Joe Mack at Double Dippers

Tastes of the Town

Spring has sprung, Groupons are expiring and the winter deals are disappearing!

Now what? With all the new places in town to try, and several of the old favorites sprucing up for the new season there are plenty of wonderful dining experiences waiting for you!

If you’ve never spent a Thursday evening at Café Azafran on Baltimore Avenue, run, don’t walk. Holly Lane bartends and sings, to the keyboard magic of John Flynn. Not only does she mix a mean Cosmo, but her ability to sing while she does it is extraordinary. From bouncy Parisian cabaret music to ballads from the American Songbook, she’s a terrific entertainer. Thursday is Steak Night—good food, good price. It’s a winner.

Visited Espuma recently—it had been a while and I had a lovely evening there with friends. Bravo for the Paella and the unusual amuse bouche of bacon, scallions, and ricotta mousse on a spoon. Tapenade fans will appreciate the collaboration of black olives, roasted garlic, and white bean puree. And the service was professional and friendly—good combo.

You can take the girl out of Maryland, but I crave hard shell crabs! Haven’t tried the new place that took over for Jimmy Lynn’s (which I adored), but I will—hear the crabs are good. I know the crabs are good at Surfing Crab because I dug into a dozen on Sunday night. If you are going to pay ridiculous prices for crabs (and they are about the same everywhere) you might as well have great ones—and they were great on Sunday night at Surfing Crab. The place was slammed, as hordes of people had the same idea as I did on that gorgeous day. But even though they were sold out of large crabs, the slightly smaller ones were heavy and perfectly cooked. Worth the picking!

Leftovers from our order went home, and I sat by myself at my kitchen counter the next day, mallet and seafood fork in hand, having a great lunch break away from the computer.

Welcome home to Ken and Carmel at Iguana Grill…had a late-night Margarita and some super chicken wings last Friday night after an event at CAMP Rehoboth. They’ve branched out with their menu and I cannot wait to go back and try some of the new items. A summer night on the porch, surveying all the action on Baltimore Avenue, is one of my favorite pastimes. If you see me hanging out there, wave.

Another late-night venue is a(MUSE). We stopped by there after a Women’s FEST event and tried items on their late night menu. They have $5 and $10 items, like a soup or beet salad and it is always unique and a(MUSE)ing. I adored the paté on the late menu.

And then there’s breakfast. When was the last time you were at Robin Hood? I love going there for early morning meetings, or after walking the boards on sunny days. The food is reliably good, the staff is friendly, and Nikki and Kosta make you feel welcome. I’ve been hanging out there for more than 20 years, and I was surprised recently to see some new décor—great wall art and things. Good for them! And if you happen to be there for lunch, they make a killer BLT.

And finally, Double Dippers is back! With their delicious Hershey’s ice cream, it’s a great nightcap. I had the opportunity to check out the Double Dippers in Wilton Manor near Fort Lauderdale this winter. It was fun saying hello to owner Joe Mack and seeing a bit of home on vacation. When you visit the First Street location here in Reho, try the Mint Moosetracks. Awesome.