Nage Reinvented
Grab your fork, order a flask (or in my case a Moscow Mule in a copper cup) and get thee to Happy Hour at the newly renovated and reinvigorated Nage off Route One next to Outlet Liquors.
The famed culinary hotspot has built on its glorious reputation and undergone a top to bottom reinvention, new décor, new menu, and a complete new configuration of the space. And the results are stunning.
Now called Fork and Flask at Nage, I visited the brand new bar at Happy Hour twice in the last couple of weeks and discovered late-afternoon nirvana.
First, my favorite Rehoboth Beach bartender, Ginger Breneman, formerly of Mixx, has transferred her mixology magic to Nage. Her friendly face behind the bar, in concert with the rest of the crackerjack bartending team (“Proper cocktails done right!”) does a lot to make it a welcoming place.
How can you go wrong with $5 cocktails like the Ruby Red and Cucumber Gimlet? Want some red, white or bubbly? $5. Natty Boh as well as Yeungling, Coors Light, and a Craft Beer of the Week are just $3. That puts the happy in happy hour.
Then there are the bar specials—new Happy Hour Bites (In the bar only, 4-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday), most priced between $4 and $6, including Crab Croquettes with Caper Cocktail Sauce, Lamb Tartare, Hummus with Lavash Chips, Honey Wings, and more. You can make a meal of it with their Country Fried Chicken Sliders ($7), Classic Nage Burger ($8), or Vegetable Pad Thai ($9). Add to that a wide array of cheeses and crackers, fried olives, oysters asiago, and much more.
We sampled as much as we could on two visits and give it all a thumbs up. In fact, as we sat, and enjoyed, lots of Letters readers we know trickled in, having discovered the Nage Happy Hour before we did and putting it at the top of their list for Happy Hour gatherings.
As for the bar libations themselves, the wine by the glass list is extensive, the classic cocktails list is long too (next time, I want to try the “Friggin’ Delicious,” a concoction of vodka, fig, and tea, or the “Cuban”—rum, champagne, lime and mint). They offer a ton of Tequila selections and take their mixology seriously.
Another bit of good news is that Fork and Flask offers a late-night menu. You can have food until 1 a.m., which, in my previous world as a theatre person, was a life-saver. With all the theatre-goers and performers in our area, Nage can now be the after-theatre hangout. They have a special late-night menu, similar to the Happy Hour one, but with Bacon Tater Tots, which sounds like the perfect late night pick-me-up. At that hour, the Moody Blue or Beemster Gouda might be just the ticket too. I’m curious about the That’ll Do Ewe…next time! Of course, there’s the Thai Lobster Roll ($19) too. Plenty of choices.
Stay tuned to this space for my return visit to sample the dinner menu at the newly launched Fork and Flask at Nage. Executive Chef Sean Corea and sous chef Joe Charles are sure to have some farm to table (the list of farms and their locations are on the menu) magic for diners as well.
Now if the bar manager will stock the blueberries and ingredients needed for Ginger to make me my Faytini, all will be absolutely perfect.
See you at Happy Hour at Fork and Flask at Nage!