Best of the Beach

Pictured above is corn on the cob, from Agave Mexican Grill and Tequila Bar in Lewes, Delaware, at 137 Second Street, along the town's tastefully preserved main strip. Awash in chipotle mayonaisse and crumbled Mexican cheese, it was first parboiled, then finished off with five minutes or so on the grill. The menu lists it for $3.

Having not made it to any established and dependable meccas like the Back Porch in Rehoboth, this was the culinary highlight of seven days at the beach. I wouldn't have known about Agave except for the scoop in Baltimore's recent Style Magazine. The space is small, modern, upscale, and dark with ten seats at the bar and about as many tables. A little after five p.m. seemed a good time to be there before things got busy after a reasonably sunny and pleasant beach afternoon. Because later commitments once again made things all too busy on my end, time limited me to this one light and delicious snack. A large $10 house margarita made with El Jimador proved perfect for washing it down. I share Washington Post writer Fritz Hahn's assessment of the same concoction as "the finest I've ever had at the beach," My only disappointment was no mezcal presence amidst more than seventy tequilas on hand.

So much for one week at the beach, though more could follow in the next Unique Culinary Adventures podcast. On the downside, my dining out experiences this week produced more than their share of abominable meals---and drinks---as compared to past summers. My conclusion is that 2008 is a tough year at the beach for a lot of restaurants, and that many of them probably wont make it. I believe however, that Agave, could prove to be one of but a very few new ones destined to become a hotspot and go on to pass the test of time.