SoDel Concepts, owner and operator of five beach-area restaurants, recently announced plans for its sixth. Betty’s will be in the former home of the Adriatico in the Midway Shopping Center on Route 1.
“Everyone is asking, ‘Who is Betty?’” said Bryony Zeigler, who co-owns the restaurant with Matt Haley, founder of SoDel Concepts. “She’s someone you know: A neighbor who used to host all the parties, your grandmother, an aunt famous for her potluck supper dishes.”
In short, she’s the one who made comfort food seasoned with nostalgia and laced with love. “Betty’s will be an all-American restaurant and bar, featuring classic foods with a special touch,” Haley said. “It’s the familiar dishes we were raised on sprinkled with a local farm-to-table flair.”
Among the many comfort-food starters are hot potato chips with melted blue cheese; Leo’s famous bacon clam dip, kettle chips; crab-stuffed mushroom caps, lemon, paprika, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt; or Scott’s traditional deviled eggs, mustard cream, shaved celery, radish.
Consider beef stroganoff, made with braised short ribs instead of the usual beef cubes; lobster melts; spaghetti with tomato-veal gravy; buttermilk-fried chicken and savory herbed waffles; shrimp Louis; ham steak and eggs; and a scoop of chicken or tuna salad served in a ripe tomato.
The menu will have an even mix of beef, chicken, fish, sandwiches, salads and pasta. And since it is an all-American eatery, expect plenty of burgers, hot dogs, milkshakes and desserts, which will include apple brown Betty. The restaurant will also sell beer, wine and cocktails.
“We want to offer a restaurant that is affordable and family friendly but still has the high-quality food and the top-level service that our restaurants are known for,” Haley said. “People can stop here for a bite on the way to or from the movies, while they’re outlet shopping, or after a day at the amusement parks or on the beach.”
SoDel, which purchased the 4,000-square-foot restaurant in December, has created a décor that follows a 1960s and 1970s motif. “Just like the food, which is inspired by recipes passed down through generations, the décor will feel familiar,” said Zeigler, who has designed all of SoDel Concepts’ other restaurants. “It’s not an attempt to take what we know and manipulate it or make it slick. The décor will take its cue from the places we all had these dishes in the first place: the diner, the lunch counter and Grandmom’s kitchen.”
Chef Bryan Muzik of NorthEast Seafood Kitchen, SoDel Concepts’ Ocean View restaurant, will also supervise Betty’s. The Bethany Beach native has also worked at Fish On and Lupo di Mare, two other SoDel Concept restaurants
Betty’s is expected to open in mid-March.
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