Motorcycle Road Trip for Coastal Cuisine, Day 2

Going to breakfast didn't require firing up the Harley. Victoria's Boardwalk Hotel has their own outstanding restaurant right on the premises. The dining room is split into three levels with the lowest leading directly onto the boardwalk. An entire wall of the restaurant's windows looks directly out over the boardwalk, beach and ocean.

Never one to tire of seafood, I chose the Chesapeake omelet. How can you go wrong when you start the morning off with eggs and Swiss cheese melted around jumbo lump crabmeat?

My back-of-the-bike navigator was apparently in the mood for a crustacean breakfast as well. She chose the Crab Benedict which consisted of perfectly-poached eggs resting atop lump crabmeat and an English muffin. Victoria's hollandaise sauce is made with Meyer lemon and provides a velvety complement to the eggs, fresh baby spinach and crab below.

After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and decided to make another quick visit to the boardwalk. As we were leaving, we saw that Dolle's candy shop was open, so we grabbed a box of salt water taffy. Travelling by motorcycle has lots of advantages-- but a spaceous trunk isn't one of them. After a few minutes spent rearranging things, the one-pound box was safely stowed away and we were on our way to our next stop, the Tanger Outlet Shops.

Saturday Lunch: The Buttery, Lewes, DE - ButteryRestaurant.com

Not only is the Buttery a top-notch fine dining establishment, the people who work there provide top-notch service. Our scheduled departure time on the ferry was 12:45pm. As the Buttery opens for lunch at 11:30am, we knew our schedule was going to be tight. We arrived at the restaurant about 20 minutes early to make sure we could eat quickly, then get over to the ferry in time. The manager went out of her way to seat us early and we had our entrees by 11:25am.

My travel companion ordered the sea scallop gratin. The dish combines large, fresh scallops with sea beans and morel mushrooms in a creamy lemon and tarragon sauce that's topped with a flaky puff pastry crust. Two bites into her lunch, she had determined we should return to the Buttery on each future visit to the Delaware shore.

My choice for lunch was exceedingly easy. The Buttery's Maryland crab cake seemed like the perfect mid-day follow up to the crab benedict I had just a few hours earlier. This was, after all, a trip with a focus on coastal cuisine. I am not obsessed with crabmeat. Anyway, that's my story-- and I'm sticking to it.

My crab cake was generously portioned and packed with tender jumbo lump crabmeat. The plate presented well, with mixed greens tossed in a faint drizzle of lemon and chive vinaigrette. Fresh asparagus and tomato complemented the dish nicely, but the crab cake with a mildly spiced cajun remoulade stole the show.

Ideally, there would have been sufficient time to enjoy a cup of coffee after our meal, but we had a boat to catch. We pulled away from the Buttery and made our way down the road to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. A short time later, we were onboard and making sure the bike was secured for the one hour, twenty minute trip to Cape May, New Jersey.

We left the ferry and were touring around the town of Cape May by 2:30pm. There's a three-block outdoor walking mall, a few blocks from the beach. The Washington Street Mall and adjacent Commons between Perry and Ocean Streets offer an array of shopping, dining and entertainment choices.

Saturday Dinner: The Lobster House, Cape May, NJ - TheLobsterHouse.com

Lobster House dining includes the main restaurant, the raw bar and the boat. When the weather obliges, there's no better view to be found than the one from the deck of the Schooner America. The Lobster House also offers a prepared foods take-out shop and a well-stocked fish market. Visitors can even arrange to send a fresh clam bake package to friends back home.

The Schooner America is 146-foot vessel docked alongside the main restaurant. It is open daily for lunch and also serves as a staging area where diners can enjoy their appetizers alfresco before moving indoors for the remainder of their meal. From previous visits, we knew that the Lobster House's clam chowder is truly something special. Their "Fishermman's Warf" New England-style chowder is thick, creamy and flavorful. Our crocks were loaded with fresh, tender clams and just the right amount of potatoes to lend body and texture.

Once seated in the restaurant, the menu's description of the "Lobster House Specialty" caught my eye and I knew right away, that's what I would be ordering. After all, how can you go wrong with a dish of lobster tail, scallops and shrimp? Noting that this array of succulent seafood was served over fresh linguine, tossed with garlic butter only served to confirm that I had made the right selection.

My riding and dining companion briefly eyed the Cape May scallops-- a Lobster House favorite, but opted instead for the sautéed soft shells. When our entrees arrived, our eyes were wide. My plate was literally brimming with steaming hot, garlic-laden pasta and splashes of tell-tale color from the lobster and shrimp. Tucked away here and there, nestled in the twists and folds of the al dente linguine, were full, plump sea scallops. Cooked just right, the trio of seafood was sweet and tender with the dish's flavors, well balanced.

Across the table, my dining partner was struck by the bold presentation of her entree. Her previous experience with soft shells was limited to the traditional sandwich with the crab dipped in a light batter, deep-fried and huddled inside a Kaiser roll amid lettuce, tomato and tartar sauce. Here, the sautéed crab's features, flavor and unique texture were front and center with nowhere to hide.

Starting in on the second soft shell, she reported that the dish had "more crab flavor" than any crab cake or crab imperial she'd ever eaten. I had already consumed all of my sea scallops and was working my way through the lobster and shrimp. Apparently, the sea air had piqued our appetites-- as we both cleared our plates.

Our dinner at the Lobster House proved to be both the apex and apropos finale for our two-day coastal cuisine roadtrip. Afterwards, we took a walk along the beachfront shops and the Promenade. Cape May is a beautiful seaside town and we are looking forward to return again during the summer season.

We watched the sun slip below the horizon then left Cape May behind. After a two-hour ride in the cool night air, we arrived safely back home in Pennsylvania. By 11:30pm we were kicked back, snacking on salt water taffy and downloading the photos from our trip. Two days, four states, six great meals and a lifetime of memories.

Read Day 1 of our Motorcycle Roadtrip for Coastal Cuisine which begins in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and includes visits to Hank's Place, Seacrets, Catch 54 and the Ocean City, Maryland boardwalk.