Go Fish Galvez

Okay, okay, it wasn’t that bad.

In fact, one of the dishes we ordered, the Shrimp Scampi, was actually quite good—eight, count ‘em, eight! Jumbo Gulf shrimp sautéed in olive oil, white wine, shallots, garlic, and fresh herbs, served atop angel hair pasta in a creamy, garlic butter sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. What’s not to like?

Except for the fact that …

Fisherman's Wharf

• we were first seated at a table by a window with a nice view of the harbor, only to find the blinds drawn against a glaring setting sun,
• in the stiflingly hot, extremely loud (thanks to several large, probably inebriated groups) Elissa Room Read the rest of this entry »

Slightly embarrassed (not really) but undeterred, my little foodie warriors and I so craved more of the Oyster Bar Trash and Shrimp Cabo appetizers at Willie G’s that we decided to make a return trip two days later.

Maceo spices

This time our salivary glands were really working overtime so we decided to enlarge the line-up slightly by ordering the dinner-sized version of the Shrimp Cabo and adding one more hot appetizer of fried calamari and a fresh house salad.

The two known quantities easily lived up to our lofty expectations, and the fried calamari—so fresh, crispy, and delicious—was to die for. When we were all done, the plates Read the rest of this entry »

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.” Read the rest of this entry »

OMG (as we say so succinctly in Internet-speak)! Or, better yet, how about a good old-fashioned WOW!

Willie G's bar seating

If you happen to be in the vicinity of the Strand and find yourself in the mood for a light yet sumptuous dinner, there’s only one place to go: Willie G’s at Pier 21 on the old downtown Galveston waterfront.

And while I’m at it, let me make this really simple for you and tell you exactly what to order. Got a pencil? Good! Here we go:

First, a nice bottle of wine. Get off on the right foot. Don’t be silly and waste time poring over the wine list. Read the rest of this entry »

So me and my new good buddy Cindy (yes, Mrs. Rune, I know I should say “my new good buddy Cindy and I” but that just doesn’t work in Texas) met up this afternoon for a little long-overdue social interaction, not to mention a delightful island repast. Great time!

Having opted to blow off a previously scheduled engagement (I won’t tell tales out of school, dear friend), Cindy texted me from the Tiki Bar at The Spot on Seawall Boulevard to come down and meet her for a beer.

The Spot must be the quintessential Galveston Island hangout so no arm-twisting was required. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, we made it, but not in time for dinner.

Ceiling decor at the Balinese

It all started late on a Friday afternoon, a summer afternoon after work. Me and Crump (yes, I know, Mrs. Rune, it should be “Crump and I”), my old high-school buddy and very first roommate, found ourselves breezing along some highway near downtown Big D (little-A-double-L-A-S) in her old tan quasi-beater Buick, windows rolled down, wind in our hair, eager to start the weekend off right.

That’s when we first began tossing around ideas for that evening’s dinner and thinking about possible venues. (What, cook at the apartment? And have to serve the cockaroaches, too? Surely, you jest!) Read the rest of this entry »