May 23rd, 2011
The Back Porch Cafe, Rehoboth Beach, Restaurant, Review, Delaware Beaches, New Season, High Expectations, So Many Restaurants, So Many Choices….
Rehoboth was so crowded this past week-end. Hard to find a place to park. Thank you Rehoboth Beach for not having to pay for meters yet.
Sunday was the day that we were getting together with a couple of friends. The chosen restaurant was The Back Porch Cafe. At the Delaware Beaches this restaurant is an institution.
The Back Porch is located at 59 Rehoboth Ave. Tel. 302-227-3674. Website? www.backporchcafecom. Reservations are recommended.
At the Back Porch Cafe you have several choices regarding seating. You can eat indoors, on a beautiful night you can dine al fresco, or you can have the choice of the side porch.
It has been some time since I had stopped by for dinner. The restaurant closes for the winter. In 2009 a gluten free menu was offered. I have to remind you that my husband has to eat gluten free; celiac disease.
As we waited for our friends to arrive I asked to see the menu. I also asked if there was a gluten free menu. The person said that they did not have one; that probably they will have one later on in the season. She said she would go and check with the kitchen but that their restaurant was not a gluten free restaurant. Their menu changes all the time. My answer was that he had a food allergy. She came back from the kitchen and marked the dishes that he would be able to have.
One appetizer and one salad were gluten free. There were 5 entrees to choose from.
On this Sunday evening the Back Porch was not crowded. That was not so on Saturday. They even had to turn people away.
I was trying to figure out what appetizer to choose from; the Char Seared Day Boat Scallop, blood pudding and wilted cavolo nero, blood orange vinaigrette. The blood pudding is what caught my attention. I am sure it was going to be a “morcilla”. Being from Puerto Rico, that is one thing that Isla del Encanto can prepare well.
But no. I chose the Pickled Veal Tongue, Tomato Marmalade, Shaved Ricotta Salata. It was good; a little gamey, which I like, and a very good combination with the tomato marmalade.
My entree was a Roasted Guinea Hen, Sage and Mascarpone Polenta, Fava Beans. It was pretty tasty. The white meat was nice and crispy but the best flavor was reserved for the dark meat even though it was not as crispy. The polenta was good and the fava beans gave the dish the final touch of color.
One person ordered the Yellow Fin Tuna, Corn Blinis, Preserved Lemon Salsa. She loves this dish which is pretty much available all the time. She orders it every time.
Then, a salad. That’s all she wanted.
Another person ordered the Pan Seared Wild Rockfish, with peas, morels and braised butter lettuce. He thought it was delicious.
Then my husband ordered the Grilled Wild King Salmon, with fresh pea colcannon, warm bacon vinaigrette. He liked it even though his choice would have been the crispy veal sweetbread. It had gluten so that was not going to happen.
I asked the table what they thought of their meal. Everyone’s answer was ” good”. My comment was the same. Good, but not the meal that made me want to say “I cannot wait to come back”.
No desserts for us even though there were a few tempting ones.
We were pretty much the last ones to leave. A stopped at the bar and some chatting.
Then, after a few minutes, my question was: What is your policy for someone coming to the restaurant who needs to eat gluten free? His answer was: Policy? If you come to the restaurant with an allergy and there is nothing you can eat on the menu on that day, then you are out of luck.
Basically you need to call a couple of days in advance informing them about the food allergy. Their kitchen is the size of a closet and they cannot make changes, substitutions or additions to the menu.
Otherwise, he continued, they would have to accommodate every person with a restriction, for example, vegetarian, vegan, peanut, and so on and so forth. They are just too busy and simply, cannot do it.
They do not want to substitute ingredients because their dishes are structured in such a way that if they did that then the outcome would not be the same.
To tell you the honest truth, I was a little taken back with the delivery of all this. I have been a customer for a long time and I thought the way it was presented was with some attitude, perhaps? Did not expect it.
There are so many gluten flours in the market and so many products that can be used in order to create the same taste and presentation. They just have to be on hand for the unexpected customer with a food allergy.
In a time when so many customers have dietary restrictions, restaurants are bending over backwards to make you feel comfortable and at ease so that you can enjoy the evening, I found the Back Porch a little rigid and wondered; do they even care if I come back?
Please remember that if you or anyone in your party has a food allergy, call ahead and see what accommodations can be made available to you.
So many restaurants and so many choices….aren’t we lucky?
Certainly an interesting evening with friends….nothing better than to share a meal with the ones that mean the most to you….Talk to you later….
Tags: Delaware, Delaware Beaches, Full Bar, lunch and dinner, rehoboth beach, Restaurant, Restaurants, Reviews, The Back Porch, The Back Porch Cafe
Wow! Thanks so much for this information. You are right in today’s world, you need to be flexible. I guess when we come to Rehoboth, we will choose another restaurant that is willing to work with customers with food restrictions like we have.
Thanks for the comments to the blog. There are ways to convey those thoughts. Not a good delivery. Instead, it just left a sour taste in my mouth.
I agree with you. This place isn’t what it once was. It’s good but it’s not great. The fact that they aren’t willing to substitute for people with food allergies, blows my mind. Every restaurant I have ever been to in Rehoboth has been accommodating…..so why is it so hard for the Back Porch? Hopefully they will see things differently in the near future.
Apparently a lot of the food is prepared ahead of time due to the fact that the kitchen is that small. One of the reasons why they are not very accommodating. That aside, the majority of people nowadays, have a food allergy. Restaurants are moving foward with innovative cuisines in order to please the majority of us. The delivery of their message was not good. There were only 4 tables that night at the restaurant. If I had been the owners I would have said. Since tonight is quiet here is your opportunity. Tell us what you would like and we will try our best to serve you. As I said before it left a very sour taste in my mouth.
After talking with you about your experience, I was a little reluctant to go back. But, since we were given a gift certificate, we took a shot. After waiting close to 10 mins, we did have to flag the waiter down for a drink. Other than that, the rest of the night was great. We had a perfect table for two outside and every course was superb. Fortunately we did not make any special requests and found it to be one of the best meals of the year.
I am glad you had a great evening. Thanks for the comments to the blog.
community manager…
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