Floyd’s Cajun Seafood and Texas Steakhouse: Beaumont

I haven’t been to Floyd’s in a really long time.  In fact, it was Don’s Seafood the last time I was at this location in Beaumont.  I remember not being overly impressed by Don’s, so I am hoping for a little more from Floyd’s.

Originally, I tried to come at 6 pm on a Saturday night, and the wait was over an hour at 6 pm.  I am in Beaumont, and it is Lent.   I came back at 11 am on a Sunday before the church crowds usher in.

As soon as I sit down, my drink order is taken and delivered.  A huge basket of French garlic bread is placed on the table.  As I am drooling and crying at the same time, I ask the waitress to remove it- I can’t even imagine how many Weight Watcher’s points are in it.  I decide to max out my points with a cup of chicken and sausage gumbo and grilled shrimp with seasonal vegetables.

The chicken and sausage gumbo comes out with a dark watery roux.  The roux was perfect- not too strong, but not too weak- actually, pretty perfect!  Small pieces of sausage and chunks of chicken breast happily swim in it.  This gumbo totally rocks.

Next, my grilled shrimp come out.  Good-sized perfectly skewered shrimp grace the plate.  Lightly seasoned and perfectly cooked although a few of the shrimp had a gritty sand taste to their texture!  The seasonal vegetable medley was nothing more than steamed zucchini, squash, carrots, and colored bell peppers with absolutely no seasoning at all- overall, a healthy non-event.

In the end, I heard that the crab bisque was beyond bliss too, but to me, it has some hard competition with Floyd’s gumbo.  Plus, the service was great.  Overall, when I am in the mood for seafood and in Beaumont, I will return to Floyd’s- Les es les bon ton roulette!

Floyd’s Cajun Seafood and Texas Steakhouse

2290 IH-10 South

Beaumont, Texas 77707

409/842-0686

http://www.floydsseafood.com/

Boil-N-Go: Lufkin

If it’s a Thursday through Saturday, I’ve got the place for you to go.  Boil-N-Go in Lufkin is a hit as well as a must.  Parking is tight if there is any.  You walk up to a trailer bustling with people and boiled goodies.

Place your order which is written on post its, and just watch the process.  Looks like a family affair.  Boys are working the caldrons.  Girls are weighing out the goods from the coolers for the round trays.  Kids are delivering your food all the time screaming out your name.  It’s actually quite entertaining.

Tonight, I am tired, so I get a pound of boiled shrimp and a sausage link to go.  I walk out with a plastic grocery bag of hot shrimp and sausage. 

 

I couldn’t get to the hotel fast enough.  The shrimp were awesome.  They were spicy but not overwhelming.  They were a good size- not too big and not too small.  Overall, they rocked.  The sausage link was just fair.  If you do not like boiled sausage, then you can skip it.  I wished that I had gotten some potatoes and corn!

In the end, Boil-N-Go is just a great place.  It would be a great place to go with a 6 pack of beer and lots of friends.  Picnic tables grace the corner parking lot.  Other boiled options include corn and potatoes, snow crab legs, and of course, crawfish.  It's definitely an experience that you must try if you are in Lufkin.

Boil-N-Go

1202 Chestnut Street

Lufkin, TX 75901

936/366-3648

Black Pearl Oyster Bar & Grille: Galveston

Several Galvestonians recommended the Black Pearl Oyster Bar & Grille to me.  This little restaurant is right around the corner from the Lunchbox Café.  Located on 23^rd Avenue, arrive early as this place fills up quickly even on a Monday evening.

Tonight, we try an order of onion rings for an appetizer.  Make sure you leave room for your entrée because you will fall in love with these thick cut, highly peppered onion rings.  Sorry, no food photos on this blog.

For an entrée, I decided on the crab cakes.  Two large, but flat, golden brown cakes come out over drizzled remoulade sauce.  Although the cakes were filled with crab, I prefer less breadcrumbs with my crab cakes.  The cakes were light and fluffy, but they just seemed to miss the mark. 

Another dining companion had a bowl of their red beans and rice.  Although the dish was extremely watery, she said it had a good taste, and it was pretty good.  Another companion had the blackened shrimp Caesar salad.  It might have been the winner of the group.

Overall, I would return to this local place.  I would try something from their grille.  Since the restaurant is a street over from the Strand, you get more locals than tourist, which is a nice change of pace for Galveston.

The Black Pearl Oyster Bar & Grille

327 23^rd Street

Galveston, TX 77550

409/762-7299

Bess Bistro: Austin

Bess Bistro is a quaint restaurant right next to our hotel on 6th Street.  You walk down a flight of stairs into a cozy brick columned room with a beautiful wood bar.  A crystal chandelier lights our wooden corner booth.  Tonight, we are celebrating a VIP's birthday.  Although service gets off to a slow start, a gastronomic adventure begins with a nice bottle of Ercavio Tempranillo, Spain '07 and an appetizer of Crispy Artichokes.  This blog has a case of the Tempranillo's, so enjoy my photos accompanied by the menu's descriptions.
  

CRISPY ARTICHOKES: semolina crusted artichoke hearts and fried lemon wheels tossed in Parmesan, served with a roasted garlic aioli .

STEAK FRITES: grilled 6 ounce prime flat-iron steak topped with a mushroom and bleu cheese demi-glace, served with pommes frites;

CENTER CUT RIBEYE: grilled 8 oz. ribeye filet served with truffled cauliflower gratinée and crispy fried Brussels sprouts

MAC-N-CHEESE AU GRATIN

SEASONAL CHEESE PLATE: daily selection of local and world cheeses served with almond stuffed prosciutto wrapped dates and fresh honey comb

Overall, the winner of the night was the Mac-N-Cheese.  All of us agreed that Bess Bistro was just OK.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.  The wine list is very nice.  The atmosphere is superb.  It is quite pricey, but it did make for a nice evening with friends from what I remembered.  :)
  
Bess Bistro

500 West 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 477-2377
www.bessbistro.com

Catfish Cabin: Lumberton

OK, don't let the name discourage you if you aren't into catfish.  It has a lot more to offer.  Though the original location was a quaint log cabin, the new location is a large "Woodsy" building closer to Lumberton.

When you walk in, the atmosphere feels bland- too large- reminds me of a Cracker Barrel!  Once seated, you get a basket of peanuts where you can throw your shells on the floor.  Of course, thanks to the trial lawyers, there are now disclaimers for the clumsy!

Their menu has the usual suspects of catfish, shrimp, and crab in various styles.  Tonight, its a toss of up between fried or grilled shrimp, so I opt for the combo which includes fried, grilled, and stuffed with grilled vegetables.  A trip to the salad bar is included.

The salad bar is actually pretty disappointing.  I'm not a fan of salad bars anyways.  There is cole slaw, salad fixings, and pudding as well as some other stuff!  The cole slaw was good- more vinegar based.  Nothing else stood out, and I would say it could have been skipped.

My meal arrived.  Skip the stuffed shrimp- they were bland and lacked anything and everything.  The fried shrimp were quite good.  They were cooked to perfection and slightly battered.  The real hits were the grilled shrimp and grilled vegetables.  Both were incredible.  Perfect in seasoning and smoke- yes, you could taste the "mesquite?" Plus, the vegetables had lots of carrots, sugar snap peas, squash, zucchini, and mushrooms.  Very, very good!

Overall, Catfish Cabin was pretty tasty.  I would come back, and the grilled shrimp would be my choice!  If you are north of Beaumont and crave some catfish or seafood, check it out.

Catfish Cabin
192 Lumberton Dr
Lumberton, TX 77657
(409) 755-6800
http://www.catfishcabin.com/

PJ's Seafood Shop and Diner: Victoria, Texas

PJ's is one of my original eating haunts when I come to Victoria.  Its a local seafood diner serving up food for over 30 years since 1977.   

Tonight, I had my usual Regular Fried Shrimp dinner with cole slaw and hush puppies.  There are 6 golden fried shrimp- they melt in my mouth.  Delish!  The red cocktail sauce is much runnier than I remembered, but it has a great taste!  The hushpuppies are great, but cole slaw was a let down.  It was runny too with no taste.


PJ's is always a stop for me when I am in Victoria.  Stop on in for friendly fast service and great fresh seafood.


PJ's Seafood Diner
1804 N. Navarro, Victoria, TX
Phone (361) 578-7302
http://www.pjsseafood.com/