[new_royalslider id=”27″]We finally made it over to the deck at Schaefer’s Canal House in Chesapeake City.
It took years for the historic dining spot to reopen, with the Giordano family of Kennett Square spending millions on the effort to restore the restaurant, dock and other areas. The once-popular banquet center is slated to open in the near future. The filled-to-overflowing parking lot told the story. The turnaround of the Canal House is complete and diners, many from Delaware, were on hand during the first night of the Labor Day weekend. Schaefer’s has never looked better.
Even though parking was at a premium (spots did exist in a grassy area next to the asphalt lot) we were quickly seated on the deck during our early evening visit. The efficiency and friendliness continued as orders were taken for drinks and dinner.
The orders at our table included a shrimp, wings, and oyster po’ boy sandwich, a crab melt sandwich, breaded oysters, shrimp, wings, and fish and chips. The oysters and fish and chips ($16) got rave reviews. Down a notch or so were the crab melt and po’ boy sandwiches.
We did not check out one benchmark of local restaurants, the crab cake, but will do so at a later date. All items were served promptly by the hard-working wait staff. Prices are reasonable, given the overall quality of food and the allure of the deck setting.
There is more to deck dining than food and Schaefer’s brought back the island music on the deck and on this Friday night arranged for some interesting ships to sail through the canal including an unmarked, ominous looking gray vessel. The Delaware State Police boat patrolling the canal also tied up at Schaefer’s dock, adding to the First State presence. A smaller police boat was also in the area.
The sunset over the bridge brought a nice end to the meal as a younger crowd began to stream into Schaefer’s. Will we be back? The deck won’t be open forever. But thanks to the menu items and staff, Schaefer’s is back on the year-around dining list. – Doug Rainey.
