Food and Rehoboth Beach

Which Netbook?

2010-06-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

I like the Mac laptop.

But it is expensive compared to a netbook made by HP, Asus, Dell, Toshiba, or Acer. I like the portability factor and long battery life of the new netbooks. I can live with the 10.1" screen. I have no idea what "Windows 7 Starter" means. I think it means, "we're not charging full price for the operating system so we're starting you on something inadequate that will require an upgrade later." For a fee, of course.

I'm not ready for the iPad leap. I am just not hip enough to tote one of those around a Starbucks. Besides I'm not sure it isn't the Apple product-phallus.

Should I upgrade from 1 gig of ram to 2 gigs? 1 gig of ram. How 90's of them. Should I get the DVD external drive? And is the little sleeve they sell with them too much of a man-purse? I think it is.

Any thoughts?

Dogfish Head. Brewpub and Brewery.

2009-09-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Dogfish Head began in June of 1995 in Rehoboth Beach. In 14 years they have grown to be a nationally recognized and distributed beer. In my current hometown of Fort Worth, Texas Dogfish beers are sold at Central Market. If you are visiting Rehoboth and you like beer, you must visit their brewpub on Rehoboth Avenue. The following information is taken from their website:

Not only was Dogfish Head Delaware’s first brewpub, it was the smallest commercial brewery in America. Our very first batch, Shelter Pale Ale, was brewed on a system which essentially was three little kegs with propane burners underneath. Brewing 12–gallon batches of beer for a whole restaurant proved to be more than a full time job. When the doors to the pub first opened, we brewed three times a day, five days a week! The one benefit to brewing on such a small system was the ability to try out a myriad of different recipes. We quickly got bored brewing the same things over and over – that’s when we started adding all sorts of weird ingredients and getting kind of crazy with the beers!

The beer wasn't the brewpub’s only draw. The pub's menu centered on a wood-burning grill. We soon became known as the place to enjoy fresh grilled seafood, burgers, pizzas and sandwiches. The wood–burning grill imparts a unique flavor to everything on the menu, whether it's a hearty sandwich, a delicate piece of fish or our signature pizza dough.

With the popularity of the pub growing, it was quickly apparent that the 12–gallon brewery would not keep up with demand. We built a new brewery and underwent a thirty-fold expansion of the brew house!

The reputation of Dogfish Head ales quickly grew beyond Delaware's borders. Calls from Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and beyond poured in, as thirsty restaurant patrons demanded their favorite beach beer at home. We began bottling our Shelter Pale Ale in 1996 and just 1 year later we expanded again – this time we separated the packaging operation from the restaurant, and kept on brewing! By 1999, we were up to five year–round bottled brands in about a dozen states.

We outgrew our distributing brewery in a couple years and in the summer of 2002; we moved our entire production brewery up the road to Milton, Delaware into a 100,000 square foot converted cannery. Around the same time (just to keep thing interesting), we built a distillery on the second floor of our Rehoboth Beach brewpub, so we could make vodka, rum and gin.

Thanks to all our employees and every one of our customers, Dogfish Head continues to grow today! We’re now up to nearly 20 styles of beer that are sold in more than 25 states, and a half–dozen kinds of hand–crafted spirits... and we still have some ideas in the back of our collective heads.

Dogfish Brewpub
320 Rehoboth Ave
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.

http://www.dogfish.com/

The Canalside Inn. Small, Quiet, Clean.

2009-04-19T07:26:00.001-07:00

The Canalside Inn is a small, newly refurbished hotel on the Rehoboth side of the canal and a 1/4 mile south of Rehoboth Avenue.

My wife and I were looking for a small hotel for a one-night weekend trip and, upon my brother's suggestion, gave the Canalside Inn a try. Here's a summary of our opinion -- I mention my only criticism first:

1. Double bed room: very small room with no chair. This is not a problem for a one night stay especially since the room is only occupied for the sleeping hours. But with just a few guests at the hotel that weekend I'm not sure why the owners wouldn't ask us to upgrade to a nicer room at a discount.

If you plan a longer stay and have more than one person, it may be a little cramped.

2. Room cleanliness, View, Bed comfort, Quietness? Great, no complaints at all.

3. Breakfast buffet. Nothing fancy, what one expects when it is included in the room price: bagels, cereal, juice, muffins.

4. Location. For us, good. But if you are looking to walk back and forth to the beach it may be a bit of a hike. Canalside Inn has the benefit of being away from the noisy Rehoboth Avenue crowds, which for us is worth the extra block or two of walking.

Price? Winter weekend rate: $82.00.

Will I stay again? Absolutely, but I will ask for a bigger room.

Ice Cream at the Royal Treat.

2008-11-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

There are many places to get an ice cream cone at the beach. The prices are about the same and most of them have good ice cream, at least the ones that specialize in ice cream. Nowadays you can even get a cup of Gelati. But there is still only one place where you can get your favorite ice cream treat and enjoy it sitting on an old-fashioned screened in porch -- and that is at the Royal Treat on Wilmington Avenue. Royal Treat serves Hershey's ice cream and I think it's as good as you can get.

Five Guys Hamburgers.

2008-11-18T17:10:00.000-08:00

I think the best hamburger in the Rehoboth Beach is Five Guys. Wow. Fresh meat patties, cooked after you order. Double stacked. Boardwalk style french fries and a lot of them. Of course, if you really want to do it right, I'd get the Five Guys cheeseburger to go and a small cup of fries from Thrashers. Although, when the Five Guys fries are fresh they are just as good.

The Five Guys guys have won a griddle full of "Best Burger" awards from New York to Florida, and in my view, they deserve them. Five Guys is on Rehoboth Avenue near the boardwalk.

http://www.fiveguys.com/

Best of Rehoboth Beach Food and Activities

2008-09-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

Best restaurants, food, shopping, and outdoor activities:
This post will be continually updated. Thanks to my sister who provided many of the items and comments. I agree with her on everything.

Viewing eastward: Dolly's, Bandstand, Boardwalk, and Beach.

Sushi: Cultured Pearl. Great Atmosphere. Outside seating around water ponds.
Thai: Seaside Thai. The only Thai restaurant in Rehoboth. On Rehoboth Avenue. Reasonable prices for good food.
Bread: A little bakery off Rehoboth Avenue behind Crystal. It has beautiful cakes and pretty good bread. And The Bake Shoppe – great cinnamon buns.
Coffee: Café a Go Go.
Breakfast: Crystal. Good home cooking. Or Green Man. Great breakfast and fresh juice, made on site to order.
Lunch: Arena’s. Good sandwiches, nachos are excellent, great beer selection.
Dinner: Two Seas in Dewey Beach is excellent. On the expensive side.
Ice Cream: Royal Treat. Old fashioned ice cream parlor. Screened in porch. Good ice cream (Hershey's). Excellent sundaes. On Wilmington Avenue. Also serves breakfast. Not as good as it once was.
French Fries: Thrashers. Many sites. All good. Great with vinegar.
Salt Water Taffy: Dolly's. Only Dolly's.
Hamburger: Five Guys just opened a store and the burgers are good.
Morning Pastry: Lingo's on Baltimore Avenue, if for no other reason than to look at the selection.
"Penny" Candy: Do not go to Candy Kitchen at either location, terrible candy and high prices. Do go to Snyder's. Family owned, good selection and friendly people.
Bagels: Surf bagels on Route 1 in Lewes.

Other Good Restaurants:
Fins, Oyster bar. Good crabcakes.
Boardwalk Plaza: Sit outside, have a cocktail on the boardwalk, great for "people-watching". In the winter, cozy, romantic inside lounge. Nice spot for Irish Coffee on a cold winter night.
In winter months, many restaurants have "Winter Specials." Blue Moon has a 3-course meal with a different glass of wine at each course – it is great. Cost is $30/per person. Nicola's: half- price on Tuesday nights. Packed with seniors. Great value.
Thursdays: Dogfish has $5.00 grilled pizza. Pick your pizza from assortment of unusual toppings. Many restaurants have buy one get one half off, etc.

Clothing: Saltwater Cowgirls. Trendy fashions for the young.
Bookstore: Browseabout. More than a bookstore. Good coffee in the morning. Best selection of morning newspapers and a good couch when it's not crowded.
Gifts, Watches, Handbags: M2, as in M Squared. Friendly and helpful. Funny greeting cards and retro gifts. On Rehoboth Avenue.

Rides for Children: Funland. Great children's rides, inexpensive and always clean. The best way to blow 10 bucks is the "roll the ball" horse race.
Walk: There isn’t a more beautiful development that Henlopen Acres. It is wooded with beautiful homes of all sizes and shapes. North side of Rehoboth. Of course, the boardwalk at sunrise. The beach in the evening.
Drive: I love driving south from North Shores to the south end of boardwalk. There is a beautiful view of the ocean and beach at end of the boardwalk with parking. The drive from Rehoboth to Indian River Inlet bridge is also very nice with a stop at the inlet.
Time of year: Fall is hands down the best time of the year. In September, the beach is beautiful. Waves are usually rough. Water temperature is perfect. No crowds but enough people that you don’t feel it is desolate.
Weekend to be in Rehoboth: Jazzfest weekend in mid-October. For shoppers and bargain hunters, sidewalk sale weekends are perfect on the first weekend in October and third weekend in May.
Weekend not to be in Rehoboth: 4th of July – too crowded
Coolest thing to do: Take a round trip ferry ride from Lewes, Delaware to Cape May, New Jersey. Drive on or walk. About 1 hour each way.
Additionally:
Rehoboth Main Street has Rehoboth Beach calendars and information: http://www.rehomain.com/visit_rehoboth_beach/index.htm
Sea Witch Festival is a great weekend for families with young children. The whole weekend is planned with events for kids from face painting to scarecrow building and hayrides. Also, an entertaining Halloween Event. Shops along the Avenue hand out candy from 6 – 7 p.m. on Saturday night.

Grotto's on the Boardwalk.

2008-09-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

My favorite place to eat lunch in Rehoboth does not serve the best food at the beach, but it does have the best setting and view. The restaurant is Grotto's Pizza, on the boardwalk north of Rehoboth Avenue.

If you get there early enough for lunch or dinner you can get a table open, without obstruction, to the boardwalk, the beach and the ocean. Really tough to beat on a cool spring or fall day.

I like Grotto's Pizza, although it was better when the pizza was baked in pizza ovens and not in those moving chain type ovens. The salads and sandwiches aren't bad. But the setting is great.

The Green Man: Great!

2008-08-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

photo by groundespressobars

One of the pleasures of visiting a place like Rehoboth Beach is venturing into unknown places to find good food. In Rehoboth there are few franchise restaurants, just one Starbucks and one Dunkin' Donuts. But there is still plenty of good fast food, like burgers, fries, and pizza, and good international foods, like crepes or fish & chips, and many restaurants uniquely Rehoboth Beach.

One of them, a new kid on the block and a place everyone should visit, is Green Man for breakfast or lunch. Wow. Real food. Freshly squeezed juices and health drinks. Quiche, pancakes, sandwiches, fruit dishes, this place is good.

My wife had a Creme Boules French Toast and it looked fantastic. I tasted a small bite and it tasted as good as it looked. Friendly staff, great atmosphere, reasonable prices, porch seating in good weather. I liked it.

Green Man Juice Bar and Bistro
12 Wilmington Ave
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

The Cape May Lewes Ferry -- more than transportation.

2008-08-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

Photo from Flickr by MadBuster75

I love the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. Always have. It's a part of my "childhood at the beach" memory. Back in the 60's the ferries were less refined than today -- bigger, heavier and louder, and the best part of the trip was watching them try to dock. The captain would reverse engines and swing the back around in the attempt to try and ease it into the slip. On both sides of the slip were large telephone pole posts that were his bumpers as he eased forward. Our hope was that he would hit them hard and loud and we would stand on the side of the ship and position ourselves right in front of the collision for the best effect; it created the sound of an old, swinging door but very loud.

My buddy, Billy, and I would hitchhike the 6 miles from Rehoboth to Lewes, catch the ferry to Cape May, and hitchhike north as far as we could, before returning for the last ferry home. I know it is hard to believe, but there is a good chance we were not wearing shoes, and as good of a chance we weren't older than 13 years. Imagine letting your kids do that today.

I still enjoy the trip about once a year from Lewes to Cape May and back, about an hour each way, and enjoy the salt air on my face.

It's a beautiful ride, even without the black smoke.

http://www.capemaylewesferry.com/

Home 1-800-643-3779

CAPE MAY TERMINAL
Sandman Blvd. & Lincoln Dr.
P.O. Box 827
North Cape May, NJ 08204

LEWES TERMINAL
43 Cape Henlopen Dr.
P.O. Box 517
Lewes, DE 19958

CUSTOMER SERVICE

E-mail: customerservice.help@drba.net

RESERVATIONS

E-mail: reservation.help@drba.net

Surf Bagels. Good.

2008-03-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Look closely when you are near Lewes and slow down, so that you can turn into Surf Bagel on Route 1 in Lewes.

They have as good a bagel as you can buy. And the sandwiches they make with the bagels are great, too. They are made during the day of sale and sell so quickly you can often get them fresh out of the oven.

The only problem, if you haven't been there before, is that you have to be looking for it to find it. As you drive from Wilmington to Rehoboth, Surf Bagel is on the right side in a small strip shopping center, near the entrance from Route 1 to Lewes. When you get there, trust me, you will not be disappointed.

I like the roast beef sandwich on a plain toasted bagel with cream cheese. Fantastic.

Get the details and directions from their website: http://www.surfbagel.com/

The Pizza Debate -- Settled

2008-03-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

Long term residents and visitors to Rehoboth remember the days of 1 or 2 Grotto's locations and a brand new Nicola's restaurant. At the time I considered Grotto's to be my favorite.

Most of my family like Nicola's, partially due to the fact that my sister was the very first waitress there a few years ago. Alas, Grotto's has become equivalent to a frozen pizza in my view, they have more restaurants than they have sense, and Nicola's is okay, but it's not real paisan pizza.

The best pizza in town is the Italian Cafe on the far end of town. Louie's on the Avenue is not bad either.

There will be no discussion allowed on this matter, some things are just unarguable.

Go to Cafe a Go-Go

2008-03-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Coffee is the first order of daily business for many vacationers. At Rehoboth Beach, a visit to Cafe' a Go Go gets you good coffee in a friendly, local atmosphere, and it's right on Rehoboth Avenue, a block from the boardwalk.

Jesus' and Maria are the local owners and proprietors, and they are there all the time -- and I do mean all. On the odd chance that the line has dwindled down and they have a chance to chat, they will.

But most importantly, the coffee is very good.