Kindle glows in Lewes

Dining in Lewes

Delaware's oldest town is staking its claim as a destination...

On a gloomy evening recently at the new Kindle in Lewes, I ordered a $10 flight of wine from the menu, which featured a nice trio of 2 1/2-ounce pours.

Quite happy sipping a bright, spritzy Albarino, I patted myself on the back for my wine selection -- get out of your chardonnay comfort zone and give this Spanish white a shot -- until I noticed the group sitting across from me. Among the extremely impressive Old World bottles gracing their table was a Chateau Petrus, one of the most expensive and sought-after wines in the world.

While Kindle has a thoughtful wine list, this stunning Bordeaux, which would make even Robert Parker swoon, isn't on it. These well-dressed oenophiles brought it with them.

The Petrus label was turned so that anyone walking by could see it, but the exhibitionism must be forgiven. If I had a wine with that kind of cachet, I'd waltz it around the restaurant.

A 1975 Chateau Petrus, which sells for more than $2,000 a bottle on some online auctions, certainly isn't something you open and trust with just any chef.

"What do you order from the menu to go with it?" asked my dining companion, who believes that dropping 20 Benjamins on a lone bottle of mostly Merlot is sheer looniness, even for obsessed foodies. (He was content with a $10 glass of Shiraz which turned out to be in perfect harmony with the meal.)

Pairing a complex Pomerol with food is like attending the Academy Awards as George Clooney's date. You wouldn't wear an off-the-rack evening gown, you'd ask a designer for haute couture. And with Chateau Petrus, you ask the chef to put his best foot forward and create something wonderful.

It's a story I relate because these wine lovers placed their faith in the culinary abilities of Kindle executive chef/co-owner Ian Crandall. And their confidence in him offered the promise that we also would be in for solid cooking, even without a Petrus to uncork. Crandall's wife, Joanna Goode, told me that the group, who had called well in advance and consulted with the chef, decided not to have a special meal designed for them. They simply selected a variety of dishes from Crandall's menu. Now that's customer loyalty.

"This doesn't happen every night," said Goode. "We were very flattered that they chose to open their wines with us." (FYI: Pouring Petrus tends to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. While this group was charged a corkage fee, Kindle isn't a BYOB, and I wouldn't try toting in a bottle of Yellow Tail or Kendall Jackson.)

Kindle has had a Lewes home in the renovated Books by the Bay on Bank Street since the beginning of June; the restaurant moved out of its former Paynter's Mill spot in Milton this past winter.

The dining areas are more cozy (and tighter) than before, and the freestanding fireplace that highlighted the Milton location is gone. The wooden floors do little to suppress the din. And while the restaurant's name conjures up images probably better suited for cool-weather dining, at night -- when the candles dotting the rooms flicker off the chocolate brown walls -- the warm glow is comforting, no matter what the season. There's also outdoor seating.

Kindle is among the dynasty of charming downtown Lewes eateries owned by Matt and Ali DiSabatino, who also operate the nearby and very good Striper Bites and the tiny gourmet pizzeria and wine bar, Half Full, which they run with Crandall and Goode.

Kindle's menu showcases local and seasonal produce, which it should since Lewes has one of the best farmers' markets in the state. A house salad ($8) of tender baby greens was flecked with sweet, white corn kernels, radishes and petite tomatoes and lightly tossed with champagne vinaigrette.

Kindle fire fires ($6) are a great, crispy nosh. The potatoes gain a bit of heat, and a reddish hue, from roasted chilies and are lightly dusted with Pecorino Romano. The roasted-garlic mayonnaise dipping sauce on the side is addictive.

Crab Norfolk ($16) celebrates the sea with simply prepared, fresh-tasting Chesapeake Bay lump crabmeat served warm in a gratin dish along with triangles of grilled whole-wheat flatbread sprinkled with Old Bay.

You'll find few surprises among the dinner entrees, which are geared toward the familiar with offerings of lamb, filet mignon, roast chicken, crab cakes and salmon. We saw several Kindle burgers ($14) topped with Vermont cheddar and smoked bacon leaving the kitchen, and the halibut special of the night also seemed popular.

The "seared" diver scallops ($26), glistening with beurre blanc, were more blonde than brown and needed a longer stay in a hot pan to develop a golden crust. But the accompanying succotash of sauteed sweet corn, edamame, red pepper and asparagus, was a catalog of summer freshness. Minted nine-grain salad ($5) is the groovy and chewy cousin to couscous.

Since money, apparently, was no object for the Petrus party, I hope they got the 20-ounce rib-eye steak ($35). It's pricey for sure, but the cut, as thick as some paperbacks, was grilled a gorgeous medium-rare. The horseradish crème fraiche served in a tiny pitcher on the side was a mere suggestion to cut through the beefy richness, and the crispy buttermilk onion rings and tangy, marinated heirloom tomato salad offered a range of textures and flavors. But this is a dish that's really all about the steak and it should make meat lovers very happy.

Service at Kindle is smooth, earnest and swift, but almost too much so. Staffers, trying to be efficient but bordering on annoying, kept trying to whisk away our plates before we finished. Be prepared to bat them away if you take a breather between sips and bites. I'm fairly certain the wine lovers across from us held tight to their glasses until the last drop was gone.

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