Peachy Picks Amuse in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Executive Chef and Owner Hari Cameron
Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. For more information about Fresh Origins, visit their website at www.freshorigins.com
We agree-Amuse IS inspired food and drink. Owned by the infinitely imaginative Hari Cameron, Amuse is a lovely concoction of delectable edible endeavors that you'll enjoy right down to the bathroom sink, and we're not kidding. Read on! Amuse was first featured in Tasty Tidbits:
The decor is decidedly inspired by the sea, which it should be as it is literally steps from the beach. It is a shame not all our summer dinner reviews were steps from the beach this year but Manhattan has got to build one...Mayor Bloomberg- how about before you leave? (We dread the day you are not in office.)
Hats off to Hari for his extreme flexibility with us. As you know, we ride the amazing DC2NY and as soon as we put our luggage away (you know who does not travel light), Hari was priority number one. Normally we are 100% on time but since you never know with traffic we could not say an exact time-we were in New York during the day we had dinner at night at Amuse. Amuse has a kitchen open late so we were thankful for that. Hari greeted us himself personally as soon as we arrived at Amuse and could not have been more cordial or professional all evening.
As you know Peachy Deegan loves a robust red, and she sipped on this stellar Cabernet by Josh which pared well with everything she ate.
Hari surprised us with Potted Chicken, which was certainly quite a robust dish for a summer starter. Foie gras, port and toast and the pot of chicken itself was a hearty start.
Here is the chicken, in the next layer.
Summer vegetable dip is what Peachy chose as an appetizer and it came out in a lovely presentation. Cherry tomatoes, tomatillo and a lovely creamy cheese dip ignited our appetite.
The flowers at each table of Amuse are fresh and welcoming.
The bar was quite popular by the time of our arrival, and the wall near it is aqua-inspired!
Have you had a Triggerfish? When we are not in Manhattan, we want to dine at places that are of the same caliber of what we would find here, but that have something new and exciting for us to try. When you leave Manhattan at all, it is hard to find establishments in any discipline where the owner is as cut-throat and competitive as the owners are here which can be entirely frustrating for us. As you know we don't even cover the other boroughs and the closest geographic location to Manhattan that is covered by Whom You Know is Connecticut. We are pleased to say now that we have been there and can personally verify this,
Amuse is definitely new and exciting, and Manhattan-caliber.
So, we're betting you answered: "No, Peachy. I have not had a triggerfish." Peachy hadn't either. But she has now thanks to imaginative Hari.
New York (and London, and Paris and the multiple other states and countries where our readers reside), meet the triggerfish of Amuse. Shake its fin, perhaps.
Everything from Amuse is sourced from a 200 mile radius of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Though the lobster was calling our name so loudly, we just had to see what this Triggerfish was all about. It is a local delicacy in Rehoboth Beach we are told. Pounded thin and torched lightly (we wonder what they torch with in Delaware...Lady Liberty and her torch did not make the trip with us!), Triggerfish was dressed up in fava, onion, lobster mushroom and green almond. A tantalizingly fresh seafood, this new fish to us is something we'd recommend you try as well. Its caught close to the rocks and the triggerfish itself eats crabs, lobster and shellfish.
There are six options on the main course section of the menu at Amuse, and the one that looked the best to Peachy was the Prime Flat Iron, and it was spectacular. The steak was tender and juicy and definitely sourced well. Served with fingerling potatoes, pole beans cherry tomato and blue cheese butter, it was a winner through and through. Peachy wishes she was at Amuse this minute eating it. It exceeded Peachy's expectations for Delaware overall and you'd swear you were in a New York steakhouse, it was that god.
We totally can tell when an owner has been reading us or not, and Hari must have though we did not ask him. It was his idea to close with some lovely port and a chocolate dessert. The proper name of the dessert is Horsing Around: Chocolate Ganache, Dogfish Indian Brown Ale and Malted Milk. (Grilled Bennett Peach and Heirloom Melon sounded tops to Peachy...) We are sure he will keep us posted on his future success and we hope this is the first of many times we will be telling you about him.
At the end of the day, we were highly AMUSEd and we believe you will be too.
And we did mean it when we said down to the bathroom sink. We are big believers in words meaning things...and even the sinks Hari was creative with. See the crab impression below, which he molded himself:
And the seashell sink:
You'll have to go to the bathroom at least once in each to check these out.
Note that the hall to the bathroom doubles as an art gallery.
Not every place is this sophisticated by the shore. Bravo Hari.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
On my recent trip to beautiful Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, I was expecting warm weather, sandy beaches, crashing waves, and lots of fun. I got all that, but what I wasn't expecting was fine dining. I was delightfully surprised! Not far from the main drag of Rehoboth Avenue lies Amuse, a restaurant that offers a menu similar to one you would find in a trendy New York City neighborhood. From my experience, it is clear that the chef at Amuse, Hari, has worked extremely hard to make sure his guests have a wonderful dining experience. From the creatively prepared dishes down to the uniquely designed bathroom sinks, every last detail of Amuse has been thoroughly thought out.
The meal started off with a classy cocktail called Who Doesn't Love a Ginger? This refreshing drink is a mixture of ginger infused vodka, fresh lemon and apple juices, and sparkling wine. Yes, it does taste as good as it sounds! For an appetizer, I tried the Summer Vegetable Dip. This creamy dip has a cream cheese base with tomatoes and tomatillos mixed in. It had a wonderfully fresh flavor, and its smooth texture was perfectly complemented by the thin, crisp crackers served with it.
I also had to try the Heirloom Tomato dish. I love fresh heirloom tomatoes in the summer, and this plate exceeded all my expectations. The tomatoes were topped with a frozen olive oil mousse and served with Greek yogurt, basil seed, and croutons and accented with palate pleasing opal basil and baby Thai basil. This was a real treat for my taste buds!
For my main course, I had the Atlantic Yellowfin Tuna. This tender fish was extremely fresh and flavorful. It was served with hearty oats and wild mushrooms. It was the perfect food to fill me up and bring me calm and comfort after a day of traveling.
Finally, for dessert, I tried the Cake from Heaven. I think this cake really was from heaven, but no matter where it came from, it was gone in a couple of minutes! This light and fluffy white cake was served with peach sorbet, black cardamom, and white chocolate. The unique flavors blended together to create a dessert symphony in my mouth.
And with a small glass of Bouchaine Chardonnay from the Napa Valley to go with it, I couldn't have been happier!
Amuse is a fine restaurant in a lovely town. When visiting Rehoboth Beach, make sure to stop by and treat yourself to a fantastic meal!
Peachy Picks Amuse!
Amuse is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
