Rehoboth Beach

[SWoodyWhite]

A couple of updates:

I called Ristorante Zebra (32 Lake Ave., 320-226-1160), and learned from their taped message that they will be reopening on March 26th. Reservations are being accepted, first seatings at 6 pm.

On the same night, Sir Guy's (243 Rehoboth Ave., 320-227-7616) will be holding a happy hour party from 5 to 8 pm. This is the first winter since 1992 that they've closed, updating their interiors and menu. The sprucing up looks pretty good. The new menu features more salads (with dressings made in-house) and entrees. Right now they're closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays; Tuesdays is Wing Night, at $3.50 a dozen.

And yes, der Brucer and I have discovered Beautiful Foods, which has a great cheese shop along with all sorts of spices and ingredients I haven't been able to find elsewhere. We picked up a good-sized slab of Gruyere, the perfect test for der B's new electric fondue pot, and I found some dried chilis, something the supermarkets don't seem to have in stock...at all! (I'm in serious Mexican food withdrawal!) Nice fellows running the place, interested in what people want and ready with suggestions.

[SWoodyWhite]

Bob L and I had a good time tonight, meeting by accident at Celsius at a wine tasting dinner. He's the one who recognized der Brucer and myself, by name, by coincidence he and his lovely wife being our dinner companions. The world of eGullet continues to grow!

But it's time to start a new Rehoboth thread, in celebration of the Spring season, and I'll be a better writer in the morning.

Yours truly - your Rehoboth Beach correspondent - S. Woody White

[hillvalley]

Oh wise rb correspondent, have you heard anything about Dish?

[SWoodyWhite]

I know where Dish is located, I've been by there, I've got going there to dine on the "to do" list...I know, excuses, excuses.

Here's a link to their website:

http://www.dishrehoboth.com/

[JennyUptown]

Nice web site...except I can't find the location/address listed anywhere in there.

[SWoodyWhite]

Dang, I knew there'd be a catch to all this!

Dish is at 26 Baltimore, in Rehoboth Beach, not too far from the Boardwalk.

[hillvalley]

Heading that way on Friday with great hopes that AJ's Brewing Co. will finally be open.

BTW, SWoodyWhite have you been to Beautiful Foods, yet? My wife & I stumbled in there last weekend and found a selection of cheeses that is unrivaled in the area.

Where is Beautiful Foods?

[BobL]

Where is Beautiful Foods

It's in one of the first little strip centers on the north side of Rehoboth Ave. just as you come off Rt. 1

The shop doesn't reflect the name but the products they carry are awesome.

[JennyUptown]

I've never tried Fusion but have been tempted. It so hard to walk past Celcius and not go in.

Does Celcius have a web site?

I tried one but was led to a dead end.

[morela]

David Engel of La La Land has better bartender hair than Todd Thrasher. If you missed it, you missed.

[JennyUptown]

Are there any farm stands on the way to/from Rehoboth that stand out more than any other?

I'm heading out to the beach this weekend and would love to bring back some good sweet corn, etc.

[JennyUptown]

I have just returned from a fun end-of-summer weekend at the beach with three college friends. The weather was fantastic (if really hot), as was the company. The food (and accommodations) were also pretty good.

We stayed at The Bellmoor. It's a beautiful place and the rooms are both large and elegant. Unlike most inns of this caliber, the place had a ton of kids present. Personally, I like kids, but there were times (e.g., breakfast, afternoons at the pool) when they'd disappear for a little while. Like "naptime, kiddies...run along!"

The inn is a bit pricey, but offers a good complimentary breakfast, served buffet-style in their sunny, immaculate breakfast room. For those who like to eat outdoors, there are also quite a few tables in the courtyard. The hotel does not have a restaurant so breakfast is catered. Both days, we were offered something warm and sweet (French toast one day, fruit filled pancakes the other), a breakfast meat (ham, followed by bacon), scrambled eggs, cold cereals, yogurt/granola parfaits, danish, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, coffee and juice. It was a good spread so we ended up not needing breakfast restaurant recommendations.

More about the other meals later...

[HerndonJake]

SWoodyWhite, now that the summer crowds are winding down out your way I hope we can expect to hear more from you. I've enjoyed your reviews thus far and look forward to the post-summer follow up.

[Susan in FL]

SWoodyWhite, now that the summer crowds are winding down out your way I hope we can expect to hear more from you. I've enjoyed your reviews thus far and look forward to the post-summer follow up.

←

I've enjoyed this thread, too, and sure have missed it.

[mr food]

We'll be down this weekend and are considering Cloud 9 but Dish caught my eye. We need corkage but both places offer it so...any recent tastings???

[phifly04]

I've never tried Fusion but have been tempted.  It so hard to walk past Celcius and not go in.

Does Celcius have a web site?

I tried one but was led to a dead end.

←

Hello Everyone,just moved down to lowerslower in april from philly burbs and got a job as Sous at LaLa Land-had a great season just closed last week,will reopen Easter week-end David is truly a one of a kind bartender and an excellent one also,i hope everyone comes down to see us next season.Chef Rob will be traveling to Asia for inspiration and i will be going to Florida for the winter so look for Asian and florribean influences

Respectfully yours,

Dave Siter

[SWoodyWhite]

Thanks for the kind words posted above.

I'm between jobs again, now that the season is over (and so is my headcold). So, back to reporting...

First, a couple of changes in restaurants: the location run by Tutto Bene, at the Midway Shopping Center, has been taken over by Adriatico, giving them a Highway One location in addition to their downtown Rehoboth spot.

Meanwhile, what was Harlow's at 404-A Rehoboth Beach is now under new ownership and has been renamed Partners. They're proudly flying the Rainbow flag but, in true Rehoboth spirit, eveyone is welcomed with open arms. Friday and Saturday, from 8 to 12, they've got a live piano bar going, playing "a little of everything" and taking requests. (If you can't see the piano player from the dining room, you can watch him on a couple of well-placed television monitors).

The menu runs towards good "home style" cooking, nothing fancy but tasty when der Brucer and I have been there. Most entrees run in the $10-$15 range. Mondays they're running a dinner special that changes weekly, except for the price - $9.95, which includes soup or salad, potatoes, and veg. Similarly, Friday is Prime Rib night, with the same sides (smashed red 'taters) for $11.95. Wednesday is Burger Night at $5.95.

Partners Bistro does have a website. Phone: 302 226 0207

[SWoodyWhite]

Our other recent "new place" has been in town for a while.

After having been let down so badly at Dos Locos, we were afraid that the only place local for Mexican food would be La Tolteca. However, since der Brucer and I have involved ourselves with the local Animal Rescue Society, we've struck up a friendship with Shayne, who runs a pet supply shop called Dalmatian. She agreed that Tijuana Taxi, located across the street from her shop (at 207 Reboboth Ave., 302 227 1986) hadn't been all that good in the past, but over the last season had shown a lot of improvement.

So we decided to give them a try.

What we found wasn't Tex-Mex, and wasn't authentic Mexican, but had a good deal going for it. Since it was Wednesday, we took advantage of the specials. Der B. enjoyed the burrito ($6), filled with carnitas (his choice), and I do mean filled. The pork was tender, spiced nicely, and the tortilla that was wrapped around it all had a toasty crunch. I had the fajitas ($8), my choice of flank steak and jerked chicken, both tasty. The accompanying rice, beans, bell peppers and onions matched the meats well, as did the $4 margaritas. Also on special on Wednesdays is paella, at $8.

Can't get to Rehoboth on Wednesday? Thursday TT has both enchladas and chimichangas for $6. Sunday, all frozen drinks are just $4 (at the bar only, according to their flier).

****

Next door to the Tijuana Taxi is Abstractions. Their current specials are Tini Tuesdays - $5; Roll Night on Wednesdays - 20% off all sushi rolls; and on Thursday, buy one entree and get half off on the second. 302 226 0877.

Edited October 24, 2004 by SWoodyWhite (log)

[SWoodyWhite]

And, while I'm talking about Animal Rescue, Aqua on Wilmington Ave. is hosting a "Yappy Hour" for the Delaware Humane Association on the last Saturday of each month. That will make this month's celebration on October 30th, from 1 to 5. Humans get to give a $5 donation, while their four-legged friends get in free. This includes drinks at happy hour prices, and a tapas buffet for pets and people. The DHA has their Spay/Neuter Van on site, bringing adoptable pets that you can meet. They do ask that all pets be kept on a leash, and have their vaccinations up to date, for obvious reasons.

Der Brucer and I plan on being there on Saturday with Zeus, a very nice collie mix that we are giving a foster home until he can find a new family, and probably Fletcher, our deaf Dalmation rescue who loves to go on these meet-and-greets.

Aqua also regularly has a Sunday brunch, and on Thursdays has half-price Cuban specials. Their Rum Runners are dangerously tasty.

****

Fletcher proved he loves getting out and meeting people when we dropped by the Blue Moon. While we were having a couple of drinks and meeting friends on their front porch, he was having a grand time having his ears scritched and just generally being sociable.

While there, I double-checked. The Blue Moon has brought back Tasting Tuesday. This is their off-season special, with three courses (appetizer, entree, and desert) matched with three wines. $30 per person, reservations suggested, and worth it. They're also holding Martini Madness on Thursdays, with $6 martinis all night.

35 Baltimore Ave. 302 227 6515

****

One more note, this time over at 37 Wilmington Ave. Charles and John of Cafe Zeus are also pet lovers. The restaurant is named after one of their Labs, and their Miss Kitty is currently taking a vacation, having had kittens of her own.

Monday nights, Cafe Zeus has a buy one entree, get one free special running (cash only, sorry). They're also keeping their heated courtyard and Argus Lounge running through the off-season with "Sundays at 5," where people can "wind down from the weekend or gear up for the week" with drink and food specials.

302 226 0400. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Edited October 24, 2004 by SWoodyWhite (log)

[Susan in FL]

Welcome back to this thread, Woody! Thanks for taking the time to update. Some interesting news, and it sounds good. Rehoboth is such a great community.

Wishing you and Bruce well...

[mr food]

My old stand-by Cloud 9 has a new chef and he ain't too great. stick to the beef dishes which weren't bad. $5 corkage still exists and their wine list is interesting (stronger on whites).

[SWoodyWhite]

There has been some controversy involving a restaurant here in Rehoboth Beach.

The Rehoboth branch of Crabby Dick's, a Baltimore seafoodery, has a marquee-style sign out front, where they can post the daily specials, that sort of thing. Someone on the staff thought it would be funny to post double-entendres on the sign. Stuff like "Pop our crabby balls in your mouth with our seaman sauce."

This wouldn't have gone over so poorly if CD's weren't located right on Highway One, where everyone passing by could see the sign. A number of residents took offense, and wrote letters of protest in the local Cape Gazette. The management promised to tone things down.

It didn't last long. After a week or so, the 2nd grade dirty phrases started popping up again. Making things worse was a full-page ad in the CG from a local bakery, quoting the Bible in denouncing the restaurant's sign.

Things came to a head when CD's sign, during Gay Pride Weekend, referred to the celebrants as "queers." Again, letters to the editor flew. In an interview, the managers protested, noting how they themselves are gay, that "everyone" uses the word queer, and that the sign was intended as a positive thing.

But there are plenty of locals, including those who are gay, who aren't amused. My own better half, der Brucer, has commented that "it's one thing to use the word "queer" within the gay community, but right on the highway where everyone can see it...can you imagine being a mother of a family, where a seven or eight year old can read the sign, and then having to explain it to the kid?"

Me, I think the signs are simply in poor taste. Unfortunately, so is the food at CD's. They made it through the summer season; whether they can last through the winter, having alienated so many locals, remains to be seen.

Edited October 26, 2004 by SWoodyWhite (log)

[NulloModo]

Wooody -

I noticed your earlier post about La Tolteca. While I know it isn't fancy mexican or anything, I have always been impressed by La Tolteca (at least the braches up here in Newark/Bear/Wilmington, I am assuming it is a local chain...). The food is good, cheap, comes out fast, and plenty of variety. I don't think I have ever had anything bad there, and the Camarones del Diablo are phenomenal. What is it you don't like about the place?

[SWoodyWhite]

Sorry, I didn't mean to give the impression that I don't like La Tolteca, because I do. To your own list of positives, I would add great, friendly service.

What I was intending to say, and I appologize for not being clear, was that Tijuana Taxi gives Rehoboth Beach residents and visitors another option, quite different in style but also worth pursuing.

I think I like the chips at La Tolteca better, and their food would probably match better with a frosty cerveza than TT's. But I'm not knocking La T's margueritas at all (and they're on special on Tuedays!).

*****

Somehow, another thread I started last Spring on Rehoboth Beach got lost in the shuffle. It's located at http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=39822&hl= and included my first impressions of La Tolteca.

Edited October 27, 2004 by SWoodyWhite (log)

[SWoodyWhite]

It's taken a while, but I've finally gotten der Brucer to like sushi.

His big problem with sushi, or the concept of it, has always been his claimed dislike of rice. "That stuff is gummy and nasty," would always be his comment. Of course, he loves good Mexican rice, and when I serve it to him at home he enjoys what he's eaten. But the German in him just couldn't get around the idea of rice.

That changed when we decided to try the new Tokyo Steakhouse on Highway One (sharing a parking lot with Home Depot). It's taken what seemed forever for the owners to get the restaurant's building completed, starting before the summer season and finally finishing when all the tourists have left. As such, opening post-season seemed strange. All the same, there have been cars in the parking lot every night, and the lot is large enough that we can tell which are there for the restaurant and which for the hardware store.

The first time we went was for the teppan steak. This part of the restaurant is what I had expected, Benihana-style in both the food and the theatrics is cooking it. Both were good, but not exceptional. What I do like about this kind of service is getting to meet other diners, total strangers with their stories to tell. This is not the kind of dining for people who want to be left alone.

Before the grilled food was prepared/performed, we had appetizers. On the waiter's suggestion, we split a Dragon Roll and a Rainbow Maki. I found them both enjoyable. Der Brucer found them remarkable.

It shouldn't have surprised me, then, when he suggested that we return "just for appetizers." This time we went into the Sushi Bar, and since it was a Monday there weren't too many people there. What started as an appetizer ended up being a meal, repeating our earlier choices and adding maguro and sake sushi, plus soft shell crab and a few other items. Der B had never tried good raw tuna before, and loved how meaty yet tender it was.

A few days later, we dropped by again, this time definately staying just for appetizers. He's definately hooked. And he has absolutely no complaints about the rice. (And the waitstaff has no problem supplying him with a fork instead of chopsticks.)

Prices as the Tokyo Steakhouse are consistant with other sushi restaurants I've fiound on the web, as well as with other teppan grills. They have a website, parts still under construction, at http://www.thetokyosteakhouse.com/WELCOME.htm

Now, if only I can get der B over his aversion to tofu.