Author’s Note: I (we) love to cook…when time is not an issue. Too often, time is an issue. This unfortunate reality – which found us eating ‘fast fresh’ or ordering take-out much of the time- pushed my wife and I to dedicate the 6:45-8:00pm window for weekday homemade dinners – prep, meal, clean-up. We are now experimenting with meal delivery options such as Sun Basket, Plated, and Hello Fresh for new ideas, foods and recipes. We also pride ourselves on hosting a big family/friends dinner every other Sunday. Cooking/meal preparation becomes an event for the senses — listening to dinner music (courtesy of Pandora, Alexa or Jeff’s Playlists), using the ‘every day’ (“fine”) china in the dining room, sipping on a favorite wine or cocktail, watching the steam rise from the main course fresh out of the oven, and of course, taking part in a lively conversation devoid of the distractions of the day.
When going out to dinner, I hope for a similar experience of the senses, with varying degrees of success. I approach menus with an eye toward ordering something I would not attempt to make at home. Comfort food like fried chicken and waffles, a juicy burger or pasta bolognese, are all solid back-up plans that rarely (pun intended) disappoint. In the hot and busy summer months, I lean toward Fido friendly patios and in the slow, cold and dark winter, prefer cozy taverns brimming with the chatter of holiday excitement and anticipation of the first snow fall.
The wait is worth it. But first a little background. It pains me to admit this, but for years, I drove by the trendy dinner-only restaurant, comically making a nightclub “beats” sound. That was my assumption of this new restaurant at the time. For five decades, a classic Friendly’s Restaurant and Ice Cream resided there and I have the fondest summer memory of eating my first Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Sundae at this location. I even recall the tall, glass “tulip” sundae dish, whipped cream piled high, with a cherry on top. Ahh, the good old days. For too long, a part of me resented that this past memory could only be replicated in the frozen section of Stop N Shop grocery stores. Following the closure of Friendly’s, a trendy restaurant, Roobar, that I never went to, re-designed the building and gained a following of new customers, but ultimately didn’t last long. Enter Del Mar Bar & Bistro.
My wife pleaded with me to try it after reading recent reviews and constantly witnessing a packed parking lot. Despite being loyal to a certain Tuscan Roadhouse nearby as well as an Old Inn in the mid-Cape, I gave-in — and so happy I did! A present connection to the restaurant and location is that during a second visit, I bumped into a colleague and Connecticut State Representative James Albis. It turns out his (twin) cousins are sous chefs in the kitchen. We had a great laugh about all the connections to the current restaurant, town and location. To keep things interesting, nowadays each time one of us dines at Del Mar, we send the other a picture of the menu or our entree. A text message war never fails to entertain.
The dimly lit restaurant is half kitchen, half seating with a bustling bar. An enclosed heated patio section off the bar area (where the “to go”/ice cream window was located) adds desperately needed seating. The main dining room has about 15 tables, with the bar accommodating a dozen people comfortably. There is also live music on Tuesdays through Thursdays. I’ve driven by the restaurant recently and seen a line forming outside prior to the 5:00pm opening for folks likely hoping to grab a seat at the first come, first serve bar.
Our first experience can be described as, “it’s better to be lucky than good,” as we happened to get two seats next to each other at the bar, having to only wait 10 minutes as the other three couples ahead of us on the wait list lost a battle with their patience. Win! The hustling bartender made one of the best Manhattan’s I’ve ever tasted, and the portion was impressive. The menu features fresh and local seafood, chops, imaginative appetizers, wood fired thin crust pizzas and hard to resist desserts. I ordered the Lobster Tostada appetizer, followed by the grilled salmon over truffle mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. Ellen ordered the braised short-rib over a rissoto, with a classic Caesar salad to start. The presentation, temperature and taste of each part of the meal was exquisite. We passed on dessert due to the limited availability of “Raz-Oreo” ice cream at the nearby Sundae School Ice Cream.
If you are lucky enough to get a table, the wait staff is attentive, check-in after each course was served, including drinks, to make sure the food and drink have met your expectations. The atmosphere, the service and the food are impossible to beat. Del Mar Bar & Bistro is simply one of the best.