August 25th, 2009
No, I did not know that I was going to end up at Fish On last night. I am glad I did, though.
As I looked to the West the sunset was spectacular. It was red and huge and beautiful through the trees. I hope you got a chance to see it, just as the waxing crescent moon, showed this phase on the Delmarva sky.
Fish On was quiet on Monday night. Don’t get me wrong, they had customers but it was Monday and usually it is a little more subdued. Good night to go out to dinner during the summer.
This restaurant is located on 17300 North Village Main Blvd., Lewes, DE 19958. It is on the corner of North Village Main Blvd. and E. Batten St., in the center of the Villages. Tel. is 302-645-9790 and the website is www.fishon.bz. You should check their site because they have different specials and upcoming events.
It is very easy to get to. If you are on Rt. 1 or Coastal Highway, take Rt.9 East, which is also Savannah Rd. and go to the next Light and turn left by the Food Lion and go straight to the back of the Villages and you will see the restaurant on your right.
A very contemporary restaurant, indeed it is, with high ceilings and wide open spaces. They are open 7 days a week at 5:00 p.m. The restaurant has a full bar with the ever present televisions.
I had not been to Fish On in some time; no particular reason, but the menu looked great. I had the most interesting and refreshing salad, which was their special, and I am glad that, Chris, our waiter suggested it. The salad was a watermelon salad with baby arugula, goat cheese, fresh squeezed lime juice and sea salt and pepper. It was presented as 2 big wedges of the watermelon with the arugula on top and it was big enough for 2 people, but I did eat it all myself. I cannot tell you enough how good it was and perfect on a hot summer night. The combination was a hit. For my dinner I also chose one of their specials; flash fried soft shell crabs on top of arugula with a citrus vinaigrette. Again, it was light, simple, and perfect.
My husband had the pan seared scallops with sweet corn, soy beans, cherry tomato succotash. Very tasty too and we had mentioned to Chris that he had a gluten allergy and they were very careful on how his dinner was cooked.
The following are a few dishes on the menu that were interesting:
For starters – Pan roasted mussels with spicy tomato and chorizo, and mini white fish tacos, as well as fried baby lobster tails, with a chipotle dipping sauce.
Salads – Caesar with white anchovies, and they also had grilled asparagus.
Mains – Fennel seed crusted tuna, a creamy Cajun penne pasta and a Lewes seafood stew.
A la carte you could order roasted garlic spinach, lobster mash potatoes and truffle fried brussel sprouts.
Fish On had quite a few desserts too like a caramel toffee cheesecake, apple pie, warm bread pudding with maple banana sauce and a Maine root beer float.
A special menu for kids 12 and under was available, as well.
After dinner indulgences included Irish Coffee, a Mint Martini, Port, Reverse Port and Tawny Port.
I did not know what the differences of the 3 ports were so I checked it out and found the following information:
“Ports are made of blends of several grape varieties, vineyard lots and vintages.” It is a fortified wine from the northern provinces of Portugal. It is usually sweet but can also be dry and semi-dry. It is an after dinner drink, most of the time.
A Port that is too dry is a Reverse.
Tawny Ports are wines that are made from red grapes. They have been aged in barrels made out of wood and they have been exposed to oxidation and evaporation. Because of this, they slowly turn to a golden brown color. And, because they have exposure to wood, it gives a “nutty” flavor to the wine. They are sweet or medium dry. If no age has been given, then it has spent at least 7 years in barrels.
So, if you live in the Lewes, Rehoboth and Dewey Beach areas or are visiting my beaches, try Fish On. Let me know how you like it. I would like to hear what you have to say on the reviews because this is my personal opinion and we all have different tastes.
Oh, I almost forgot to let you know that Fish On has a patio where you can have dinner, weather permitting, and you are most welcomed to bring your pooch for a night out.
Note: Information on the moon phase, and the ports were taken from www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/phasenow.php and http://winepressblogger.com and http://en.wikipedia.org
August 19th, 2009
It is early, yesterday, Tuesday evening, and I had heard that a new restaurant opened in Bethany Beach. I thought, well, let’s check it out. Maybe I can be the first one to review it. It was not to be, because The Wave, which is the local paper, mainly serving the Bethany Beach area, has an article on the restaurant in today’s issue. But it is o.k. because the more exposure, the better it is for the establishment.
This casual and friendly restaurant opened its doors in July. The owner, Joe Garner, is also the head chef. Blue Water is located on 786 Garfield Parkway, on Rt. 26. It is precisely at the Rt. 26 Mall. The telephone is 302-539-4005.
As you come in, the bar is ahead of you and on this Tuesday night it was full. People were chatting and the bar was decorated with offshore flags. The restaurant offers good happy hour specials.
To the right is the dining area and everything is very nautical and beachy, including the tablecloths. It was early so there were not too many occupied tables but by the time we left more people were coming in.
We really enjoyed the music; a good beat and not too loud, so we could have a perfectly normal conversation.
I informed our waitress that my husand had a gluten allergy and she was very nice and went and talked to the chef and he said that anything my husband wanted he could adapt to his diet. How nice is that?
Now let’s get to the good part. The menu is mainly seafood but also has chicken, beef and sandwiches. Even a children’s menu.
I would say that, at least, on this Tuesday evening, the food on the menu was Chesapeake with Louisiana overtones.
Some of the highlights on the menu were:
For starters: Blue Crab Bisque, Fried Green Tomatoes filled with herb cream cheese, Blackened Chicken Nachos, Daily Ceviche, Tartare of Salmon with soft poached egg and caviar, and a Foi Grass au Torchon with cherry-apricot preserves.
O.k., I am stopping here for a second because a few of the aforementioned starters need an explanation.
What is foie grass au torchon? It is the fattened liver of a goose or duck, which has been force fed to grow a bigger liver. The au torchon method of cooking is that the fresh foie grass is wrapped in a piece of muslin and it is just briefly poached in a flavored liquid. When it cools, then the foie grass is soaked in the poaching liquid for a number of days. The liquid is usually flavored with a sweet wine. It is eaten at room temperature with toast.
What is ceviche? It is a lemon and lime marinade for fish and what it does is it “cooks” the fish without added heat. Very popular in Latin American countries.
What is tartare? It means raw.
I ordered the ceviche and my husband ordered the tartare of salmon with the soft poached egg and caviar. My ceviche had a very good citrus flavor. The only thing I would have done differently was to cut the fish in smaller pieces. Easier to scoop it with the tortilla chips. My husband’s starter came in a beautiful martini glass, with a curvature of the stem. He had asked for extra caviar. He said it was so delicious and he could not believe that it was only $2.50. I said that there is nothing for $2.50 on the menu. So, we get the waitress to bring us a menu. Well, it was $25, he just did not have his glasses on and missed the minute detail of no decimal point between the 2 numbers. But that is o.k., it has happened before; this summer we had the Japanese beef the size of a domino chip for $57. We had a good laugh. Isn’t that what matters? I think.
On with Blue Water and its menu. They have salads like Coastal Cobb, Beef Steak and Tomato and Baby Spinach, Caesar and a few others.
For their main event, they featured Crab Cakes with fried tomato, and sautee sweet corn, Grilled Atlantic Salmon on a Lobster asparagus hash, and grain mustard cream. That was very good and my husband enjoyed it. Pan Seared Big Eye Tuna with hopping John rice, and sweet and hot sauce. I had the scallops and they were very good. The dish had a little bit of that Louisiana heat. They also have a Paella for Two, N.Y. Strip and Chicken Breasts are also on the menu, as well as a few other dishes.
Their sandwiches are Surf & Turf Sliders, Fried Green Tomato BLT, Po’ Boys and Build your own Burger among others.
In the Children’s menu they have pizza, mac n’ cheese, kids sliders, chicken tenders and fluff and peanut butter sandwich.
We did not have dessert but there were some cakes and other sweet endings.
The prices are reasonable at Blue Water and I think it is worth trying, if you are vacationing or, really, living in the Bethany Beach area.
Note: The information on the method of cooking “au torchon” was taken from www.hertzmann.com
August 6th, 2009
On a rainy night in the Delmarva Peninsula, Debbie, Peyton, Brennan and I decided that a few rain drops were not going to stop us from having an evening where we could enjoy one of our favorite pastimes, which, you guessed it, is tasting the flavors of the different restaurants in our beach towns. The traffic was testing our patience, but we made it and even though it was early in the evening, in Ocean City, the parking was crowded and Liquid Assets was alive.
The address for Liquid Assets is 94th St. and Coastal Highway. Their tel. is 410-524-7037. The web site is www.ocliquidassets.com and it is full of information, even recipes. This restaurant is located just past the 94th street if you are coming from points north. Once you are inside, you forget that you are, actually, right by a highway and yes, in a strip mall.
And, that is when you start asking yourself if you are in a restaurant or a liquor store. The concept is different and I have not seen it here in the beaches. There is a bar in the first room as you come in and there are tables and a few sofas with cocktail tables, as well. Around the walls you will find wine bottles and other types of spirits. We felt we were in a wine cellar. We were seated in this big room but there were customers coming into the “liquor store/restaurant” just to buy liquor. Our table was in the middle of the action. There was another dining area adjacent to where we were sitting, with an additional bar and that room was more private. It even had more of a wine cellar feel.
We proceeded to order some drinks and check the menu. I have been to this restaurant before, and have always enjoyed it and hope this time it would not be any different. For an appetizer, we ordered Pan Roasted Mussels which had aged chorizo, shallots, garlic and ciabatta (bread). The broth was great. We also ordered the House Made Hummus & Tapenade. That was delicious too. For our entree we all ordered different things like Seared Scallops & Mushroom Risotto, Clam Bake, Stuffed Tomatoes with Crab and Beef Skewers. We were happy with our food and its presentation and in no time we were finished. The waitress was very nice and not intrusive; cordial and there when we needed her.
What really made this evening special was the company. No food will ever be good enough if the people you are sharing it with are not enjoying themselves as much as you are. The conversation was interesting, fun and relaxing.
Soon we had to leave since the night was still young and some of our party was off to another event. But, it won’t be long until we get together again.
Note: Prices at Liquid Assets were good.
We did not have dessert since we were satisfied with our meal so why not include the following cake whose recipe was given by another Debbie:
Peachy Crunch Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsps. Salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 cups oil
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 ripe peaches, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup Applejack brandy
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix oil, eggs, and sugar; add flour mixture.
Add peaches, nuts, vanilla and brandy; mix with electric mixer. Batter will be stiff. Spread in a lightly greased 10″ tube or Bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 – 55 minutes
July 31st, 2009
1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1 lb. peeled shrimp (large) cut into bite size pieces
2 oz. tequila
3/4 lb. grated cheese – jack, cheddar, mix, anything that melts
1 fresh lime, squeezed
2 tsps. fresh cilantro, chopped (You may substitute with flat leaf parsley or fresh oregano, if you don’t like cilantro.)
Cook bacon in a large skillet until lightly browned. Remove all but 2 tbsps. of the bacon fat. Add the shrimp to the bacon and cook until done, about 3-4 minutes. Flambe with the tequila. When the flame subsides, sprinkle the lime juice over the shrimp. Add the cheese and stir until melted and bubbly. Top with the chopped cilantro or the herb of your choice. Serve over rice or with warm flour tortillas, fresh salsa — and a beer or two or perhaps a Margarita (recipe follows). Add a salad and you are ready to entertain. This recipe makes 4 servings.
Tip: This recipe can also be used as a fondue. I think fondues are coming back. Put it in a fondue pot and serve as a dip with tortilla chips. Just cut the shrimp into smaller pieces.
Perfect Margarita
This recipe was given to me by Arturo Pellerano, who happened to have lime trees in his yard.
Very simple: 3 parts Tequila, 2 parts lime juice and 1 part Cointrau or Triple Sec
Fresh lime juice is the secret. Mix it all and pour it into a bottle and serve it very cold.
Warning: Be prudent when driking the Perfect Margarita, otherwise you will be either under the table or over the table for that matter
I can’t wait to hear you have to say about it.
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