September 13th, 2012
Every time I am driving from Baltimore to Rehoboth Beach, I take a look at this Dock Bar from Rt. 50 and I say….I want to stop there. For one reason or another I never do. The weather might be too hot, too cold…oh no; it’s raining. You know how it is. But, today, on such a gorgeous day, with a deep blue sky, low humidity and comfortable temperatures, my friend, Trish, and I were stopping.
The Big Owl Tiki Bar is located at 3015 Kent Narrows Way South in Grasonville, Maryland. Traveling on Rt. 50/301, the Exit is 42. Tel. 410-827-6523. Website? http://www.thebigowl.com. The Big Owl Tiki Bar is also on Facebook.
It was late in the afternoon. We had just finished one awesome day walking and touring in Annapolis, Maryland. All we wanted was to sit and enjoy the view and the Tiki Bar.
The Big Owl Tiki Bar is bright in color and it looks like so much fun. We proceeded to sit right by the water. The view is amazing; boats passing by after a day on the bay.
Jennifer was our server but she is also part of the family that owns The Big Owl Tiki Bar. We ordered something to drink and also some steamed mussels.
The Big Owl Tiki Bar opens 7 days a week. There is also entertainment Thursday through Sunday. Jennifer mentioned that her father is a professional DJ. He is there, practically, every day. On Fridays he takes over as DJ and opens a Sunset Party…using the Conch Shell as a horn as the sun sets….shots for everyone. The music will get going.
The Tiki Bar is very tropical with a Key West ambiance.
Our mussels arrived and they were in a well seasoned broth with plenty of garlic and bread to make sure that not a drop was left on the bowl.
The Bar will remain open until mid-November. They will keep their kitchen open year-round for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. starting in October. You can order right from the Big Owl Grill and sit under the tent on the water. During the colder months they will put the sides on and add a heater.
You now know where it is located, the tel. number, the website and even the Facebook page. Check them out….it is lots of fun, and they have a good menu. We had had enough but would like to come back and try that deep fried key lime pie…it’s their own original recipe.
Have a good one!! Talk to you later.
June 26th, 2010
Yes, again I found myself at Venus on the Half Shell located at Dagsworthy Street & the Bay. Tel. 302-227-9292. Website www.deweybeachlife.com.
It was not my intention, at first, to visit this restaurant so soon after I had just eaten here a few weeks ago. In a way it turned out to be just as good as the first experience. My first visit was not on a week-end, so I wanted to see how they would handle a much larger crowd. The table was ready; out under the tent, on the sand, and the service was prompt and attentive.
My original plan was to eat dinner in Rehoboth with friends, but the thought of looking for parking was not good. My friends had not eaten at Venus under the direction of Chef Peter A. McMahon so our decision was made.
It was such a pretty evening; perfect temperature for outdoor dining.
I had to order the Pan Roasted Clams, Zesty Chardonnay Butter Broth and Grilled Baguette. Again, they were delicious and the broth rich.
Another dish ordered was the Baby Arugula with Roma Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella, E.V.O.O. and Balsamic Syrup. Beautiful colors.
For dinner the Rock Shrimp and Langostino, sauteed with smoked tomatoes, tossed in a light chive cream sauce with garganelli pasta was ordered. I have to tell you that another was ordered with a request of the dish to be gluten free, and just like the first time, the Chef substituted rice for the pasta.
I ordered Thai Crusted Mahi Mahi, Ginger Plum Chutney, Bamboo Rice Pilaff, stir-fried baby Bok Choi. It had a nice bite to it.
And, the last dish was a Grilled 8 oz. Tenderloin of Beef, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus.
After all that food, no dessert was ordered. We enjoyed just a couple of coffees; nothing like sharing a meal with friends. It is priceless!!
I want to mention the ladies that started a friendly chat. They were from Baltimore and it was so nice meeting them.
Hope you have a good week-end. The weather has been great, don’t you think? Talk to you later….
Still, this is the best table in town.
September 1st, 2009
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
2 Comments