December 11th, 2009
Delaware Beaches…Big Fish Grill…Rehoboth Beach…Fager’s Island…Ocean City, Maryland…Restaurant Reviews…Gluten Free Menus…
The 2 restaurants that I am about to tell you are fixtures in our beaches. Anyone that comes on vacation to the Delaware Beaches or Ocean City will definitely visit either one, or both.
You also probably know that the owners of both of them also own other venues at the beaches. They have been in business for many years and their operations run like clockwork.
But, maybe there is something you do not know about them.
Let’s start with….
Fager’s Island
Fager’s is located on 201-60th Street in the Bay, Ocean City, MD 21842. The tel. is 410-524-5500. The toll free tel. is 888-371-5400. The website is www.fagers.com. The e-mail address is island@fagers.com.
Fager’s is one of those restaurants that cover every aspect when it comes to having fun. Perfect location, fantastic sunsets, on the water, outdoor dining, gift shop, dancing, dining promotions, music, full bars, very good menus for all tastes; in other words, very welcoming.
I believe they started their 1/2 price prime rib in November. It is on Mondays and Tuesdays. We took a friend for his birthday this past Tuesday. I made a reservation and I would suggest you do the same because both of those nights are very popular.
We were seated in their fine dining section, on the first floor. Our waiter was young and very nice. We all knew what we wanted; the prime rib!! It is known to be one of the best, if not the best in the area. I think since last year they only offer one cut. It is a pretty good size one. The shaved fresh horseradish complements the beef so well.
We all started with the wedge salad with the blue cheese dressing and bacon. It was truly the best one I have ever had. Three of us ordered it and we all thought the same thing. It was so fresh and not heavy at all. I hope the dressing was homemade because that is exactly what it tasted like.
I don’t know how to say it but I might as well be straightforward. The prime rib was not that good. I hate to say it but it really wasn’t. One person had his cooked medium rare but closer to rare, the next two had theirs cooked medium and I had mine cooked medium rare. One came raw, I kid you not, the other one undercooked and mine was rare. So, we sent 3 of them back to cook them a little bit more. Prime rib is a cut that has a recognizable distribution of fat. Well, this particular cut, on this night was just full of fat. We mentioned it to our waiter, but what could he do but apologize.
We were not the only ones. We knew someone that went on Tuesday, as well, and the same thing happened. It was probably just an off night.
For dessert we had a lemon lust, which is made from the same recipe as Rita’s who is a well known baker in the area. We also had a flourless, dense chocolate cake, which was gluten free.
I have told you in the past that my husband has to eat gluten free. Fager’s is one of the restaurants that is offering a gluten free menu. Not only does the menu reflect the gluten free items available but it also highlights other entrees that can be eaten if you have other food allergies. More and more restaurants are offering these menus because it saves them time when ordering. It seems that everyone has an allergy these days. Fager’s has gone the extra mile by having this menu readily available, even including wine recommendations.
So, what’s an off night when you have just had a very pleasant evening, sharing dinner with friends? We will be back again.
The next restaurant I want to tell you about is….
Big Fish Grill
Big Fish Grill is located on 20298 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. The tel. is 302-227-9007. The website is www.bigfishgrill.com.
This restaurant has been a success since it opened its doors years ago. Always crowded. It does not matter if it is at the height of the summer season or the middle of winter. It is casual and it has a beachy atmosphere. The food is always consistent; very good and affordable.
I did not feel like cooking on Wednesday, and felt like having fish so off we went to Big Fish. It was a somewhat subdued night.
The first thing Allison, our waitress, put on the table was the smoked fish spread. It is so good. They sell it at their fish store next door.
We did not get any appetizers and went right to the entrees. I ordered their glazed salmon, which is always delicious and I had them put it on top of their Spinach Salad. This salad has young spinach leaves, gorgonzola cheese, sliced mushrooms, bacon, chopped egg and warm apple cider vinaigrette. The combination was perfect and I cannot wait to have it again.
My husband started to ask about the sauces he could have on his fish because of his gluten free diet. Immediately, Allison, brought him a gluten free menu and explained to him everything about it. She also told him he could not have salmon since they marinate it in teriyaki sauce. He decided on a blackened mahi mahi and he liked it so much that he ordered another piece.
Big Fish goes above and beyond when you talk about serving a person with a food allergy. After the food is prepared in the kitchen, the manager has to inspect it and only the manager can bring it to the table. How about that for service? Even when the second piece of fish was ordered she had to do the same.
Then to top it all, not only do they have a gluten free menu; they also have: Dairy Free Menu, Egg Free Menu, Garlic Free Menu, Nut Free Menu and a Shellfish Free Menu.
This is the first time that I have seen a restaurant with such precise guidelines regarding food allergies. Amazing!!
Please note that Big Fish Grill offers cooking classes and the last 2 in 2009 are going to be on December 12th and December 26th. Pre-registration is required. The cost is $75.00. Please call 302-227-9007 for more information.
For the person that enjoys beer, Big Fish offers a gluten free beer.
Note: Both of the restaurants above described have so much to tell you in their websites, so please check it out.
I give thanks to Fager’s and Big Fish for making it easier for the people with food allergy issues.
See you soon….
Tags: Affordable, Carryout, Delaware Beaches, Gluten free awareness, Gluten free menu, lunch and dinner, Ocean City, rehoboth beach, Restaurant, Restaurants, review, Reviews, seafood restaurant
