Papps up the game with Harbour and Palate
Lorraine and Gary Papp set their roots in the Cape Region restaurant community back in 1994, when they came to town to help John Donato and Twain Gonzalez open The Buttery on Market Street in Lewes.
It was supposed to be a one-summer job, but 27 years later, the couple is still here. They left The Buttery in 2008 to open The Essential Chef catering business. That led to a small bistro called Palate in the Safeway shopping center on Route 1. Now, they’ve added Harbour into the mix with a seafood-centered restaurant on the Lewes waterfront.
They opened Harbour just before Labor Day weekend, and the reception has been beyond their expectations.
“People were just so hungry to have something new,” Lorraine said. “I was getting 200 calls a day. That went on for the first couple of months.”
They opened in the former Gilligan’s location next to the Inn at Canal Square. Built in 2017, the restaurant has a desirable location that offers amazing views to those who dine inside, sit at the open-air bar or on the outdoor deck.
“Out of any place in Lewes, this is the place we would want if it ever became available,” Lorraine said. “There’s no other place but this place.”
The restaurant is led by Gary with the help of chef Tim McNitt, who came from the Back Porch Cafe in Rehoboth Beach. Gary said the seasonal menu at Harbour is built around sustainable fresh seafood that’s brought in daily. They also offer duck breast, rack of lamb and a slow-cooked brown sugar bourbon brisket.
Heading up the bar are house mixologist Rob Bagley and his assistant Tavish Papp. Bagley said the bar is seasonally driven, focusing on a blend of original craft cocktails and classic renditions. While they’re known for their fresh takes, they’re also more than willing to serve up beach classics such as orange crushes and margaritas.
“The bar is important for us,” Lorraine said. “We want to have a bar that is fun, original, creative and a little classy.”
When they jumped at the opportunity to open Harbour in Lewes, the Papps decided to close Palate and The Essential Chef to focus their energy on the new restaurant. But, after working through the first few months at Harbour, they decided in late 2020 they could reopen Palate.
They hired Andrew Guffey as the executive chef after he briefly worked with Papp at Harbour. Guffey had also worked at a(MUSE.) with chef Hari Cameron for five years.
“Andrew is really flavor forward,” Gary said. “He really showcases the main ingredients artfully. His techniques are wide ranging to extract flavors.”
As seasoned chefs themselves, Lorraine said she and her husband were really impressed.
“We’re learning things from him,” she said. “His modern approach is really refreshing.”
Like Harbour, Palate offers seasonal menus that take advantage of locally sourced ingredients from area farmers and growers. They work closely with Hattie’s Garden in Lewes, Totem Farms in Milton, Baywater Farms in Salisbury, Dittmar Family Farms in Felton and T.A. Farms in Camden/Wyoming.
As of now, the Papps do not have plans to restart The Essential Chef catering company; however, they said the door is not completely shut for the future.
Palate, at 19266 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, is open for dinner beginning at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Lunch hours will be added soon. Call 302-249-8489 for winter hours.
Harbour, at 134 W. Market St. in Lewes, is open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch beginning at 11:30 a.m. Happy hour runs from 3 to 5 p.m., with dinner beginning at 5. To make a reservation, call 302-200-9522 or go to harbourlewes.com.
