltingly tender within. The filet was grilled perfectly, as ordered. For dessert, we shared blueberry strudel, which, unfortunately, wasn't served warm. If it had been, it would have been stellar. The bill was $115. I look forward to eating there again someday!

[vengroff]

Thanks for the report, Cuoca. I wonder if the name Espuma predates the widespread popularity of the ISI Profi Whip that has been discussed so extensively on these boards. Did they serve any foams, or was the name strictly a reference to the proximity to the sea?

[BobL]

Espuma has been around for three or four years, so I don't know if this predates the ISI Profi Whip (of which I know very little) but doesn't have anything on the regular menu. Each inght the chef prepares a prix fixe menu and may play around in that area. I love this place and eat there frequently. The menu is ever evolving and the drinks there are some of the best on the shoreline.

BTW, thanks for the info on Striper Bites. Been curious but never tried, and probably won't.

If you enjoyed Espuma you may also like The Blue Moon Cafe, Celcius, Fusion, Planet X, LaLa Land.

Also if you don't mind a little drive and calling a few days ahead for a reservation, I'd like to suggest DeFeboe's ( I think that's the spelling) in Betheny.

We'll trying Restorante Zrbra this weekend for the first time. I'll report back if anyone is interested.

[BobL]

Zrbra=Zebra

[SWoodyWhite]

I certainly will be interested! My partner and I will be moving to the Rehoboth/Lewes area soon, and will be looking forward to your opinions.

[BobL]

On Saturday evening we made it to Restorante Zebra. This is in a converted house and sits behind the Breakers Motel on a side street. The interior decorations were a bit over the top but OK. One room had a sort of white lepord spotted wall paper that could get a little tiresome. The room that we were in had scenes from the Serengetti (I guess) painted on the wall and ceiling. It was kind of noisy and very crowded. In fact they called in the afternoon to confirm our reservation. I asked how long they had been there and they said 10 years. I asked how come we hadn't heard of them they said..."we don't advertise"

We started with Grey Goose Martini's which were very good and icy cold. They brought some bread and a small plate of Bruchetta to start us with. I ordered the soup special, which was a tomato and zuccini in a brown broth. I love soup and this was one of the best. My wife ordered an arugula salad with Italian bacon that she said was the best she'd ever tasted. We split an appitizer of veal sausages served with broccoli rabe and it was awesome. For the main course she had Broiled Salmon in a ginger sauce and I had Saltimbucco. The Saltimbucco was a little different that what I have grown used to with a heavier dark brown sauce that I thought hid the flavor a bit but was still good. My wife loved her Salmon.

The deserts were killer. We split a huge chunk of chocolate cake with a bunt orange sauce and gigantic cups of cappicino. All in all a wonderful meal but it was a bit pricey. With tip the bill came to $150 for two but we thought well worth it. A hint is call a week in advance.

Sorry that I didn't take notes but that's the best I can do from memory.

BTW DeFebos is acutally DiFebos. see post above.

[mr food]

several restaurants in RB-ex. Cloud 9 $5 per bottle-allow corkage but bring your own stemware.