Blackwall Hitch

Rehoboth's Blackwall Hitch is in the ocean block in the old Irish Eyes/Greene Turtle location at 52 Rehoboth Avenue.

Before we begin I want to remind you that, like many local restaurants, Blackwall Hitch's menu changes like the winds and the tides. So use the gallery images and the descriptions as a guide only!

We always start with the Shrimp Blackwall, attractively presented in a cast iron dish. Yes, shrimp are shrimp – but the star of the show is that sauce. It's a magic mixture of white wine, garlic, scallions and (of course) butter, and it is delicious. I asked James to please deliver a few gallons of it to my house, but nobody has shown up yet….

We also kicked off the evening with Hitch Medallions. Think rumaki, but with white meat chicken rather than livers. The bacon was appetizingly crisp, as it should be. (Undercooked bacon is a sign of kitchen carelessness and is like eating an earlobe.) The presentation was made even more colorful with a bed of roasted corn salsa. Take a look at this one in the gallery. It's a very generous portion and could serve as a semi-light main course. Another very nice and rather unusual appetizer is the lemongrass chicken soup. Think eggdrop, but with an attitude – and a wonton. It's loaded with chicken and all sorts of goodies.

The Scallops & Risotto entree consisted of four large scallops on a bed of perfectly cooked risotto redolent of mushrooms and parmesan. The dish was drizzled in a nicely intense balsamic, which added the right amount of acid to counterbalance the earthiness of the risotto. I ordered the Santa Fe Wrap. The promise of blackened chicken breast, greens, avocado (lots of it!), tomatoes, cukes, carrots, onions and that corn salsa sounded too good to pass up. Of course, a little shredded cheddar didn't hurt either. Contrary to what you might see on Facebook, I rarely eat the second half of a wrap or a sandwich. (There's gotta be SOME control….) I finished both halves of this one. It's a panoply of taste with a nice textural interplay between the greens, carrots & cucumbers and the softer avocado and chicken. I'd get it again.

One of the most impressive presentations at Blackwall Hitch is the Pork Shank entree. It stands erect, proud and tall, with fallin' off the bone meat very nicely done. It rests on a bed of linguini moistened with a delicious jus. Like spicy? Do not miss the Shrimp & Grits. The generous portion offers lots of sausage and shrimp in a potent and aggressively spiced sauce. This one will fill you up for sure. Go ahead – order another martini. On our last visit, I ordered the Shobb Salad (see? I DO order salads!) Think cobb. but with snow-white crabmeat, chilled scallops and shrimp. The dressing will certainly get your attention. Seafood lovers who want to eat sort of light: This one's for you!

The burger struts its stuff topped with a tangle of onion straws and several slices of bacon. The roll is nicely toasted and properly soft in order to cradle the burger as it wishes to be cradled. Fried Green Tomatoes are kicked up with a nice aioli and a firm yet flavorful crust. Remember the old seafood house appetizer – sweet rolls – that nobody does anymore? Well Blackwall Hitch pays homage to this ancient tradition with Monkey Bread. Pinch off a hunk and go at it.

The Flaming Saganaki appetizer was quite flavorful, but our particular order needed to stay a little longer under the salamander. This dish requires that the cheese have a bit of a crust. It's really more of a texture thing, but next time I order it I'm asking them to leave it in for just another minute. Burned cheese rules. There. I said it. If you like your pizza crunchy, then you will like the flatbreads. I stick with the traditional with sausage and some cheese. Strange things on top of pizzas are a scourge of mankind. Well, maybe feta and pineapple – every so often. OK, and sopressata.

I have to tell you about a must-get on the dessert menu. DO NOT MISS the Pineapple Upside Down Skillet Cake. I usually frown on these sorts of cakes because they are often cloyingly sweet. This one was not. In fact, the flavor that dominated was a soft vanilla and nutty, brown butter. The presentation should be a floor show: Our delightful server Elizabeth Madeline arrived with the skillet and a plate. She expertly inverted the skillet without launching the cake across the room. Once it was deposited onto the center of the plate, she drizzled thick, warm and buttery caramel overtop. Check out the gallery for a step-by-step sequence of photos depicting this rather impressive performance. The cake was not too sweet, as I said, and the edges that had been around the perimeter of the pan were slightly crispy. This thing is a winner and a bargain for $9. Order it to split.

I took my obligatory walk around the room (pretending to look for the rest room, but I know I'm not fooling anybody) and other plates that looked good were the Lemongrass Shrimp Noodle Salad (this one's a main course) and the Crab Cake Sandwich. We've been to Blackwall Hitch several times, and things run consistently smooth.

Blackwall Hitch is at 52 Rehoboth Avenue. Hours are 11 – midnight, Sun thru Tues. 11 – 2am, Wed thru Sat. LIVE MUSIC Wed thru Sun. They serve a rather lavish Sunday brunch. DO CALL in the off season to check the entertainment schedule and the hours.

For more info, check out their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BlackwallHitchRehoboth/

See their RB webpage here.

Take a look at the sample menu by clicking here.

Off-season Specials & Hours