Fine dining? No way, nohow, not if fine dining means a glamorous setting, courtly service and high prices. Rhinehart’s has cultivated intense informality since it opened 40 years ago. It has trademarked the motto “Beyond Casual.”
Bare wood tables are covered with graffiti, some of which look decades old. Walls are inscribed with funny, romantic or inscrutable doodles. Among the scrawls are hundreds of pinned-up dollar bills, each a memento meaning something to someone. Plates and utensils are disposable; cocktails come in plastic party cups and bottles of beer are served in paper-towel koozies. As you might imagine, there is no dress code; however it could be embarrassing to arrive dressed nicely.
For all the calculated insouciance, the kitchen demonstrates bona fide culinary skill. In a joint that boasts of looking “like a broken down beach shack,” what’s called flaky shrimp are incongruously upscale: butterflied beauties with firm meat hugged by plush crust. Optional sticky honey glaze doesn’t only add sweetness; it accentuates how crisp they are.
Rhinehart’s deep-fry coating contributes buttery flavor to whatever it envelops – an especially welcome note paired with the soft meat of catfish fillets.
Oysters are a signature dish, raw or fried. In a po boy, the fried ones are big enough and the garnishes are copious enough that lifting the sandwich from its plate is nearly impossible. But it sure is fun trying.
The po boy roll itself is something special. You might expect that a restaurant with so offhand an attitude would consider bread a mere place holder on the plate. On the contrary. While not an artisan loaf, Rhinehart’s bread is baked right here, and the kitchen does good things with it. Buttered and herbed, it is transformed into a glistening garlic bread appetizer. A section of it is fully up to the task of holding a bevy of fried oysters in a po boy.
Those who don’t want their fish fried can get shrimp that are boiled or grilled. There also are blackened flounder, tilapia with pineapple sauce and jambalaya made with shrimp and sausage. How about parmesan shrimp pasta or a mandarin orange shrimp and almond salad?
Although seafood is Rhinehart’s reason for being, meat-eaters can have “steak dip,” which is what California cooks invented as French dip, but with cheese added and the traditional cup of beef broth (au jus) on the side. The menu promises that half pound hamburgers are made from local beef. The Hillbilly Jack Burger comes with Monterrey Jack cheese, four strips of smoked bacon and barbecue sauce. Five flaky shrimp top the Sassy Burger.
French fries are the right companion to nearly everything served here. Sometimes, they’re greasy; but when you get a batch that are kettle-fresh and well-drained, crisp outside and fluffy within, they are some of the CSRA’s best.
Rhinehart’s is a family-friendly restaurant. It also is a drinking-person’s place with a full bar and such mischievous cocktails as “Sex on the Beach,” “Alabama Slammer” and “Loaded Captain.” After 5pm, customers under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Rhinehart’s Oyster Bar: 3051 Washington Road, Augusta, GA. 706-860-2337. www.rhineharts.com
Also at: 305 North Bel Air Road, Evans, GA. 706-868-6850. (Original location)
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