September 1st, 2009
An Innovative Touch with a Seasonal Flair, It is….Cafe Sole, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
What a beautiful evening it was in Rehoboth Beach last night. My beach town looked serene and not too crowded; plenty of parking available and there was a coolness in the air; last nights of summer and the beginning of fall.
To me it seemed like the town looked prettier than usual. I guess it was the whole combination of salty air, the lights and the flowers. Perfect.
Cafe Sole was an excellent choice for last night’s evening. Its location is 44 Baltimore Ave. in Rehoboth Beach and the tel. is 302-227-7107. For information and menus please visit www.rehoboth.com/cafesole.
I have been many times to this charming restaurant during its 11 years in Rehoboth Beach, and have always been pleased with their service and most of all, their food. Last night was no exception.
You enter the restaurant through their outdoor patio, decorated almost like a garden with plenty of tables, comfortably spaced. Weather permitting, you are able to have outdoor dining on this patio.
Inside the restaurant, you will first see the bar and even though the restaurant is an open room, the bar is separated by the back of the benches on the dining side, so you really don’t see it. The colors are fun and whimsical. With the light jazz music playing and the miniature lights giving it some glow, it was very cozy.
Amy took care of us and she has been with Cafe Sole for many years and a true professional she is.
There were several specials but I chose the following from the menu. Their signature soup is a Tomato Artichoke Bisque and I had a cup and it was very good. You could really taste the artichoke. Then, for my main course I had Seared Sea Scallops which were cast iron pan seared, on top of individual crispy sweet pea risotto cakes, pan blanched spinach, lemon chive oil and peppadew puree. It was so good and those individual crispy sweet peas risotto cakes were to die for.
In case you do not know what peppadew is, let me tell you that it is a type of hot pepper discovered in 1993. In 2000 the South African mushroom producer, Denny Mushroom acquired the Peppadew brand and business. Denny was then bought by another company.
The flavor is sweet with just a touch of heat and it is a unique South African product.
My husband had the Grilled Vegetable Stack which was a portabella mushroom, eggplant, seasonal vegetables over risotto roasted pepper coulis, topped with herbed goat cheese. He loved it too.
And, do you know what coulis is? Well, the word is French for “strained liquid” and it is derived from “colare” the Latin word for strain. In Spanish is “colar”. The base of coulis is a fruit or vegetable.
When I am reading menus, some words pop out like a cooking process or the peppadew pepper in this case; I usually ask our server or just go home and check it out. There are so many things that make your dish so tasty. I like to know what brings it out.
As I do in any other restaurant, I told Amy that my husband had a gluten allergy and to please make sure that no flour or contamination happened in the cooking process.
We did not have dessert but I have had in the past their Key Lime Pie and in addition to that one, they had Croissant Bread Pudding, Coconut Custard Pie and a Chocolate Silk Cake who has won in the Chocolate Festival.
Need lunch for a day at the beach? Well, they will package anything on the lunch menu for take out. Their sandwiches are very good and I am partial to two of them; the Cuban Mix and the Fried Oyster BLT.
If you have your young ones with you, let me tell you that they do have a kid’s menu as well as vegetarian items.
Party platters are available in addition to catering.
This year, they added a Sunday Brunch from 11:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and it features eggs benedict, omelets, French toast, plus many of their lunch menu favorites, as well as weekly Chef’s specials.
They take Visa and Master Card, but, regarding reservations, they will only take them if you have a party of 6 or more.
I really do think that you would enjoy eating at Cafe Sole. Put it on your list of restaurants if you are in any of my beaches, even if you are in Ocean City, Maryland. All these towns are close by so you can drive from one to another with no problem.
Note: Hours of operation are daily at 11:30 for lunch and 5:30 p.m. for dinner, but call them to the above mentioned tel. for the fall hours.
Information on Peppadew was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppadew and for “coulis” http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-coulis.htm
Tags: Bethany Beach, Delaware Beaches, Dewey Beach, drinks, entrees, Fenwick Island, Full Bar, Gluten free awareness, Lewes, lunch and dinner, Ocean City, outdoor eating, rehoboth beach, Restaurant, Restaurants, Reviews, South Bethany
You always make me drool after reading about the restaurants you’ve been too. I too was out last night and felt the same about the weather, walking around the town, etc…just a great night and something not quite sure what was in the air that made me feel at peace.
Yes, it was certainly different. Thanks for your comments on the blog. See you.