BETHANY BEACH, Del. -- If Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island deserve their self-proclaimed title as the "quiet resorts," maybe it's because their restaurants have always lived up to that billing -- relatively few and scattered with modest ambitions.
Until recently, that is.
Slowly but steadily the least hectic of the peninsula's beach towns have started to generate some buzz among the restaurant-going public. Their fine dining compares to the best of their northerly neighbor Rehoboth Beach, while a suprisingly wide diversity of specialty and family-friendly restaurants have popped up, too.
Libby Kaufman of Potomac thinks Bethany's Sedona restaurant is as good as any dining spot near her home in Montgomery County and a vast improvement over what little there was in Bethany when she and her husband bought their beachfront condo in 1975.
"What was there 25 years ago wasn't much to speak about," she says. "But we love Sedona. It really has excellent food and wonderful service."
Locals credit the turnaround to two things -- an influx of affluent tourists that touched off a housing boom and an influx of food-service expertise to serve the growing numbers of summer (and year-round) vacationers. Much of both has come from the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
"Bethany is old school. It's basically become an extension of Montgomery County," says Matt Haley, co-owner of redfin, a seafood grill and market in Bethany and the former owner of a Bethesda restaurant.
Like Sedona, redfin's cool, spare surroundings are aimed at the kind of diners who expect white linens on their table and something more than fried fish sticks on their plates. The menu is Continental but with panache. One of the most popular entrees is potato-crusted halibut with wild mushroom veal demiglaze; the must-try appetizer is tempura battered fried baby lobster tail with a soy-ginger dipping sauce.
"We're trying to appeal to everyone and not just the corporate CEO," Haley says.
Not that Bethany doesn't attract its share of CEOs, too. Million-dollar beachfront homes are a common sight here and development is slowly creeping its way west along Route 26, overtaking small villages like Ocean View and Millville.
"A lot of the people who come here are used to a certain level of food and service and our restaurants are fulfilling that need," says Karen McGrath, executive director of the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce.
Sedona is a relatively small restaurant (78 seats), but its evolution symbolizes the changes taking place in Bethany. Ten years ago, the space was occupied by a pizza joint. It was purchased by Jonathan Spivak, a D.C. consultant and attorney headhunter with minimal restaurant experience who wanted to create an upscale Southwestern dinner spot.
Today, it's strictly fusion with entrees like Pan-Seared Loin of Rare Ahi Tuna with Asian slaw, ginger golden raisin sauce and fried won tons or Grilled Australian Lamp Chops with a sun-dried tomato veal-stock reduction, kalamata olive mashed potatoes and spring vegetables.
"People thought we'd never make it in Bethany. It was a quiet town that couldn't support fine dining," says Spivak, who also owns Fusion in Rehoboth. "But we get people from Baltimore, Washington, Wilmington and Philadelpha who are used to fine restaurants. It's worked out very, very well."
Sedona's success has also heralded another trend -- restaurants that are open year-round instead of only during the summer season. It's a formula that's worked for Shark's Cove Restaurant and Marina, a Fenwick Island hot spot with a stunning waterfront view and dinner entrees in the $18 to $36 price range.
Most of the region's restaurants stick to standard steak and seafood fare, but some diversity has also crept into the picture. Salsa's in Bethany Beach has become a popular Mexican restaurant -- with a California influence thanks to chef-owner Matt Griffin of Newport Beach.
Patsy's is another Bethany newcomer with style -- a former carryout that recently became an eat-in hot spot. Its selection of Key West-style cuisine is offered in a laid-back atmosphere in the first floor of an old beach house.
In nearby Fenwick, there's Captain Pete's, a Greek restaurant where spanakopita and moussaka are as popular as broiled fish and crab cakes.
"We wanted to have a restaurant that was for adult dining, not just a bar and a place with fast food," says Helen Charuhas, who opened the restaurant with her husband, Pete Charuhas, five years ago after owning eateries in Reston, Va., and Ocean City. "You won't find a free-standing bar around here. You can't dance on Fenwick Island."
One of the first local restaurants to try creating a more ambitious menu was DiFebo's, a casual Italian restaurant and carryout on Route 26 in Bethany. Owner Lisa DiFebo-Osias says the influx of new places has been good for her business, too, and raised the standards for all Bethany restaurants.
Not surprisingly, it's almost impossible for summer vacationers to get a table at DiFebo's on a Saturday night -- unless they're smart enough to call in their reservation before driving across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
"There's not a whole lot to do in Bethany, but, hey, now it's got great cuisine," says Griffin, who opened Salsa's last year.
Despite its modest boardwalk and sparsity of T-shirt shops and hoagie stands, Bethany is still a family-oriented resort. Family-friendly restaurants have also been gaining popularity.
The biggest, and the best, is probably Mango's, which is located front and center -- overlooking the boardwalk at Garfield Parkway, the main east-west road into town.
It's got spiced shrimp, jerk chicken and lots of tropical drinks -- including a Blowfish Bob, a charming fish-shaped plastic cup that holds either soda for the kids or more bracing drinks for adults. Children are treated great here -- with a complimentary toy and a Little Mango's Menu with safe fare like pasta with butter and chicken fingers.
For families who prefer slightly less raucous affairs, there's Bethany's Cottage Cafe with its modestly priced menu offering an 11-ounce sirloin for $13.99, including homemade biscuits, fresh muffins and sides, or the cafe's No. 1 seller, pot roast for $10.99.
Another must-stop for families is the charming -- and efficient -- Warren's Station, which has been a Fenwick landmark since 1960. The always-busy restaurant follows a lifesaving-station theme -- its dining room filled with canvas and nautical art.
But its true purpose is to offer familiar food at reasonable prices, and it no doubt rescued many a family from a threatened fast-food meal. The house specialties are roast turkey ($8) and crab cutlet, ($11.25 crab cakes with a fancy name). But children will particularly love the breakfast pancake that comes shaped like a gingerbread man.
Where to eat in Bethany
Here's one benefit of staying in a smaller, quieter resort: Vacationers can get around to many of the best eating places in a matter of a week or two. Those would no doubt include:
* Warren's Station, 302-539-7156, Route 1, Fenwick Island, Del. Family-style Continental.
* Captain Pete's, 302-537-5900, Route 1, Fenwick Island, Del. Greek casual.
* Cottage Cafe, 302-539-8710, Route 1 (across from Sea Colony), Bethany Beach, Del. Casual, family-friendly American.
* DiFebo's Restaurant & Deli, 302-539-4550, 789 Garfield Parkway, Bethany Beach, Del. Casual Italian eatery.
* Mango's, 302-537-6621, Garfield Parkway and the boardwalk, Bethany Beach, Del. Caribbean-themed, family-friendly.
* Patsy's, 302-537-CHEF, 121 Campbell Place, Bethany Beach, Del. Key West-inspired casual eatery.
* redfin Seafood Grill & Fish Market, 302-537-0100, Route 1 (one mile north of the Route 26 intersection), Bethany Beach, Del. Upscale seafood.
* Salsa's, 210-C Garfield Parkway, 302-541-4911, Bethany Beach, Del. Mexican cuisine, steaks and seafood.
* Sedona, 302-539-1200, 26 Pennsylvania Ave., Bethany Beach, Del. Upscale fusion in a romantic setting.
* Shark's Cove Restaurant, 302-436-8600, Route 20, Fenwick Island, Del. Waterfront upscale seafood.
For a more complete list of restaurants, try these addresses on the Web:
* The Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce, www.bethany-fenwick.org/
* The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal's online beach guide, www.delawarebeaches.com/
* Beach-Net!, the online guide to the Delmarva beach resorts, www.beach-net.com/dining/DinerestaurantsDel.html