Flavorful Mediterranean is still a family affair at Café Azafrán

I warned you last week to be careful what you ask for. But in spite of that, I continued to receive your kind comments about my Rehoboth restaurant history articles from the last couple of weeks. So, apparently with your permission, I’ll venture yet again into our delicious past, this time with an iconic Baltimore Avenue eatery.

How many of you remember Libby’s restaurant in Fenwick Island? It was a big white building covered in gigantic polka dots, and it was all about noisy, beachy families (with about a million kids) scarfing down everything from pancakes to chicken to burgers. Libby’s was part of the resort “food hall” trend of the ‘60s and ‘70s that was so prevalent in Ocean City.

The restaurant was owned and operated by the late Loretta M. Steele, and the concept became so popular that she opened another in Rehoboth Beach where Route 24 and Coastal Highway intersect – the site now occupied by Crabby Dick’s. Her family joined her in the business, and it wasn’t long before Libby’s Rehoboth morphed into the Lamp Post restaurant. Eventually, her grandsons Rich and Mark decided to go it on their own, opening the Mediterranean-flavored Café Azafrán in Lewes that paid homage to Mark’s travels abroad. The tiny restaurant looked like a coffee shop, but quickly became one of the preferred destinations in Lewes.

Things did so well that in 2010 they opened a second Café Azafrán on the ocean block of Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach. One thing led to another (as it so often does with family businesses), and in 2014 the Lewes location was closed. Rich’s son Ryan graduated culinary school and took over the Rehoboth kitchen, carving out a secure niche and standing toe-to-toe against any of the finest eateries in town.

As if Rich didn’t have enough to do, he decided to revisit his Lewes roots in 2017 by opening the tiny (only 500 square feet!) Olive & Oats in the space that used to house Half Full Pizzeria and Patty’s Carryout – serendipitously adjacent to the original Azafrán spot where Eggcellent Restaurant now resides.

Back in Rehoboth, Azafrán’s Paella Feast is a longtime tradition and has become an impressive culinary experience. At the reservations-only events, Rich brings out the big guns: A circular gas burner that powers a 4-foot-diameter skillet bubbling with onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, green beans, mushrooms, Calasparra rice imported from Spain, and well over $50 worth of Spanish saffron (Azafrán translates to saffron in English, so it seems only right). Toward the end, he introduces fresh proteins such as snow-white calamari, spicy chorizo, scallops, shrimp, chicken, clams and Indian River mussels. The event is part theater and part communal affair. In-season paella lovers (they know to make reservations!) populate the covered outside dining room on Wednesdays as Chef Rich stands center stage, tending the magical mixture in that flying saucer-like vessel. As it begins to shimmer in the waning light, hungry guests take full advantage of an aromatic photo op.

Sound good? There’s only one more regularly scheduled paella feast, this coming Wednesday, Sept. 11. But fear not! There are paella pop-ups during the quiet seasons, so keep an eye on CafeAzafran.com.

The restaurant is open from 4 until 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday, Friday 4 to 10 p.m., and Saturday 4 to 8:30 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. Rehoboth Foodie pick hits include those delicate haricots verts lovingly simmered with gorgonzola, hazelnuts and butter; the tender veal sausage bubbled with plump cannellinis; and a cool and crispy salad constructed à la Niçoise with flake salmon, jammy egg, new potatoes, haricot verts, artichoke, roasted peppers, capers and olives. A saffron vinaigrette finishes this treat. You can make an entire meal out of the tapas menu, and they make it easy on Tapas Tuesdays with special prices on the generously portioned small plates.

If you haven’t been to Café Azafrán in a while, treat yourself to some great tastes. You won’t be the only one doing that, so reservations are still encouraged at 302-227-8100 or at OpenTable.com.