Heirloom

Tried Heirloom in Lewes. All I can say is ....


WOW!  Really good.

Annabella's

La Rosa Negra has changed its name again. As I mentioned in a previous post, the restaurant has been for sale.

It's now called Annabella's, and it describes itself as an italian retaurant and bakery. I haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet.

Beseme

I met some friends at Beseme for a quick bite at Beseme, the restaurant at the Hotel Rodney in Lewes. I had a bison burger, and we shared some sweet potato fries. The burger was everything a burger should be, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the fries (I was expecting that there would be too much sweetness for my taste).

Anyway, I plan on checking out Beseme further ... I definitely enjoyed the food, atmosphere, and the friendly staff during my first visit.

Tijuana Taxi - Highway One

For years, Tijuana Taxi was the best (only?) Mexican place in Rehoboth Beach. Competition from places such as Dos Locos started to damage its customer base, and it moved out to Highway One last summer, taking over the old Lazy Susan's location.

Four of us visited last week, and boy how the mightly have fallen. First, due to no fault of our server, the service was awful. He apologized profusely, but he was the bartender and only server for the entire restaurant. Then, the food. How do I describe the food? Let's put it this way ... you would be better off buying a frozen burrito and throwing it in your microwave.

If by chance you decide to go to Tijuana Taxi anyway, be forewarned about the Fajita Salad. In turns out that at Tijuana Taxi, a Fajita Salad is a plate of chili cheese fries on a bed of lettuce. Huh?

Lewes Restaurant Scene

It looks like the economy is having a big affect on the Lewes restaurant scene. Cirelli's Restaurant (formerly La Rosa Negra) is for sale, as is The Second Street Grille and Gilligan's.

The only bright spot for downtown Lewes? Kindle is moving into town (on Bank Street, next to the post office, replacing the bookstore that is there now) from its current location at Paynter's Mill.

La Rosa Negra

Not a review this time, just passing along some information.

I haven't been to La Rosa Negra in years. I used to go there quite frequently when it was located on Second Street. Basically, I just forgot about it after it moved out of downtown Lewes. Anyway, La Rosa Negra is changing its name to Cirelli's. Apparently, people didn't realize that it was an Italian restaurant, and instead were assuming it was Mexican. So ... no ownership change, just a name change.

Kindle - Milton

Kindle is a newish restaurant in the Paynter's Mill neighborhood between Lewes and Milton. C and I have been there a couple of times. The Tuna Nicoise is an excellent starter, as is the deconstructed lobster ravioli. For mains, we've tried the filet mignon, which includes a pinot Noir demi-glace, crispy potato cake, baby arugula and spinach, and sautéed mushrooms, and this was extremely well-prepared as well. Another winner is the grilled wild salmon, served with griddled asiago polenta, asparagus, roasted artichoke hearts, red pepper coulis.

The only disappointment is that for a higher end restaurant (main courses are in the $25 to $40 range), service was very poor on our most recent visit.

The Blue Plate Diner

The Blue Plate Diner used to be a favorite of mine. It seemed to be closed down for awhile (I think the owners were focused on opening their new place in Rehoboth Beach). Anyway, this past summer I noticed it reopened. J & E were in town and we decided to give it a shot to see if it was up to its old standards. When ended up with a slow start to the day, so the original plan for breakfast turned into lunch. We had patty melts, and they met our standards for this classic diner meal. The one odd thing that we noticed ... while the Blue Plate was mostly empty when we were there, there were many dirty tables around us. Several of them looked like the food on the plates had barely been touched. Where did these people go? Why did they leave so suddenly? Why didn't the staff clear the tables? Strange.

Mr. Pizza

I really like Mr. Pizza in Lewes. The pizzas are made in a traditional brick oven, giving the crust that little something extra. I've been there several times, and the service is always friendly and attentive. If you are really feeling decadent, order the fried mushroom appetizer. The mushrooms are the size of your fist (alright, maybe a child's fist, but really, they are huge as far as mushrooms go!) and are covered in a really flaky batter. Hmmm.

If you are looking for pizza in the Lewes area, go no further than Mr. Pizza.

Lazy Susan's Hot Fat Crabs

Lazy Susan's is a local institution, loved by both tourists and locals. Whenever I have guests from out of town, they always request that we go to Lazy Susan's. It's a typical, informal crab shack, with picnic tables with paper pulled from the big rolls to serve as table cloths. Order a mess of crabs and a pitcher of beer and go to town. I've been there three times this summer, and have had great food and service every time. If you don't feel like picking crabs, get the crab dip or a crab cake. If your group is a bit slow at picking crabs, order them 1/2 dozen at a time, so that they are always steaming hot for you.


My recommendation? If your looking for crabs at a reasonable price, Lazy Susan's can't be beat! The only downside is that Lazy Susan's is popular, so you may have a wait to get a table.

Roadster's Liquor Store

I know, I know ... not exactly a restaurant.

I few weeks ago C and I popped into Roadster's Liquor Store near 5 Points to pick up a few things. After I handed over my credit card, I noticed that I had been overcharged. The clerk told me that he had voided the transaction and reprocessed it with the correct total. C had made her own purchase ahead of me, and I asked her to check her receipt. Sure enough, she had been overcharged as well. A few weeks go by and I get my credit card bill. Of course, both transactions had gone through. I called the store, and they told me that it would be easiest for them if I stopped into the store with my bill so that they could process the credit. A few days later, I pop into the store, and wait patiently in line to talk to the clerk about the problem. The clerk was very pissy with me for having the nerve to not want to be billed twice for a purchase, and asks me to wait until he takes care of the last person left in the line. By the time that he finishes up with the person behind me, 3 or 4 people are lined up, and the clerk continues to take care of the new people, ignoring me. I finally interupt him and ask if he will only help me resolve the credit issue when the store has no other customers. He finally summons some help from the back, and after a bunch of waiting, I finally get my credit.

So, my recommendation? If you go to Roadster's, check your total, and pay cash! Better yet, go to Atlantic Liquor's near the Rehoboth Mall.

5 Guys Famous Burgers and Fries

5 Guys Famous Burgers and Fries is a rapidly growing regional chain (based out of D.C., I think?). A store recently opened on Highway 1 near Lewes, and I went to check it out. I gotta say, LOVED IT. You order at a counter in the same manner as you would at a fast food joint, but that's where the comparison ends. First, the beef is fresh, not frozen, and you can really taste the difference. Second, the selection of free toppings is unusual, with choices like sauteed mushrooms, fried onions, and jalapeno peppers. I found the topping selections so tempting, that I decided to forgo the toppings that you need to pay extra for, such as cheese and bacon. The fries were fried in peanut oil, and were very tasty. While you are waiting for your order, grab some peanuts to munch on. 5 Guys offers burgers in two sizes, "standard" and "little". I found the "little" to be plenty big (particularly if you are also getting an order of fries, which is of generous size). I loved this place ... I'll definitely be back.

DiBonaventure's Provincial Bakery

Alright, so it's not a restaurant, but I have to pass along the good word about DiBonaventure's Provincial Bakery just outside of Lewes. I popped in there the other day and bought a loaf of garlic mozzarella bread, and it was awesome! The bread at DiBonaventure's is baked in a wood fired oven, creating an unbelievable crust. I look forward to going back to this place to try their other breads and focaccia.