Happy Labor Day Weekend! Celebrate the holiday at the new Ropewalk Fenwick Island Oyster House on the corner of Coastal Highway in Fenwick Island, Delaware. Easy to find, the restaurant is located just over the Maryland/Delaware state line, and features a fun playground for kids, including palm trees, a pirate ship, fish scale, and lifeguard chair for climbing. Adults have plenty of fun on tap too, as the large restaurant offers indoor and outdoor dining on two levels, plus specialty cocktails and tons of craft and domestic beer on tap.
    This fall, visit Ropewalk for excellent football specials, including half-priced wings and discounts on select drinks and “Buck-a-Shuck” house oysters. Each Wednesday, check out half-priced bottles of wine. Happy Hour starts early at Ropewalk, running from 2-6 PM, Monday through Friday. Late night drink specials are available Sunday through Thursday.
    I visited Ropewalk Oyster House this week, and I’ll definitely be back. I loved the service, atmosphere, and food. When we arrived, a polished hostess and friendly manager greeted us at the hostess stand. Manager Chuck led us through the first-level dining room, which was full of happy customers at large tabletops. The happy hour crowd was bustling at the first-level bar.
    We ascended the stairway to the second-story dining room, which is full of interesting memorabilia, aligning with the theme, “liberty & independence.” The bar and flooring are made from reclaimed wood and the tall-back bar stools are solid wood. Both levels are open-air with the option to enclose. The entire structure is exceptionally well built. Flat screen, high-definition televisions are visible from just about every corner of the establishment. Many patrons were cheering for the Baltimore Orioles game, which was being broadcasted throughout the restaurant.
    On a beautiful August evening, we sat at a table on the second-story outdoor deck with a pleasant sea breeze. Our server, Megan, presented us with an Oyster List. We ordered the Blue Points from Connecticut – medium/large oysters, plump, with a medium salty finish. Ropewalk features oysters harvested exclusively for the restaurant – Ropewalk Liberty from the Chesapeake Bay, which are deep cup, medium oysters. Available in orders of a half dozen or full dozen, the Oyster List included Wianno’s (Massachusetts), Salt Ponds (Rhode Island), Katama Bay (Martha’s Vineyard), Chincoteague (Virginia), Cookes Cove (PEI), Canada Cups (PEI), James River (Virginia), and Sheepscott River (Maine). You can also order a Coastal Sampler. The list offers descriptions of each oyster, including size and finish.
    The “Starters” menu presents the Grilled Oysters with garlic parmesan butter and the 4th of July Roasted Oysters – fresh shucked oysters drizzled with Ropewalk’s famous Victory sauce topped with melted provolone and diced bacon. We tried the 4th of July Roasted Oysters, and were very impressed by the juicy flavors of honey, Old Bay, and other secret ingredients in the Victory sauce. Other notable appetizers on the Starters menu are Crab Guacamole, Bada Bing Shrimp, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Tuna Carpaccio. The Crab Cake Egg Rolls are crispy house made egg rolls stuffed with crabmeat and served with sweet Thai chili aioli.
    For our main dish, we ordered the Fenwick Steam Pot, which is a heaping pot of fresh corn, andouille sausage, fingerling potatoes, mussels, clams, shrimp, and snow crab clusters with garlic butter. The Steam Pot is available in single, double, or family portions. “These are the best mussels I’ve ever had,” said my dinner date, Joey Steward. “And the fingerling potatoes are simply delicious.”
    Ropewalk presents an excellent selection of entrées. Seafood Mac & Cheese is tender macaroni pasta smothered in a four-cheese blend with fresh crab and shrimp, finished in the oven with a Ritz cracker crust. Reda’s Soft Shell Crab is a popular entrée containing two soft shell crabs topped with a white wine caper sauce served with rice pilaf and fresh seasonal veggies. Soft Shell Crab is also available as a BLT sandwich. Ask your server about the Fresh Catch of the Day, which is always a good bet. Tequila Lime Grilled Mahi is served over rice pilaf and topped with pineapple pico de gallo and cilantro lime crema. Thai noodles with Ahi Tuna includes sesame-crusted Ahi tuna seared rare over chilled udon noodles and tossed with Thai peanut sauce, crunchy julienned veggies, and pea shoots. Rounding off the entrée selections at Ropewalk are McFaul Crab Cakes, Liberty Fried Oysters, NY Strip, Seared Day Boat Scallops, Jefferson Fried Clams, and Chesapeake Chicken – roasted chicken topped with jumbo lump crab and creamy imperial sauce.
    Ropewalk also offers sandwiches and light fare lunch and dinner options. The Pulled Pork Sandwich is a crowd pleaser. The Gipper Burger is Angus beef grilled to perfection and topped with apple wood bacon. For true indulgence, try the Independence Burger – the Gipper version topped with pepper jack cheese and smokehouse mayo served between two glazed doughnuts. The Jamaica Jerk Chicken Sandwich is another popular selection, comprised of fresh marinated chicken, grilled and topped with pineapple pico de gallo.
    Warm up with a comforting bowl of soup, such as Crab Soup, Soup Du Jour, or Bette’s Oyster Stew – creamy light sherry broth prepared with root vegetables and fresh oysters. Fresh salads are in abundance at Ropewalk, including the Seafood Cobb, Caribbean Grilled Jerk Shrimp Salad, and the Patrick Henry Salad with sliced NY Strip, petite crab cake, red onions, tomatoes, grilled corn, and cucumbers. Ropewalk offers “American Classics,” too, such as Mozzarella Moons, Loaded Waffle Cut Fries, Chicken Tenders, and Delia Foley’s Smoked Chicken Wings.
    Open daily from 11 AM until 1 AM, year round, Ropewalk is your destination for Labor Day fun. Dial 302-581-0153, follow like on Facebook, or visit www.ropewalktavern.com for more information.