Danton's Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen

We had a family member that had not come to visit us in a good number of years. Keith had traveled all 50 states & we wanted to provide him with an exceptional experience of the excellent dining experience of Houston. We questioned him giving him all types of suggestions. Then I remembered that my friend Kyle Teas owner of Danton’s Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen had announced on FB that blue crabs had come in today for a limited time. When I mentioned blue crabs, Keith’s eyes lit up. We decided to give Danton’s a try with their blue crabs. We were quickly greeted by Kyle and April pleasantly waited on us. We started with several orders of his famous crab cakes lightly sautéed flattened patties made with blue crab claw meat & kernels of roasted corn & fresh bread crumbs and a tangy garlic remoulade sauce. Keith ordered 2 BBQ blue crabs, David ordered the halibut which he described as a stuffed filet topped with a garlic creamy crab meat sauce with capers, dirty rice on the side. Not being a seafood lover I nervously scanned the menu until my eyes settled on the certified Black Angus filet at the bottom of the menu. When I tasted the steak it literally melted in my mouth. I loved the taste of smoke from the oak and hickory wood. Best French fries that I have eaten in a long time too. We finished our meal (no doggy bags here) with an order of raspberry crème brulee and Patsy’s chocolate cake and the most delicious chocolate banana martini. An exceptional dinner – two thumbs up.

Danton’s Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen
4611 Montrose Blvd.
Houston, Tx 77006
(713) 807-8883

Taste The Difference - Galena Park Texas

My first impression was a voice, a deep sensual male voice that spoke “hello”; he literally had me at “Hello”. My two hour drive from Sealy to Galena Park with heavy traffic was not wasted. Here on the far east side of town in a heavy industrial area near the ship channel is a culinary gem. Only two weeks old with a soft opening they are already operating in the black. A small restaurant decorated in earth tones and local artist’s artwork with a steaming service line. Refrigerated desserts filled with sweet potato pie, banana pudding and pound cake slices. The passing trucks thunder by missing the 3 layer 6 foot smoker filled with various meats fragrance the air with pecan and oak wood. I stood outside in the smoke just taking in my favorite scent. I meet with the father and son team, Richard (the voice) and son Derrell Gary. Bringing 30 plus years experience in the restaurant industry and Northern California influences I sit down and take a bit of the best French toast I have ever experienced. Hollow bread filled with brie cheese, topped with walnuts, sautéed fresh bananas, the right amount of cinnamon, vanilla liquor and powdered sugar topped off with a sliced large strawberry. The plate was served with perfectly grilled chicken apple sausage. They were mildly amused at my over excitement and brought me two delicious pork ribs slathered in a tangy bbq sauce. This unusual eatery also serves corned beef hash made from scratch (I thought corned beef hash was born in a can), smoked salmon omelet with a red bell pepper sour cream sauce for those of you that like more adventure in your breakfast. Come early as they sometimes run out of food each day. The big wigs at the local plants are beginning to discover this place very quickly.

Thumbs Up

Taste The Difference
2118 Clinton Dr
Galena Park, Texas 77547
(713) 671-1300

Little Bigs - Houston

An old friend of my husbands once owned a small Chinese restaurant called Ming’s Café. Fay Jowl since opened another restaurant and has relocated minus his wife in Austin and sold Ming’s to make room for Little Bigs. Fay was a really good realtor, even sold us our previous house and attended our wedding 20 years ago. Late one night David and I decided to go by there and experience this new restaurant. I was stunned how different the place was by simply adding on a large deck and placing a large tented canopy overhead. Why hadn’t Fay thought of this? It is wonderful to sit outside and dine watching the Montrose night life pass by and feel the breeze. The outdoor flat screen tv has already begun to show signs of being effected by the weather with bands of green and purple displays moving across the screen. The parking lot has huge crater holes so be careful not to bit your lip as you pass through them. The location is nestled under huge trees and surrounded now by black iron fencing. Nirvana was soulfully singing over the speakers. We ordered the triple slider with two beef and one chicken. The beef with cheese had a lot of flavor blended into the sauté onions but the chicken was rather dry reminded me of a McChick of some type served with only a single round limp pickle slice. The chicken triangle was deep fried in a tempura styled batter was rather boring in my opinion. I really don’t understand why restaurant owners don’t pay attention to details and the value of real estate. I dined on the nice patio overlooking a rented Pod trailer looking into the back inside of the restaurants 600 sq. ft. dining room where they have stacked 100 sq. feet of boxes in one corner tying up a valuable corner in full sight. Little Bigs is a great spot to go back and eat but I think I will stick to the beef.

Saturday evening rain

The guys gathered yesterday and worked their buns off in the summer heat and sun. Three men work better 25 feet up in the air than just the usual two. Progression was rapidly made to the point they felt they were over the halfway mark framing the roof. We have decided to go three levels and the 8 stall barn is turning into a monster in size. We will use 4 stalls for the horses, then tack, storage and feed. The back will have an upper & lower deck with a party room on the second level. It is a funny idea to think we may very well cast our fishing lines from the second floor into the new pond. The view is beautiful and will be greatly appreciated when the geese are in and the distant towns display their fireworks. Tammy came over and worked the girls and assisted the guys proving to easily work along them as one of them. I prepared for the exterminator and left with Pandora in order to get her out of the house. Since no lead, rope, leash or window can hold her it was best to take her on an outing. We played with Tiffany awhile eating at Sonic and stopping over at an estate sale. Purchased Anvil Bar 5 new vintage glasses since he posted he could use a few more. Dropping off Tiffany I picked up more beer & fajita’s from Amigo’s on Westheimer. After all tummy’s were full back at the ranch the skies darkened, Joyce and Mike had unloaded the bikes from their truck and off went the kids, when they were about a mile away the clouds burst open providing much needed relief to the heat. It was fun standing around tailgating drinking beer and wine in crystal glasses while eating cupcakes & fresh strawberries and getting soaked. With the lightning above we moved onto the front porch wrapped in clean soft towels laughing and enjoying the cool breeze and soft jazz playing inside on satellite.

Taco Grill – Katy Texas

One year old family owned and operated small clean restaurant. Counter service with a smile. I ordered a marinated shredded pork torta sandwich. Served on a toasted bolillo bread about 8 inches long sliced in half filled with fresh avocado, Mexican sour cream and grilled ham. I selected the potatoes as my side dish which was seasoned with a mild unknown spice and topped with fresh farmer’s cheese. Served dry with a self serving counter and four different sauces available to place on the sandwich, I walked away feeling the sandwich was a tad dry. The avocado was lost in the ham and don’t remember actually seeing it on the sandwich but the tell tail sign of an allergic scratching throat proved it was in there. The dining room is divided by a half wall which proved to be a blessing with a be speckled bald male diner wearing shorts and muscle shirt talking rather loudly on his blue tooth accessory drowning out the CNN news coverage of the California fires that was located over the front counter. He was so involved in his loud conversation he never noticed my glaring looks or movement to the other side of the restaurant.

Thumbs Up

2004 S. Mason Rd.

Katy, Texas 77450

(281) 371-8226

A new life with Pandora

Pandora is a magnificent and rather large dog. She is part Great Pyrenees and what looks to be Australian Shepherd. She is black and white with long hair and black and white patches. Parts of her fur looks like the fur a royal king would wear on a fur cape of white fur and small black specks in a cartoon. She has a black patch over her right eye and a black ear on her left.

Our other four dogs are Pomeranians and one long hair Chihuahua ranging in 5 lbs to 11 lbs. So this new addition is a rather large change. The cats are a little freaked out by the new addition which is really funny watching a 4 oz kitten huff up and Pandora putting her head down and backing away in a whimper with her tail between her legs.

So far Pandora has learned a new trick or two. She can leap over a tall fence that stops horses, dig up a newly planted tree and my favorite new trick; she can dive through windows bursting through guaranteed durable screens.

Pandora has taught me a trick or two such as remote controls must be placed in a wooden box or they become newly favored chew toys, daily hair brushing is a must, and do not allow a freshly basked brisket to cool off on top of the stove or the whole thing will be gone within seconds with no evidence remaining and finally the kitchen trash needs to be stacked up high on the kitchen counter out of a 4 foot reach.

I am thinking of writing a children book on dust bunnies. I already call this Dust Bunny Ranch much to my husband’s dismay. The newest dust bunnies are huge, white and can run fast like the breeze. If anyone wants to know what dust bunnies eat, its kitten food and Cheerios. At least ours do.

Cafe Ginger

I am looking out the glass doors eating a rather late lunch watching the dark clouds move in. I am dining in the beautiful Cafe Ginger formerly known as Café le Jadeite. The interior view alone makes me want the restaurant be a success. Sitting in the front area so I can work at the same time I eat, I am pelted by the sounds of the TV and Tony Bennett at once in strange stereo. I think at this odd time I am the only customer. The service has been by a hovering waiter that looks like he could be brothers to the ice skating champion Scott Hamilton except with a bit more blonde hair. At one point he sat at the next table to me watching TV with his knee frantically bouncing up & down. I didn’t order anything exotic just my classic favorite General Tso’s Chicken. It’s plated well with crisp fresh green beans and standard steamed rice and a spring roll. The chicken wasn’t spicy at all. I can see small pieces of the small red peppers that are usually hot. It was a total sweet syrup that when I brought a forkful to my mouth it left a trail all the way down to my plate. As I sat here clearing calls on my bb, the syrup got considerably thicker to the point I could hold rice & chicken on my fork upside down and it did not move.

3 Olives - Katy Texas

3 Olives is a new addition to the Katy dining experience. Jeff and Fauna Miller have a solid following from their now closed Bistro 829. Their focus now on the freestyle Italian restaurant & cuisine. There is a connected Italian import shop located behind the bar area for oils, spices and pasta. I waited for my husband at the dining area near the bar ordering a glass of merlot not having lunch or breakfast I went ahead & ordered an appetizer of spinach & artichoke dip made with 5 different cheeses including gruyere served on seasoned homemade crostini. This was the best spinach & artichoke dip that I have ever dined on. When I ordered my second glass of merlot I was informed that they don’t actually serve merlot by glass, I was drinking Placido Chianti which I did enjoy but they should have told me of the switch upon ordering. My husband made it just in time to enjoy two bites of appetizer. His iceberg wedge salad was served with a fantastic gorgonzola-pesto dressing with speckles of bacon minus the expected diced tomatoes. Our Pollo Bistro entrée would have made Paula Deen proud as the sauce was heavy on the butter. This was a flattened filet of chicken sautéed with pancetta & mushroom in a cilantro cream sauce. We finished off our dinner with a classic tiramisu square served with a strawberry on the side topped with small chocolate chips & chocolate drizzle. The white fill made of mascarpone and a heavy accent of amaretto. We found the service extremely attentive and numerous.

Thumbs Up

3 Olives

22764 Westheimer Pkwy # 600

Katy, Texas 77450

(832) 437-4062

The dreaded pressure cooker

I was rather excited about the purchase of my newest cookbook America's Most Wanted Recipe's by Ron Douglas. In the book cites the possible secret recipe for original KFC chicken. I had worked at KFC when I was 17 & did not really pay attention to what was going on in the back. I had to face the hot sun through the window & try to not be blinded. Anyway, shopping for a pressure cooker was limited to small pots with no instructions or a large digital one by Cook at JC Penney. I had to order one which took 2 weeks to be delivered. Saturday the large box was dropped off so Sunday I purchase my dead chicken. David read the instructions no fewer than 5 times. Recipes call for medium heat selection, new expensive cooker does not have a medium selection. Instruction book from Cook is in 7 languages and English is hard to understand. There are no recipes. When I google recipes, they mention medium heat. No mention of how much water needs to be added or if we add oil how much except 1 1/2 inches then they say cover the chicken in oil in one recipe from google. I ask David if we need to install pressure cooker outside in the event it blows up cause I am adding the oil. David looks at me & begs to go out to dinner eyeing the clock knowing our area is rolling up the welcome mat right then. We use the candy gage we already had & the boiling oil isn't getting hot enough to really fry or brown the chicken. David again wants to go out to dinner but I want to at least see this through. There are blue lights going off on the bomb but I want to venture where no Taffinder has gone before. We seal the pot after we loaded the slightly brown oil soaked chicken into the pot & David secures the hatch and we stand back and wait 13 minutes. Then we waited for some sound....no sound. David takes a utensil and stands back 5 feet to move the pressure lid thing and notice we are giving our cabinets a hot steam bath so note to self do not use under the cabinets. David again asks to go out, but I persist. Now at this point I had not prepared anything to go with the chicken just in case it worked out. We finally remove the secured hatch and lift out the oil soaked but falling off the bone chicken and have to use a rather large amount of paper towels to soak it. One of the chicken legs is broken in half so it must be a Chicago chicken hit at the kneecap. We throw together a salad & mac n cheese and eat. It is tasty but I am way too concerned about all the oil & not sure if it was hot enough in the browning to not be totally soaked in oil. So right now Darth Vader remains in the kitchen, he may be going into the outer space of the garage storage. When David wanted to know what to do with all the oil, I suddenly threw myself into bed falling quickly asleep. The kitchen fairy had cleaned it out by the next morning.

Morning Surprise

I noticed our horses were on a different side of the pasture this morning looking out towards the front. I face the same direction to see what they are looking at and see a visiting horse in the front yard out loose enjoying the fresh growing salad bowl in the front yard. I run outside in my nightgown grabbing a lead rope & arm load of hay from the hay barn. She approached me with eyes on the hay but doesn't let me near her. I run next door to my neighbor "Green Acres" and she comes out with a bowl of feed shaking nervously wearing her night clothes. So the two of us manage to get Sissy back into her pasture. "Green Acres" had someone water her pasture before the heavy rains & they had not locked or closed the gate. Sissy just happened to notice the opportunity for freedom this morning and took her fill of freshly blooming roses, cucumbers, and various grasses & bushes. Zsa Zsa Gabor could only lite her cigarette after her heart stopped pounding & we notice each others predicament in our nightgowns and run inside to our own homes. Naturally after helping "Green Acres" in the excitement our dog escapes out over the fence and I am back out calling for the large white furry horse Pandora. All before my first cup of coffee.