The Federal Rehoboth
What are fritters? By most culinary accounts, they consist of small pieces of meat, vegetables, fruit, or dough coated with batter and deep fried. Many ask the difference between donuts and fritters; the thing that separates the two is the dough: donuts are made from a yeast risen dough, similar to bread dough, but fritters are made from a chemically risen dough, usually baking powder, more akin to quick bread batter. Why the culinary explanation? Because both taste good, are less than healthy fried food, and still, hard to resist and hard to ruin. Fritter derives from the French, “friture,” which has its roots in the Latin word, “fry.” And that is the root of many options at The Federal, fried fritters of every type and kind, with dipping sauces to enjoy. The fritters are good – The Federal has no real Delmarva fritter competition – and are typically enjoyed as a snack before dinner or while on a boardwalk stroll. The Federal’s limited dinner menu (offering five regular options in a 30-seat L-shaped bistro setting) excites with vegan and non-vegan dishes, and all surprisingly good from a restaurant that presents as a simple walk-in store front. The Federal, a former food truck concept, is not sure what it wants to be, a quasi-fine dining bistro offering fritters, or a fritter place with a restrained high-end dinner menu (entrees priced in the mid $30s). Either way, the food at the two-concept restaurant is delightful and worth your visit, but make sure you figure what dining approach you prefer.