A Polished Dinner Out in Rehoboth With Porch Drinks and Ambitious Plates

A lemon basil martini is a fine way to settle into an evening here: cool, bright and a little more distinctive than the usual pre-dinner pour. It also sets the tone for a Rehoboth restaurant that manages to be polished without becoming stiff, with carefully prepared food, a substantial wine list and several appealing places to sit.

The cooking has an old-school dining-room sensibility, but the menu is not content to play it safe. Duck, rabbit, scallops, halibut, beef tenderloin, foie gras and sweetbreads all give dinner some range beyond the expected resort-town choices. Dishes are prepared from scratch, with the sort of composed presentation that suits a lingering dinner rather than a quick stop between beach plans.

It works easily for a date night or birthday dinner, but it is not limited to special occasions. Friends can share a spread of starters, settle into a bottle of wine and let the evening stretch a little.

Start with the appetizers if the table is in the mood to explore. Crab ravioli, tuna, grilled octopus, foie gras, salads and veal sweetbreads have all appeared among the choices, making it easy to build a first course around familiar favorites and a few less ordinary detours.

The ravioli has a delicate character, while crab ravioli gives the opening course a more coastal direction. Sweetbreads are the order for diners who enjoy the richer, more adventurous side of a menu; they are a welcome sight in a town where many dinner menus stay close to seafood and steaks.

Salads get more attention than a simple side note deserves. The golden beet salad and English pea salad have both stood out, offering a fresher counterpoint before the deeper flavors of a main course.

Rabbit shows up in more than one form, including rabbit bolognese, while duck gives the menu another satisfying choice for diners ready to move beyond the usual fish-or-steak decision. Lobster linguine and halibut keep a foot in coastal territory, and scallops offer an elegant middle ground.

For a more classic fine-dining plate, pan-seared beef tenderloin comes with potato gratin. The combination is comforting but not casual, and the tenderloin has been noted for arriving at the requested temperature—a small detail that matters when a meal is built around a good piece of beef.

The broad selection is useful for a mixed table. One person can order halibut, another can lean toward rabbit or sweetbreads, and nobody has to pretend that a single style of cooking is the whole point of the meal.

The house lemon basil martini is the drink to know, especially on a warm evening before dinner moves outdoors or after a walk through town. Basil gives it a savory, garden-fresh edge without taking it into novelty-cocktail territory.

Pear martinis offer another fruit-forward option, while the wine list is extensive enough to support a long dinner. It has a reputation for offering good quality without pushing every bottle into special-occasion pricing.

After dessert, or in place of it, there is the House Coffee: a large, strong dessert drink for anyone who prefers coffee and a little kick to a final slice of cake. A flaming coffee cocktail provides a more theatrical finish when the occasion calls for one.

Crème brûlée, chocolate torte, bread pudding and key lime pie give the dessert menu a pleasingly traditional finish. These are the kinds of choices that invite a table to order a few and pass forks around.

The House Coffee belongs in this conversation too. It can be the final course for diners who have had their fill of sweets but are not quite ready to leave the table.

The dining spaces are varied enough to change the character of the evening. There is indoor seating and a bar, along with porch seating, patio or terrace tables and an elevated second-floor deck.

The terrace has a tree covered in lights, a simple detail that gives outdoor dinner a memorable backdrop. The second-floor deck has the tucked-above-the-street appeal of an elegant treehouse, while the porch is bright and lovely for a meal that calls for fresh air but not a full open-sky setting.

For groups, outdoor tables have accommodated larger gatherings, including parties of more than 20. Seating arrangements and availability can vary, of course, but the restaurant has enough distinct spaces to suit more than the standard two-top.

Brunch has its own rhythm here. Coffee, tea, mimosas and Bloody Marys arrive before the main event, along with bread and scones set on the table—a civilized opening for a late-morning meal.

Omelets and composed brunch dishes provide the core of the menu. A pear-and-Cambozola omelet is an especially interesting sweet-savory choice, pairing fruit with the pungent richness of blue cheese.

Even chicken salad can take a more considered form, presented between two slices of tomato rather than as a conventional sandwich. It is a small example of the kitchen giving familiar food a little more attention.

Reservations are commonly recommended for brunch, busy dinner periods and larger parties. That is particularly sensible if the porch, terrace or deck is part of the plan, since those tables are naturally limited.

Paid street parking is available, though a space can be difficult to find. The restaurant's operating days may change; a recent schedule listed Thursday through Sunday, so it is worth confirming current hours before making plans.

The service is attentive and knowledgeable, particularly when it comes to explaining dishes and drinks. Diners with dietary restrictions should ask directly about current options and modifications: the kitchen has been described as following a strict no-substitutions approach, while vegan and vegetarian choices may be limited.