Newark restaurant Timothy’s sets up in Rehoboth Beach

Cape beer enthusiasts have a new holy land: Timothy’s At The Beach, where 36 different brews await on tap.

“We have a little bit of everything,” said Kirk Steele, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Karen. The beer list is impressive, but he isn’t just talking about the suds. Timothy’s also boasts a full lunch and dinner menu, a raw bar and patio seating.

Veterans of Timothy’s popular Newark location should expect to find more seafood on the Rehoboth menu, Steele said – like the crab pretzel, a Philadelphia-style twist covered with crab dip, melted cheese and old bay seasoning.

Timothy’s boasts six kinds of oysters, each varying in salinity, meat and cup depth.

Steele described Beau Soleil, harvested from beds in New Brunswick, Canada, as petite and briny with a melon finish.

“This is definitely one of our focal points,” Steele said. During Timothy’s daily happy hour, he added, the shellfish come at half price.

The beer list reads like an all-star roster of the craft brewing industry – selections from breweries like Allagash, Stone, Rogue, Victory and Dogfish Head are all ready for pouring at Timothy’s, including up-and-coming local brands such as Evolution, brewed in Delmar, and 16 Mile, brewed in Georgetown.

Steele said he was happy to move into the Route 1 building formerly occupied by Wahoo. It’s a great location, he said.

He offers an independent, locally owned alternative to the franchised restaurants dotting the highway.

Steele is familiar with the world of corporate restaurants – he managed the Lone Star Steakhouse in Newark for 10 years – and said customers prefer an atmosphere where their server is part of a family, not a number on a payroll.

“We treat our staff like family,” he said. “You can’t do that in the corporate world. There, it’s employee number 171, and there’s no face for the number.”

Importing Timothy’s relaxed, neighborhood feel to the Cape location was very important, Steele said, and it seems to have worked. Since opening June 3, Steele said the restaurant has been busy with Newark regulars and first-timers.

Good things are on the horizon for Timothy’s, he said. He’s currently searching for a DJ to lure the dancing crowd on weekend nights, and soccer fans should be happy to find Timothy’s open at 9 a.m. for World Cup matches, complete with a small breakfast menu.