McCormick & Schmuck's

I've had two impressive meals at this very location before so

what.

the hell.

was that?

My plate is not empty because I loved my food. My plate is empty because that's what it tasted like.

Nothing.

The Roma Tomato Bruschetta came out looking like dry toast with pico de gallo poured over it sprinkled with Kraft Parmesan Cheese.

The Shiner Bock Fish Taco looked impressive then completely fell short. Without the Cilantro Ranch it was nothing. And there wasn't enough Cilantro Ranch.

The Spicy Tuna Roll was so gummy that it may as well have been gum. My husband can make better rice than that.

The Oysters on the Half Shell, while OK, were so shockingly different in appearance I was surprised they were served on the same plate; one looked like it had been minced.

The "Rhode Island" Calamari, quotation marks theirs, was decent. Not great, sauce a little bland (more Kraft Parmesan on top!), but decent.

The Sauteed Black Mussels were OK, but I noticed the bowl was not empty when it was cleared.

The Pork Pot Stickers were... well... not Pot Stickers. Pot Stickers have a browned side indicating that they have indeed stuck to a pot. These were fried. They were Asian Empanadas.

The Tempura Shrimp was the only thing that anyone said, "This is OK, try this."

Add a too sweet drink that I'm not even sure had vodka in it and I had one of the worst meals ever.

Ever.

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant

401 Congress Ave. (another at The Domain)

Austin, Texas 78701

512.236.9600

http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/

A Tale of Two (Coastal) Cities

Gaido's marquee

Gulf Shrimp and Deep Sea Scallops Platter

Floyd's marquee

Maybe they will frame my review too!

Crab Bisque

Grilled Stuffed Shrimp

Last week I traveled to Beaumont for work. On my way out of town I stopped at a restaurant called Floyd's because a State Trooper told me to and I'm a good girl. However, this trip reminded me that I that I have another review to write from my Texas City trip. So, let's go back in time...two months ago. Texas City, March 31, 2010. My co-worker and I had just finished driving from Austin to Texas City, checked into our hotel, and were craving seafood (her husband hates seafood so she was really excited). I suggested we drive into Galveston and go to Gaido's. Growing up in Texas, I remember going to the coast on many summer vacations. Whenever we went to Galeveston, we went to Gaido's or one of their sister restaurants (see their website).

If they weren't located on the beach, I would have been slighty embarassed by my shorts and flips flops amongst the white-jacketed waiters and white tablecloths. I had the Gulf Shrimp and Deep Sea Scallops platter and it was delicious. The sauteed mushrooms (can you see it in the pic?) were fantastic. The shrimp and scallops were great too. A good, solid, meal.

Now, let's come back to the current month of May. Last week, Beaumont, Floyd's. I had the CrabBisque and the Grilled Stuffed Shrimp. I LOVED the bisque and it's just fun to say. Bisque. It was not short on the cream or crab at all; lots of big chunks were waiting on the bottom of my cup. I'm not sure why you need to serve rice with such a great cup of bisque, but ok. My shrimp were really good too. It was basically crab cake mixture stuffed into the shrimp and then grilled. The shrimp had some heat and were just a tad too salty by the time I ate the third one.

Did y'all know that Beaumont is humid? Bisque. Bisque. Bisque.

Gaido's

3828 Seawall Blvd

Galveston, TX 77550

1-800-525-0064

http://www.gaidos.com/

Floyd's

2290 I-10 South

Beaumont, TX 77707

409-842-0686

http://www.floydsseafood.com/

Perla's before swine...

What started as an "oh, let's try this place" turned into an "oh my goodness!" last night.

Hubby blissed out on a half dozen mixed raw oysters from the Cold Bar, I licked the plate of the Crab Louie & Cornmeal Fried Green Tomatoes with Russian Dressing that I was talked into by our waiter (thanks Matt!), we both enjoyed our salads (Iceberg Wedge with Texas Lump Crab and Roasted Fennel Waldorf, respectively) and we just about wet our pants over Hubby's Steamed Alaskan Halibut and my Pan Roasted Grouper with English Peas, Baby Carrots, House Cured Bacon and Parsley Butter. Start and end that with a great cocktail, add wine in the middle and you have yourself a very special night. I may have just found my new favorite fancy food place.

"Give not that which is pan roasted unto the dogs, neither cast ye your peas before swine, lest they trample them under parsley butter, and turn again and house cure you."

Perla's Seafood & Oyster Bar

1400 S. Congress Ave.

Austin, Texas 78704

512.291.7300

http://perlasaustin.com/