Flying Rhino

Eclectic cuisine comes to Shrewsbury Street

by Margaret LeRoux

Flying Rhino Cafe and Watering Hole 278 Shrewsbury Street Worcester (508) 757-1450 Hours Mon.-Thurs. 11:30-12:30 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 11:30-1:30 a.m. Major credit cards Full bar ; accessible

When is the last time you said to yourself after dining out, "Now that was a lot of fun"? If it's been too long, then get thee to Shrewsbury Street to the hot, new Flying Rhino Café and Watering Hole. This eclectic little place knocked our socks off. The menu offers some of the best appetizers in the city. And entrees showcase several cuisines: South American, French, Thai, and Italian. You'd think with that much variety, there would be weak spots. But chef Andrew Etre, formerly of Willy's Steakhouse in Shrewsbury, knows his stuff. Even though the cafe has been open for a couple of weeks, Rhino's wait staff already has things together. Our waitress remained cheerful and helpful throughout our meal despite the demands of a full house.

The decor of the Flying Rhino (more about that name later) is eclectic too. We argued about its origins; Southwestern, I thought, because of the rich clay and teal colors and the cactus in the corner. My friends claimed it reminded them of the Serengeti. Hand-painted tablecloths under glass covers have a batik style. The walls are adorned with pictures of rhinos in whimsical poses; the effect is artsy, casual, and light-hearted. Jazz background music is easily drowned out by the noise of chattering patrons.

Back to those appetizers: you could easily make a meal from them, plus they're available in two sizes, "bite" and "double bite." We shared a double-bite platter of saganaki ($4.59 small; $9.95 large), a Greek dish of pan-fried feta cheese on tomato slices. The feta is softened but not melted by a quick sauté; its salty taste blends well with the fresh tomato. My favorite is shrimp and sweet potato cakes ($6.95 small; $10.95 large), three large patties spiced with cumin and loads of garlic and pan fried till crispy on the outside. Wash these down with a Corona, and it's easy to pretend you're south of the border.

We'll try some other appealing appetizers -- spanakopita ($4.95; $8.95), tequila shrimp ($7.95; $13.95), and sashimi tuna ($5.95; $9.95) -- on our next visit.

For a small cafe, Rhino offers an impressive list of red and white wines by-the-glass. And they're not all chardonnays and cabernets. We enjoyed a Pine Ridge chenin blanc ($6.25) and Casa Lapostolle ($6.25), a Chilean cab. You can also order a pitcher of sangria mixed at your table ($15.95) or lots of martini variations.

Entrees come with a small salad of tomato slices, feta cheese, and onions in a balsamic vinaigrette, but there are several dinner salads, including a spinach Caesar and a Shanghai, an Oriental blend topped with chow mein noodles.

My choice was Chilean sea bass (market price), a fillet garnished with a few steamed mussels and shiitake mushrooms and topped with a delicate pesto cream sauce. The fish was light and fresh, the sauce not at all heavy. I was pleasantly surprised by the tasty basmati rice pilaf that accompanied. Usually rice pilaf is a boring, tasteless mound. Not so here.

Another hit was Thai peanut chicken ($14.95) sautéed with broccoli and peanuts in a curry sauce over linguine. Lots of boneless chicken; the sauce was both sweet and spicy. I loved the sample of penne a la vodka ($10.95) I cajoled from one of my friends. The tomato sauce was splashed with vodka, lightened with cream, and included fresh spinach, Romano cheese, and red pepper. Rhino's ratatouille ($11.95) is a variation on the French classic. Here, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, and garlic are roasted in a tomato sauce and served over linguine; it tastes richer than you'd expect.

Steak lovers should try the Brazilian strip ($16.95) seasoned with Latin rub and fried with onions. A simple, roasted prime rib ($13.95) looked good, too. There's a long list of wraps and sandwiches for lunch and late-night dining. White Rhino, a mix of smoked turkey, bacon, cheddar cheese, spinach, and cranberry mustard ($6.50), and crab and avocado wrap, with real crabmeat, Asian spices, and nori ($7.95), were very tempting.

Desserts are listed on clay pots on each table. The pots also serve as silverware holders. We passed on fried rhino -- fried banana -- but shared a yummy piece of zebra mousse cake ($3.95), layers of dark chocolate filled with chocolate mousse and topped with white and dark chocolate. Our bill totaled $95.71 before tip.

In a phone interview after our visit, I asked one of Rhino's owner Paul Barber (he and his wife, Melina, are partners with Kathy Kostas) about the origins of the rhino concept.

"We wanted something that would spark peoples' curiosity," Barber says, "and we loved the idea of an unusual animal as our focus." Barber is a veteran restaurant manager who lists the Oyster Club in New Hampshire, Cappuccino's in Boston, the Berkshire Grill and Tin Alley Grill in Framingham on his résumé.

"We wanted our own place to have diversity, and we want people to have a good time when they come here," Barber adds. "We didn't want to be pigeonholed as just another steak, seafood, or pasta place."

It looks like Rhino has found a niche on Shrewsbury Street, where a little diversity certainly makes the area richer.