Iguana Grill - Milton

The restaurant choices are a bit limited in the Milton area, so I thought it was great when I heard that the Iguana Grill was opening a new location there. Based on my first visit, I think Milton is still looking for a fun spot with good food. Who knows, maybe Dogfish Head will finally get around to opening a pub at its brewery location in Milton. But back to the Iguana Grill ...

C & I went there and got a seat on the outdoor deck. The location is great, and overlooks a pond. It has the makings of a fun hangout. We tried an appetizer sampler, which was a platter of tasty, but unhealthy fried stuff. C ordered a southwestern steak wrap, and she was satisfied with it. I ordered a french dip sandwich, which was a special of the day. Unfortunately, the special list didn't mention that the sandwich would come slathered with a thick layer of horseradish sauce, which I don't like. Also, my sandwich also showed signs of sitting under the heat lamps for quite some time. I don't get it ... I've worked in restaurants, and it's possible to time the meal/food so that the food comes out hot, but not dried out. Needless to say, I was disappointed in my meal. I'm willing to give it one more shot, but Iguana Grill needs to do better next time.

Japonica

C & I were in the mood for Japanese, so we headed off to my favorite Japanese/Sushi place in Rehoboth Beach, The Cultured Pearl. Unfortunately, since it was a crowded Summer weekend at the beach, The Cultured Pearl was packed and there was no way we were getting in. So we headed off to try Japonica, the relatively new place in town (I think it's about a year old). Japonica is located on Rehoboth Avenue, on the beach block. The restaurant is in a storefront space. It's not too large, but nicely appointed. We started with a tempura appetizer, which was an excellent combination of shrimp and seasonal vegetables. We also had some miso soup and a salad with an excellent ginger dressing. We followed all of this with a sushi and sashimi sampler (we split this), which came with a side of seaweed salad. Wow ... this was awesome. I say ... if you like Japanese, give Japonica a try. We had excellent service, outstanding food, and reasonable prices!

Harpoon Hanna's - Fenwick Island

When I'm in the Fenwick Island area, I like to get a beer and some appetizers at the bar on the deck at Haroon Hanna's. It's a fun, relaxing atmosphere, with good service, and good, if not memorable food. In previous visits, I really enjoyed the live music as well (a solo guitar player, singing and playing fun, beachy music from the 60s and 70s). However, during my most recent visit, they had the stereo cranked to the point that I could not have a conversation with my fellow diners.

Smith & Co

Lots of people are talking about Smith & Co in Milford. Everyone seems to be surprised that such a good, and somewhat fancy place has opened in Milford, and I wanted to check it out. In order to sample what Smith & Co. has to offer, we decided to sit in the lounge and order off of the bar menu. First, I have to say that the service in the bar area was awful! I was ready to walk up to the bar to get drinks, menus, etc. but I was assured that there was a server handling the tables in the lounge area.

The waitress finally showed up to take our dring order. Strangely, she took the order for the two other people with me, but walked away before I could order. Eventually I flagged her down to order my beer. After a long delay, our drinks arrived, and once again she disappeared. Eventually we tracked down the waitress to place our food order. I ended up ordering a chicken parm. sandwich. This turned out to be a typically frozen, breaded piece of chicken that was deep fried to within an inch of its life. It was waaaay waaaay overdone. It was bad, so I was in no hurry to eat it. Which was good, since I couldn't find anyone to get me silverware or napkins (the red sauce on the sandwich was dripping everywhere when I picked up the sandwich).

So with dinner over, it was time to get the check. Of course, the waitress was no where to be found. We waited, and we waited. I went to the bartender to see if he could find her. He sort of grunted that she would be right back. She eventually arrived and we paid quickly before she had a chance to wander off again. The poor service seemed particularly strange, since the bar area was not particularly busy.

Recommendation: Bad food, bad service. Don't go!

Nicola's Pizza

Nicola's has always been my favorite pizza place around Rehoboth Beach. I was there recently, and we split a large pizza and a pitcher of beer. As per usual, the service was impeccable, and the pizza was excellent. They have excellent sauce at Nicola's, with a bit of zest, and none of the sugary sweetness that you get at some places. Nicola's has excellent pasta dishes as well. If I'm not in a pizza kind of mood, I get the baked ziti, which also comes with toasty rolls. Hmmmmm.

Recommendation? If your looking for pizza, go to Nicola's. Of course, it's pretty tough to get in during the summer season. If your local, make sure you check it out in the off season, when Tuedays are half price past nights.

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.