Doing mornings Dewey style

In spite of Labor Day 2019 now being referred to in the past tense, The Starboard continues to be party central in Dewey Beach. Labor Days come and go, but this place has been going strong since the mid-‘60s when Duke Duggan’s Last Resort Bar served up spaghetti, meatballs and wintertime singalongs for the few-and-far-between locals of the day.

Addition after addition was built as the popular tavern began to catch on. In the mid-‘80s, the Hearn family’s DIY bloody mary bar (originally conceived at the long-gone Country Squire in Rehoboth) introduced breakfast to The Starboard. The resulting influx of hot sauces morphed into the famed Peppers store (and online sauce emporium) now headquartered in Lewes.

In 1999, The Starboard was sold to a trio of restaurant partners who continued to promote the belly-busting, hangover-curing breakfasts.

One of those is Steve “Monty” Montgomery, a hands-on guy who seems to be everywhere at the same time. As the self-described “12-year-old kid who worked on the beach,” he sold hot dogs on the sand, rented umbrellas, and worked for the Hearns at The Starboard.

Of course, more and more breakfast spots have popped up over the years, but The Starboard is still a morning magnet for groggy patrons. And the DIY tradition continues with The Starboard Omelet. Early-morning Dewey diners should probably be advised to not operate heavy machinery until later in the day, but they can still build their own breakfasts with three eggs, any of seven fresh veggies, a choice of eight (count ‘em – eight) kinds of cheese and seven meats, including crabmeat and jerk chicken.

Those who prefer to leave the construction to the professionals can choose from breakfast combos such as The Body Shop (egg whites and veggies may be compensated for by adding Velveeta and scrapple); The Hot As Huevos (a nod to former proprietor and celebrated chilihead Chip Hearn), and The Kitchen Sink (use your imagination, then top it with hollandaise).

The humble egg is further honored with Eggs Delmarva (Benedict and crabmeat), Eggs Arnold (what comes after Benedict, except scrambled) and the appropriately named Hangover Helper – a light and refreshing plate that starts with buttermilk biscuits topped with scrambled eggs, a choice of meat, hash browns and a choice of cheese. House-made sausage gravy will make you forget your hangover in favor of an entirely new one.

True fressers can go a step further with The Full Monty: Everything above, plus pancakes or french toast. Do not order this if you are running a 5K anytime soon. Or a 1K. Or climbing steps.

Steel-cut oatmeal, breakfast sandwiches on a croissant, and creamed chip beef make The Starboard’s breakfast menu one of the most comprehensive here at the beach. And yes, it might be September, but The Starboard is still open every day at 8 a.m. In October, the schedule will change to an 8:30 start Thursday through Sunday. The Dewey parking meters don’t go into effect until 10 a.m., and will disappear completely on Monday, Sept. 16. Reason enough to celebrate with a cool bloody mary.

Partners Steve “Monty” Montgomery (always there), Jim Weisgerber (Bethany Blues BBQ maven of note) and Dickie Heidenberger (still a kiteboarding fanatic) have genuine respect for the history that has made The Starboard what it is today: Party central in Dewey, with traditional breakfast, lunch, dinner and bar service to keep locals and vacationers lovin’ that Dewey Beach Way of Life.