Photography By Kirsten Beckerman
Plein Talk
The Preservation Forge building in Lewes just got a new tenant. Above the blacksmith shop is a small, ultra cozy art studio, complete with potbelly stove and exposed rafters, that’s now the studio of plein air painter Denise Dumont.
Last year, the former illustrator and graduate of Parsons School of Design traded a corporate post on Wall Street to paint full time. “The plein air bug bit me really hard,” says Dumont. Dumont’s landscapes and seascapes, many images of local spots, as well as of Montana, Maine, and Europe, are awash in earthy tones and moody skies. Her work, which also includes portraits and still life, is for sale in her studio and range from $500 to $1,500. Her work is also found at Bishop’s Stock Gallery in Snow Hill (410-632-3555). Open by appointment only. The Preservation Forge Bldg., 114 W. Third St., 2nd floor, Lewes, Del. 302-245-6258 or http://www.denisedumont.com. — K.B.
Go Blue
Sleeping in downtown Lewes just got a little more sophisticated with the opening of Hotel Blue, the brand new “adult” boutique hostelry on the beach side of the canal. The three-story hotel boasts sixteen suites, all with balconies and sleek designs, including a cobalt blue roof, curved walls, and contemporary interior colors. Summer views from the rooftop pool, with a fireside grotto for cool nights, might only be topped by the fireplaces in each room — perfect for even winter romantic getaways. 302-645-6880 or http://www.hotelblue.info. — Kathy H. Ely
Go Fish
You’ll find a tasty new restaurant, Fish On!, in an unfortunately hideous barracks-like building in the Villages of Five Points Town Center, a booming residential-retail development near the intersection of Coastal Highway and Savannah Road. Despite its less-than-picturesque setting, Fish On! has been receiving rave reviews for what’s going inside the space. Its handsome “industrial beach” interior — exposed pipes, gray concrete floor, and fishing poles cleverly sprouting in pots of sand like some sort of new beach plant — makes up for its lackluster exterior. Seafood naturally plays the starring role here: choose from a Lewes seafood stew, jumbo shrimp with chorizo sausage and spicy grits, or the steamed fish of the day, prepared simply with olive oil and sea salt. Patio dining is also available, but be warned: You’ll get a whiff of asphalt with your mahi-mahi. 17300 N. Village Main Blvd., Lewes, 302-645-9790 or http://www.fishon.bz — J.S.
Ciao Bella
“One of my customers calls it ‘estrogen heaven,’” says Janice Elder of her feminine boutique, Bella Luna. “I didn’t mean for it to be so girly, but the guys’ stuff got pushed back and back.” What you’ll find here are items for a girl’s “home, body, and soul” as the store’s tagline goes. Think delicate touches for the beach house — laundry and bed linen scents in lavender, passionfruit-scented candles, retro prints — but also great evening bags and pocketbooks, including fantastically colorful designs made from vintage material by Severna Park native Michelle Cooley. There are also several counters full of reasonably priced jewelry. “It looks like the jewelry they have at Nordstrom’s for $130, but here it’s $30,” says Elder. Sounds like heaven to us. 127 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 302-227-0267. — J.S.
All Jazzed Up
Don’t let the old-fashioned white-clapboard exterior fool you. What’s going inside Rehoboth’s 59 Lake is comparable to any glitzy Manhattan hot spot. Local designer Bryant Hastie has transformed the once sedate Third Edition restaurant site into a chic and sexy supper club. Bold reds, oranges, and yellows adorn the walls, while red-shaded halogen lamps dangle above the bar — which will assuredly evolve into one of the summer’s most happening scenes. Live jazz music — and dancing! — ups the fun factor on weekends; a piano player sets the mood on other nights of the week. Unfortunately, the pricey fusion cuisine, which wanders from red snapper with tomato and saffron oil to rack of lamb and goat cheese fondue, was as bland as sand on our first visit — admittedly just a week after the restaurant’s opening. Here’s hoping Scottish-born chef Ross Fraser’s creations will eventually equal Hastie’s handsome design. Open daily for breakfast and dinner. 59 Lake Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 302-226-5900 or http://www.59lake.com. — J.S.
Good To Go
Sure, Rehoboth Beach has a wealth of ice cream shops and pizza joints, but there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to healthy “fast food” on or near the boardwalk. Thanks to Beach Pack Wraps, beachgoers can now grab a healthier lunch to go, like the barbecue chicken wrap, teriyaki chicken wrap, and the veggie lovers wrap (loaded with spring mix greens, portobello mushrooms, and sprouts in a raspberry vinaigrette), in wheat or plain tortillas. Figure-minded condiments include cucumber sauce, mango chutney, avocado, and hummus — not-so-healthy choices include the Philly cheese steak wrap and grilled Reuben wrap. Kids in tow? Opt for the peanut butter and jelly — and since Beach Pack Wraps shares space with a TCBY, they’ll appreciate the stop all the more. 160 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 302-226-7801. — K.B.
Burn Baby, Burn!
It’s such fun to sit on the boards and people-watch while snacking on summer treats: Thrasher’s fries, a slice (or two) of Grottos’ pizza, Dolle’s caramel corn. Just don’t look down, lest your thighs ruin all the fun.
Don’t wait until you get back home to hit the gym. Simply head north on the boardwalk until you find the Body Shop, likely one of the only workout spots in the Mid-Atlantic where you can make tracks on the treadmill while watching the waves crash on the beach. Owners Roseann and Pat McGeehin’s boutique-sized gym is replete with loads of equipment as well as a massage therapist, tanning bed, and four certified personal trainers, who are ready to make you burn — and we’re not talking about UV rays. Day rate $12; weekly $40; seasonal (5/16-9/7, $169.One-hour session with a personal trainer, $50. Boardwalk & Virginia Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del. 302-226-0920 or http://www.rehoboth.com/bodyshop. — K.B.
Cottage Industry
“Shabby chic meets French country meets the beach” is how Shelly Kennedy describes The Cottage, her home accessories boutique. The tiny space on Lewes’s main drag is lined with toile touches, Lollia bath foams, aromatic linen bags, scented soaps and candles, and colorful Elizabeth W tissue box covers. We especially like the funky throw pillows constructed by a local artist from forties and fifties tea towels. 142 2nd Street, Lewes, 302-644-1544. — J.S.
Yee Ha!
Surfer girls will dig the beach babe emporium, Saltwater Cowgirl, owned by three twenty-something Rehoboth natives all mad about surfing culture — and clothes. Here you’ll find sassy minis, short-shorts, layered T’s, baby-doll tops, and cropped pants from labels such as BGBC Girl, Junk Food, and LeTigre. For the die-hard she-wave riders, they also stock Crossland and Lost surfboards as well as wet-suits. Non-surfer girls will enjoy their assortment of beaded jewelry, woven and beaded belts, sequined clutches, vintage picture frames, and bath products from Side Saddle, whose Dance Hall body wash label reminds us “A gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do.” Open daily. 146 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 302-227-1917. — K.B.
Links by the Bay
The Delaware developer of Sea Colony and Village at Bear Trap has done it again. Bayside, a new golf/water resort community near Fenwick Island, consists of more than fifteen hundred homesites, from townhouses to grand estates overlooking the golf course on Assawoman Bay. The Jack Nicklaus designed links, which open this August, feature water on each of the eighteen holes, with wetlands and unique “pot bunkering” reminiscent of the great Scottish courses. (A nine-hole mini-course is also included in a special teaching area.) For info, visit http://www.livebayside.com. — K.H.E.
Cotton Company
Little Lewes just got a lot more fashionable thanks to Cotton Company, a casual woman’s boutique where the theme is comfort and the style contemporary. Must-have items include colorful linen separates by Cotton Club, capris and jeans by French Dressing, and a bounty of strappy sundresses. Beach-ready wear ranges from floppy hats to straw tote bags. And what’s an outfit without accessories? Check out their bejeweled brooches and bracelet and scarf watches. 103 Second St., Lewes. 302-644-2321. — K.B.
French Toasts
Nage gets our vote for best new restaurant at the beach. Open since last spring, the French bistro already has a devoted clientele who stop by regularly for chef Kevin Reading’s truffled oyster stew, seared pork tenderloin with butternut squash crepe, and whole roasted bronzini. A three-course pre-fixe dinner ($28) spelled out nightly on a blackboard might be the best deal of the house. The attractive space — also designed by Bryant Hastie, the creative mastermind behind 59 Lake — strikes the right balance between sophistication and comfort: a row of booths surround the square space and small bar, and diners can watch Chef Reading do his thing through the open kitchen. Open daily for lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. 19730 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth, 302-226-2037 or http://www.nage.bz. — J.S.
Bright and Breezy
Beach house needing a décor pick-me-up? A piece of art by Aubre Duncan of Aubre’s Watercolors just might do the trick. Her original works are mostly large-scale (up to three-by-five feet) and sell for $425 to $5,000 (she also sells reproductions of her originals) in her in-home studio. Local surfside themes dominate: chairs and cabanas on the beach, dunes at sunset, a dock under a starry night, boats in the harbor — all in bold, exhilarating primary colors. See Duncan’s work at her show, Double Take, at the Peninsula Gallery in Lewes (July 2-August 3) or at Beach House Gallery in Bethany Beach (443-326-3996) and What’s This What’s That in St. Michaels (410-745-6699). Call for an appointment. 171 Willow Oak Ave., Ocean View, 302-537-4171 or http://www.aubre.com. — K.B.
Massage with a View
Smart folks. Carolyn and Paul Novakoski (she’s a massage practitioner formerly with Rehoboth’s Bellmoor Hotel and Spa) found a niche in Bethany Beach by opening the town’s only spa, Oceanova, the Spa at Ocean View. Now massage-junkies and wax-a-holics in BB can get their bodies polished, peeled, and pampered without having to make the half hour, traffic-riddled drive north or south.
With eight treatment rooms, the spa offers twelve types of massage ($40-$110), eleven body treatments ($75-$95), a whopping sixteen facials using top-of-the-line Yonka products ($20-$120), and manicures and pedicures. Rainy day at the beach? Book a half-day spa package, like the Lady’s Spa Retreat, with massage, facial, and anti-cellulite sea salt treatment. What to do with the other half of your day? Go shopping, of course. Lunch provided with packages with 48-hours notice. 17 Atlantic Ave., Ste. 1, Ocean View, 302-537-2313 or http://www.oceanovaspa.com. — K.B.
More Beach News:
North Bethany’s Red Fin Seafood Grill is being revamped by the folks who operate Lewes’s Fish On! Look for them to keep a similar menu, but operate under a new name — Blue Coast. Also look for the ever-expanding restaurant operation to debut a “New England-style” seafood restaurant, NorthEast Seafood Kitchen, in Ocean View — The venerable Rose and Crown on Second Street in Lewes has been sold and will open with a new fishy theme, Jerry’s Seafood — Another Lewes favorite, Striper Bites, has nearly doubled in size — Lewes’s Savannah Café offers “casual fine dining” — sandwiches, salads, and seafood and meat entrees — in the Villages of Five Points Town Center. It also has a convenient storefront carry-out — Antique dealers extraordinaire Bill McGee and John Roman have moved their antiques and decorative accessories business, Circa Home, to 142 Second Street in Lewes — In Rehoboth, the Finbar opens adjacent to Dogfish Brewery, and Fins (no relation), another seafood outpost, opens down the street — The funky Purple Parrot Grill has moved to a new space at 134 Rehoboth Avenue. Look for the same over-the-top island décor — Fenwick Island’s Nantucket’s has undergone a total renovation, adding a cathedral ceiling, lobster red walls, a tap room, and flat screen TVs that play old movies — And at Indian River Inlet’s Hook ‘Em & Cook ‘Em, anglers can buy bait and fishing gear, and then have staff members fillet and steam their catch on the spot. — J.S.
