LIFE

Lobster rolls a beach hit; Chicken House mourned

Patricia Talorico
The News Journal

When temperatures crept into the 80s on Tuesday, it seemed like almost everyone was playing hooky in Rehoboth Beach, a sleepy Sussex County resort town no more.

Seasonal T-shirt businesses came to life, bikinis were out in full force and the high-pitched screech of circular saws from local construction almost drown out noisy, cackling gulls.

About one in every three people seemed to walking dogs (tail waggers are allowed on the beach and boardwalk until May 1). It was tough finding an open parking spot on Rehoboth Avenue (free until the meters go into effect May 26). Queues were long for popular foods like buckets of salty, vinegary Thrasher’s Fries and twisted cones of creamy Kohr Bros. frozen custard.

But beach visitors weren’t just looking for boardwalk fries, pizza and ice cream. Another food vendor that seemed to have a steady flow of traffic throughout the day was the new Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls shop at 67 Rehoboth Ave. (It’s next to Nicola Pizza.)

Lobster rolls, New England’s hand-held heirloom food, are having a heyday like no other seafood sandwich. Well, given this is prime crab cake country, maybe the lobster roll is the second most popular shellfish sandwich.

The classic lobster roll is $14.99. It's a blend of tail and claw meat on a toasted buttery roll lightly slathered with mayonnaise and top with a lemony butter. We also got a side of potato salad and bottle of root beer.

My favorite lobster rolls in Delaware have been found at the Henlopen City Oyster House at 50 Wilmington Ave. in Rehoboth, and George & Sons’, a seafood market at 1216 Old Lancaster Pike in Hockessin, which has a raw bar and casual eatery.

Last summer, we also discovered a plethora of lobster rolls at various locations including Wilmington’s Trolley Square Oyster House; Chesapeake & Maine, the Rehoboth eatery from the founders of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Matt’s Fish Camp in north Bethany Beach and Lewes; the seasonal Fishkiller’s Lobster Shack, 32805 Vines Creek Road (Del. 26), about three miles east of Dagsboro or six miles west of Bethany Beach; Twining’s Lobster Shanty on Del. 54 in Fenwick Island; Striper Bites in Lewes; and as a Friday special at Harry’s Fish Market + Grill at Wilmington’s Riverfront Market.

Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls in Rehoboth opened in March and it is a spin-off of another location in Annapolis, Maryland. It’s a fast-casual eatery: You order at the counter and pick up the food. Take-out also is available. It’s open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls is a new business on Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth Beach.

The dining room, with seating for couples and groups of four and more, has glass slider doors which were wide open during my visit. You can feel the breeze from the nearby ocean and, if you want, fist bump a sidewalk passerby. I have a feeling this place is going to become even more popular as summer approaches. Eating fresh seafood near the sea never seems to go out of style.

If you don’t want to eat inside, take your lobster roll and plant yourself on one of the many boardwalk benches facing the ocean or at the Rehoboth Beach bandstand. Just watch out for those greedy gulls.

I got the classic lobster roll ($14.99), 3 ounces of tail and claw meat bundled onto a crisp, toasted, buttery roll smeared lightly with mayonnaise. The rosy lobster meat, flown in from Maine, was fresh and sweet with a light drizzle of lemony butter. Bottles of locally owned Peppers hot sauce or Tabasco sauce are on the tables, but unless you’re a confirmed chilehead, it’s not needed. Let the shellfish shine on its own.

The lobster roll is a very satisfying meal, though, if you’re ravenous, definitely get some sides. There’s lobster bisque or New England clam chowder ($4-$6) as well as potato salad, cole slaw or Cape Cod chips ($1.50 each.) For $3 more, I added a cup of potato salad and a bottle of handcrafted Maine root beer that has wintergreen, clove and anise flavors. The potato salad, heavy on the mayonnaise, was pretty good, though the spuds were a little mushy. The caffeine-free soda, a very good chaser, could have been a tad colder.

At Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls in Rehoboth Beach, you order at the counter.

Next time, and there will be a next time, I’ll get the cole slaw and ask for a cup of ice for my root beer. The menu also includes lobster salad ($15), a “Connecticut” lobster roll ($14.99) which is served with warm butter; a “Lobster Salad roll” ($14.99) made with celery, mayonnaise and lemon dressing; and a Lobster BLT roll ($14.99).

Die-hard crab fans might be happy knowing they can order a crab roll ($14.99) or jumbo lump crab meat tossed with mayonnaise-celery-lemon-dressing. How is it? I don’t know. If I’m going to a lobster shack, I’m getting lobster. For more information, visit masonslobster.com

Now, onto the mailbag. Here’s a letter about a now-closed Peruvian eatery on Philadelphia Pike.

Is Peruvian eatery coming back?

At The former Chicken House Peruvian Cuisine on Philadelphia Pike, a half chicken is served with yellow rice and house salad. The spicy yellow chile pepper aji sauce always accompanies the chicken. The Penny Hill site closed, but there are locations in Newark and Middletown.

Can you please give an update on The Chicken House.

Last I remember reading in your column was that they were renovating their Philadelphia Pike location to reopen as a take-out and catering place. However, I now see their sign removed and a for-sale sign on their building!

Are they relocating in the area? We really enjoyed their food and would be disappointed if they won’t be close by anymore. Thanks for the help.

Kathy Thompson

The first Chicken House Charcoal Grill off Capitol Trail in Newark’s Red Mill Square Shopping Center was founded in June 2007 by Roberto Pacheco, a native of Cerro de Pasco in central Peru, located at the top of the Andean mountains, and his wife, Nancy. The star attraction is an aggressively seasoned rotisserie chicken served with an addictive, creamy, spicy yellow chile pepper (aji amarillo) sauce.

The Pachecos have said the recipe for the chicken known as pollo a la brasa has been in the family for at least three generations.

In August 2013, the Pachecos opened their second restaurant, The Chicken House Peruvian Cuisine at 1504 Philadelphia Pike. Their son Robert Pacheco said the restaurant did well the first year it opened, but business later tapered off and they did more take-out and catering. The family closed the 50-seat eatery in December 2016. They said they planned to reopen it in about three months for catering and takeout only.

In the meantime, they opened another Chicken House operation at 422 E. Main St. in Middletown. Roberto Pacheco said the family spent several months renovating the site for the more than 100-seat restaurant that has a fully operating bar.

According to the website, it seems as though they are now doing the catering at the Middletown site. And, you’re right, the Penny Hill location is for sale.

When I called the Middletown site on Wednesday, an employee said the Philadelphia Pike location was closed permanently. I would try the Newark or Middletown locations.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico