Palate Is Savory On the Palate
Stopped by Palate Restaurant, Route One (in the Safeway Center) the other day, and had an exceptional dining experience. The small bistro has an eclectic menu, offering seafood, brisket, burgers, vegetarian dishes, and so much more from their creative kitchen.
The intimate, comfortable restaurant, tucked into a row of stores and other restaurants is owned by Lorraine and Gary Papp. An offshoot of the extremely popular Palate Catering company, it serves the Papp’s great cuisine with locally sourced vegetables, and ingredients.
Since I was lunching, I was delighted to discover that the Palate menu is the same for lunch and dinner, so I could sample dishes from both meals. For starters, we tried the house made Country Paté (Lorraine’s recipe) with smoked bacon wrapped duck and pork terrine, summer berry chutney paired with a fresh baguette, and sharp mustard. It couldn’t have been better if I was sitting in a Paris restaurant.
And while it’s not the Whistle Stop Café from Fannie Flagg’s book, the Palate fried green tomatoes, crab, and Southern Pimento Cheese Bruschetta, with spicy aioli, and black hog farm micro greens atop toasted bread is rightfully one of their signature dishes.
Moving on to entrees, we sampled the Red Snapper—baked with lemon, lemon basil, capers, citrus honey, cranberry, and apricot with wild rice. The perfectly cooked fish was accompanied and complemented by the creative and savory sauce.
The vegetarian eggplant with cheese was something I might not ordinarily have ordered, but it sounded so appealing on the menu—and turned out to be just wonderful. Another vegetarian offering is the Palate Crafted Vegetarian Bean Burger made from sesame ginger pistachio, chestnut limas, hemp seed patty, spicy aioli, toasted brioche bun, or mixed greens salad platter.
In addition, their entrees include Eastern Shore Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, Sesame Soba Noodle Bowl with spring vegetables, edamame, scallion, and soy sauce, Pecan Chicken and Hattie’s Baby Arugula Salad, Bourbon Brown Sugar Slow Braised Beef Brisket with red-eye gravy, Chesapeake Seafood Stew with fresh fish, clams and mussels, Skillet Seared Duck Breast, and Baby Lamb Lollipop Chops.
On the appetizer list: the Shellfish Steam Pot—Stella Artois lager steamed shrimp, clams, Prince Edward Island mussels, lemon, basil, in garlic butter is reportedly often ordered as an entrée with the famous Palate Wedge Salad.
Another salad I am determined to try next time is the Grain Bowl with summer lentil tabouleh, pickled watermelon, tri color quinoa with mint, lemon, baby spinach, whole grain wild rice salad with sun dried fruits, organic lettuces, and black hog farm micro greens.
As for those greens and other vegetables, they are all from local farmers, so fresh that a new, direct from the field supply arrived as we were dining.
Owner/Chef Gary Papp is ably supported in the kitchen by Chef Gretchen Herr; our waitperson Valerie served us with a winning combination of knowledge, professionalism, and friendliness. It so happened that a quartet of our friends also chose Palate for lunch that day and they were having a delightful meal as well, enjoying the brisket entrée, crab cakes, and (at our suggestion) the Paté and Fried Green Tomatoes.
Apart from the outstanding food, the décor boasts beautiful hand-made quilts by fabric artist, Craig Matthews, created especially for Palate. There’s a sweet bar in the dining room, some of the seating is on a long wooden pew along one wall (with cushions!), and overall the place has more of a country feel than a beachy place.
Of course, especially at this time of year, there is plenty of parking as another very positive attribute for Palate.
I hope you give it a try and tell me how you enjoyed those fried green tomatoes!
Palate Bistro & Catering is located in the Safeway Shopping Center, 19266 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach. Call 302-249-8489 or visit Palate online.