Summertime, and the Eatin’ is easy!

You need a darned flow chart to keep up with all the changes around here! Fortunately, the Rehoboth Foodie pledges every waking moment to keeping Beach Paper readers on the leading edge. So let’s get down to business.

I usually don’t slide down the slippery slope of casual dining, but a few places out there do occasionally wow us with their menus. Case in point: The venerable Taco Reho truck is now an official sit-down and drive through at the intersection of Route 24 and Coastal Highway. Speaking of tacos, another semi-fast food joint that rarely disappoints is Moe’s Southwestern Grill. Check out their all-inclusive app – very easy to order and pick up. Moe’s is easy to find by the Safeway between The Pond and the just-about-to-open Hammy’s Hideout.

Last week, my restaurant-writer nemesis over at Cape Gazette published a list of outdoor dining rooms in downtown Rehoboth. In his haste to outdo me (really!) he failed to mention Port 251 at the corner of Lake and The Avenue, where the outdoor patio is actually larger than the indoor dining room. Proving once again that you simply cannot get good help nowadays.

Hari Cameron, former ruling toque at a(MUSE) restaurant, is battin’ a thousand at Grandpa MAC, where he and his brother Orion churn out some of the finest mac ‘n’ cheese dishes around. Remember the amazing locals’ hangout LaLa Land on Wilmington Avenue? Longtime reigning bartender David Engel has moved around a bit since the place closed, but he has found a home at the delightful Café Azafran on the ocean block of Baltimore Avenue. He and singing bartender Holly Lane make for the perfect pair.

That narrow space on the ocean block of The Avenue (where Modern Mixture used to be) was a hard nut to crack. But Chef Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff hit the jackpot there with Federal Fritter & Bistro. Carryout fritters in the front, true fine dining in the back. This place is a must-try.

Even the Cape May–Lewes Ferry is getting in on the act with the fun and upbeat Grain on the Rocks and Lewes Coffee. Outdoor dining is the holy grail there as you watch the ships roll in and then you watch ‘em roll away again.

Touch of Italy’s Bob Ciprietti recently fulfilled his dream of owning a steakhouse. His brand new Royal Prime Steakhouse is a bit north in the Bally’s Casino in Dover, but well worth the ride. My go-to is the ribeye steak and anything involving the mashed potatoes.

I don’t want to overwhelm you this early in the season, so this is just the beginning. I’ll be Steppin’ Up To The Plate every week here in Beach Paper during the 2022 season with the latest breaking chews about everything even remotely edible here at the beach.