A Rehoboth Beach Restaurant Triple Play
Let’s take a drive around the Rehoboth Beach area with a slight hike north to Lewes. We’ll be looking at restaurants, leaving the beach behind for now.
We’ll begin at Chesapeake & Maine, 316 Rehoboth Avenue, next to Dogfish Head Brewing & Eats. The restaurant is owned by Dogfish and opened in March and for dinner only, seven days a week. Happy Hour is from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m., dress is beach casual, it’s open year-round, and it does not accept reservations.
There is also a raw bar that seems to be popular, so ask about the raw bar special. Two of the restaurant’s signature items are the summer lobster risotto and the Maine dinner, which consists of lobster, corn on the cob, clams and mussels.
The name Chesapeake & Maine stems from the fact its seafood is only from that region. I ordered the 21 day dry aged New York strip — a good piece of meat indeed. You can reach them at 302-226-3600 or by going to dogfish.com.
For our next stop, we’ll drive just a little north on Route 1 into Lewes and stop at the Crooked Hammock Brewery, located at 36707 Crooked Hammock Way. Its owned by three local guys — Rich, Josh and Mitch. Its open seven days a week and offers indoor and outdoor seating.
Its popular feature is the outdoor grill, so stop by on Fridays for a deck party.
Again, this is beach casual and they accept no reservations. There are three TV’s, usually tuned to sports. They brew all their beer on premise, and you can watch the brewmaster at work. Parking is not a problem, as it sometimes is at the beach in the summer. The restaurant offers live music daily. Reach them at 302-644-SUDS or go to crookedhammock.com.
Our final food stop is Fork + Flask at 19730 Coastal Highway back in Rehoboth. Its open weekdays for dinner only, but serves brunch and dinner on weekends. The menu, as prepared by chef Sean, changes weekly. I ordered the baywater green salad and the spaghetti alla chittara.
The menu is listed under three main categories: Cultivated (vegetables), Caught (seafood and shell fish) and Raised (cattle, poultry). The kitchen is open so you can keep an eye on your food.
There’s a bar, parking in front. It’s casual, locally owned and cozy inside. I was told two of the signature items are the classic Nage French onion soup and the classic Nage burger. You can reach the restaurant by calling 303-226-2037 or by visiting forkandflask.com.
OK, let’s make one non-restaurant stop, but a place guaranteed to work up an appetite, Jungle Jim’s Water Park, which is at 36944 County Club Road, Rehoboth. It’s an ideal spot for those hot, humid summer days. The place is filled with water activities. I’m talking the Lazy River Ride, the Anaconda Water Slide and so much more.
You’ll also find batting cages, mini golf and bumper boats. It is open daily until Labor Day.
No outside food or drink permitted. Admission for those over 42 inches is $38, $23.00 if under 42. Season passes are available.
See you at the beach.
Eddie Applefeld is a Baltimore native and a graduate of Towson University. He has been in the broadcasting profession for over 30 years. Currently he is the Promotions Director of WCBM radio. Before that, he was part of the Rouse & Company show on WQSR, host of a cable TV show called Dining Out and adjunct instructor at Towson.
His past accomplishments include being named a finalist in Baltimore Tourism’s Employee of the Year Program and winner of Toastmaster’s Speaker of the Year contest. He was also twice a heartthrob for the American Heart Association’s gala fund raiser.