Beyond Casual

Georgia State students blocking the entry to my parking deck. High school cross country teams out for morning runs. The leaves outside my apartment turning gold and falling to the ground. Fall is nearing and the dog days of another sweltering Georgia summer are coming to an end.

There seemed no better way to commemorate the season change than by eating outside at the Evans, Georgia, Rhinehart's Oyster Bar the last time I was in town.

Rhinehart's has been an Augusta-area staple for longer than I've been alive. It opened in 1983 and brings the flip flops and pop tops aura of beach eating to its two locations in the CSRA. Thinking about it now I can actually hear the radio commercials from my childhood, proclaiming "This is Amy from Rhinehart's Oyster Bar" loud and proud in my ear. Aside from the fact that it's one of my favorite stomping grounds on my weekends home, I wanted to do a Meatetarian Eats post on Rhinehart's because recently it received some shoddy press from consumers who are 1) over-reactive and 2) have no idea what they're talking about. Let the Meatetarian educate you for a moment.

Just like worms that occasionally invade your apples, there are some marine worms that can come live alongside oysters in the wild. We like mother of pearl shells and so do they. Occasionally, according to the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, so-called oyster worms can make an appearance in restaurants alongside the mollusks customers order. And I quote, "they do not affect the health, quality or taste of oysters, and they do not pose a known health risk to consumers, especially if they are discarded when found." So, if you happen to see a weird little moving object on your oyster shell, alert your server, ask for a new oyster and maybe advise the kitchen staff to keep an eye out for more wigglies so they can be taken care of before the half shell hits the plate.

Right. Back to the task at hand, which is the $7.67 shrimp basket lunch special.

Light, flaky breading is a trademark of Rhinehart's shrimp and oyster baskets

As a wee thing I ate my fair share of popcorn shrimp. I was used to heavy breading and a dense, deep brown shell surrounding my prized crustaceans. When Rhinehart's finally opened a second location in Evans and I got my first opportunity to eat there, the light flaky batter surrounding butterflied shrimp tails was a refreshing spin on my childhood favorite!

Each basket has a handful of sweet, juicy shrimp and fries. The fries are skin-on, a good thickness and seasoned with salt, pepper, grease and what I'm 99 percent sure is Old Bay. You're also presented with two cups of dipping sauce: a bright red cocktail and a salty tartar. This is one of the places where the sauce is probably there for shrimp dipping purposes, but the fries are excellent dipped in there as well. Forget ketchup when you've got these on the plate!

If you're not up for shrimp, you can also get a fried oyster basket, though it's a little more than $7.67 (a price that you can't beat for the food you get). The po'boys aren't bad either, and though I've never had it, members of my family like the burger, too.

I do think the best way to experience a Rhinehart's lunch special is outside at one of its picnic tables with a cold beer and hot sun. The inside is fine, but it's dim lighting and reminiscent more of a bar than of a day on the coast, so I prefer to eat outside and pretend I'm closer to the surf than I really am!

ProTip: Unlike eating at an actual beach restaurant ... I think management might not let you in if all you're wearing is a bikini and flip flops. Rhinehart's may be beyond casual, but it's still got standards, friends.

The Meatetarian Eats Dallas

The Meatetarian did a lot of traveling during the past few weeks! Today I’m taking you for a brief jaunt into the city that was named after me.

That’s right: Dallas, Texas.

This trip was for my annual Mary Kay Seminar, so most of our dining was done during the conference … but arriving a day early meant I was able to partake in a couple of the city’s finer eats within walking distance of our hotel.

Ellen's Southern Kitchen

Ellen's came highly recommended from our concierge. I thought I wasn’t hungry enough for soul food, but the group I found myself with that afternoon was from Boston, had little experience with “Southern kitchens” and I decided to indulge the girls’ fancy.

At this restaurant I found a sandwich that rivals the Carnivorgasm in height. And of course, being the Meatetarian, I ordered it.

The towering open-face meatloaf sandwich

It was a hearty open-faced meatloaf sandwich. There is a slab of juicy beef meatloaf covered in thick, hot brown gravy, on top of a piece of toast. All of that mama’s kitchen cookin’ is then stacked on top of a generous scoop of silky mashed potatoes.

As if that’s not enough to sink your teeth into, there’s stuff on top of the meatloaf too. I guess it’s served open-face because it’s hella hard to get another piece of bread to stay on top of a fried egg, crispy fried onion rings and grilled pepper rings, huh?

The lunch feat before me was most impressive. I ate every bite, down to the last scrape of mashed potatoes doused in a mixture of gravy and egg yolk. Whoever decided that meatloaf needed to be topped with ketchup clearly missed a grand opportunity to make fried eggs and gravy topping a food trend.

My favorite thing about this meatloaf is how juicy it was. Texture-wise it was more like eating a hamburger patty, since meatloaf – notoriously restaurant meatloaf – can come out dry, crumbly or both. This healthy slice stayed together despite me eating it with a fork and heaping it with all of the other stuff that came on the “sandwich.” Needless to say, I did not have room for dessert, and wasn’t sure I’d have room for supper, either!

Wild Salsa

Funny story: the group I was with for dinner asked the hotel valet how far “Wild Bill’s” was. We got that cleared up mighty fast after the looks they gave us and then rented a stretch Hummer for a half-mile drive to the most authentic Mexican restaurant I’ve ever eaten at.

The atmosphere at Wild Salsa is cool. There is no other word for it, as cliché as “cool” sounds. The lights are dim. The decorations are tequila bottles, Dia de los Muertos skulls and a palette of warm colors. It’s close quarters inside and yet I didn’t feel crowded. I’ve never been to a Mexican cantina, but I feel like Wild Salsa did a good job recreating one.

If you remember from my visit to The El Felix earlier this spring, you know the love I have for Mexican and Mexican-inspired cuisine. The flavors are bright, fresh and balanced. With a big kick.

Having eaten enough lunch to feed a family of four, I settled for lighter fare and went with what sounded the most exotic: a tongue taco.

Have I ever eaten tongue? Nope.

A taco that's easy on the eyes ...
and heavy on the tongue.

Have I removed it from a bovine carcass during a meat science lab and been impressed by how much meat was on it? Yup.

Was I excited to relish the flavor of tongue on my tongue? You betcha. I was bouncing with anticipation, because trying a new meat is such an awesome experience for me.

Oh, y’all. I don’t know how I’ve never eaten tongue before.

It is the carnivore’s version of tofu (and yes … I have eaten tofu.) – tender, smooth, not at all spongy. Which makes sense, when you think about it being such a strong muscle in life. This tongue was marinated, giving it a great subtly spicy beef flavor. Since marinating is a way to tenderize meat, that probably added value to the great texture these cubes had.

Also on the taco was a spicy tomatillo salsa and pickled red onions. The chefs at Wild Salsa did an excellent job putting together spice, salt and sour in each bite. I will say, I like a little spice, and it seemed like a few dishes ordered by my tablemates might have been on the lotta spice side – so check with your server before you order something that may get clear your sinuses!

The side dish of cilantro rice also deserves an honorable mention. Normally I like rice salty, and this rice was not. However, it was fresh and had that great unmistakable essence of cilantro cooked in it and sprinkled on top. Given the intense flavors on the taco, it was great to have such a mild-mannered side dish next to it. Overall, dinner was a great balance of personalities that worked well together – just like the women in the company we were in town to celebrate.

The Meatetarian Eats AMI: Part 1

Never heard of Anna Maria, Florida? Then y'all got some researchin' to do. My family discovered Anna Maria Island last summer and I'm forever glad we made it a regular trip. There are SO many good places to eat here!

Over the next two days, we're going to walk around the island and I'll point out a few of my favorites and why you should get here when you can.

The Donut Experiment
By far, my absolute most favoritest (Yes. It's a word.) place to eat on this island, and also potentially the state of Florida. Here's the concept of The Donut Experiment, which was formerly known as Anna Maria Donuts: You go in and fill out an order form for your doughnuts, selecting the icing and topping combo of your choice. Take it up to the counter, hand it over, pay for your doughnuts and coffee, then hang out until they call you with your order. Simple as pie. This place is good and is therefore always packed. And like any other place that hand-makes you fresh doughnuts while you wait, it is so worth it.

You can't walk down Pine Ave. and not smell the luscious, sweet odor of freshly cooked cake doughnuts. It draws you in and then you're faced with a potentially life-changing choice: "Do I want caramel icing with sea salt, or should I go for the big one and bring home a Sriracha doughnut?" The answer, clearly, is both.

I only managed to make it to TDE (unofficial abbreviation) thrice during our most recent trip, but dang y'all. I could've easily eaten here every single morning that week. Let me show you how much better my breakfasts were than yours:

Out of these three, the favorite was key lime. This includes a good dip in creamy white frosting, a dunk in crumbled graham cracker and a zig-zag of key lime syrup on top. It's what would happen if you made a dessert that is a layer of key lime pie on top of a layer of cake. In other words, magnificence! I stuck to the "one way" doughnuts on this trip, which means you order them and you get it how it comes. The special one-way this week was caramel delight, which I ordered despite having no idea what I was about to be presented with. As you can see, it's chocolate icing, crispy toasted coconut flakes (which were great, by the way; I'm not a huge coconut fan, but I loved this addition!) and a drizzle of caramel. It's hard to go wrong with chocolate and caramel. That final one is the Sriracha, and it is the definition of "spice is nice." The moist cake doughnut is smothered in a rich peanut butter that melts on contact with the piping hot doughnut, sprinkled with chopped peanuts and then a layer of peppery Sriracha hot sauce is drawn on top. There is nothing sweet about this breakfast except your mouth crying out for sweet Jesus as you chow down -- both because it's spicy and because you can't get over how good it is.

Poppo's Taqueria
Second favorite place in Florida ... which just so happens to be right next door to The Donut Experiment. They share a porch.

I love pork tacos these days, and Poppo's does not disappoint. All of their food boasts such amazing flavors that one moment there's a taco on your plate and about three seconds later you look around and wonder where the heck your lunch went because you ate it that fast and already want more. I love the Classic concoction, which is pork with cilantro, diced red onion, hot sauce and lime on a corn tortilla. That hot sauce has a good kick, but I absolutely crave it when it's on top of succulent, melts-in-your-mouth pork and the burst of freshness from the cilantro.

To be honest, Poppo's may have the best carnitas I've had the pleasure of eating. Carnitas is a Mexican way of cooking pork by braising or roasting it before shredding. It's just so juicy here. I don't know what they put in it, but the pork tacos here are crave-worthy. In fact, I typically get a second taco (seriously; finishing one will leave you wanting more, so you're gonna want two at a minimum). That one is pork (duh) full of slaw, cheese, pico, cilantro and a drizzle of sauce. Having this taco is what made me start to like red cabbage -- yes, I realize it took me 25 years to appreciate red cabbage -- because the slaw is honey and lime marinated red cabbage. Can we talk about food that makes me hungry?!

Thankfully in Atlanta there's a Willy's, which is the closest I can get to pork tacos of this caliber, but it just ain't the same as being outside at Poppo's, eating a freshly made taco with carnitas juice running down your fingers and dripping on your plate and swallowing a tasty craft IPA from local Big Top Brewing to wash it down.

Rod & Reel Pier
If you don't do doughnuts for breakfast (at which, I must inquire what on Earth is wrong with you!), I recommend the bike ride to Rod & Reel Pier. There are two piers on AMI -- one is City Pier, which is larger and home to bar food, apps and brews; and the other is Rod & Reel. It serves food all day, but what I've been most impressed with is breakfast.

You go upstairs, sit down and have a view of the Gulf of Mexico while you eat. There are fishermen downstairs on the dock, the St. Pete bridge in the distance, a solid look at Egmont Key State Park and plenty of open water to watch for dolphins, rays and all other manner of sealife as you chow down on eggs and bacon. I recommend the omelettes of all varieties: they're pretty much the size of an infant so you might want to pay the $1 price to share it with someone! The pancakes are amazing too. Light, fluffy, almost cake-y in flavor, and they're served hot with powdered sugar on top, which caramelizes as the pancakes cool. You can also be healthy(er) and get fresh berries or fruit served on top.

This trip I tried out the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich. Sandwiches are an essential part of my diet, so it's hard to resist the offer of one full of fried egg, salty bacon and melty cheese. Rod & Reel breakfast is comfort food that'll keep you full until dinner, at which point you can return for fried grouper.

Tune in tomorrow: I'm taking you on a stroll to some other tasty treats you can devour while in this beautiful island community.