April 26th, 2010
What makes a good restaurant? To me, it has always been 5 key ingredients; I have mentioned them before. Some restaurants only have a few of those ingredients; The Grove Market encompasses them all, and they are: quality of ingredients, culinary competence, service, ambiance, and price.
The ingredients should be the best money can buy, the culinary competence, well, what can I say? The Grove Market has John McDonald, a seasoned chef and one of the best. Many years ago he had in Rehoboth Beach the very popular Garden Gourmet. The service should be attentive; not intrusive, always anticipating what the customer needs. The ambiance should be tranquil and relaxing. At the Grove Market it was definitely tranquil, amidst trees and marshes. The prices are just like all the restaurants at the beaches who are known for serving quality food.
The Grove Market is located on 12402 Saint Martins Neck Rd., Bishopville, Maryland, 21813. Tel. 410-352-5055. Even though it is in Bishopville, it is actually just so close to Ocean City, Maryland and I came from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware which took about 40 minutes.
It is tricky getting a reservation at The Grove Market. The restaurant is small. I think about 7 tables and 2 can eat at the bar. Therefore, reservations go quickly. My tip would be that if you want to eat there, then make the call, leave your information, and request any time they have available. We went at 5:30 p.m. which is earlier than I would have gone to any restaurant but it was fine, and it was definitely worth it.
Leslie and Patrick greeted us very graciously and took us to one of the tables in the back. Every time I go into this restaurant I just love looking around. It is funky; the walls are decorated with all kinds of adornments; lacrosse sticks, pictures, holiday lights, you name it.
Let me point out to you that there is not other restaurant like it in the Maryland and Delaware Beaches.
They have an extensive wine list. Beer is available as well and soft drinks.
There is no menu. Everything is recited from memory. I chose for my salad a beet salad with arugula and goat cheese. I have had it before and it was again, delicious. I knew that if they had the scallops I would order them as well. Last time they were so good, accompanied with a risotto and a roasted vidalia onion; they did not disappoint me. Just as good. Another appetizer was the smoked steelhead salmon. Here is where the explanation comes.
The steelhead salmon is commonly known as trout. They are a species of salmon. The land locked steelheads are known as rainbow trout.
The term steelhead differentiate between those rainbows that stay in fresh water permanently and those that go out in the ocean. In order to spawn, they return to the place where they hatched. Can be caught year-round and fly casting remains the most popular way to catch them.
If you like salmon, you would really enjoy this appetizer. Just like salmon, the taste is a little bit stronger.
Another entree ordered was the duck. It was roasted, a semi-sweet soy drizzle, with an English cumberland sauce, mashed potatoes and vidalia onions.
The Cumberland Sauce is a fruit base sauce with ingredients like red currants, port, mustard, pepper, orange, ginger and vinegar.
One person ordered dessert and I took a bite of this dense chocolate silk pie. It was very good and sinfully rich.
As usual, I have to say that a meal is best enjoyed with good company. As we were leaving, people were waiting. This restaurant is and has been very popular for a long time.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the restaurant was very sensitive to two people on our table with food related allergies; seafood, peanuts and gluten.
I guess I will be talking to you soon….
Please note that The Grove Market does not take credit cards.
Information for this post was taken from http://gosalmonfishing.com.
November 20th, 2009
I thought tonight was going to be one of those evenings that are quiet in the restaurant business. A little rainy and cooler than this afternoon, but that did not stop the 2 Debbies and myself to show up at Kindle in the heart of Lewes.
I have never been to this restaurant. This past season they relocated to Lewes. Two other restaurants are part of the same ownership; Half Full and Striper Bites.
When I arrived there was only one person sitting at the bar. Debbie and Debbie arrived and soon after it was homecoming in Lewes. Some of the people we had not seen in some time and others we see around frequently. Everyone had their own little group; Diane and Gene, Jimmy, Kathy, Pam, John, Brenda and we were all talking away. We went to our tables and we could all hear each other talking. Other patrons were there and did not seem to mind. 
Kindle is located on 111 Bank Street. Actually, it is Second Street and Bank. The telephone is 302-645-7887 and the website is www.kindlerestaurant.com. The restaurant is known for seasonal American fare and it is open year round. Hours of operation are: Lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Dinner from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Kindle closes on Sundays.
The other 2 restaurants are good so I figure this one should be good, as well. It met my expectations from the moment I arrived. Warm atmosphere; friendly and relaxing. It is a small restaurant but it can seat a fair amount of people without being crowded. The bar is spacious and comfortable.
The decor fits the name; it does have a special glow with all the candles around it; soothing, even with all of our chatter.
I wanted to write this post so again, just like in the past, we ordered different entrees. We shared a first course; the Herb Smoked Trout Spread, which was rainbow trout smoked in-house, frisee and arugula in sherry vinaigrette, and grilled bread. It was delicious and perfect for sharing.
We were told that we had to have the Gruyere Mac & Cheese, so we ordered this side dish for sharing as well. You know, we are trying to watch our figure, and with all this eating, it is getting harder and harder. The Mac & Cheese was good, but if I had been the one making it, I probably would have put more Gruyere. It is one of my favorite cheeses. I thought the dish was a little dry, so maybe some correction is needed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s just that I think it could have been better.
Gruyere is a hard yellow cheese made from cow’s milk and named for the town in Switzerland. It is sweet but somewhat salty and the flavor varies with age. To make a 176 lb. round of Gruyere cheese, about 211 gallons of milk are used.
For the main entree, I chose the Seared Diver Scallops over sweet corn, edamame, red pepper and asparagus saute, beurre blanc. They were very good and the combination of the vegetables with the edamame was a good match.
Debbie had the Pan Roasted Filet Mignon with exotic mushroom demi-glace, baby arugula, saute of baby red potatoes and asparagus. She asked them to hold the potatoes and they put extra veggies instead.
And the other Debbie had the Grilled Organic Scottish Salmon over toasted pearl pasta with chevre, mushrooms and celery root, roasted pepper coulis.
I had a taste of the filet and the salmon and both were well seasoned and perfectly cooked. I love when the food presented is simply prepared and not hidden with too many sauces and glaces.
We probably should have tasted their sweet endings but instead we chose coffees and teas. The desserts did sound good. I think I will have the Dark Chocolate Bourbon Torte, which is a flourless cake, with homemade vanilla ice cream, next time. How fattening could it be? It does not have flour! I am joking, okay?
Kindle accepts all major credit cards and if you happen to be visiting my beaches, please stop by, try it and let me know what you think. 
Again, I have to mention that laughter is never too far behind when the 3 of us get together. The dinner was enhanced by the fact that it was shared with very good friends; Hmm, priceless!!
Note: Information on Gruyere Cheese was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gruyere.
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