It got off to a good start by stopping at the Red Hook Lobster truck on the way out of town. It was parked in Bethesda at Woodmont and Norfolk and when we got there at 1, there was virtually no line. It was very convenient because we could sit outside at the tables in the little triangle called Veterans Park. The lobster rolls are really delicious. I still prefer the warm lobster with drawn butter. The rolls, the chips, even the soda are all top quality and it just set the right culinary tone for the weekend.
Our favorite Rehoboth restaurant, The Back Porch, wasn't open yet, so we went the first night to a relatively new place, The Henlopen City Oyster Bar. It was top-rated in Trip Advisor and got very favorable comments from Rehoboth Foodie. It is tucked into a modern building and fairly noisy, but very light and with enough decor to create a nice buzz and ambiance. There was a short wait, but we barely had our drinks from the bar when we were seated. I split a dozen Turtle Cove oysters and they were delicious -- fresh, briny, very cold. It had been a while since I'd had raw oysters and these tasted especially good.
For a main course, I went for the grilled wreckfish, since I'd never had a wreckfish before. The waiter explained it was a mild, white fish from off the coast of the Carolinas, and it had a nice sweet taste. I got purreed rutabaga as one of the sides and that went really well with it. The other dishes all got rave reviews, too, and only the spirit of adventure kept us from going back there the second night. I split a 22-oz. Dogfish Head IPA to accompany; the advantage of the big bottle is that it tastes really like draft beer.
To try something different, we went to Planet X Cafe the second night. They had a wedding shower party so we had to sit in the bar area, but the service was great and the food was fine. I had a crispy roasted pork shoulder, which, typical for their menu, had a vaguely Asian flavor. The signature dishes, a Thai shrimp curry and stacked eggplant, appeared to be excellent. Both restaurants claim to use locally sourced organic ingredients so it is forgivable that the waiter came back and said they couldn't fulfill our orders for Caesar salad.
Lunches were also great. The first day we made the trek down to Bethany to get our favorite cheesesteak subs at Surf's Up. The second day, I got fish and chips from Go Fish on Rehoboth Ave. This was the real deal, with fresh, moist cod and a lovely crisp beer batter. The fries (British chips) were not so great but someone else had some Thrasher's fries and they went really well with the cod.
We also enjoyed sitting at The Coffee Mill, located in a tiny passage off Rehoboth Ave. The owner entertained us with the story of how he had acquired the business a couple of years ago to keep it from closing. They have a great selection of coffees and pastries and we incorporated it into our morning routine.
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