14 Global

The vision behind 14 Global was to bring a restaurant with flavors, textures and ingredients from around the world then fuse those flavors in a way that brought them together in a harmonious whole to the patrons of Bethany Beach, Delaware.  Small plates, or tapas, are offered to create an environment where people can share with one another all those different flavors.

Brazilian Caipirinha and the Pineapple Pico

For our last night in Bethany Beach, we dined at 14 Global.  The interior is a little small, but we were seated at a little two-top table.  Our server, Kevin, was very friendly and suggested we try one of their fabulous cocktails.  To quote, "You can taste the freshness of each unique cocktail because they all contain citrus fruit that is squeezed at the time the drink is assembled."  I chose the Pineapple Pico made with tequila, pineapple juice and had fresh strawberries and pineapple in it.  It was delicious, and caught the eye of a woman sitting at the table next to us.  Keith started with a traditional Brazilian Caipirinha.  It puckered the mouth with all the limes, but was very refreshing.  Later, I tried the passion fruit caipirinha, and Keith tried The Ginger made with gin.  Both drinks were also freshly crafted and tasted great, proving that 14 Global makes some killer cocktails.

To start, we decided to order a few things to share.  First, a trio of soups - Chilled Honeydew-Cucumber & Avocado Soup made from pureed cucumber, avocado, honeydew melon, vegetable stock, and rice wine vinegar, topped with mint & basil crème fraiche and toasted pumpkin seeds; a Wild Boar Chorizo & Sweet Corn Chowder made from a 5 hour corn and vegetable stock, cream, fresh herbs, roasted garlic, sweet corn, onion, carrot, jalapeno, potato, and chorizo sausage; and Sweet Potato & Lump Crab Bisque made with pureed sweet potato, coconut milk, cream, sherry, ginger, lemon grass, thyme, garlic, carrot, onion, and lump crab meat.  The crab bisque was slightly overpowered by the sweet potato, but had a decent amount of crab meat in it.  The chilled avocado soup was zippy and perfect for hot summer days.  I did not taste the chorizo and corn chowder, but Keith thought it had the most flavor of the three.

Next, we shared the House Smoked Fish Spread with smoked fish of the day, cream cheese, capers, shallots, roasted garlic, citrus zest, toasted spices, and fresh herbs, served with spicy pepper aioli, truffle mustard aioli, and grilled ciabatta bread.  The smokiness really came through, but I found the texture of the fish to be like canned tuna.

We also shared the Tropical Mahi Mahi Ceviche made with fresh off the boat mahi chunks, pineapple, jalapeno, red & green onion, garlic, cilantro, and citrus zest, served with mango puree and plantain chips. The jalapeno peppers were prominent and overwhelmed the fish.  I wish I liked this colorful dish more, as it sounded perfect as beach fare, but did not rise up to my expectations.

From the larger 'entrees' section of the menu, Keith ordered the Mini Shrimp Tacos served on mini flour tortillas topped with shaved purple cabbage, pico de gallo, avocado mousse, Cotija cheese, and cilantro & citrus aioli.  The shrimp were incredibly tender and flavorful making these tacos one of the best dishes of the night.  The tacos also come in fish, beef, or cactus options.

Lastly, we shared the Char Grilled Mahi Mahi.  A coconut-curry glazed mahi filet was served over sunchoke & fennel puree, with broccoli raab & garlic sauté, topped with crispy fried leeks.  The mahi was a nice portion and cooked expertly.  The curry flavor was mild and the sunchoke puree a bit watery and bland, but the broccoli raab was fresh and added that bitter edge to the dish.

We had a nice dinner at 14 Global with wonderful service that was timed just right.  The dishes are bit larger than other tapas places, but still great to share.  The cocktails were the star of the night and added to the overall score.  The global approach to food is a nice change to the other typical seafood restaurants in Bethany Beach and worth checking out. 

Total Rating: 3.9
Food: 4, Price: 3.5, Service: 4, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5

What I ate:

Global Soup Trio
Sweet Potato & Lump Crab Bisque; Chilled Honeydew-Cucumber & Avocado Soup;
 Wild Boar Chorizo & Sweet Corn Chowder

House Smoked Fish Spread
smoked fish of the day, cream cheese, capers, shallots, roasted garlic,
citrus zest, toasted spices, and fresh herbs, served with spicy pepper aioli,
truffle mustard aioli, and grilled ciabatta bread

Tropical Mahi Mahi Ceviche
fresh off the boat mahi chunks, pineapple, jalapeno, red & green onion,
garlic, cilantro, and citrus zest, served with mango puree and plantain chips

Char Grilled Mahi Mahi
coconut-curry glazed mahi filet served over sunchoke & fennel puree,
with broccoli raab & garlic sauté, topped with crispy fried leeks

Plus Keith ate:

Mini Shrimp Tacos

served on mini flour tortillas topped with shaved purple cabbage, pico de gallo,

avocado mousse, Cotija cheese, and cilantro & citrus aioli