It all started as a single-minded quest for grouper.
Search for a Living Fossil
Actually, this whole short saga reminds me of a book I once read in elementary school called Search for a Living Fossil, a story about the discovery in 1938 of an ancient fish, thought to be long extinct, that just happened to turn up one day in a fisherman’s boat somewhere off the east coast of Africa.
The name of the fish in question was—is—a coelacanth, an intimidating handle for even the bravest adult, much less the child of eleven I was at the time. Ever the pragmatist, I quickly opted to throw in the towel on this linguistic challenge and select a simple pronunciation reasonable to me—”KO-luh-kanth.” I later learned, of course, that big, smart people properly pronounce this fish’s name “SEE-luh-kanth.” Nevertheless, to this day, when I happen upon this word—rarely, to be sure, but occasionally—that little voice in the back of my childhood brain still sounds out the syllables, “KO-luh-kanth.” Early learning dies hard, even if it’s wrong. Still, I was pretty darn close.
Inside dining at the Olympia Grill
Anyway, the coelacanth is an odd, massive fish and, most importantly, evolutionarily significant, appearing to be something of a missing link between full-time swimmers and full-time walkers, with its meaty, elongated fins looking much like transitional mammalian legs. (I’d provide a picture but some loathsome self-important picture-taker on flickr—hiya, Ken—might get his bowels in an uproar, knocking that gigantic chip off his shoulder, so please to just use your imagination here.)
Finding a living, breathing, swimming coelacanth was big, exciting news back in 1938. Good old Charlie Darwin, had he been there to see it, would surely have danced a jig.
But, as we say, tritely and often, I digress.
Grouper, of course, have nothing at all in common with coelacanth, except to the extent that neither one shows up much on the Galveston menus. What’s up with that? Look for a potentially rambling explanation in a future post, assuming I ever figure it out.
Outside dining at the Olympia Grill
For now, let’s just say that, while on our hunt for fresh, grilled, or fried grouper, my foodie pack and I chanced upon a lovely, extraordinarily tasty lunch at the Olympia Grill on Pier 21. Accidental finds are often the best, and this one was better than best. We shared two appetizers and a lunch special and all were exceptionally superb.
First up were the appetizers. Plate one was hummus, garbanzo beans and garlic, served with delicious pita bread, and on plate two, spanakopita, consisting of spinach nestled in the lightest of light feta puffs. Yum! The actual lunch special was probably the best choice of the day, a heavenly soup/salad combo called “The Golden Greek,” with its choice of chicken (we chose chicken) or lentil soup and classic Greek salad topped with grilled chicken. A definite Galveston favorite, apparently, and ours, too!
Put these delectable dishes in an outdoor waterfront venue, with views of the harbor boats coming and going and a few laughing gulls for entertainment, and it was a splendid, relaxing repast indeed. Highly enjoyable and highly recommended, too.
The Olympia Grill gets three-times-two thumbs up!