Wait! There's an app for that

Put down your smartphone. It’s not that kind of app. Though the line is a little blurred among appetizers, tapas and small plates, those playful noshes that herald the mighty entrée continue to be popular on menus all over the Cape Region. So why not start off the new year like you start off your meal - with appetizers!

I remember when Touch of Italy first introduced the bocconcini con prosciutto; it was a special at the Lewes location and now occupies a permanent spot on all the TOI menus. These little orbs of fresh mozzarella (bocconcini) are wrapped in prosciutto then pan seared to a crispy, bacony finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of rosemary. The theme continues at Lupo Italian Kitchen with Chef Chris Parks’ chianti arancini. The little balls of breaded & deep-fried risotto are presented with red sauce and decorated with thin-as-air slices of pecorino.

The nachos are a sleeper at Striper Bites in Lewes, along with the Pigs on the Wing at Bethany Blues. You don’t want to miss the salads at Pat’s Pizzeria, and the award-winning Asian wings at Fish On are required eating for all who enter the Villages of Five Points. Speaking of sticky, no visit to Nate and Lisa Leonard’s 208 Social is complete without the amazing sticky ribs. Another downtown don’t-miss is the Blackwall Shrimp app at Blackwall Hitch. Wait ‘til you taste that buttery white wine sauce.

SoDel Concepts VP Doug Ruley and his culinary team put a lot of thought into the small bites at the new Bluecoast Rehoboth. Take for example their homage to buttermilk fried chicken - but with lobster tails! Downtown at the end of Wilmington Avenue it’s a toss-up for best appetizer at Yolanda Pineda’s Mariachi: Will it be the creamy queso fundido? Or will it be her handmade tamales? I say get both. Life is short.

If you find yourself up there by the Rehoboth Avenue drawbridge, slip into Missi’s Egg restaurant for the Sriracha Bacon Candy. Yes, it is everything the name implies. Five or so blocks east of there I am agonizing over which appetizer to get at DiFebo’s: Lisa’s veal meatballs with ricotta and smoked mozzarella? Or those Italian finger peppers fried in olive oil and decorated with roasted garlic. Oh, the humanity.

Baltimore Avenue yields the Jar O’ Pickles - on the menu since a(MUSE.) opened - and the equally long-lived haricots verts at Café Azafran. Over on Wilmington at Zogg’s, don’t miss the fried alligator (tastes like chicken, really) and those cheesesteak egg rolls. Michy’s Relaxed Dining starts things off right with Richard Davis’ Firecracker Shrimp with Sriracha mayo, crushed peanuts and lime. Across the street at Fins Ale House & Raw Bar, the signature shrimp & crawfish spring rolls are a longtime favorite. While you’re up there on Coastal Highway, get an order of Chef Ian’s house-made fried pickles and the smoked pork poutine at Pickled Pig Pub. The latter should be shared. The baked brie with the raspberry champagne reduction is the perfect starter at 1776 Steakhouse in Midway, as are the conch fritters downtown at Bryan’s Conch Island and the sausage-stuffed jalapenos at Don Allan’s Beaches in Lewes.

Towering high above the intersection of First and The Avenue in downtown Rehoboth is Cooter Brown’s Twisted Southern Kitchen. Their Frito Pie is the hands-down winner of the Cutest Appetizer Award. Around the corner, Confucius’ menu continues to wow Asian grub aficionados with Shawn Xiong’s amazing fried rice. Pair that with the salt & pepper shrimp. Kim & Tammy’s new Miyagi Ramen Bar up by the Safeway starts things off with some of the best pork belly (cashu) buns around. I like that the meat is cut nice and thin. The tempura-fried soft shell crab is also a Miyagi must-get. The baked oysters asiago at Fork + Flask @ Nage have survived two remodels, an ownership shift and a name change - but they continue to impress with fennel, mushrooms and a misting of Pernod (an absinthe-like liquor redolent of anise).

Moving to the east (the Middle East, to be exact), expand your horizons with house-made babaghanouj at Semra’s Mediterranean Grill. Think hummus, but with oven-roasted and pureed eggplant in place of the garbanzo beans with tahini (sesame seed butter), lemon, garlic and Semra’s secret spices. Shovel it daintily into your mouth with a warm pita triangle. Back on the highway at Big Fish Grill, pretty much anything with that house-made maple walnut vinaigrette dressing will be a winner. Chef Zach’s one-of-a-kind mac ‘n’ cheese at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats has attracted the attention of the under-the-radar, yet influential m&c community.

The Taco Teaser at Dos Locos dishes up a dozen chicken and beef mini tacos with a spicy sauce. A couple of blocks east of there is the hot as you-know-what tandoori oven that Raghu Kumar uses to wow customers at Indigo Indian restaurant. Do not miss the naan bread. Baked on the vertical sides of the circular oven, every one of the eight selections is delicious. I love the onion kulcha, the peshawari naan (almonds, raisins and coconut!) and the garlic naan.

So don’t skip the apps! Remember: They’re what today’s vaunted “small plates,” “tastings” and “tapas” used to be before the humble appetizer decided to go mainstream.