Miller’s Sewell Grill: Focus on Breakfast

Your faithful Galveston correspondent and her trusty hubby tried another new-to-us restaurant this morning: Miller’s Seawall Grill. It features all day breakfast and we had heard many raves about their breakfast so today gave it a try. Tuesday morning was a good time because its very hard to get in there on the weekends (we tried it once and gave up).

So we were able to park and got a booth by a big window with a view of the Gulf. I had a  Huevos Ranchero plate with poached eggs, salsa, avocado, grits, roasted jalapeño and flour tortillas. Excellent! Caution: if you don’t like spicy, pass this one by. As a native San Antonian I found the sauce had just the right amount of heat (translation: leaves your lips tingling) but didn’t attempt the roasted jalapeño which is not a couple of small slices but a half a big one!

Mike had their Sunrise Special which is available Tuesday-Thursday for a mere $5.99. He particularly liked the big fluffy biscuit that came with the eggs and potatoes.

Miller’s offers a full lunch and dinner as well with good variety and an emphasis on (surprise!) seafood. We’ll be back but it will be hard to eat something besides breakfast.

Old Moon Deli and Pies

Duty called once more when Mike and I spotted a new lunch place on  408 23rd (near Market Street) on the Island: Old Moon Deli and Pie. It's only open for lunch 11 am to 3 pm so we stopped by today for a bite.

Old Moon is in a narrow space in one of Galveston’s old buildings and it has an upstairs loft and a few tables downstairs near the counter. How to describe the decor? Kind of Nautical with kinda freaky artwork of people with animal heads? That’s the best I can do.

We both had the Turkey club sandwich panini style which featured turkey, bacon, spring mix, Monterrey jack cheese and fig spread. Excellent. Most outstanding are the homemade fruity lemonades—I had the blueberry and Mike had the strawberry. There was also plain lemonade and mango lemonade on offer today.

Oh the pies! About 10 different choices ranging from cheesecake style to cream and custard pies and of course fruit pies were listed on the daily menu. Normally Mike would have been all over the pies, but since he’s getting too close to full poundage (and I’m not so far behind. Ahem.) he courageously declined to order one. 

We hope to shed a few pounds and return to try the pies. And when we do, I’ll report back.

Two-fer Review: Galveston Water Adventures and Fika Coffee Shop

We spent an extended pre-Fourth of July weekend with Averill and her family and kept Graham (6) and Jamie (4) Saturday evening so their parents could have a date night. What better way to entertain them than to go dolphin watching?

Mike and I signed up for the 5 pm cruise of the bay with Galveston Water Adventures and we had a blast! The boys loved seeing the port from the water, the ferry, the departure of a giant cruise ship AND dolphins. One dolphin jumped in the air in front of Graham who exclaimed "I saw the whole dolphin!" and then it slapped the water with its tail as it dove down. Jamie was so distracted by the cruise ship that he missed the dolphins, but didn't care. 

The trip was one hour and the crew was friendly and informative. Its a simple but family friendly tour--they offer some soft drinks and water bottles for sale but that's it. The boat is open-air with a canopy roof to give shade which was much appreciated. The boys want to do it again so SCORE!

Fika Java and Juicery is a small family run coffee and fresh pressed juice shop on University (6th Street) near the Seawall and UTMB. The name "fika" means coffee in Swedish and is a tribute to the Swedish grandmother of the young woman who is one of the owners. 

Averill and I went Monday--buying cold brew coffee for ourselves and juices for the boys that included matcha, hemp seeds, charcoal (yes really), chocolate and kale in addition to cherries and peaches. Tasty enough that the boys drank them and were none the wiser!

We plan to return to sample their homemade pastries and  interesting paninis. Supporting local businesses is always a good thing! If you are on the east end of the island, stop by Fika and try it for yourself.

The Schizoid Schlotzyky's

Getting into Galveston Friday later than we planned, we decided to stop and grab a sandwich at the Schlotzyky's on the Seawall before unloading at the condo. Silly me--I thought we could just go through the drive-through since we had Bea in the car with us. But Mike, who has an unaccountable aversion to drive-through lines insisted I go inside. So I did.

This Schlotzyky's is an odd conglomeration of several franchises: itself, Cinnabon, and Carvel. All crammed together in one tiny little space with one counter attendant and a couple of cooks in the back. Although the Schlotzyky's  has the regular menu the counter lacked the extensive salad, chips and drinks offerings you usually find. But the cinnamon buns and cookies were front and center with the ice cream counter tucked away in a corner to the right. And a strong aroma of cinnamon filled the air, confusing the palate.

Bottom line: Mike was probably right asking me to go inside. I'm not sure how a drive through would handle your order when juggling three different menus. The sandwiches were fine--just what we expected. The ambiance was below par even for a fast food establishment. Must be due to its multiple personality disorder.

Brews Brothers Review by Mike

This weekend Jane and I stayed behind with Andrew and Sam while Mike and her husband, Paul, checked out another Galveston restaurant: The Brews Brothers.

Here's Mike's review--

Paul and I lunched at Brews Brothers, a brewpub located in the 2400 block of the Strand. The place is rustic in its furnishings. It features a galaxy of craft beers as well as a variety of food. Paul and I ordered the hamburgers. Mine was among the best I’ve ever eaten. The sauce on my burger was superb. Mine came with home-made chips – greasy but good. Paul had fries.

I washed down my burger with a dark ale. Paul had a larger and, impressed with my ale, he had one of those, too.

Prices for food and drink were moderate.

We would go back!

Review of Cajun Greek Restaurant

We are guilty of sticking to old familiar places in our recent visits to the Island, but today we ventured out to a restaurant we haven't visited before: Cajun Greek on 61st street, which was recommended by a friend of Mike's.

Dodging the orange construction cones made accessibility a bit tricky but we found the parking lot behind the restaurant had plenty of room. Cajun Greek appears to be a favorite with locals. The decor is Nautical Roadhouse--nothing fancy. It's definitely come as you are. The waitstaff is friendly and helpful and the service was quick and efficient.

We are out of crawfish season which is one of the restaurant's specialties and also oyster season is over. When it comes to oysters and crawfish I stick to the seasons so since it is crab season now
I tried the crab cakes on the theory that crab cakes are a test of a restaurant's commitment to good seafood. These did not disappoint--full of lump crab with almost no filler and a knockout chipotle mayonnaise. Mike had the fried shrimp and although he said they weren't quite as good as the ones at Gaido's (his standard of great fried shrimp) they were still very good.

The menu is mostly seafood with a few Greek themed offerings such as pita, olives and feta appetizers or "Greek hamburgers" which have feta and are made of ground beef rather than ground lamb. So on the whole I'd say its more Cajun Gulf than Greek.

Mike pronounced it worth a second visit, so I recommend it to my friends looking for good seafood in Galveston!

Shopping in the Foggy Foggy Dew

Have I mentioned before that some of the most interesting shops in Galveston are in the 500 block of 23rd Street? No? Well, I dropped by the area on a very foggy Saturday afternoon and hit both The Kitchen Chick and Galveston Coffee Roasters which are conveniently located next door to each other and near the oldest drug store in Texas. All are locally owned, quirky and worth visiting.

First up: The Kitchen Chick. This shop sells kitchen gadgets and housewares galore and is stuffed chock-a-block with unusual finds like the reusable oyster shells that I couldn't resist because they can be used in the oven or on the grill and then popped into the dishwasher ready for the next time. A great find for oyster lovers like me who don't try to shuck their own. The Kitchen Chick also has a tempting schedule of cooking classes which I would love to try, but they are almost all scheduled during the week when we aren't in Galveston. Maybe when Mike retires!

Second up: Galveston Coffee Roasters. Nestled on the corner conveniently next to The Kitchen Chick, this little shop sells coffee roasted by the proprietor. I had a nice chat with him and he told me he doesn't sell lattes, mochas, cappuccinos--just straight up coffee with a number of different roasts and/or flavored coffees. The coffee is sold as beans but he will grind it for you. So after tasting, I bought a pound of his Rainbow Roast which has an equal mixture of light, medium and dark roasted beans. Smells and tastes divine.

Third up: Star Drug Store, just a few steps down from The Kitchen Chick. It claims to be the oldest drug store in Texas and you can stop by its retro lunch counter for a nostalgic bite to eat. The rest of the store is stuffed with more vintage kitsch than its possible to absorb. Talk about sensory overload!

So next time you are in the Strand area, venture a few blocks west and check out these local favorites. Now I need to make a run to Katie's Seafood for some shucked oysters.......