Patricia Talorico

The News Journal

It’s not even spring, but already new restaurants are sprouting up.

Seafood, especially a focus on raw oysters, seems to be hotter than ever with several new eateries opening soon offering both fin and shellfish.

Expect to also see cocktails and wine on tap (yes, you read that correctly), small plates, global cuisine and a major expansion of a well-known coffeehouse.

Restaurateurs tend to be reluctant to release firm opening dates, mostly because delays, be it due to construction or waiting for final licenses and permits, are as frequent as reservation no-shows.

To avoid aggravation, always call ahead before checking out a new venue.

Hungry? Let’s dig in.

Here’s what’s coming soon:

426 N. Market St., Wilmington; (302) 543-5574. Visitwww.merchantbarwilmington.com (the web site is still under construction, you can also checkthe Facebook page).

In July 2013, restaurateurs Bryan and Andrea Sikora put a stamp on downtown Wilmington with the opening of their successful La Fia Bistro + Market on lower Market Street. A second eatery, Cocina Lolo, a modern Mexican restaurant around the corner on King Street, came two years later. Market Street Bread + Bagel, a bakery four blocks away from La Fia, opened in January.

And now, the couple is adding onto their culinary empire, and continuing an investment in the city, with Merchant Bar, a casual eatery featuring global cuisine.

Merchant Bar, set to open within the next two weeks – but most likely sooner – will serve light bites and variety of craft beers, wine and cocktails. The 50-seat eatery, with a 10-seat bar, sits directly across the street from La Fia.

“We’re in the final stages,” Bryan Sikora said Monday. “We’ve been in there cooking. It’s pretty slick.”

Sikora says the space has a variety of high top tables, bar stools that look out onto Market Street and a lounge area. He’s says the food will have a global, nostalgic bent with small plates and noshes like moo shu pancakes with smoked duck, cassoulet, lobster and filet mignon kebabs and house-made, house-smoked hot dogs.

He also plans to offer a $5 selection of bites. Sikora says there will six beers and four wines on tap as well as premium liquors and craft cocktails.

“It will be a little more whimsical and fun,” he says of the restaurant, which will be open initially during the dinner-hour, and later. No reservations will be needed; Merchant Bar is aimed at walk-ins.

A few blocks away, restaurateur Scott Morrison was planning to launch 3 Doors Brewing Co., a microbrewery serving barbecue as well as a new 200-seat beer garden near Chelsea Tavern at 821 N. Market St. But with the sudden death of Morrison earlier this month, plans are on temporary hold.

“We need to figure out his estate first and sit down with the landlord [Buccini/Pollin Group],” Joe Van Horn, the operational owner/general manager of Morrison’s Delaware restaurants, told The News Journal.

“I don’t think the restaurants are going anywhere, and I don’t think this is going to stop what he had going on. I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen.”

316 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach; (302) 226-2739. Visitdogfish.com

Rehoboth isn’t short on excellent restaurants offering delights from the sea. (This is a resort town, after all.) Just check out the eager customers milling about and waiting for seats at Henlopen City Oyster House or FINS Fish House & Raw Bar on any given night at the height of the summer.

But anticipation is high for the snazzy new seafood house from the folks behind Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. At Chesapeake & Maine, Dogfish founder Sam Calagione and his wife Mariah will be showcasing cuisine from two regions important to them, as well as their company’s new line of “scratch-made” spirits.

The opening date is set for March 7. The restaurant, formerly Finbar Bar & Grill, next door to Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, will serve dinner-only from 4 to 10 p.m. daily. Hours could be added during warmer weather months.

Judging from photos, video and artwork on the Chesapeake & Maine Facebook page, the over-the-top nautical decor by designer OTTO Architects has stunning features, namely oyster shell chandeliers, round porthole windows and industrial brass cage lighting fixtures.

Dogfish beer will be a recurring theme in some of the entrees with dishes like mussels steamed with Namaste, a Belgian white brew. Ales also will be incorporated into sauces such as a béarnaise known as “beernaise” and “Midas Touch” Mignonette, a condiment for oysters made with Dogfish Head’s sweet yet dry beer from its “Ancient Ales” series.

A specially built raw bar will feature lobsters and oysters from the Chesapeake Bay, Mariah’s native roots, as well as Maine, where Sam Calagione spent summers in his youth.

Cocktails will be blended and shaken with Dogfish Head’s new line of spirits that include Analog Vodka, Compelling Gin and Whole Leaf Gin.

Another interesting feature? Three housemade, keg-conditioned cocktails will be served on tap.

In New Castle County, bivalve lovers might be psyched to learn Big Fish Group Restaurant Group has plans for a new oyster house in Wilmington's Trolley Square at the former Satsuma Asian Kitchen & Bar. The group is known for its Big Fish Grill restaurant as well as running the Summerhouse Saloon and Salt Air, both in Rehoboth, and FireStone on the Wilmington Riverfront.

Satsuma, a Wilmington Asian eatery, had formerly been home to The Del Rose, a city landmark for more than 50 years, until its closing in 2013.

Another newcomer for Trolley Square: Oldbanks Craft Bistro at 1713 Delaware Ave. The new eatery will occupy a former bank next door to Scratch MaGoo's.

300 Lantana Drive, Lantana Square Shopping Center, Hockessin; (302) 239-2200. Visitwww.twostonespub.com/hockessin.php

One of the most frequently asked questions from Hockessin craft beer lovers: “When is Two Stones Pub opening?”

If all goes well, owner Michael Stiglitz anticipates the new brewpub in the Lantana Square Shopping Center will open to the public on Friday.

Delays aren’t unusual when it comes to a restaurant opening. Stiglitz had hoped to begin pulling drafts by President’s Day. On Monday, he said he is waiting for some final inspections, but expects to begin service this weekend.

The restaurant has seating for about 100 and includes a bar made with 100-year-old reclaimed wood. Two Stones, which has three other locations, is known for its huge craft beer selection, salads, burgers, tacos and snacks.

Matt’s Fish Camp

33401 Tenley Court, Del. Route 1, Lewes. Visitwww.sodelconcepts.com

If a restaurant concept works, hit repeat and do it all over again. When Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria in Fenwick Island proved to be a hit, its owner SoDel Concepts opened a second Papa Grande’s in Rehoboth.

And now the Sussex County hospitality group plans to open a second Matt’s Fish Camp, this time in Lewes.

The original Matt’s, on the oceanside of Del. 1 at Tower Shores in north Bethany Beach, is known for its lobster rolls, fried fish and crab cake sandwiches and Ipswich clams. The eatery, which has a walk-up window, serves foods inspired by Cape Cod as well as the Delaware coast.

It’s named for SoDel Concepts founder Matt Haley, who died in 2014.

SoDel Concepts president Scott Kammerer said the second Matt's Fish Camp in Lewes, a 3,200-square-foot restaurant, formerly Tijuana Taxi, will seat 90 people in the dining room and will feature a 12-seat bar and raw bar. He's targeting an early summer opening.

If you’re already craving seafood, check out the new Pilot Town Fish Co. at 16388 Samuel Paynter Blvd. in Milton.

Chef/owner Jay Caputo, the man behind Rehoboth’s Espuma and Beachside Bar & Grill, took over the site that once housed Kindle in Paynter’s Mill off Del. 1, and turned it into a modern seafood eatery.

A raw bar has Jonah crab claws, ceviche and daily sashimi. Appetizers include seared head-on prawns and grilled octopus. Casual fare includes grilled mahi tacos and lobster BLTs. Visit pilottownfish.com

Also on the horizon is a new home and look for BrewHaHa! in Greenville. Owner Alisa Morkides will be moving and expanding the flagship coffeehouse she opened more than 20 years ago.

This spring, Morkides will move BrewHaHa! from its current site in Powder Mill Square off Kennett Pike to a larger space in the first floor of the Pond building also in the shopping center. She plans to model it after her revamped Trolley Square coffeehouse that opened in April 2015.

The new BrewHaHa! will have several fireplaces and a variety of dining areas including outdoor seating. Morkides plans to sell alcohol, feature a coffee “slow bar,” offer brunch and small plates as well as its current menu.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 orptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter@pattytalorico Read her blog atwww.delawareonline.com/blog/secondhelpings