Cafe Azafran

Chef and part-owner Richard Steele used to handle the cooking duties at the Lamp Post Inn, his family's Coastal Highway restaurant (now long-gone and reborn under new ownership as Crabby Dick's Seafood). In fact, Richard's grandmother was the proprietor of Fenwick's iconic breakfast spot, Libby's, and also the Rehoboth incarnation of Libby's that occupied that building before they opened the Lamp Post.

Cafe Azafran's downtown Rehoboth Beach spot is the second location for Richard and his brother Mark, but is now their only location with the closing of their first installation in Lewes on Mar. 9th, 2014.

Talent in the kitchen seems to run in the family, because the feedback about the Rehoboth location has been consistently positive. Azafran is Spanish for “safflower,” the driedpetals of which are used as a flavorless but color-enhancing substitute for saffron. Carole Leonardis, a faithful RF site visitor, insists that the name Azafran is more appropriate to the pungent spice saffron (derived from the crocus plant). The difference notwithstanding, any similarity between the tasteless plant (obviously not the only translation) and its restaurant namesake ends there.

UPDATE: I've just returned from the Monday Tapas Tasting night at Cafe Azafran. Though the regular menu is still available, the Tapas Tasting Menu offers a great balance of various and sundry goodies for a very reasonable price of $16 (as of this writing) for 5 choices. We were lucky to find the ubiquitous and always cute Holly Lane behind the bar. All of us ordered various combinations of the Tapas Tasting, and, as you can tell from the photos, the Short Rib Slider is one of the stars of the show. A generous chunk of beef short rib is cradled in a fresh soft roll (the always-tasty Martin's “dinner roll,” perhaps?). A bit of sauteed onion tops it off for 3-4 perfect bites. Another must-get in the tapas dept. is Azafran's veal sausage. It is simply delicious, and is served in a little lake of what appears to be cannellini beans served baked beans-style. They are quite good and I get the sausage every time. Try the tapas on Mondays! You won't be disappointed. By the way, the restaurant won the cheesecake division in the 2013 Chocolate Festival for their Nutella Cheesecake.

My most recent dinner experience started off with the Grilled Veal Sausage tapas with White (cannellini) Beans. Far from being the typical microscopic “tapas” we've been trained to expect elsewhere, this was full appetizer-size and was delicious. The sausage was spicy and firm, but the star of the show was the sauce in which the white beans lounged comfortably. We had a similar reaction to the Ricotta and Spinach Gnocchi (lubricated with sage butter and topped with pecorino cheese). I have to mention the La Mancha plate, replete with a sandy brown Manchego, spicy chorizo, jamon Serrano (Spanish ham) and Romesco salsa (a Catalonian preparation with tomatoes, peppers, toasted almonds and hazelnuts). The Tapas menu is extensive and pretty much everything is good.

UPDATE: Our first Paella Night of the season is an amazing success. It's reservation only, and lucky ticketholders gather around Richard's 48″ paella pan to watch him make his feast from scratch. From the shimmering oil to the final addition of the scallops & shrimp, the evening is fun from beginning to end. Do not miss this Rehoboth Beach tradition. Richard Steele's paella is second to none. The number for reservations is below.

UPDATE: Well, it's summer and it seems that Cafe Azafran just keeps getting better and better. I just posted some new photos of the shrimp and polenta, those amazing lamb meatballs and the equally tasty beet salad. Again, menus change like the tides here at the beach, but you can't go wrong at Cafe Azafran. Rich and the gang have made it a winner. Also take a look at chef/owner Rich adding $50/half-ounce saffron to the beginnings of his legendary Wednesday and Sunday night paella. Reservations only.

In the summer there's a popular prix-fixe ($23 as of this writing) on Tuesdays. “Popular,” because every table was filled, and, lacking reservations (who wooda thought on a Tuesday?!), we were relegated to the bar. No problem. I like keeping track of what's going on, and the bar's the place to do that. I began the festivities with the Seafood Bruschetta appetizer. The seafood stacked onto the warm crostini (teetering atop a bed of brightly dressed mixed greens) was delightfully unmanageable and generous at just $9. My favorite Foodette had the Spanish Dip Trio (pita-like flatbread triangles surround a marinated olive tapenade, a garlicky hummus and that deep red and nutty Romesco salsa. Another Foodie-in-Waiting enjoyed the sweet ‘n' sticky Spanish BBQ Ribs (3 meaty bones) slathered with a vaguely Oriental multi-flavored glaze.

Cafe Azafran's interpretation of Salade Niçoise is a main course all by itself, with haricots verts (green beans), sliced egg, roasted peppers, sliced new potatoes drizzled with olive oil, tangy greens and small green and dark spanish olives (I wish they had been pitted…have some sympathy for our bridgework, guys!). Rather than the traditional tuna/anchovy finish, the salade can be topped with just about any seafood. I ordered shrimp and got 4 huge ones, easily 12/16 in size. The (prix fixe) Fish of the Day was Grouper and was perfectly cooked; firm, flakey and not mushy or fishy tasting. It was accompanied by unusual little zucchini cakes (ya gotta try 'em) and new potatoes sprinkled with a red pepper basil coulis. Favorite Foodie had the Orecchiette Pasta dish, generously speckled with roasted veggies, crispy pancetta and a salty pecorino romano (a hard Sardinian cheese made from ewe's milk. Pecora = “sheep.” Tell 'em you heard it here first, kids!).

At breakfast (Friday thru Monday in season from 8 'til noon), the Warm Baked Oatmeal is the star of the show, crowned with milk or snow-white Greek yogurt. The Frittatas sport a host of filling choices, including that Serrano and various cheeses. Their homemade granola is crunchy, and delicious topped with milk or yogurt.

The lunch menu is almost as extensive as the dinner menu, with soups, salads, sandwiches, espresso variations, smoothies, teas…it goes on and on. The Mediterranean Platter is reminiscent of the Salade Niçoise I described above and includes a crispy baguette. Another standout is Marco's Chef Salad (crispy greens, egg, peppers, tomatoes and olives topped with poached chicken, ham and pecorino).

Paninis and wraps populate the long list of sandwiches filled with Mediterranean ingredients (most of which appear in the various and sundry salads). My favorite Foodette tells me that they're introducing an off-season Panera Bread-style “You Pick Two”–choice of soup and a “mini-wich.” Check out the off-season specials for more info.

Cafe Azafran is at 18 Baltimore Ave. (ocean block, south side). It's a pretty small place and it can get pretty noisy in there when busy. In 2013 they opened a large back dining area that is enclosed in canvas and surrounded by gardens. When it gets chilly at night, they turn on heaters. So order another drink and join the fun. They close briefly in the late afternoon (always a little annoying), so give them a call before you trek down there for a late lunch (302-227-8100). I suggest reservations. Click here to see the dinner menu. (B. (Fri. thru Mon.), L., D., Bar) Price range: Moderate +.

Off-season Specials & Hours