Cool Springs Fish Bar & Restaurant

Located at 2463 South State Street in Dover, Delaware, Cool Springs Fish Bar & Restaurant specializes in seafood. It is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. There is a full bar with a cocktail menu, and food and drink specials rotate regularly.

Seafood restaurants (of the non-fried variety) have a thin margin for error, so the fact that Cool Springs has lasted nearly twenty years says something in and of itself. While no one will accuse this place of being trendy – or cheap – the food is plentiful and generally well-executed.

A bland white building in a plaza, Cool Springs doesn’t exactly command attention from the road. The inside is quite a bit nicer though: clean, well-lit, and with just enough personality to stave off boredom.

The menu here is a bit of a throwback with crab imperial, flounder Meuniere, crab cakes, steaks, and chops among the offerings. There is something to be said for comfort in familiarity though, and the specials change often enough to ward off ennui. Our group of four split a fried calamari starter, two of us opted for the shellfish pan roast (shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, and a lobster tail with lemon thyme cream sauce) over linguine, and the other two went with a stuffed salmon and a fried flounder (both on special), respectively.

The food did not disappoint. The calamari were crisp and golden brown and lacked both greasiness and chewiness. They were a bit bland, but a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of the accompanying sauce took care of that. The entrees came with a nice assortment of mixed vegetables, and they did not lack in flavor. Neither, for that matter, did the pan roast’s sauce, which the linguine soaked up well. The ratio of seafood-to-carb was favorable, and while the lobster and shrimp were enjoyable, the scallops were a clear standout. One of the clams was not cleaned properly (not cool, Cool Springs), but that was the only hitch in an otherwise quality meal. Should you save room for dessert, the bread pudding and its decadent sauce are winners as well.

Though Cool Springs provides a good amount of food for the money, it is no bargain, even by seafood standards. The pan roast was $25, and most of the entrees are in the $20s. Cathy, our server for the evening, was experienced and personable, and wait times for food seemed about normal.

Cool Springs occupies the unenviable position of being too costly for a regular haunt yet not quite refined enough for an occasion destination. Despite this, it offers tasty seafood and even better desserts for those who are willing to spend.

8/10