June 22nd, 2014

Rehoboth Beach Eats! Bramble & Brine, Restaurant, Review, Downtown Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Southern Delaware, Delaware Beaches

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”  luciano pavarotti and william wright

Which brings me to my post…..Roberta, Missy, Debbie, and I have been getting together to celebrate each others birthdays for so many years.  I really don’t remember how many exactly, but they have been many.  We usually have breakfast, but now that we are more matured, it is about time we start having dinner instead.

The following photo is of us after having dinner at Bramble & Brine, located at 315 Rehoboth Avenue, in Downtown Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  Tel. 302-227-7702.  Find The Bramble & Brine on Facebook.

Megan and Joe Churchman are they owners of Bramble & Brine that opened last fall in Rehoboth Beach.  Rehoboth is a foodie’s destination and opening a restaurant in this town is probably challenging and exciting at the same time.  So much competition….guess what?  Megan and Joe have managed to create a restaurant catering to a diverse clientele, whose taste and palate are very discriminating.

I congratulated Megan for their success….and her answer was “we are so blessed”.

I called about 2 weeks in advance to make a reservation….I wanted that much sought after table by the window at streetside.  You can see it on the above photo to the right.  Yes, that was our table.  Missy was celebrating a birthday and our table looked beautiful, colorful and we could not wait to experience our dinner.

Bramble & Brine was comfortably crowded at 7:30 p.m.  The bar had customers enjoying a few drinks waiting for their tables.  The restaurant has a shabby chic decor….we loved that our chairs had wheels; easier to push in and out.

You will only see the photos of our food…..privacy is important when taking photos, especially when it is crowded.

After much catching up we decided to start with 2 appetizers for the table.  Bramble & Brine outdid themselves with the food presentation.

The Lemon Carameled Scallops with pickled mushrooms, radish, pearl onion, chive and shellfish emulsion, and coconut creme fraiche where so tasty.  Love when scallops are crispy on the outside and oh so….melting in your mouth, as well.

Ribeye Crown with corn truffle, stuffed poblano, hominy, chimichurri and queso fresco.  Good combinations with the poblano and chimichurri adding that extra punch.

Some salads were ordered, as well:

The Chestnut Smoked Ricotta Salata with beets, cucumbers, pea tendril, micro basil, bread and butter pickle dressing.  That was my salad and it was refreshing.  My palate was ready for the main event.

The Market Salad had arugula, radish, shaved pecorino, and sherry vinaigrette.  Very nice with a light and well seasoned vinaigrette.

The Birthday Girl, Missy, decided to have the Chowder.  The chowder had clam and tomato broth, confited fingerlings, braised bacon, charred leeks, and confit tomato.   At tableside the broth was poured over the clams to complete the dish.  A presentation of a steamy chowder was well received.

Three orders of Halibut with fregola and radish, cauliflower puree, caper and brown butter. The were devoured and got great reviews.

Any time I see a whole fish offered at a restaurant, I pretty much order it.  Even though you have to be careful with some bones, a whole fish offers total flavors.  So, when I saw that Bramble & Brine was offering Salt Crusted Whole Rainbow Trout my choice was easily made.  It had a parsley puree, new potato, enoki mushroom, sweet sopressate and confit almonds.  It was served on a slate tile; it looked gorgeous, and it tasted even better.

Believe it or not….we did order dessert.   All desserts are made in-house.  The Pound Cake Banana Split did not last long.  The homemade salted caramel ice cream was to die for, as well as the pretzel ice cream.  It also had banana jam peanut butter and cashew nougat and toasted malt crumbs. These dessert was made for sharing.

Note:  Our server was so pleasant…he knew his menu well.  He was very attentive, but not intrusive.

Wishing Megan and Joe the best for Summer 2014!!

Having a meal with friends is….priceless!!  Talk to you later.

October 25th, 2013

Rehoboth Beach Dines, Bramble & Brine, Downtown Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Traditional Fare, Fresh Ingredients, Restaurant, Review, Delaware Beaches, Southern Delaware…Autumn Menu

What makes a good restaurant?  To me, those 5 key ingredients do not fail:  Quality of Ingredients, Culinary Competence, Service, Ambiance, and Price.  The ingredients should be the best money can buy.  The culinary competence …the new chefs at Bramble & Brine are bringing to the table traditional fare with fresh ingredients prepared with innovative ways..sounds good, right?  The restaurant just opened, but it is already the talk of the town.  The service should be attentive; not intrusive, always anticipating the customer’s needs.  The ambiance should be tranquil and relaxing, conducive to great conversation. And, the prices should reflect the establishment…restaurants in Rehoboth Beach are known for serving quality food.  Jody and I found that these fit the bill at Bramble & Brine.

Jody and I are usually on the same page.  We love finding new places to eat or just taking a road trip to check out Southern Delaware.  Bramble & Brine is located at 315 Rehoboth Avenue in Downtown Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  Tel. 302-227-7702.  Website?  http://www.brambleandbrine.com.  You can find them on Facebook as The Bramble and Brine.  Open every day, except Wednesday.

I loved the idea that I had not read one single review.  First impressions were good.  The building looks fantastic and the renovations had been ongoing for months.  The owners are Megan and Joe Churchman, locals who are undertaking the big task of feeding all of us with discriminating palates in Rehoboth Beach.  The town is known for its culinary excellence….it is actually a foodies’ destination.

Megan greeted us with a big smile and introductions were made.  Bramble & Brine does accept reservations.  We arrived early so we could take plenty of photos.

The Bar is located as you enter the restaurant with views to Rehoboth Avenue.

Vintage chandeliers, roses in the designs, a soft, yet cottage style decor with unassuming good taste…Bramble & Brine is Shabby Chic; elegant but not opulent.

We started with bread and a rosemary butter…a little sparkling water, as well.

Our server gave us some suggestions and I am glad we took them.  We started our dining adventure with a Savory Pumpkin & Sunchoke Pate.  It had crispy speck, parmesan and thyme crisp, and a balsamic caviar.  The bacon was so thin and crispy and the balsamic caviar was delicious.

I love calamari.  These were different.  They were Smoked Calamari with shaved artichoke, radish, lemongrass and squid ink dressing, grape oil and a pistachio dust.  Really great combination of flavors.

Jody ordered a Chestnut Smoked Ricotta Salata.  It had beets, cucumbers, pea tendrils, micro basil, bread and butter pickle dressing.

For my entree I ordered the Pan Seared Halibut with sage brown butter, artichoke, celery-scented couscous salad.  The halibut was crispy on the outside and perfectly seasoned, as well.  The couscous salad was particularly good too.

Jody’s entree looked amazing.  It was a Seared Butternut Squash Filet with squash trio puree, crispy taro root, grilled rapini, and a mushroom demi.

For dessert we chose French pressed coffee and Bramble & Brine Churros with Chocolate Sauce for sharing……a perfect ending for a perfect evening.  Just the right amount of sweetness!!

The Second Season in Rehoboth Beach brings plenty of events and festivals.  Bramble & Brine is open and waiting for you.  Let me know how you like it.  Talk to you later.