 Regular visitors to RF know that we were less than impressed when JAM Bistro was located in the basement of the old Epworth Church on Baltimore Ave. in Rehoboth Beach. Besides, it's a known fact that people generally don't like to trek downstairs to eat. The food and service were consistently haphazard, and many visitors to RF agreed. Could our perceptions have been altered by the underground gloom?
It doesn't matter, because owners Mark Hunker and Jeff McCracken cleverly moved the sadly subterranean JAM across the street into the bright, amply windowed building that was once home to the storied Camel's Hump restaurant. The attitude, the surroundings -- and the food -- instantly improved. Operations manager (and pastry chef extraordinaire) Danielle Panarello hit the
 Climbing the staircase into Planet X is like entering another dimension, glowing crimson from Chinese lanterns that sway in the wind. Pillow-strewn banquettes make even the darkest corners inviting. A purple Buddha peers out at you, his multi-armed grandeur reflected in a mosaic of mirrors that sparkle in the muted glow of ornate chandeliers. "New agey" decor (complete with the obligatory beaded curtain) blends strangely well with the undercurrent of nondescript, soothing (and equally new-agey) music.
The covered porch wraps around the side of the building. On a warm summer's night, it's the perfect place to see and be seen (don't worry--the inside is air conditioned). All in all, Planet X is the most creatively appointed eatery in Rehoboth Beach.
The servers are casual and easygoing, often taking orders without writing anything down. (This can sometimes invite
The Foodie has added updates to the following reviews: Pickled Pig Pub, Kindle, Fins, Victoria's Restaurant, Abbott's Grill in Milford, Nage (including Sunday Brunch), Henlopen City Oyster House, Po'Boy's Creole and Fresh Catch, Saketumi, Dos Locos, Back Porch Cafe, Jake's Wayback Burgers, PrimoHoagies and Shorebreak Lodge. Check 'em out.
 The demise of the old Cosmopolitan Grill is old news, and is best left for future generations to untangle. The good news is that original Eden owner and long-time Salt Air bartender Rob Stitt has teamed up with local bartender (and dyed-in-the-wool surfer) Matt Sprenkel to resurrect the attractive spot. Both Rob and "Sprenkles" have a long history here in Rehoboth Beach. Blue Moon Executive Chef Lion Gardner was Rob's sous chef at the original Eden, and, at this point, Rob still owns Bayside Barbecue near Pot Nets in Long Neck.
Rob and his girlfriend Catherine ("Cat") have repainted the front dining room to make it
 When asked to name the most difficult part of being a food critic, celebrated reviewer Ruth Reichl answered, "Having to write about a restaurant I know I won't like." Well, I'm certainly not Ruth (though I might look pretty spiffy in that big picture-hat), but I cannot tell a lie: I visited Rigby's a couple of times early last year, and my experiences were less than satisfactory. So rather than subject myself to a third visit, I put it on the back burner. And there it stayed.
Then I started getting emails from site visitors (and even the nice people at Rigby's) telling me that they had revamped and cleaned up the place, brought in a
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 [This is a brand new review of Betty's revamped menu and kitchen.]
It's no secret that Betty's Pure and Simple has had its ups and downs over the past year or so. Personally, I feel that much of the hubbub is due to owner Matt Haley's clever, but perhaps skewed, branding of the restaurant. He went for the "Mel's Diner" look and menu, and that's all well and good, except that people associate that sort of thing with $3.95 hamburgers the size of your head and a $4.95 mountain of meatloaf.
Well, the look may be "diner," but the menu was (and still is) more upscale, with quality (read: higher cost) ingredients. My favorite Foodie/Psychotherapist would call this
 Timothy's motto proclaims, "Good Times, Great Food and Friendly People." Well, they got two out of three right. Timothy's is the southern incarnation of their popular place in Newark, DE. and inhabits the old Wahoo spot in Rehoboth Beach across from the Tanger Seaside Outlets. They make no bones about being a fun, noisy sports joint. The big horseshoe-shaped bar is full of wing-eatin', beer-sippin' and chili slurpin' sports fans surrounded by
 One of my favorite writers here in Rehoboth Beach opined that the Frogg Pond, "...like a chameleon, changes with the times...." She was waxing philosophical, of course (nothin' like a good waxing), but change can be good or bad, and over the years the Frogg Pond has certainly shuttled between good and bad when it comes to their menu. If the last couple of seasons are any indication, they are
 In the 1950s, the Zerby family took over proprietorship of the tiny and unassuming Shirl Ann Motel, conveniently located at the intersection of Olive Avenue and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1991 they brought out the wrecking ball and the Shirl Ann was reincarnated as the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel--neither tiny nor unassuming. The ornate and unquestionably Victorian
 Wouldn't it have been fun to be one of the lucky people flying on U.S.Air in the mid '80s and 90s under the watchful eyes of senior flight attendants Bill Shields and Joe Maggio! If their bar, Aqua Grill, in Rehoboth Beach is any indication, you can just imagine the
 Applebee's insists that There's No Place Like the Neighborhood (they even copyrighted it just to make sure). And, like it or not, there are very few neighborhoods out there where you won't find an Applebee's. Some who claim to have finely tuned palates (yeah, right) insist that
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