Cedar Land and Sea Kitchen
Incorporated in 1889, it is curious how the town of Ocean View, DE got its name, after all, not a single home in the community has a view of the Atlantic Ocean, even if the town of Bethany Beach did not obstruct the eastward gaze. Ocean View, which is actually closer to the bay than the sea, is famous for being the birthplace of the commercial broiler-fryer chicken industry, though farmers no longer dot the landscape. Instead, the growing town embraces newly retired workers from the north, many of whom clamor for good local restaurant options with a traditional kitchen. There are plenty around, including Cedar, a place largely populated by locals as it is buried deep in a lightly-trafficked area that you may miss without a navigation aid. Husband and wife owners helm the kitchen and bar, overseeing a spritely service team that is knowledgeable about the menu and the many special dishes available on any given evening. Although call-in and on-line reservations are frustrating, Cedar offers common for the area coastal and land fare in a small cozy atmosphere, with limited outdoor seating during the summer season. Salmon and halibut dishes are perhaps the best received, and the filet is well prepared and garnished. Chef offers her version of paella, good for a non-Spanish restaurant but missing that zest and ‘crunch’ of traditional seafood paella that typically emerges from kitchens known for such regional food. Cedar unfortunately does not revert to its chicken farmland ancestry, offering a single chicken dish smothered with crab, but plenty of fish options round out a menu inspired by its ocean and bay vicinity location. Years from now, big restaurant groups will be looking for locations around the burgeoning neighborhoods of Ocean View, and Cedar likely will have plenty of new competition (or suitors), including a rumored chicken and crab mega-hall restaurant in the area. So, for now, enjoy the casual local, because when word escapes to vacationers, Cedar will find itself catering to mass audiences who read about the sleepy local on commercial websites catering to tourists.