Short rib pizza and crab-lobster 'tower' help cure end-of-summer blues

The first day of fall isn't until Sept. 23, but a trip last weekend to the Delaware beaches already felt like summer 2018 had dropped the mic and left the building. 

Tourists still crowded the sand, but some open parking spots in downtown Rehoboth Beach, a rarity in July and through mid-August, told the story that the mass exodus to schools and colleges was already underway.

There also was a noticeable thinning of the herds at the popular Thrasher's fries and Kohr Bros. frozen custard stands.

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till, I liked the advice a Rehoboth server gave me during a visit to Eden restaurant at 23 Baltimore Ave.: The best time to visit the beach is in September. Beautiful weather, warm water, fewer people.

While Labor Day weekend always, sadly, spells the unofficial end of the season, I'll be back to Rehoboth soon. And when I do, I'm returning to Eden and eating the local crab and Maine lobster tower, one of my favorite dishes of the summer.

Eden Restaurant, a romantic, fine-dining, dinner-only eatery for nearly 20 years, has long offered this $19 appetizer, but it was a new-to-me experience.

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An excellent-to-share dish, (it was tweaked a few years ago by former Eden chef Andrew Feeley), it features layers of large chunks of cold lobster meat over top of creamy crab meat. The base of the molded tower is a fruity mango salsa and the plate is finished with swipe of cool, avocado crema.  

Pair it with the ahi tuna tartare ($14). This raw tuna appetizer has much more of a kick than the tower with its addition of Thai chilies and spicy mayonnaise. The kitchen also adds a good amount of crunch by blending the tuna with seaweed salad, scallions and cucumbers and topping the dish with crispy wontons. 

Tamp the spicy fire by splitting a bottle of Poema ‘Brut’ Cava ($29), a zesty sparkler from Spain with citrus flavors and subtle hints of crème brulee.

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Eden is open daily at 6 p.m. Call (302) 227-3330 or visit www.edenrestaurant.com/

Pizza! Pizza! 

Crust & Craft will celebrate its third anniversary this October and I'm kind of embarrassed to say I've only just recently visited the Rehoboth gourmet pizzeria. 

Better late than never. Actually, a photo of a braised short rib pizza with caramelized onions, chanterelle mushrooms and creamy Robiola cheese on Crust & Craft's Instagram account last Friday made me cancel dinner plans in downtown Rehoboth. I hopped in the car and immediately traveled to the restaurant at the Midway Galleria at 18701 Coastal Highway (Del. 1).

I needed that pizza, pronto.

Crust & Craft chef/owner Brenton Wallace specializes in 12-inch Neapolitan-style pizzas baked in a red-tiled Marana Forni wood-fired oven that can reach 900 degrees.

The dough is handmade. It's allowed to rest and age, if you will, for two days before it's used in pies.

Pizzas bake fast — usually in about 3 minutes — because of the high temperature of the oven. The crust isn't soggy in the middle and, you should know, the edges will be blistered and feature "leoparding," or charred spots, that pizza connoisseurs consider the gold standard for correctly cooked pies.  

The pizza ($18) that made me swoon was a nightly special combining fork-tender braised short rib, earthy, flavorful chanterelles and Robiola, a sweet, rich Italian soft-ripened cheese. Our server told us it was a combination of two previous pizza specials.

During our visit, customers in the bar area and dining room seemed to be locals, always a good sign in a resort town. The extensive beer list has many local brews and patrons can get craft cocktails, as well as red, white and sparkling wines by the glass. 

Crust & Craft is open year-round, and parking is free. Wallace, a veteran of Philadelphia restaurants, had once been a sous chef at chef Georges Perrier's now closed Brasserie Perrier. Before opening Crust & Craft, he had previously worked at both Nage and Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats. 

Crust & Craft is closed on Mondays. Hours: 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Call (302) 313-5029 or visit www.crustandcraftde.com/

View the surf and eat some turf

If you like your morning coffee with a side of surf and sand, check out Victoria's Restaurant at the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel on Olive Avenue in Rehoboth.

The eatery has a three-tiered dining area, but the best seats are under the blue-and-white striped awnings on the boardwalk patio. Few things are better than sitting in the shade, sipping a hot or cold drink at a table, listening to the squawks of seagulls and viewing the ocean and the daily parade of passersby.

You don't have to be a Boardwalk Plaza Hotel guest to eat at the restaurant. Victoria's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers a traditional Victorian afternoon tea. It's open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Call (302) 227-0615 or visit boardwalkplaza.com/dining/

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

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