Greetings from Rehoboth Beach South
Well, it’s pretty hard to review a Rehoboth restaurant for this issue since I haven’t been in town since the beginning of February. But that doesn’t stop me from giving you a review of meals I have had as a bona fide first-timer snowbird. Especially since many, many of those meals have included bona fide Rehoboth Beach residents.
Our first stop was Ft. Lauderdale where we checked out its own Blue Moon—in this case the Blue Moon Fishing Company on the Intercoastal. We dined with Ladies 2000 guru Diane Lusk who loves piloting a boat up the waterways when she’s not in Rehoboth organizing fabulous events.
Then it was down to South Beach to visit a vacationing Natalie Moss and Evelyn Maurmeyer. Obviously, Natalie needed a break before tackling tax season. So we headed for Lincoln Road, a spot I hadn’t visited since my grandmother lived in the area in the 1960s. WELL! The elderly bubbies in their rocking chairs have been exchanged for a hot, hip, diverse throng of residents and visitors, gay pride abounding, Latino influences everywhere, clubs, upscale eateries and cool shopping exploding all up and down a successful pedestrian mall. Restaurant after restaurant offered outdoor seating, and the whole place had a fabulously joyous vibe. Rehoboth Commissioners, are you listening?
The four of us grazed at the rooftop bar at Juvia, Rosa Mexicana for guac, and a bustling sushi place for entrees. I can’t remember if we had ice cream, but if we didn’t, we wanted to.
Next, back in Fort Lauderdale, we met up with John Newton and Mowry Spencer for late lunch at Casablanca, caddy-corner from the gay beach. We sat upstairs, on a balcony overlooking both the ocean and the beach.
As we chowed down on wonderful Cuban sandwiches, Mediterranean salads and more, what to our wondering eyes did appear? Our friend Tony Burns with his ever-present camera and shopping bag of pictures! “Oh, I have pictures for you!” came his usual cry. So there we were, thousands of miles from home, holding up a copy of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth and being photographed together in Florida. We ran out of time in Ft. Lauderdale, and although we sampled a whole lotta places like Tropics; we regret not getting to Double Dipper’s South for some of Tom’s great Hershey ice cream.
From the East Coast we crossed Alligator Alley to visit Saint Petersburg and our friends Larry Hooker and Frank Gallagher. They showed us their town and we sampled more Floridian restaurants, like the marvelous Trip Diner for pancakes and Bella Brava for fresh and lightly blackened grouper sandwiches. We sampled Vietnamese food from La V and especially enjoyed the Taco Bus—an amazing establishment seen on foodie TV shows that is actually a school bus. Larry, always a wonderful chef, cooked for us, too, and that was a highlight as well.
Mt. Dora was a day trip, where we went to see our pal and fellow Letters writer Bill Sievert and his partner John. They used to have a Baltimore Avenue store called Splash if you recall, but now have relocated to Mt. Dora. Our host there, at the lovely Pisces Rising restaurant, was Dan O’Flaherty, another Rehoboth transplant. We had a blast, delicious Mojitos, and amazing food. Dan showed us the town he is so proud of, and we fell in love with it, too.
On Anna Maria Island outside of Sarasota with our Rehoboth contingent Evie Simmons, Barb Thompson, Nancy Hewish, and Vickie Martina we had a blast. We tried to eat more sensibly than we had for the past three weeks, as remaining the same size as the clothing we packed was of paramount importance. Even so, we sampled giant fried shrimp and beer at the Beach House, and crème brulle French toast at Mermaid Café.
The good news is that Bonnie cooked one night and made us her famed Chicken Picatta and a salad; When Evie cooked, we were treated to her signature lasagna and Caesar salad. But we are trying, we really are.
Now we are settling in at Carefree in Ft. Meyers where we plan to stay a month, see Rehoboth pals Joan Glass, MJ (Woody) Wood, Connie Benson, Faye Koslow and Lynne Gaites (and Schnauzer Cassie), and other gals from home. On our first night here we dined at the Smoke ‘n Pit, for the $9.99 Happy Hour dinner (I refuse to recognize it as the Early Bird) of ribs, beans and slaw. Oh, and drafts for 25 cents. Seriously!
It’s been a great culinary and friendship adventure. Yes, it’s been warm, don’t hate us. And yes, we now plan to dine on just leafy greens until we see you in April.