I once did some work for a Baltimore crab house that had a crab processing plant in Seabrook. They couldn’t get enough crab from Chesapeake Bay, so they were buying crab from Vietnamese crabbers down the coast and shipping Texas crab to Maryland. I hate to tell you that.
Quality Seafood in Austin and Groomer’s in San Antonio are my favorites.
eta: Rose’s in Seabrook
Like most good things from the 70s, industry swept in and commercialized and industrialized crab fishing in the bay. And nearly wiped out the blue crab population. Even with the clearly obvious precipitous decline in population and the impact on the industry, legislators were very slow to act and nearly decimated the entire industry. Once they did over 20 years ago and regulated the crabbing, population slowly rebounded. Now that sustainable harvesting and crab populations have reached an equilibrium, there is significant corporate pressure on legislators to remove all restrictions. Which, of course, is asinine. We will see if the money grubbers are successful or if they pivot to a slow weakening of restrictions over time to accomplish their goals. For now, you can get good crabs from the Bay again.
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Checks to see if we’re still talking about Texas … all signs point to yes.
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Clary’s in Galveston [I’m sure it’s closed now] Jumbo Butter Lump Crab and Gilhooley’s “Oysters Gilhooley” are the 2 best Gulf Coast snacks
I loved Clary’s. Try as I might, I’ve never cared much for oysters. I’ve tried them every way. Don’t hate them but would never order them for my self.
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We found ourselves near a La Hacienda Ranch last evening.
I’m happy to report that the Carne Asada was fantastic.
La Hacienda on Memorial?
No, this is up here North Texas.
The late founder, Mariano Martinez, invented the frozen margarita machine.
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The Slurpee machine was invented in the 50’s, isn’t that the same thing?
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Clary’s closed at the end of 2015. Clary died in January 2016.
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Kaphan’s had a guy that walked around with a skillet of oysters that were cooked in some kind of fabulous sauce. You took one like a hors d’oeuvres at a cocktail party from the skillet guy when he walked past your table. It was the first oyster I ever liked as a kid, and, in my memory at least, the best.
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That’s where my eventual wife and I took my parents for dinner after graduation.
ETA: 1978.
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You remember Christie’s on Main, with the giant shrimp and crab on the roof?
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There was a little Mexican place (not authentic in the least) that my soon-to-be wife and I used to frequent on Kirby just north of 59 called Casa Dominguez (which may have had some tie to Lee Treviño, but maybe that’s my imagination). Did anybody else ever eat there?
The real late night go-to place for us was Las Cazuelas somewhere off of N Main. Many cases of munchies were assuaged there.
Oh, yes, absolutely. And the Red Lion with the London cab in the driveway.
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We also spent way too much time at the putt-putt course at S Main and Braeswood.
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I remember growing up in the 60s and eating at Kaphan’s, also on S. Main, Sonny Looks Sirloin Inn and Lee’s Den (Chinese food). I think it was Guido’s that had the shrimp and crab sculptures/props on the building, not Christie’s.
My putt-putt gold course was on W Belfort between Post Oak and Willowbend Blvd.