Rudy and Paco's

The hubs and I headed down to Galveston for our second anniversary, where we dined at the tiny Rudy and Paco's. Our friendly and obviously experienced waitress told us that Paco is from Nicaragua, and the menu is mostly fresh seafood with a South American twist.

We started with the escargot. I love snails and I like to eat them wherever and whenever I can. These little babies were easily the best I have ever had. It all comes down to the garlic butter sauce, which was so delicious that we soaked up whatever we could with the complimentary bread. My snail ordering days are probably over now, since I don't think I'll be able to find better escargot anywhere else.

We also snacked on plaintain chips and huge house salads while we waited for our entrees. Luckily we saved room, because dinner was wonderful. I had one of the specials, softshell crab. They were fried and served with lump crab meat and capers. On the side were au gratin potatoes, carrots and asparagus.

The crab was perfect: savory, crunchy and satisfying. I particularly loved pulling off the crunchy little legs and popping them into my mouth. The potatoes were also very well done, although a little dry for my taste. My husband had one of their many snapper dishes on my suggestion; snapper is my favorite fish, and he could see why. His plate was completely clean.

Our waitress treated me to a piece of chocolate cake as a special surprise. It was very rich, but not overly sweet. We managed to eat most of it, but it was a team effort. And it even paired well with the wine!

Of course, the real treat was when the bill came. We paid $138 for an appetizer, two salads, two entrees, dessert, and a bottle of Spanish red wine. That is an amazing value! And all of it came with great service and a very nice atmosphere. Paco even came out and said hello to every table -- and from the handshakes and hugs we saw being tossed around, he obviously recognized many customers. Rudy and Paco's may be small, but it easily competes with the best restaurants in Houston -- or anywhere else, for that matter.

Special Out of Town Edition: Red Fish Grill

We were in NOLA over Memorial Day weekend for a friend's bachelorette party. The girls in the group went to Red Fish Grill for dinner on Saturday night. We got there a little early, so the hostess suggested we wait in the bar. And wait we did ...

Unfortunately, I've noticed that some servers don't take me seriously, particularly in nicer restaurants. It might be because I look young, or because I'm a female. Perhaps they think I don't have enough money to buy nice things or that I don't know proper tipping etiquette. Whatever the reason, the bartender at Red Fish Grill (like so many others before him) chose to ignore me. I made eye contact, and eventually, he did ask me what I wanted -- only to cut me off in the middle of my request (for a bottle of champagne; not exactly a difficult cocktail to mix), tell me he'd get with me in a moment, and then ask the people next to me if they wanted a refill on their drinks. That's right -- he chose to ask other customers for their order rather than take mine! Other customers who had already been served and weren't actively trying to flag him down to order something else. Strange, rude behavior, but luckily he was the last of it. We got our champagne and moved to our table, where we were greeted by a much friendlier server.

We started with a plate of their barbecued oysters. We ordered a half dozen, but were treated to a full dozen soft, succulent oysters bathed in a spicy barbecue sauce. It was a like a chicken wing with an oyster in the middle; for me that's a treat-within-a-treat, and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

For my entree I ordered the crayfish and cream cheese ravioli. I was treated to this playful presentation:

I took a bite into the first little pasta puff and HOLY SODIUM BATMAN. I was blinded by salt. I took a swig of champagne and braved another and ... boom, problem solved. The rest of the dish was creamy, soothing and blessedly not over-seasoned. This was a good stick-to-your-ribs dish, suitable as a base for a night full of drinking.

Like I mentioned before, our waiter was extremely sweet, not batting an eye when we needed to split the bill. Clearly big parties are something they're used to dealing with at Red Fish. This is a nice, casual, accessible place right on Bourbon. Is it the best food I've had in NOLA? No. But that doesn't mean I won't recommend it. August is perfect for a nice date or a special family meal; Red Fish brings the party. And in NOLA there definitely is a time and place for both.

Casey's

The hubs and I spent a great day at Galveston State Park and worked up a huge appetite, so we were happy to find a casual sit-down place called Casey's. The promise of 20 beers on tap lured us in -- and yes, we did enjoy some of them -- but we were surprised and delighted by how delicious the food was.

We started with the mozzarella sticks, which were basic but tasty. I had the Gulf Coast burger (also known as a Po Boy burger) with waffle fries. This was a very nice beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato, and fried shrimp and crawfish in a remoulade sauce. If you don't think that sounds appetizing (WEIRDO), take my word for it, and give it a try. The seafood really shown without overpowering the burger, the meat was juicy but didn't make the seafood soggy, and the homemade bun it was served on was still warm and very tasty. A creative, filling sandwich.



For whatever reason, my husband decided we needed to see the desert menu. We ended up sharing a piece of the key lime cheesecake. Like my sandwich, this dessert combined two classics without ruining either of them. Do you like cheesecake? Do you like key lime pie? If so, you'll like this. I did.



Our server was very sweet and attentive. We certainly never wanted for anything while we were there, and honestly -- we're both so full that we're still hating life right now, hours after our meal. Go to Casey's with a big appetite and an open mind. You won't be disappointed.