Rehoboth Beach Dining 2016

The summer beach season is over, which means it's the perfect time to head to the shore to enjoy fewer crowds, shorter lines and the (still quite decent) mid-to-late September weather. We were in Rehoboth Beach over Labor Day weekend, which, yes, meant we were chased inside on Saturday by tropical storm Hermine, but the wind and rain was all the more reason to stay inside and eat well.

Dinner

This year, we focused mostly on revisiting some of our favorite places to see how they're holding up. Really quite good, actually.

Dos Locos Steak Fajitas

Dos Locos basically feels like our second home while we're at the beach, and with the stormy weather we faced during our recent trip, we made several visits. The thing is, we really love Tex-Mex food and, despite the fact that we live near several popular Tex-Mex restaurants in D.C. (Cactus Cantina, Guano's and Laredo--formerly Alero), we never get food at those places that's as good as Dos Locos. Their frozen margaritas are by far the best, delivering a tart buzz without the cloying sweetness of most restaurant's frozen margs. The fajitas, whether you get steak or chicken (they also have many other varieties), are always well cooked, flavorful, not too greasy and garnished with all the accoutrements we like. Plus, it doesn't hurt that every person we've met who works there is unfailingly friendly.

a(MUSE.) jar o' pickles

Rehoboth Beach has a good variety of fine-dining restaurants (even if they have white tablecloths, you can still totally go in your shorts--it's the beach after all). We enjoyed quite good meals at two of our favorite. a(MUSE.), which no longer feels like a newcomer in town, continues to excel at delivering a range of unique flavors. We started the evening with a pucker-inducing jar o' pickles served with toast triangles, mustard and creme fraiche, which came with a variety of pickled vegetables, including snow peas. I loved my halibut served with a side of rye, a grain I've never enjoyed in whole form before--the chewy grains were delicious. A tender Berkshire pork came nestled among tasty mushrooms. a(MUSE.) has a great bar, and while we enjoyed several good cocktails, the most memorable drink we had this year was an excellent wine: the Southern Slope 2012 cabernet sauvignon from Washington State. I'll keep my eyes open for that for sure.

Espuma was nearly empty the night we were there, but hey, it was the night of the storm. Despite that, we were still treated to a delicious dinner and friendly service. I enjoyed a roast chicken with mushroom and pea risotto while Chris opted for the mushroom ravioli--perfectly al dente pasta pockets filled with a silky mushroom puree and flecked with generous chunks of bacon. I hope they were busier through the summer, since this is a wonderful restaurant.

Blackwell Hitch mahi mahi tacos

Our one attempt to try something new for dinner resulted in our least impressive meal. Blackwall Hitch is a small regional chain with outposts in Annapolis and Alexandria, and, as of this year, also one in Rehoboth Beach just steps from the boardwalk. The seafood-focused menu is quite lengthy, but unfortunately not very imaginative, making it a challenge actually to find something interesting. I opted for mahi mahi tacos, which were fine but not exceptional. Chris had the pork osso buco, a tender, generously portioned braised pork shank that could really use a more interesting partner than buttered pasta. The best thing here was our starter salad: a pleasing arrangement of pear, arugula, pecorino cheese, raisins and pine nuts.

Lunch

Hobos shrimp salad

Apart from our arrival-day tradition of getting a Baker's Choice pizza from Grotto Pizza (always amazing, still was this year), we tend to not really do much for lunch, since typically we're on the beach where we might grab a hotdog or some Thrasher's fries. Well, this year, given that we only had one real beach day, we had plenty of time for lunch. We took the unusual (for us) step of leaving Rehoboth to drive a little ways north to the next town. Lewes is a quaint little town with a historic town center that abuts the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal. Striper Bites is a great little coastal bistro on the south side of town. Wanting something lighter, I sprang for the hummus platter with pita and grilled vegetables, which was just perfect. Back in Rehoboth on a nicer day, we enjoyed people watching from Hobos outdoor patio. The shrimp salad I had hit the spot: a slightly spicy mix of greens, avocado, bacon and plenty of pieces of large shrimp.

Royal Treat buttermilk pancakes

Breakfast

There's only one name you need to remember for breakfast in Rehoboth: Royal Treat. It just seems to get better every year. I raved about their omelets last year and I'll rave about them again: they are made just right. As if that wasn't enough, their buttermilk pancakes are also quite heavenly: cooked to golden perfection with a slightly sour tang to match their perfectly chewy-soft texture. Royal Treat is pretty popular, and it doesn't open until 8, so if you need an early breakfast or don't want to stand the line, nearby Goolee's Grill or the Robin Hood diner are solid choices, featuring similar breakfast fare (eggs, pancakes, waffles, breakfast meats, etc.). One thing I really appreciate at Goolee's is that you can get a side of fresh fruit, which is unfortunately not on offer at Royal Treat or Robin Hood. And Robin Hood's blueberry pancakes really impressed us this year--almost as good as Royal Treat's hot cakes.

Treats

Kohr Bros. beat Starkey's for soft serve this year, but Royal Treat's peanut butter and vanilla swirl ice cream is still our favorite boardwalk sweet treat. I think we ended almost every night with a stroll down the boardwalk, cones in hand.

a(MUSE.), 44 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-7107. Reservations: Open Table.

Blackwall Hitch,  52 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 226-0550. Reservations: Open Table.

Dos Locos Stonegrill & Tex-Mex Restaurant, 208 Rehoboth Avenue (near 2nd Street), Rehoboth Beach, Del. Reservations: Open Table.

Espuma, 28 Wilmington Avenue (entrance on 1st Street), Rehoboth Beach, Del. 302-227-4199. Reservations: Open Table.

Goolee's Grill, 11 South 1st Street (on the corner of Wilmington Avenue), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-7653.

Grotto Pizza, 36 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-3278.

Hobos Restaurant, 56 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 226-2226.

Robin Hood, 54 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-0770.

Royal Treat, 4 Wilmington Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-6277.

Striper Bites, 107 Savannah Road, Lewes, Del. (302) 645-4657.

Related

2012 Rehoboth Dining Guide (Includes Dos Locos, Grotto Pizza, Robin Hood)
2013 a(MUSE). review
2014 Rehoboth Dining Guide (Includes Espuma)
2015 Rehoboth Dining Guide (Includes Dos Locos, Royal Treat)

Best of 2015: Restaurants and Cocktail Bars

Is the pace of Washington, D.C. restaurant opening ever going to slow down? That's what comes to my mind first when I think back on this year of dining out at home. 

In 2013 and 2014, we watched 14th Street fill up with seemingly weekly openings. As the "hot" neighborhoods proliferate (Shaw seemed to welcome a particular number of promising newcomers this year), now it's like there are multiple interesting openings per week, making us diners very lucky to be have so much selection (while simultaneously feeling like we cannot possibly keep up). One of my first restaurant reviews of next year promises to be a good one--the recently opened Convivial in Shaw, where Mintwood Place chef Cedric Maupillier is cooking some amazing food. 

Big-name chefs continue to show interest in D.C., the biggest of which to open an outpost in our city this year was David Chang, the man behind the Momofuku collective. Judging be the lines outside Momofuku CCDC, I wasn't the only one impatiently waiting to see how his creative Asian-inspired cooking translated to our market. 

Plus our own Jose Andres continued to expand his gastronomic empire with the one-two punch of the Peruvian-by-way-of-Asia China Chilcano and the vegetable-centric-fast-casual Beefsteak, which I'm happy to hear will be adding a new location in my neighborhood next year. Also coming to my neighborhood in 2016--a new Italian restaurant from Fabio and Maria Trabocchi--the wonderful talent behind Fiola and Casa Luca. After a hard few years where we lost places like Palena and Dino, even stodgy ol' Upper Northwest seems to be getting back in the game.

Outside of D.C., we had our usual jaunts to New York, where we discovered our new favorite Mexican restaurant. We made do with cruise food, but enjoyed some pretty incredible eats in port. And we indulged our love for barbecue, Tex-Mex and good cocktails in Austin, Texas, which was as much a place to spend a long weekend as we'd hoped. Interestingly, a lot of my favorite dishes this year didn't come from the more expensive or buzzy places we visited, but rather the more casual, less flashy places we stumbled upon.

Here then are the best eats we enjoyed outside the home this year (restaurants named are in Washington, D.C. unless otherwise indicated).

Palak Chaat, Rasika

Best Starter: Palak Chaat (Rasika). Rasika is widely considered to be D.C.'s best restaurant, a pretty cool honor considering that it's Indian, a cuisine too many sneer at to their detrimental. Dinner at Rasika is an amazing experience--even more so after this year's design refresh. While everything we ate there was good, the Palak Chaat, an appetizer of chickpea-battered flash-fried spinach, is absolutely amazing. The kind of thing you'd just have to order a side of even if you promised yourself to try something new. Honorable mentions: Fried Avocado (Tupelo Honey Cafe, Arlington, Virginia), Fried Chicken Skins (The Partisan), Guacamole (The Black Ant, New York), Spicy Cucumbers (Momofuku CCDC), Hush Puppies (Fat Pete's).

Frida Kale, Beefsteak

Best Salad: Make Your Own (Beefsteak). The first thing that struck me upon walking up to the counter at Beefsteak was the amazing variety of fresh vegetables. As it should be for famed D.C. chef Jose Andres's first outing into the fast-casual corner, a beautifully minimalist space that puts all its focus on the one thing we all know we should be eating more of: our vegetables. And what better way to enjoy then to design your own salad here with all the amazing blanched, raw, crunchy, bitter and sweet you can imagine. Honorable mentions: Shredded Cabbage Salad (Tico), Quinoa Salad (China Chilcano), Lettuces and Vegetables (Hearth, New York), Dungeness crab salad (The Rookery, Juneau, Alaska), Pea Tendril Salad (White Street, New York).

Sliced Brisket with Beans and Slaw, Fat Pete's

Best Entree (Meat): Sliced Brisket (Fat Pete's). I've been pretty open about my love of barbecue. It seriously literally (yes, I'm using this correctly) makes my mouth water. Like right now as I write this, thinking about the amazing sliced brisket at Fat Pete's, which is so meaty, smoky and tender. I just love it. And it's within walking distance of my home. Yeah, I know Franklin's in Austin is the best, but really, if I can get barbecued brisket this good close to home, I can forgo Franklin's. Honorable mentions: Brisket Taco (Guero's Taco Bar, Austin, Texas), Black Angus Short Rib (Lamberts, Austin, Texas), cochinita pibil tacos (La Condesa, Austin, Texas), Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder (The Partisan), Meatloaf Tacos (Tupelo Honey Cafe, Arlington, Virginia). 

Corn Ravioli, Ghibellina

Best Entree (Pasta and Grains): Ravioli di Mais Dolci (corn ravioli) (Ghibellina). Graffito used to be the undisputed champion of corn ravioli (or technically agnolotti) in D.C., but with this dish, Ghibellina has emerged as a formidable challenger to that title. The popular 14th Street venue garnishes its ricotta and corn-stuffed pasta pockets with toasted almonds, a delicious idea. Honorable mentions: Beef Noodle Soup (Momofuku CCDC), Aeropuero (China Chilcano).

Halibut Fish & Chips, Alava's Fish & Chowder

Best Entree (Seafood): Halibut Fish & Chips (Alava's Fish & Chowder, Ketchikan, Alaska). You know how people rave about sometimes those ramshackle hole-in-the-wall places have the best food? In this case, it's absolutely true. We're not big seafood eaters, but of all the dishes we enjoyed in Alaska, the best was the halibut fish & chips at Alava's. The fish was incredibly fresh--caught that morning I imagine--and the light breading added just enough crunch. Honorable mention: Slow-Cooked Cod (White Street, New York), Grilled Salmon (Landing Zone, Icy Strait Point, Alaska).

Breakfast Tacos, Taco Joint

Best Breakfast: Steak and Egg with Smokey Gouda Cheese Taco (Taco Joint, Austin, Texas). Breakfast tacos were one our favorite finds during our trip to Austin, and this taco, from a little taco restaurant just north of the University of Texas campus, was the best of the lot. Honorable mentions: 24 Hash (24 Diner, Austin, Texas), Omelet (The Royal Treat, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware). 

Fried Apple Pie, The Partisan

Best Dessert: Fried Apple Pie (The Partisan). Sure, it sounds like something you get at McDonald's, but consider that the apple pie is actually most people's second-favorite thing to eat at the Golden Arches. Then take that concept and turn it into something freshly made by a pastry chef, and you're in dessert heaven. Honorable mentions: Dulce de Leche Pudding Cake (La Condesa, Austin, Texas), Key Lime Pie (DBGB Kitchen & Bar)

Best service: Dos Locos (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware). Maybe I'm getting pickier, but service was an area where few restaurants really excelled this year. Service where we ate was fine, for the most part, but rarely was it a memorable aspect of our dining experiences this year. A notable exception was Dos Locos, our favorite restaurant at the beach, where we are always made to feel welcome no matter if we're sitting down for dinner or just pop in for an afternoon margarita. Even when they are crushed under the busy dinner service, our needs for condiments, refills or just the check are always anticipated and never delayed. Honorable mention: China Chilcano, La Condesa (Austin, Texas).

Lamb Pot Stickers, China Chilcano

Most Visually Striking Dish: Pegao Norteño (Lamb Pot Stickers, China Chilcano). At China Chilcano, a starter of lamb dumplings arrive connected by a lacy layer topped with flowers and gold hovering above a few artful brushstrokes of squash puree, like some sort of beautiful garden that's also quite tasty. Honorable mention: Ponderaciones de Kiwicha (China Chilcano).

Best Cocktail (Restaurant): Maybe a Joyful Noise (The Partisan). I'm breaking cocktails into two parts, since it doesn't seem fair to compare cocktails from cocktail bars (where they do little, if anything, else) to those at restaurants. That said, the Maybe a Joyful Noise from The Partisan is a pretty incredible drink that rivals our favorite tipples from the next section. The mixture of bourbon, bitter-sweet Italian digestif, French digestif and chocolate bitters was a perfectly balanced and heady concoction that I would happily drink again. Honorable mentions: Cool Hand Luke (Tico), Cholotini (China Chilcano), Dennis Coles (Hearth, New York), Colonial (DBGB Kitchen & Bar), Honey & Chamomile G&T (Tupelo Honey Cafe, Arlington, Virginia), Devil in Oaxaca (The Black Ant, New York).

Ready to Depart (left) and Dijahbone (right), Mayahuel

Best Cocktail (Cocktail Bar): Dijahbone (Mayahuel, New York). This was the year we really made an effort to visit cool cocktail bars. We hit up some pretty amazing ones in Austin, and even found a cool one in D.C. But the two best were in New York and they are relatives of sorts (they share some of the same talent): Death & Co., whose book I can't stop raving about, and Mayahuel, its Mexican-spirits-focused offshoot. While we had wonderful experiences in both bars, we found the focus on mezcal, tequila and newcomer (to many Americans at least) sotol, to be particularly intoxicating. The Dijahbone, a blend of sotol, duck fat infused Grand Marnier, carrot juice, lime juice and cumin, was as delicious as it was interesting, a wonderful example of how to blend a number of unusual ingredients into something magical. Honorable mentions: Herb Alpert (Mayahuel, New York), Elijah's Railcar (CU29, Austin, Texas), Sierra Madre (Death & Co., New York), Someday Baby (Garage, Austin, Texas), Devil's Grin (2 Birds, 1 Stone).

Rehoboth Beach Dining Guide Part 3: Where to Eat After Labor Day

[Update: Bramble and Brine has closed.]

Labor Day has passed and 1) the crowds have left the beach, 2) The kids are back in school. Summer feels like it's over, but here's a little secret: it's not. Not for another couple weeks. In fact, it's the perfect time to head to the beach. Why? Well, see #1 and #2 for starters, plus the fact that the weather is still beautiful, arguably better since it's sunny but not aggressively hot. It's pretty much perfect.

And the restaurants are less packed, although some of them (like Royal Treat) close for the season soon. We hit the beach over busy Labor Day weekend, but you cold certainly enjoy where we ate in the next few weeks. Here's where we dined in Rehoboth Beach this year.

Salt Air: Roast Half Chicken with Bacon Baked Beans, Corn and Cornbread

Dinner

On our first night, we headed to Salt Air, one of last year's favorites. They don't take many reservations, and on the weekends during the summer, they are jam-packed, but midweek it's not bad (and I suspect after Labor Day it's even better). We weren't disappointed with our food. I loved my roasted half chicken with Benton's bacon baked beans (a shout-out to my favorite brand of bacon, how could I pass that up?), corn on the cob and cornbread. Chris's crab cakes with basil smashed potatoes and roasted asparagus was just as satisfying. We also liked our starter, a watermelon and radish salad with mizuna greens, cucumber, feta and peanuts. I'm loving the frequent use of nuts I'm seeing in salads this year. Salt Air also serves a great Manhattan, made with both bourbon and rye and a cherry compote.

Bramble & Brine: Salmon with Leeks and Tomatoes

While Chris had the "surf" and I the "turf" at Salt Air, we switched places at Bramble & Brine, where I enjoyed salmon with tomatoes, leeks and bean puree, while Chris opted for the rib eye steak with roasted vegetables and twice-baked potato, which comes served a potato "tower" of sorts. Both entrees were delicious, as were our starters of deckle--an alternate cut of rib eye that was perfectly medium-rare and served with corn and red onion--and a pea tendril salad with beets, cucumber and feta cheese. I also love the setting of the restaurant, a peacefully decorated house with light colors and lots of natural wood. Bramble & Brine also makes a fine Manhattan. Frankly, it's amazing that the Manhattans we drank in Rehoboth Beach this summer were markedly better than the Manhattans we ordered recently in, well, Manhattan.

Craving pasta? A stop at Zebra Ristorante isn't a bad option. Although the decor is a little garish, the pastas we had were satisfying, despite a surprising affinity for truffle oil, an ingredient once beloved but now shunned by many restaurants. Sure, it was in both of the pastas we ordered, but they were tasty, both the pappardelle with porcini mushrooms and the penne with Italian veal sausage, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes. The watermelon and feta salad with arugula made me really want to make some watermelon salad while the juicy melons are still in season.

Papa Grande's: Grilled Skirt Steak Fajitas

Dos Locos: 

Mexican

With seafood and meat under our belts, it was time to turn our attention to our real beach craving: good Mexican. I've mentioned that lately we've been dissatisfied with the Tex-Mex options in D.C. We have no such problem at the beach: we head straight for Dos Locos, a long-time favorite that consistently performs with excellent food, drinks and service. The grilled chicken fajitas were just as good as we remembered them--perfectly grilled but still juicy and served with sweetly charred onions and peppers. Chips and salsa are an afterthought at a lot of Mexican restaurants, but at Dos Locos they are really quite good.

This summer we also tried a relative newcomer just around the corner from Dos Locos, Papa Grande's, which opened last year in the space vacated by a previous Mexican restaurant, Cabo. Admittedly, it's no Dos Locos, but Papa Grande's is pretty good. I thought the steak fajitas were flavorful and tender and I liked that they were served with corn tortillas instead of the usual flour. The salsa was good too, although the chips weren't as fresh as I'd have liked. And while the margaritas at Papa Grande's are quite good, the frozen margaritas at Dos Locos are just stellar--the best frozen margaritas we get in any casual Mexican restaurant.

Breakfast

Unfortunately, our previous favorite breakfast place, Corner Grille, is now closed, so we had to find a new place to fill up before hitting the beach. And that place this year was The Royal Treat, an old favorite that I felt like we rediscovered all over again this year. Of course, their buttermilk pancakes are famous, and we enjoyed a plate of them served with syrup, butter and sausage. But their omelets were the breakfast find of the summer. They are fabulous! Cooked through, but not browned around the edges and stuffed with ingredients like browned sweet onion, peppers, ham and a cheddar-jack cheese  blend. Best omelet I've ever had at the beach. Lines for The Royal Treat can be pretty long, so plan ahead and consider getting there early.

The Royal Treat closes September 14, so you'd better hurry if you want to enjoy it this year. And don't forget to come back at night: they also sell the beach's best ice cream. The peanut butter and vanilla swirl is my favorite.

Service

Lastly, I want to talk about the service we get at Rehoboth Beach restaurants, which is consistently good year after year, and this summer was no different. There are many servers at the beach that go the extra mile and we really appreciate it. Dos Locos has a particularly talented serving staff. We stopped in one afternoon for margaritas, and John treated us like kings, making sure our water, chips and salsa were kept topped off. On a very busy weekend night, Cher seemed to turn up at exactly the right moment to make sure we got another round of margaritas and were satisfied with our food. And on our first day, when half of our Baker's Choice pizza at Grotto Pizza inexplicably slid off the serving pan and onto the patio floor, our kind server (who's name, I unfortunately do not remember) brought us a small replacement pizza and covered our embarrassment by ensuring us it happens "all the time." Perhaps, but what doesn't happen "all the time" is service this good. Thanks to the staffs for helping make our recent beach vacation another great experience.

Bramble & Brine, 315 Rehoboth Avenue (between 4th and 5th Streets), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-7702. Reservations: Open Table

Dos Locos, 208 Rehoboth Avenue (near 2nd Street), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-3353. Reservations: Open Table

Papa Grande's, 210 Second Street (at Wilmington Avenue), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 212-2409.

The Royal Treat, 4 Wilmington Avenue (near the boardwalk), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-6277.

Salt Air, 50 Wilmington Avenue (between 1st and 2nd Streets), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-3744. Reservations: limited availability for early hours (call the restaurant).

Zebra Ristorante, 32 Lake Avenue (north of Rehoboth Avenue near the convention center), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 226-1160. Reservations: Open Table

Related

Rehoboth Beach Dining Guide Part 1 (Dos Locos, Pig + Fish, Grotto Pizza, Dogfish Head Brewing & Eats, Robin Hood, Boardwalk Plaza Hotel, The Royal Treat, Dolle's, Kohr Bros.)

Rehoboth Beach Dining Guide Part 2 (The Back Porch Cafe, Dolles, Espuma, Nicola Pizza, Salt Air, Thrashers Rehoboth)

a(MUSE.)

Best of 2014: Restaurants

The D.C. restaurant scene continued its dynamism this year. Last year, I wrote about how 2013 was a landmark year for new restaurants; this year felt no different as D.C. welcomed places like DBGB, Fiola Mare, The Partisan and Rural Society. The slate of openings, however, was also accompanied by a number closures, most notably one the city's four-star restaurants, CityZen, and a beloved personal favorite, Palena.

This year we visited restaurants in D.C., New York, Portland, Dallas and Santa Fe, and found gems in all of them. Here are some of our very favorites.

Fried Green Tomatoes, Macon Bistro & Larder

Best Starter: Fried Green Tomatoes, Macon Bistro & Larder (D.C.). I'd never had fried green tomatoes before trying them at Macon Bistro and Larder, but I'd always wanted to try them. I quickly became a fan of Macon's thick slabs of green tomato fried to perfection and served with smoky chunks of meaty bacon and tomato aioli. Although Macon has plenty of interesting starters, this has become our must-have when we go there. Honorable mentions: Roasted Butternut Squash with Pumpkin Seeds, Le Verdure at Eataly (NYC); Pickled Beet Soup with Cherry Compote and Dried Corn Crumble, Mitsitam Cafe at The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (D.C.); Tableside Guacamole, Oyamel (D.C.).

Best Salad: Insalata di Mele con Gorgonzola, Coppi's Organic (D.C.). I love apples in salad, and this creation featured roasted spiced apples with pine nuts, gorgonzola cheese and bitter mesclun was a spot-on balance of flavors. Honorable mentions: Caesar Salad with Fried Oysters, Aggio (D.C.); Roasted Carrot and Kale Salad with Chestnuts, Pistachios and Buttermilk Dressing, Bread Feast at Bread Furst (D.C.); Grilled Bitter Greens with Pine Nuts, Currants and Aged Balsamic Vinegar, Le Verdure at Eataly; Black Kale, Apple and Warm Pancetta, Lupa Osteria Romana (NYC); Bibb Lettuce with Red-Wine-Poached Pears and Burrata, Thally (D.C.).

Best Pasta: Mafaldine with Pork Ragu, Lupa Osteria Romana. Lupa has been our favorite New York City restaurant for years. The Greenwich Village outpost in the Batali-Bastianich restaurant collective excels at making great pasta and this hearty pasta special we enjoyed early this year continues to uphold its tradition of quality. Honorable mentions: Chittara with Meatballs and Ragu Pomadoro, Aggio; Strip Steak Lasagna Béchamel, Coppi's Organic.

Salt Air pork chop

Best Entree: Grilled Sweet-Tea-Brined Pork Chop, Salt Air (Rehoboth Beach, Del.). We enjoyed a lot of good entrees, so it's hard to choose a favorite, but we were particularly taken with Salt Air's flavorful pork chop topped with charred scallion honey-butter and served with the wonderful accompaniments of smoky bacon beans, collards and corn bread. We've been going to Rehoboth Beach for years, but just visited Salt Air for the first time this year. It won't be our last. Honorable mentions: Shenandoah Valley Pork Shoulder with Potatoes, Mushrooms and Braised Red Cabbage, Bread Feast at Bread Furst; Grilled Chinook Salmon, Clyde Common (Portland, Ore.); Barbecued Brisket, Lockhart Smokehouse (Plano, Tex.); Fried Chicken with Waffles, Macon Bistro & Larder; Steak Fajitas, La Plazuela (Santa Fe, N.M.); Wine-Braised Beef Shortribs with Mushrooms and Parsnip Puree, Tía Pol (NYC).

Best Pizza: The Smoky, Comet Ping Pong (D.C.). We rediscovered Comet Ping Pong this year as a really great place to spend an hour or two on a Sunday afternoon for great pizza and beer. It's hard to pick a favorite pizza. I mentioned The Smoky, made from bacon, smoked mozzarella and smoked mushrooms, a pizza that teases your nose before your taste buds. But we also love the sausage and potato pie Time-Out, the sausage and pepper Stanley and the meatball and tomato Jimmy. Honorable mentions: Gorgonzola Pizza, Arcuri (D.C.); Everything but Anchovy Pizza, Nicola Pizza (Rehoboth Beach, Del.); Salciccia Dolce, Vezzo Thin Crust Pizza (NYC).

Bûche de Noël, Bread Feast at Bread Furst

Best Dessert: Bûche de Noël, Bread Feast at Bread Furst. I didn't write a post about Bread Feast--the pop-up from former Palena Chef Frank Ruta that set up weekly dinners this fall in my neighborhood bakery Bread Furst--because I didn't visit until its final night. This is good news though: Ruta has a new gig next year in Georgetown cooking at Capella. Since this post is about looking back, I'm happy to share that Bread Feast was fantastic and has me primed and ready for Ruta's next act. This dessert was one of the evening's standouts: gingerbread rolled with cream cheese frosting and served with cranberry ginger sauce. Absolutely divine. I'm not sure if Ruta, his sous chef Aggie Chin or the bakery was responsible for this--perhaps it was a collaboration, which might explain why it was so divine. Honorable mentions: Hazelnuts and Mascarpone in Chocolate with Coffee Orange Gelato, Aggio; Twix Mousse Pie, Ripple (D.C.). Honorable mentions: White Chocolate Ice Cream Pie, Clyde Common; Raspberry Tiramisu, Coppi's Organic; Blackberry Cobbler, Macon Bistro & Larder.

Best Cocktail: Smoked Sage Margarita, Secreto (Santa Fe, N.M). This cocktail has just about everything going for it that I like in a cocktail. First off, it's a margarita, a drink I can pretty much never turn down. Second it's full of smoky flavors, which I love, and third, it's got an herbal component, which I find so refreshing and fun in cocktails. That Santa Fe's Secreto is just an all-around great bar with friendly staff and other great drinks makes this easily our favorite cocktail experience this year, and we had a lot of really great ones. I even tried making this myself. Honorable mentions: The Chairman, Aggio; Cima Coppi, Coppi's Organic; Avocado Margarita, Meso Maya (Dallas); Amaretto Sour, Pepe le Moko (Portland, Ore.); Ms. Rosemary Bulleit, Thally.

Macon Bistro & Larder

Best Service: Macon Bistro & Larder. Macon is a busy place, but every time we visited we felt welcomed and cared for. The servers don't just bring food, they offer helpful suggestions, show enthusiasm for the food and, importantly, a desire to please. Honorable mentions: Aggio, La Plazuela, Salt Air, Thally.

Best Overall Experience: Macon Bistro & Larder. We have felt so fortunate to welcome this Southern-meets-French bistro to our neighborhood. I love its style and its food, which so far has always been excellent. It's become one of our new favorite hangouts, especially for celebratory occasions. Honorable mentions: Aggio, Bread Feast at Bread Furst, La Plazuela, Salt Air. 

Rehoboth Beach, Del. Dining Guide (Part 2)

[2106 update: Espuma has closed. 2015 update: Corner Grille has closed.]

It may seem odd to put out a beach town dining guide after Labor Day; however, 1) we didn't get to beach this year until the end of the summer, 2) it's still beautiful at the beach and less crowded, so why not go now?

Thus, I present part 2 of my Rehoboth Beach dining guide, based on restaurants we visited this year. Check out part 1 from 2 years ago, which includes many favorites we've since revisited, including Dos Locos (still serving great fajitas and margaritas) and Grotto Pizza, our traditional first stop upon arriving in town. I also recommend a(MUSE), which we ate at last year.

Salt Air pork chop, crab deviled eggs and grilled peach salad (our favorite meal of the week).

Salt Air

I've wanted to check out Salt Air for a long time. The handsome space, divided into multiple rooms with large windows that all look out onto Wilmington Ave., is always hopping and they take only limited early reservations. But we got lucky recently when we found a night where they weren't as busy (by that, I mean that pretty much every table was full but there wasn't a line down the block). I'm so glad we did, as the food was really quite good. Our entree was fabulous: a grilled sweet-tea-brined pork chop served with smoky bacon beans, collard greens, cornbread and charred scallion honey-butter. The pork chop was cooked through but still tender and juicy, the collard greens had just the right texture and the smoky beans were sensational. Only the cornbread disappointed, as I thought it was too sweet (more like a dessert); however, I'll point out that Chris really liked it. Our crab deviled egg starter and grilled peach salad with goat cheese were also quite tasty. With a good wine list and friendly service, Salt Air is a place we'll definitely be working into our regular rotation of restaurants. It was our favorite new beach dining experience this year.

Espuma filet of grass-fed beef with shortrib-stuffed potato skin, wild mushroom puree, rapini and squash. 

Espuma

Espuma caught my attention 2 years ago when its chef, Jay Caputo, was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award for Mid-Atlantic chef, a list generally dominated by talent from Washington, Philadelphia or Baltimore. We finally made it into Espuma this summer and were not disappointed by the restaurant's creative presentation and flavors. The Bacon & Egg starter features its namesake ingredients two ways: separately, as bacon bits nestled into a salad of local greens and a "crisp" duck egg (presumably lightly battered and fried after being soft-cooked for a runny center), and together as smoked bacon "brûlée"--imagine creme brûlée custard made with bacon. The cherry tomato-grilled corn salad was another nice way to start the evening with a lot of fresh flavors. Sous vide has been all-the-rage in food circles lately, but I haven't tried it much, so I couldn't resist ordering the spicy sous vide 3-days pork. The tender meat was accompanied by a vegetable strata and tomato emulsion. Extras from the kitchen aren't essential for a great dinner, but I did enjoy that we started the evening with a taste of gazpacho and bread with three spreads, including roasted garlic, which I haven't had spread on bread in a long time.

The Back Porch Café's salad of golden beets, oranges, black olives, arugula, fennel, sherry vinegar and olive oil. 

The Back Porch Café

The Back Porch Café was a late-breaking substitution for a restaurant we had reservations at but canceled after a frustrating evening the previous night trying (unsuccessfully) to order wine in their bar. We overheard on the beach that The Back Porch was the best restaurant in Rehoboth (amazing how many good tips come from "overheard on the beach"), so we decided to check it out. While I wouldn't go as far as saying it's the town's best, it's certainly an enjoyable experience. One of its greatest pluses is the romantic ambience, a product of abundant outdoor seating under leafy trees, gentle live music and, once the sun goes down, soft lighting from lamps and candles. The food is pretty good too. I enjoyed my roast guinea hen was deliciously moist with a crisp skin and well-accompanied by butternut squash, rapini and a chanterelle ragout. Chris was excited to order a molé-rubbed pork tenderloin with black beans, corn and sweet potatoes, since we both love molé. Although the meat was nicely cooked, it was surprisingly lacking in molé flavor. However, I really liked the mingling of the fresh flavors in the beet salad with fennel, oranges, olives and arugula micro-greens. Chris's watermelon and strawberry salad was also a great flavor combination, although I would have preferred it served with pieces of fresh mozzarella and torn basil leaves rather than the large chunk of cheese and clump of herbs that were served.

Everything but anchovy pizza from Nicola Pizza.

Nicola Pizza

When it comes to pizza, although we're big fans of Grotto Pizza, it's not the only game in town. Nicola Pizza engenders a similar loyalty and, like Grotto, has been around for decades and has multiple locations (well, just two, and they're just around the corner from each other). If you're hoping I'll report that we became Nicola converts, you'll be disappointed. We did, however, greatly enjoy the pizza, which is thicker than Grotto's pizza. We ordered the Everything No Anchovy pizza, which comes with pepperoni, mushrooms, extra cheese, sausage, ground beef, sweet peppers and onions, a similar mix of topping to our beloved Baker's Choice at Grotto. On tap to help wash down the pizza is locally made Dogfish 60 Minute IPA (which, I'll point out, Grotto has on tap too).

Corner Grille

For years, finding a good breakfast in Rehoboth has been a challenge. Several of our favorite places closed--one of which was swallowed by Sammy's Kitchen, a restaurant with food so mediocre that I wonder why it remains popular. Royal Treat does have good pancakes, but not good enough to justify the wait. Although I mentioned Corner Grille briefly in my 2012 dining guide, I think it deserves more copy, as it's since become our favorite breakfast place in Rehoboth. The cafe serves a mix of Greek and American foods. Get the best of both worlds with the Greek omelet, which comes with gyro meat, tomatoes and feta cheese (I think an addition of onion make it even better). I also found their western omelet, a standard mix of ham, onion, bell pepper and cheese, to be about as perfectly executed as I've ever had a diner omelet. In addition to a selection of omelets, they have pancakes, waffles and French toast. With prompt, friendly service and reasonable prices, we felt little need to find other breakfast options this year.

Treats

Last time, I focused my treats section on ice cream--and stand by my recommendations for Kohr Bros. if you want good soft-serve and Royal Treat for incredible traditional ice cream like the vanilla-peanut butter swirl. But there are other great treats to be had on the boardwalk as well. I didn't expect to be into Thrasher's fries, but I agreed to try some this time, and they are definitely satisfying fries: warm, freshly made, just salty enough and perfect with a few squirts of apple cider vinegar. Another great boardwalk treat is the caramel popcorn at Dolles, which you can buy by the tub. They may be better know for their saltwater taffy, but I'll take the burnt-sweet crunch of caramel-coated popcorn over taffy any day.

It's always sad to head home after never-enough time at the beach. We're grateful to leave with many happy memories and, always, very satisfied appetites. (Full details of the restaurants below.)

The Back Porch Café, 59 Rehoboth Avenue (between 1st Street and the boardwalk). (302) 227-3674. Reservations: call the restaurant.

Corner Grille, 11 S 1st Street (at the corner of Wilmington Avenue). (302) 227-7653.

Dolles, 1 Rehoboth Avenue (at the boardwalk). (302) 227-0757.

Espuma, 28 Wilmington Avenue (entrance on S 1st Street), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-4199. Reservations: Open Table.

Nicola Pizza, 8 N 1st Street (between Rehoboth and Balitmore Avenues), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-6211.

Salt Air, 50 Wilmington Avenue (between 1st and 2nd Streets), Rehoboth Beach, Del. (302) 227-3744. Reservations: limited availability for early hours (call the restaurant).

Thrashers Rehoboth, 101 South Boardwalk (at the corner with Wilmington Avenue), plus two other locations on Rehoboth Avenue.