dining

The Lighthouse’s “Taco Toss” happy hour, with its $1 tacos, nachos and hot dogs, is the first stop for plenty of weekend warriors who call Dewey home every summer weekend.

As always, it’s an eclectic mix on the bar’s deck as the sun sets on Rehoboth Bay.

Young men wearing T-shirts like one that reads “I’d hit that” under an image of a pinata try to pick up women while taking slugs from a can of Bud Light.

Rehoboth Beach is a great restaurant town. There are too many places to list here, but here's a run-down of what's new or almost new this summer:

*Aqua Grill (57 Baltimore Ave., 302-226-9001) has gotten a face lift under new ownership. Enjoy its light grill menu on the patio. The signature dish is a bacon bleu burger. Entrees: $7-$13.

*Claws Crab House, (167 Rehoboth Ave., 302-226-1729) is scheduled to open this summer as downtown Rehoboth's only crab house.

Irish Eyes, the popular Lewes restaurant and bar that was destroyed by arson in March, officially reopened Friday.

General manager Dana Smith was hoping for "a slower start," but it didn't turn out that way.

"We actually opened [Thursday] very quietly, but it wasn't that quiet. Word got out and we had a full bar at 11 a.m. and a full dining room until 1 o'clock in the morning."

Smith said regular customers, eagerly anticipating the reopening of the Anglers Road eatery that overlooks the Lewes & Rehoboth Canal, began taking seats Friday morning a half hour before service began at 11 a.m.

The holidays are finally here. That means rushing around, shopping, out-of-town relatives cramming into the beach house and planning menus. Thanksgiving represents gathering with family and friends and the beginning of gluttonous days and overindulging in longtime favorites.

But it doesn’t mean the host has to spend every minute in the kitchen. If stuffing a bird, simmering cranberries or baking apple pies isn’t on the schedule this year, local chefs are pleased to offer up traditional fare for the holiday. So, go to the experts and enjoy restaurants and bakeries serving up cuisine – and let them clean up the kitchen after dinner.