The Dewey Beach culture tends toward bar-hopping and flip-flops, Grotto’s Pizza and beer. But how far away it all seems sitting at a golden silk-canopied table on the beach at Venus on the Half Shell. “There was definitely room in Dewey for a restaurant and bar like this,” says owner Justine Carpenter, who also runs Rehoboth’s Planet X. “We’re trying to fill a gap for fine dining and an atmosphere that’s a little more urban and arty.”
Safe to say that there’s nothing like this place for miles, with its blend of Persian and Chinese décor. Oriental silk and beaded velvet fabrics cover glass-topped tables. Seating varies from wicker chairs to cushion-backed, pillow-covered benches. Atop one of the two long tables, able to seat up to fifteen people, sits a massive bust of Buddha. Palm leaf-style ceiling fans swirl above, while ornately framed mirrors pepper the walls, and candles, mounted on tall, wooden holders, are everywhere. “I did the design myself,” says Carpenter, who, through a separate business, has done catering for hundreds of bands, including Sting, Green Day, and Harry Connick, Jr. The two-tiered open dining room is made even airier by the wall of sliding glass doors opening up to a patch of beach. A handful of tables overlook the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal—and incredible sunsets.
On a busy weekend night, a young corps of trim, black-and-white clad servers sporting hip accessories, from dreadlocks to skirts unappetizingly worn below the hips, dart around, energized by the beat of European trip-hop music spun by Pakistan-native DJ Shah inside a temple-like hut next to the entrance.
Any questions about the wine list should be addressed to Bill Galbraith, an oenophile as well as the restaurant’s manager. These are urban prices, with bottles from $24 (Jacobs Creek Chardonnay) to $190 (Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet) and a couple of by-the-glass selections in the $6 to $11 range. We got caught for $11 for absent-mindedly ordering the Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio.
Smart restaurants have joined the grazing craze with “small plates,” and Venus’s executive chef, Paul Lowe, a thirty-five-year-old graduate of Johnson and Wales and an alumnus of Rehoboth’s Chez la Mer and Planet X, has created a nice selection of these mini-dinners.
From this menu we were amazed by the outstanding crab cake, made with jumbo lump meat and lightly bound with a mild curry sauce; spicy aioli sauce was on the side. We pronounced the seafood salad “phenomenal,” a pretty mix of delicate baby greens, fresh veggies, and topped with several massive grilled shrimp and scallops coated with a lemon-basil vinaigrette. But the hands-down, absolute best choice was the stacked eggplant, a stunningly delicious tower of eggplant slices (skins seared to produce a wonderful crunch) layered with a rich tomato sauce and creamy boursin cheese. It looked like a mini birthday cake and was big enough—but too good—to share.
While Venus on the Half Shell seeks the prize for first-rate seafood, on our first visit the kitchen had a timid hand with the seasonings for a few of its dishes and was shy with the sauces. The New England clam chowder (the soup changes daily) was bland, helped along with an infusion of corn kernels but otherwise quite ordinary; likewise the entrée of grilled shrimp and scallops served with corn and crab risotto. While the quality of the seafood was impeccable, this dish needed more than its scanty side of ancho chili sauce to give it some pizzazz and interest. We had the same reaction to the tempura-fried lobster tail served with nutty basmati rice and snow peas. Everything was fresh, the presentation was pretty, but there was just a suggestion of the mustard sauce promised on the menu, and the food was lukewarm upon arrival. And at these prices, one has a right to expect something really special on the plate. (We’ve since learned that most of these dishes, including the chowder, have been taken off the menu.)
By our second visit, the entrees had already improved. The grilled seafood platter was outstanding: massive grilled shrimp and scallops, half a lobster tail, and refreshing homemade coleslaw topped with poppy seeds. The grilled mahi-mahi served with a gazpacho sauce, mango-kiwi salsa, and topped with two strips of fried plantains was also perfectly prepared. Its combination of warm and cool was just right.
As for the desserts, the crème brûlée surpassed all standards for this cliché dessert. Presented in a good-sized ceramic ramekin, the crunchy caramelized topping was a perfect foil for the wonderfully creamy custard. We suspect this is one of Chef Lowe’s masterpieces, made in the French style he knows so well. The fried banana cheesecake, wrapped in a lightly fried tortilla served with a pineapple sauce, was equally scrumptious.
Venus on the Half Shell is well worth trying for its spectacular décor, impressive setting, enthusiastic service, and fresh seafood. The Carpenter-Lowe team has great promise and excellent individual track records. We wish them well in their bold effort to bring a global perspective to Dewey Beach.
Mary Lou Baker has been a food and travel writer for more than twenty years.
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