Flashback: Rehoboth Beach... in Haiku (originally posted 7/17/10)

Ah, summer is coming to an end.  Why not celebrate it with a trip to the beach?  Too little room in OC? How about a side trip to Reho?  Plus the haiku is a format I haven't had on here in a while.  For those of you not familiar with Rehoboth Beach, please note: the subject of the final photo is still on display the last I checked.

- - - - -

Rehoboth Beach... in Haiku (originally posted July 17, 2010)


It's been a week since my visit to fabulously hot Rehoboth Beach - and a good long while since I posted anything in poetry format. So to help cope with the heat, a little silliness in haiku format.

My stay started at
The Rehoboth Guest House - a
Charming place to stay.

Dogfish Head Brew Pub

Dinner was Dogfish
Head Brewpub, one of my main
Reasons to go down.

So many beers, all
Mem'rable. But enough to
Cloud my brain a tad.

I must recommend
Their five dollar sampler of
Five beers with your meal.

With that I got the
Fried squid - crunchy, nice, although
Not too flavorful.

Alongside, their In-
dulgence burger (just nine bucks),
Piled with lots of stuff:

Cheddar, bacon, and
A fried onion ring - I asked
For it to be rare.

Flavorful, juicy,
A bit messy (duh) - quite good.
Get it if you can.

Walked to Double L,
One of the rare gay bars that
Has Guinness on tap.

What a cute couple,
Standing on the Boardwalk on
Drizzly Thursday morn.

The Bake Shoppe

Stopped by the Bake Shoppe
On Rehoboth Av for a
Croissant and a chat.

Crusty, happy guy
Who grew up in Baltimore
Told me about two

Women who baked pies
In his 'hood in South B'more
Back when he was young.

Baywatch: Delaware!

Lifeguards training in the sand.
Yum. I stared a bit.

And of course, I get
On the beach and it drizzles.
I still got sunburned :\

In contrast: what the
Trendy woman wore here a
Hundred years ago.

Also checked out an
Exhibit on Rehoboth's
Archaeology.

Leave it to me to
Go to the beach, and end up
In a museum.

Seafood ShackFor a post-beach lunch,
I stopped at the Seafood ShackOn Baltimore Av

With my Dos Equis,
Got a po'boy which was a
Three seafood sampler:

A mini-crabcake,
Three oysters, and two shrimps - for
all of thirteen bucks.

Po'boy did the job,
In a friendly setting not
Far from the Boardwalk.

Visit at night for
Music from lesbian and
Straight female singers!

Dogfish Head Brew Pub Part TwoOn back to Dogfish,
For their down-scale brew pub tour
Free at 4:30

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and Thursdays. No free samples
Like in Milton though.

Showed me their vodkas,
Including an intriguing
Peanut Butter one.

I had to try this.
A shot for five bucks tastes JUST
like peanut butter.

Finbar's Pub and GrillHowever, dinner
Was at Finbar's - the locals'
Favorite for dinner.

The service, at first,
Was lacking. But I was helped
Eventually.

With a thick Guinness,
I got a big fish and chips
For seventeen bucks:

A humongous piece
Of Irish ale-battered cod
With a rémoulade.

The fish was tender,
And the batter not soggy.
Locals must love it!

While fries are often
A throwaway, these chips were
A nice complement.

Finbar's, by the way,
Is easy to find: Dogfish
Brew Pub is next door.

Blue MoonBookending dinner,
A visit to the Blue Moon,
So close to my room.

Dinner is pricey.
So I only went for their
Happy Hour at first.

After dinner, I
Returned to meet up with friends,
Watch karaoke.

Had yet more Dogfish:
Two (or three) Shelter Pale Ales,
But Happy Hour-priced.

And please check out the
Entertaining Pamala
Stanley at Blue Moon!

Late? Karaoke
With Mona Lotts (just don't sing
Off-key like some guys)

Finally found the
Fabled gay end of the beach
(and much eye candy...)

So nice to see gays
With their kids, even some straights,
Gay couples and groups.

If you're looking, it's
13 minute walk from there
To Rehoboth Av.

Hobo's Restaurant and Bar

For my send-off lunch,
Hobo's offered one very
Eye-popping option:

The place looks like they
Took Artscape and made it in-
to a restaurant.

My lunch: a combo
Quesadilla of blue crab
Mixed with melted brie.

For nine bucks, it is
Melted with arugula
And artichokes, too.

You would not think to
Mix crab and brie, but my God
What a great combo!

Topped with rémoulade
and red bell peppers, which made
The meal quite complete.

Of course, I had to
Stop at Dolle's for car'mel corn -
A six dollar tub.

And Candy Kitchen:
For a pound of fudge to take
Back for family.

Did I mention the
Eye-candy? I did. Just had
To revisit it.

No haiku verse here: this speaks for itself.

Tidbits: Rehoboth in August Edition

I headed to Rehoboth Beach last week for a few days of rest and sun (and, er, clouds). I usually try to hit up places I have not visited while I'm there, though a visit to one famous brewpub is always on the agenda.

* The Pig & Fish is a puzzling name until you realize it means "Eat Like a Pig, Drink Like A Fish". And I certainly did during happy hour (4 to 6 pm), where various appetizers, beers and such are half priced. I got two Dogfish head 90 Minute Pale Ales and a Hennepin for half off, and enough appetizers to force me to have to return at some point. Their crab dip ($6) comes with lots of sliced bread for dipping. It wasn't a chunky dip at all, but more of a smooth and silky crab-flavored fondue. What was particularly fascinating was their "hog wings" ($5.50) - pork shanks cooked in either BBQ sauce or Italian herb butter. Quite a good bit of food and drink for happy hour.

* I made a tough decision on lunch thanks to the Urbanspoon app I downloaded onto my phone (damn this thing is useful, especially since the Wifi in the guest house was not working). I finally settled on Lily Thai on 1st Street. It has some pricey entrées - and a bowl of soup for dinner can run you $7. This is why eating out for lunch is such a good idea. For $8 I got a lunch special: salad (better than most side salads I usually get), a fried spring roll and, for my main course, fried catfish - Southern style (still not quite sure if they meant "Southern Thailand" or "Southern USA"), with potatoes and onions in a yellow curry sauce. Though the crispiness of the catfish didn't really hold up after a few minutes, the fried catfish still went nicely with the curry sauce. A Thai iced tea costs about $4 for lunch, a nice addition to your meal.

* I always stop by Dogfish Brew Pub while in Rehoboth, though it was so crowded when I got there that i figured i would just have a beer or two and then go somewhere else for dinner. It pays to hang out at the bar because I was able to snag a seat that one diner had just vacated (and it only took 15 minutes). I got there, it so happens, on International IPA Day, a day to celebrate craft beers. Dogfish had its special 75 Minute IPA available, a beautiful looking and tasting IPA for $5. I got to sample more with my dinner, a regular burger with my choice of toppings ($8 plus $1 for each topping) - avocado and goat cheese spread. It amazes me how they fit a burger like this - an average width burger, mind you - on such a tiny bun. It was almost like a burger that Wimpy would have eaten. Back to the sampler: I got to try several in 4 oz glasses. My favorite of the five? Chateau Jiahu, based on a 9,000 year old Chinese recipe and featuring honey and rice in the mix. The ultra fruity Black & Red stout was also a winner, though not one I could finish a whole glass of. Also of note: the Palo Santo Marrón and the Chicory Stout (I love the dark beers, what can I say?) My least favorite was the Shelter Pale Ale, the Dogfish original and a good beer but it really kind of pales in comparison to the others I sampled. I guess it would pale, since it's a pale ale (har har har).

* One friend of mine suggested a Nic-O-Boli from Nicola Pizza, and so I made it my last meal in town. Nicola is a friendly establishment with pizza and other Italian-American standards. Their Nic-O-Boli ($7 to $10 depending on the fillings) is a standard stromboli filled with their tomato and ground beef sauce, a local favorite. I got mine with everything, including anchovies, which I never get enough of a chance to eat.

A few random bites: late March edition

In like a lion and out like a cold, wet lamb: that's March for you. Just a few items as we ease slowly into spring.

1) I recently boiled peanuts (you'll read about it in a few weeks). It's hard to find raw peanuts in this area, though you can find them at Giant. I have decided to try growing them myself. I've rented a second garden plot in the city, which I hope to start clearing this weekend. Most of it will be for straightforward vegetable and herb planting, while a section of it will be purely experimental. We are about as far north as one can go and still hope for some success in growing peanuts. Let's see how it goes.

2a) I spent this past weekend in Rehoboth with a large group of friends (Some of you are reading - thank you again for a fun weekend! I'm already looking forward to next year). I ate out at a few places. One place where the cupcake trend hopefully continues is the Cake Break on First Street. For $6 (each for $3) I got two fascinating cupcakes.


My favorite one was their Guinness cupcake: a cupcake with Guinness Stout baked into the batter, and topped with frosting infused with Bailey's Irish Cream. This was evil. Evil, I tell you. And so good. The other cupcake was their Rehoboth Beach cupcake which I must only describe as "adorable" (oh God, I hate myself for saying that). It was made to look like a crab crawling out of the surf onto the sand. The crab tasted good too.

2b) While the best food was that which my friends made (again, kudos on the gumbo, Jim & Ralf), the best restaurant food I had came on my way out of Reho. La Tonalteca (note: their website is less than impressive) is a southern Delaware franchise of Mexican restaurants that had some pretty good Mexican food, some of the best I have had this side of the Mississippi. I got one of many of their lunch specials, an enchiladas poblanas, two enchiladas covered in mole poblano.


Everything about the enchiladas was delicious - these were no warmed over sorry excuses for enchiladas. As for the rice and beans: even in California, it is rare for me to find rice and beans that are worth eating, much less finishing. The rice was fluffy and soft and the beans were smooth, and neither was too salty. This may be a go-to stop on my way out of Rehoboth the next time I head down, especially at $6 for the whole thing.

3) A few weeks ago I saw the cleverly named Naanwich from Sukhi's, at Whole Foods. The one I got was a simple helping of tandoori chicken inside a folded-over piece of naan bread. While I wouldn't buy this all the time, it is convenient and tasty, the chicken soft and flavorful enough to not be a waste of time, and the naan pleasantly soft and chewy.


4) And finally, this from Churchville, Harford County:


And remember: Haste makes Waste Waist... get bigger!

Rehoboth Beach... in Haiku

It's been a week since my visit to fabulously hot Rehoboth Beach - and a good long while since I posted anything in poetry format. So to help cope with the heat, a little silliness in haiku format.

My stay started at
The Rehoboth Guest House - a
Charming place to stay.

Dogfish Head Brew Pub

Dinner was Dogfish
Head Brewpub, one of my main
Reasons to go down.

So many beers, all
Mem'rable. But enough to
Cloud my brain a tad.

I must recommend
Their five dollar sampler of
Five beers with your meal.

With that I got the
Fried squid - crunchy, nice, although
Not too flavorful.

Alongside, their In-
dulgence burger (just nine bucks),
Piled with lots of stuff:

Cheddar, bacon, and
A fried onion ring - I asked
For it to be rare.

Flavorful, juicy,
A bit messy (duh) - quite good.
Get it if you can.

Walked to Double L,
One of the rare gay bars that
Has Guinness on tap.

What a cute couple,
Standing on the Boardwalk on
Drizzly Thursday morn.

The Bake Shoppe

Stopped by the Bake Shoppe
On Rehoboth Av for a
Croissant and a chat.

Crusty, happy guy
Who grew up in Baltimore
Told me about two

Women who baked pies
In his 'hood in South B'more
Back when he was young.

Baywatch: Delaware!

Lifeguards training in the sand.
Yum. I stared a bit.

And of course, I get
On the beach and it drizzles.
I still got sunburned :\

In contrast: what the
Trendy woman wore here a
Hundred years ago.

Also checked out an
Exhibit on Rehoboth's
Archaeology.

Leave it to me to
Go to the beach, and end up
In a museum.

Seafood Shack

For a post-beach lunch,
I stopped at the Seafood Shack
On Baltimore Av

With my Dos Equis,
Got a po'boy which was a
Three seafood sampler:

A mini-crabcake,
Three oysters, and two shrimps - for
all of thirteen bucks.

Po'boy did the job,
In a friendly setting not
Far from the Boardwalk.

Visit at night for
Music from lesbian and
Straight female singers!

Dogfish Head Brew Pub Part Two

On back to Dogfish,
For their down-scale brew pub tour
Free at 4:30

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and Thursdays. No free samples
Like in Milton though.

Showed me their vodkas,
Including an intriguing
Peanut Butter one.

I had to try this.
A shot for five bucks tastes JUST
like peanut butter.

Finbar's Pub and Grill

However, dinner
Was at Finbar's - the locals'
Favorite for dinner.

The service, at first,
Was lacking. But I was helped
Eventually.

With a thick Guinness,
I got a big fish and chips
For seventeen bucks:

A humongous piece
Of Irish ale-battered cod
With a rémoulade.

The fish was tender,
And the batter not soggy.
Locals must love it!

While fries are often
A throwaway, these chips were
A nice complement.

Finbar's, by the way,
Is easy to find: Dogfish
Brew Pub is next door.

Blue Moon

Bookending dinner,
A visit to the Blue Moon,
So close to my room.

Dinner is pricey.
So I only went for their
Happy Hour at first.

After dinner, I
Returned to meet up with friends,
Watch karaoke.

Had yet more Dogfish:
Two (or three) Shelter Pale Ales,
But Happy Hour-priced.

And please check out the
Entertaining Pamala
Stanley at Blue Moon!

Late? Karaoke
With Mona Lotts (just don't sing
Off-key like some guys)

Finally found the
Fabled gay end of the beach
(and much eye candy...)

So nice to see gays
With their kids, even some straights,
Gay couples and groups.

If you're looking, it's
13 minute walk from there
To Rehoboth Av.

Hobo's Restaurant and Bar

For my send-off lunch,
Hobo's offered one very
Eye-popping option:

The place looks like they
Took Artscape and made it in-
to a restaurant.

My lunch: a combo
Quesadilla of blue crab
Mixed with melted brie.

For nine bucks, it is
Melted with arugula
And artichokes, too.

You would not think to
Mix crab and brie, but my God
What a great combo!

Topped with rémoulade
and red bell peppers, which made
The meal quite complete.

Of course, I had to
Stop at Dolle's for car'mel corn -
A six dollar tub.

And Candy Kitchen:
For a pound of fudge to take
Back for family.

Did I mention the
Eye-candy? I did. Just had
To revisit it.

No haiku verse here: this speaks for itself.

Road Trip to Rehoboth! (Dogfish Head Update and Apologia)

I haven't gotten around to posting about my recent, very impromptu trip to Rehoboth Beach last weekend (again, glad I could help you out, Eric, and thanks everyone - I had fun). Before last week, I had only once visited this gay mecca of the Mid-Atlantic region. Go figure. Along the way there and back I did get to try some food I rarely get the chance to eat.

Before I go on, however, I have to note that I very sadly did not get the chance to stop at the awesome and fabled Dogfish Head Brewpub (I didn't mean to disappoint you, Brad)! As I noted in a comment below: I had very little time in Rehoboth - just an overnight, and I only had about 1/2 an hour to myself before I had to leave. I couldn't rush a trip to Dogfish! But it will definitely happen next time. And hey, at least I brought a four pack of Midas Touch down with me, so there was some Dogfish Head-ness for me after all.

Sonic Drive-In


There is a Sonic Drive-In in Bridgeville, Delaware! Sure, there are other Sonics in Delmarva, even in the Maryland part of it, but they are on the way to OC and I wasn't going there. For those of you who hanker for Sonic but are just headed straight to Rehoboth, you are in luck because it is right along the way. No fried pickles at this one like the one I stopped at in Hinesville, Georgia, last summer. Bummer. But I did get a bacon cheeseburger with onion rings (only 30 cents more to get onion rings instead of fries) and a medium soda. Total price: around $6.50.


The burger was filling and even had an onion ring sandwiched in between the burger and the bun. It is a bit of a messy burger to eat if you're not careful. Still, I actually found the side order of onion rings more satisfying. Hardly like Burger King's little perfect circles of what I could only call "processed onion food", these are thick rings of onion covered in crispy and a little greasy batter. When those Sonics open up in the Baltimore area soon I will probably go just for that.

Blue Moon Restaurant

...is also a gay bar! That's not a tough thing to find in Rehoboth, mind you. I went with several friends and we closed the place (at 1 AM)! I got me a Guinness for about $5. I was certainly enjoying myself, by the way. You should've heard my rendition of "Poker Face" on the dance floor (yes, it is actually in my range, and I am a damn good singer). They had finger foods out for patrons all night, like little quiches and some sort of breaded cheese.

Louie's Pizza


Eric recommended Louie's (by the Boardwalk) for their subs, which he always stops to get before the drive home. They told me it would take 10 minutes for my Italian super cold cut sub. It only took five. A juicy, meaty six inch sub that is very difficult to eat while driving will cost you about $6.


Eventually I had to resort to just picking up individual cold cuts to eat on their own.

Candy Kitchen

Candy Kitchens are almost like Starbucks in Rehoboth. I didn't shop at this one. At least I don't think I did.

How could I leave the Eastern Shore or the Delmarva Peninsula without a stop at the Candy Kitchen? It wasn't easy, so I stopped. Got a half pound of fudge - a quarter each of vanilla and chocolate for about $5. Candy Kitchen fudge, I have missed you.

And one strange aside...

I won't go into too many details about why I headed down to Rehoboth, since it would take a while to explain anyway, and since there are photos that I really don't want floating around the internet. But all I will say is this: it all had to do with a murder mystery weekend that some of the guys had planned, with more than a few gay men in drag - and they do this every year. I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to the next one.

That said, since this was the first one I had ever been to, I was put through a disturbing culinary rite of passage. Due to its secrecy, I shall not reveal it so as not to piss anyone off. But as awful as it was, and as hopeful as I am to never do that again, it actually wasn't as bad as it seemed at the time. But it was bad.

Other photos -

Facing away from the Boardwalk

Facing the Atlantic Ocean and Dolle's, which I did not get the chance to stop at.

Maryland's flag is so much more bizarre and interesting than Delaware's! Or most state flags for that matter. Is that the county flag on the left?

Fields of pretty flowers

And back over the mighty Chesapeake, a ride that always manages to freak me out.