Rehoboth Foodie

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 dart boards, TVs, sports-themed goodies and beer neons. There's even a huge fish tank teeming with colorful marine beasties. Seems like fun? It is. They should stick with that, because they're good at it.

What they're not quite so good at is anything more complicated than wings, chili, etc. On our last visit, we ordered those very wings. They came out nice and hot, coated with a mild sauce--but they were pink and cool at the bone. Not only is that not appetizing, but it's downright dangerous. We understand that the wings are frozen, and that's OK. But they need to be cooked properly. Things could only go up from there, and, in fact they did: The Seafood Chowder is nutty and delicious. It's fairly thick, not at all grainy or floury, and is loaded with all sorts of bite-size goodies. Another starter we liked was the Black Bean Chili. It's basic, to be sure, but well-spiced, darkly savory and crowned with a layer of yellow cheese.

Things started to fall apart after the appetizer plates were cleared. Though we were the only four-top in the place (the bar was full, and there were only two other tables; deuces both), we waited an inordinately long time for our main courses--almost 20 minutes. I tend to tout the bright side of these things, and I cheerily assured our dining companions that at least the food would be hot and fresh. That was not to be the case, however. When it finally arrived, all but one of the entrees were tepid. What happened? Maybe they screwed up one of the orders (it happens), and everything else sat in the window (that shouldn't have happened) while they re-prepared it. They should have brought out the three meals when they were hot, owned up to their mistake, and delivered the fourth entree, with a smile, as soon as possible. It's only a guess, mind you, but all the evidence pointed to that.

The fish tacos (the only thing that arrived steaming hot) were simply wonderful. Chunks of flaky fish were fried to a dark crispiness and stuffed into three soft flour tortillas along with a crispy and slightly garlicky slaw. The hot, crunchy fish against the cool slaw was the star of the show. I ordered the Oyster BLT with mango and brie. A tempting combination, and the fried oysters looked good, but the whole sandwich bordered on room-temperature. What was supposed to be a contrast in sensation between the cool brie, the mango and the freshly fried oysters...wasn't. The brie stayed hard, and the mango was just plain slippery and annoying. Those oysters would have been perfect if they had just been served hot. Even the roll was cold. The mac & cheese side was gluey and hard. Sadly, it would have been quite good had it been served hot.

The Hawaiian Chicken (teriyaki chicken topped with grilled pineapple) was perfectly cooked--and perfectly bland. It wasn't bad, mind you, but my disappointed dining companion described it as a "good Lean Cuisine." The Bourbon Salmon suffered the same indignity as that poor chicken. Maybe it was because they both had been allowed to cool back there in the kitchen, but both parties frowned their way through both dishes. Insult was added to injury when the kitchen saw fit to substitute rice with the salmon rather than the mashed potatoes that had been promised. The server offered to bring out potatoes (so they had them).

Regulars here at RehobothFoodie.com know I do not complain about money and price. But I do want fair value. These dishes, though passable, were not worth $16.99 and $17.99 respectively.

Timothy's needs to decide what it wants to be. It's obviously succeeding in the fish taco, wing (cook 'em all the way through!), nacho, chili, steamed shrimp and burger (etc.) department, and they run a fun bar with lots of games, food/drink specials, open mic, etc. And they have a great happy hour. ($2 Blue Moons? Love it.) But any dish more complicated than stuff you can slurp or eat with your hands does nothing but distract from the things they really do well.

Timothy's is at 19598 Coastal Highway. They are open 7 days (even in the off season) from 11am to 1pm. They can be reached at (302) 227-3435. Click here for a look at their menu. (L., D., Bar) Price range: Moderate +