Millsboro pours into The Pint

Early in May, The Pint opened in downtown Millsboro and from the looks of it - a packed house on the first Monday night in September - the corner bar has caught on fast.

Offering a full bar and table service for nearly 50 in a former bank building on the corner of State and Main streets, owner Tom Holmes said his new public house fulfills his long-held dream of opening a corner bar.

Also the owner of an upscale steakhouse in the Cape Region, Holmes said he wanted to switch gears completely for his latest endeavor, while still offering high quality food and atmosphere.

"I always had a vision in my head as far as the 'corner bar' where the community could come and hang out because they are pretty much all gone," he said. "This building just screams 'corner bar.'"

Since Holmes acquired the old Delaware Trust bank building built in 1904 on the eastbound side of Route 24, he converted the cozy space into a bar and dining room with character, even leaving the vault intact and placing a table for six inside. (The building had also once been the home of the Sussex Post newspaper and most recently was an Italian restaurant.)

Millsboro residents Joyce and Bob Graves recently dined at The Pint and were seated in the vault because those were the last seats available when they arrived for dinner on a trivia night.

Although they hadn't planned their particular seating arrangements, Bob said the dining accommodations put an interesting spin on the evening.

"It's fun; there's nothing bad about it," he said. "I remember when this was a bank."

Each Monday, kitchen manager Mark Stevens said The Pint has started to host trivia nights in addition to the nightly dining specials, and for the most part, The Pint has already developed a loyal following in Millsboro.

"This is a more local place, an affordable restaurant you can go to more than once a week," Stevens said. "I live locally and my neighbors all love it; we see them three and four times a week."

With a Scotch-Irish-inspired menu ranging from Irish stew and Loch Ness crab dip to the Hobbit Pie made from ground beef and lamb Holmes hasn't overlooked his first breadwinner at the new location, offering his premium 10-ounce New York strip steaks and filet mignon mainstays nightly as well.

Now serving lunch Thursday through Sunday and open until 10 p.m., The Pint's front-of-house manager Marlena Wolfe said she has a guest bartender and benefit planned for late September and is looking forward to booking the place for more special events through the winter.

"Everything here just sells itself when you walk in," Wolfe said. "It's always a good feeling."

For more information about The Pint, call 302-934-5822 or go to www.thepintpub.com.