Restaurants in Dover

Fetching artwork pairs with gritty brick walls and decorative graffiti in El Ay Si’s interior, where diners study an eclectic menu of Southwestern comfort cuisine. Fusing traditional recipes with international ingredients, they craft pulled-pork tacos al pastor with grilled pineapple, as well as slow-cooked pressed pork belly with caramelized apples. Brews such as Saranac India Pale Ale or the Mexican Modelo Especial pilsner complement hearty dishes as diners submerge spoons into chocolate-bourbon pecan pie or cherry crumble crowned with vanilla ice cream.

The Local Store's neighborhood feel, coupled with a focus on whole grains and locally acquired ingredients, creates a welcoming and savory atmosphere. The morning and midday menu consists of pastries, sweets, and snacks, all freshly baked on the premises without the use of corn syrup, trans fats or other shortcuts cribbed from The Secret World of Alex Mack Companion Cooking Guide. Baked options include the breakfast-y fresh-fruit turnover ($3.50), the snack-y spice cheese straw ($1.50), and the savory-y red-velvet brownie ($3.75), among others. Satisfy a lunchtime urge with a salad ($3–$8) like the spinach and arugula salad, or a sandwich ($3 half, $6 full) such as chicken salad or ham and brie with apple. A full coffee bar provides the liquid partner to the sunny meal. Get a large coffee for $1.50, large latte for $2.75, or large cappuccino for $2.25 to help jumpstart an idle mental motor.

Chef and owner Jean Luc Kieffer constructs a dinner menu brimming with traditional French cuisine infused with contemporary twists using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. Limber up chewing muscles with escargot ($14) draped in garlic butter, mushrooms, and toasted almonds. The pan-seared trout ($22) joins forces with sautéed green market vegetables and couscous for a heartier main-course meal, and duck confit ($23) dissuades growling stomachs from blurting out their owners' bank account passwords with poached duck leg, spatzle, spinach, and lar dons. Mealtime codas then commence with offerings from the dessert menu, such as ginger crème brûlée ($8) or chocolate fondant à la mode ($12).

The atmosphere inside the dual-leveled dining Thunderdome is as cozy and intimate as a hug from a pet lamb. Brightly lit windows bring in buckets of natural light to complement the extensive menu with edible sunrays. Between Monday and Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., drinks are half-price with an accompanying daily special, such as $1 oysters on Mondays and Thursdays, and $18 Maine lobster on Wednesdays.

Captain Ernest Ditlew Knuth, a child runaway turned sailing-vessel captain, retired from the seafaring life in the 1920s and opened a restaurant in the bustling port of Brooklyn, New York with his wife Paula Uhl. After hearing the call of the rural life in the 1930s, the duo decided to take their culinary experience to the hills of Bucks County where they set up shop in a pre–Revolutionary War farmhouse. Since then, the Cascade Lodge's resident chefs have crafted a bevy of classic bistro dishes, many of which they flambé tableside.

Nestled into wooden chairs encircling the wood-burning stove at the center of the room, diners can savor succulent meats or fresh-trout flambé fished from the onsite trout pond as they telepathically commune with the majestic horses and deer speckling the surrounding Delaware Valley pastures.

Determined to pursue a career in the culinary arts, executive chef Evan Kechely mastered his craft in the kitchens of restaurants, country clubs, assisted-living facilities, farmers' markets, and other venues, opting to learn by doing rather than attending culinary school. His experiences shaped his ingredient-driven and sustainable approach to meals, leading him to fill Leaf's menu with farm-to-plate options built from locally sourced meats and produce. Kechely has also learned that beer and food go together as well as camping and boy-scout repellant, and his staff is able to recommend a brew for any dish on the menu. In addition to pairing suds with the various dishes, staffers can suggest premium cigars that can enhance flavor profiles. The eatery's advanced ventilation system even allows visitors to indulge in a puff without disturbing neighboring patrons or forcing them to stare at failed smoke-ring attempts.