Only the strong survive in this business of eating at the beach

Beach resorts have a way of playing peek-a-boo with restaurants. Competition is fierce, and if you're not fortified with sufficient capital and proven skills, you can end up replacing your grand opening sign with a for lease sign. 2016 continues to prove that only the strong survive.

Modern Mixture recently (and wisely) divested itself of a second location in order to focus on their original Rehoboth Avenue location. Leo Cabrera's well-prepared food qualifies him to live on and cook another day. Don't miss his frozen sangria! Hari Cameron and his brother Orion are boldly expanding their popular mac 'n' cheese concept, Grandpa (MAC) out onto Coastal Highway. Award-magnet Hari (former Nage toque) surprised everybody with the success of his austere, modernist brand of cooking at a(MUSE.). His sense of humor shines through all his menus, whether it's local softshells decorated with foraged herbs, or a big aluminum-foil container of some of the gooiest mac 'n' cheese around. 

Speaking of Nage, LaVida Hospitality boss Josh Grapski revamped the rather dark and somewhat cramped Nage into a bright, inviting and open venue for small plates, Saturday and Sunday brunches, and sips and bites until one every night. Partner Rich Garrahan has watched his Crooked Hammock Brewery in Lewes become the mob scene he hoped it would be. Kicked-up bar food and nice beers are drawing Lewes' fun-loving visitors and locals to this picnic-like complex. The lunchtime chicken salad is my pick hit. One of Nage's former toques also went out on his own to roast his favorite pizzas over smoldering logs. Crust & Craft in Midway Galleria has a fun bar and particularly good side dishes. You might even find a(MUSE.) barkeep Palma Salerno in there from time to time whompin' up cool and refreshing cocktails. 

James King and his partners brought their beloved Blackwall Hitch concept to the ocean block of Rehoboth Avenue, taking over the old Irish Eyes/Greene Turtle location. In addition to two other Blackwall Hitch installations (Annapolis and Old-Town Alexandria), James and his restaurant group also sport a pocketful of their own Greene Turtles, along with a few Roy Rogers thrown in for good measure. The quartet of talented owners at Baltimore Avenue's iconic Blue Moon are converting the old Seafood Shack (formerly the original Dos Locos) into the brand-new Axis. There is no lack of talent in Lion Gardner's kitchen at The Moon, and it will certainly extend across the street into what was originally an old Rehoboth tent house. 

Touch of Italy will soon turn the stately First National Bank of Milford into yet another Italian success. Wait 'til you see what they're doing with the massive steel vault! Dogfish Head's new Chesapeake & Maine sports a menu full of fresh seafood that pays homage to both the Chesapeake and Maine. You won't soon forget the décor. Speaking of menus, I recently learned that the Conch Island Key West Bar & Grill at Second Street and The Avenue (booze and music galore) has a food lineup worth exploring! Longtime Rehoboth businessman – and former professional drummer - Bryan Derrickson is a hands-on owner who makes sure he's able to whip up anything and everything his cooks come up with – just in case. Smart. 

Fins alumni Joe Baker and Chris Bisaha of Henlopen City Oyster House will take over the operation of the lobby bar at the Avenue Inn and add a restaurant to that newly revamped space. The style will lean a bit less on seafood - why compete with yourself!? These guys know what they're doing, and we're looking forward to the brand new Blue Hen eatery to open in late fall. Dueling juice bars is the theme in Rehoboth this season with Juice Box and Twist Juice Bar opening just about a block from one another. Health aficionados can sip fresh juices and nibble on high-energy snacks on Second Street behind Scandinavian Occasion or in First Street Station. By the way, First Street Station is also playing host to the brand-new Sweet Charlie's rolled ice cream parlor. How does one roll ice cream? Visit the corner of First and The Avenue to find out. 

In spite of the horrific loss of their founder a couple of years ago, the SoDel Concepts group marches on. Proof of their strength is the very-busy-very-quickly Matt's Fish Camp in Lewes. Check out some of the wall hangings: Many of them are collectors' pieces from the late Matt Haley's home. Classically trained chef Gretchen Gates blew into Lewes a few years ago with her two sons to open the Gate House (where Café Azafran used to be). In the last couple of weeks, the Gates family made an even bolder move: They purchased the landmark Buttery restaurant – building, land and all. Wilson Gates will bring his kitchen know-how to The Buttery to preserve the reputation so ably crafted by former owners John Donato and Twain Gonzales. 

Sometimes small means good, and that's definitely the case with the new Cabañas in the Go Fish!/Verizon center across from Bethany Blues in Lewes. Fredy, Joaquin and their families crank out totally authentic Salvadorean food in that little storefront. What they lack in decorations and ambiance, they more than make up for in the delicious cuisine of their homeland. My pick hits: The chicken soup, the tamales and those pupusas! 

The group of restaurateurs who own The Starboard, Bethany Blues and 99 Sea Level (just to name a few) debuted Starboard Raw just a few months ago in Dewey. The big raw bar is bolstered by a menu loaded with stuff people like, along with about a million (give or take) craft taps. Watch out for Warren Rosenfeld's Jewish Deli to move into the new construction just south of the Wawa on the highway at Route 24. It's been a long time coming – so long, in fact, that he put his Jewish Delimobile on the road to help slake the mid-Sussex thirst for corned beef and pastrami. After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, Jimmy's Grille No. 3 finally opened in Shore Plaza on the highway. Owner Alex Pires stayed with the same price point as the original Bridgeville Jimmy's. Smart move. Don't leave there without a coconut cake, by the way. 

So the beat goes on. Who knows what the rest of 2016 will taste like? You will know, of course. Just keep visiting this page every Friday.