July 1, 2005 - Eating Out

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth

EATING Out

Walking into DISH! You might think you've been transported to another city. Upon entering you may feel that you made a wrong turn on 17th and 5th in New York or even off of Connecticut Avenue in D.C. There is an overwhelming metropolitan feeling to the establishment that makes for a unique and enjoyable dining experience for Rehoboth Beach.

Yet, despite this cosmopolitan feeling you know that you are still at the beach. This is the miraculous nature of Dish!: that it balances between feeling like New York and Rehoboth. It has honed its style and comes off as being warm and welcoming yet savvy and chic at the same time.

Walking into DISH!, my bubbly guest Janet and I discovered that concealed in this comfortable space was a thoughtfully simple yet colorful and well designed dining area. Much to our delight the food at DISH! was to match the character and quality of the space.

Mary Ann Slinkman, our server for the evening, was not only friendly and quick, but personable as well which can be a difficult quality to find in a server when dining out. She contributes to your enjoyment of a fine night out at DISH!

For starters, Janet chose the crispy duck confit wontons filled with double cream brie with berry jam. The wontons turned out to be the best she has ever had. While wontons can often be filled scantily and heavy on the dough, our duck confit wontons at DISH! were packed to the brim with tender duck and brie which livened the senses when dipped in the berry jam making the overall consistency a heavenly experience for wonton fans.

My choice was just as mouth watering if not even more cleverly presented and preparedthe lump crab cake surrounded by a mountainous moat of sweet creamed corn and topped with chipotle mayonnaise. A sprinkling of micro arugula and a delicate ring of chive oil topped off the crab and corn and was sensational. The light and freshness of the greenery was a perfect complement to the more hearty portions of seafood and creamed corn sauce.

For dinner, Janet chose Rocky's pan seared sea scallops, accompanied by wilted greens, diced tomatoes, mushrooms and angel hair pasta. The abundance and succulent nature of the scallops certainly was the centerpiece of this dish. The mushrooms and tomatoes flavored the pasta wonderfully and also gave the dish an overall filling but never overwhelming consistency. The moistness and size of the scallops can be attributed to the great attention to detail and taste that the cook, staff, and owners of Dish! give to each appetizer, platter and entree.

Seafood being the unintentional theme for the night and having been so impressed by the appetizers, I convinced myself that the pan fried rainbow trout stuffed with crab imperial was calling for me. As it turned out, this was the perfect selection for me this night. Not only did the crab imperial sit on top of the rainbow trout like a crown for a king, but the accompanying tomato hollandaise sauce was a surprising addition to this impressive entree. Yukon mashed potatoes and greens were splendid supplements.

Dessert? Well suffice it to say we really wanted to sink our teeth into the confectionate selections that Dish! had to offer. The portions turned out to be just precisely what we needed to cap off our night. The heavy richness of Lisa's award winning flourless chocolate torte and the peanut butter mousse pie with chocolate fudge bottom served to be the perfect final act of this culinary passion play. The torte certainly packed a punch. For those searching for rich, yet masterfully created chocolate you really should try it.

Of course if you happen not to be interested in dessert you might want to choose from a list that ranges from specialized cocktails or DISHtinis to champagne or dessert wines, or the restaurant's expansive selection of red and white wines. No matter what, with such a range of taste and flavor and wonderful service at the customer's disposal, you'll likely fall deeply in love with DISH!

DISH!, 26 Baltimore Avenue, is open year-round. Call 302-226-2112 for reservations or visit www.dishrehoboth.com.

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 15, No. 8 July 1, 2005