The Back Porch Cafe

My family recently went on a lovely vacation to Bethany Beach, Delaware. A friend found out we were going and gave me a gift card to The Back Porch Cafe in Rehoboth, which is about a 30-minute drive north of Bethany. We had planned on cooking our own meals while on vacation, so this was a welcomed surprise since the Back Porch is known as a more gourmet destination in that area. We decided to make a reservation on Father’s Day for 11:00, when it opened, figuring it would be the best time to take a toddler.

The building is on the main strip in Rehoboth, amongst typical souvenir shops and a Hooters right across the street. The restaurant is charming, with a bright blue exterior and its entrance off of the street. A friendly dog greets you as you arrive.

Our brunch menu:

We started with the cheese and fruit plate, as we knew all three of us would enjoy it.  We were just a bit disappointed, as the two cheeses seemed pretty standard, but overall it was enjoyable (Anabel ate most of it).

Matt ordered a glass of the champagne from Domaine Carneros but this is what he got:

When we received our check we realized that it was the “Havana Daydream,” a very un-Matt-like drink, but he was a good sport about it. I got a very delicious Bloody Mary. I also took a chance and ordered the blue cheese and pear omelette.  I should have trusted my instincts and not ordered this.  I did not care for the combination of the sweet and syrupy pears in eggs, but maybe someone else would have really enjoyed this.  I also would have liked more cheese, but it was the same blue cheese as was on the cheese plate so it didn’t matter too much.  The eggs were more rubbery than fluffy.  The potatoes: perfection.  Crispy and chewy and almost burned, just the way I like them.

Matt loved his scallops and cleaned his plate. I, for one, can’t eat non-breakfast food before noon, so I didn’t try it, but he really enjoyed the flavors and the scallops were done well.

I was so happy to have a chance to try a fine-dining restaurant on our vacation, but I hope to go back some day for dinner to get a true feel for the place, and give them another chance at impressing me with their food.

Frickles

Frickles=fried pickles. Best. Appetizer. Ever. At the Hop Angel Brauhouse.  Good beers, too.

Green Eggs Cafe

We recently spent a lovely morning at Green Eggs Cafe celebrating Chad’s birthday. There are two locations: one in Northern Liberties and one in South Philly. We made the quick drive to NoLibs and found parking pretty easily at 9:30 on a Sunday morning.

With the no reservations policy, it was smart we got there as early as we did, as soon after we arrived the place filled up and a long line outside started to form. We were a party of eight plus one toddler. Unfortunately, the only available space was a table really made for six, and there was no room for a high chair, so Anabel took turns sitting on our laps. 

The ambience was a bit tense, as the servers waited for us to decide if we would stay in the cramped quarters or leave.  We decided to stay, and I almost felt the staff regret our decision.  There was a bit of a hoity toity air about the place, but maybe I’ve just been in the burbs for too long and am overly sensitive to center city attitudes.  We did notice the interesting item menu below–if you can’t make it out through the blur, it is a “Carafe of Valencia Orange Juice served with a complimentary bottle of prosecco” for $30.  Huh.

Adding to the feeling of being annoying customers, the sign below also didn’t help us to feel any more welcomed.

I do understand the problem of a wait, but I don’t see any other local brunch hot spots being so obvious–nothing on the tables at the Morning Glory Diner, at least the last time I checked.

In any case, all of the food was amazingly delicious.  My stuffed french toast (below) was truly a treat and I took half of it home as leftovers.  Which brings me to my next gripe.

Yes, the establishment has an eco-conscious philosophy, but charging for a take out container? Really? If I had known, I would have brought my own Tupperware. 

I think that the management here is just a little too up tight. I can see how the local NoLibs crowd would flock to a place as trendy as the Green Eggs Cafe but this old school gal probably won’t be going back, no matter how good their food is and earth conscious they are.