Pretty far from Houston in Coinjock NC is Coinjock Marina and Restaurant. I’ve posted about it before. Their huge 32 oz prime rib is famous in the ICW snowbird community (that would be the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway as opposed to the Gulf ICW where y’all are). I consider the prime rib there something to watch rather than eat. Your observation reminds me of a trip on which I made a take on beef stroganoff with the leftovers from two crew members. Fed the crew of four for two dinners. I rarely buy flour on delivery. I walked the docks and found liveaboard cruisers who swapped me plenty of flour for the stroganoff and for biscuits in return for a pint of home-canned pasta sauce I had brought from home and wasn’t going to use. The whole thing worked because–in addition to some schmoozing skill–Coinjock cooked the prime rib truly rare so I had plenty of room to work making the beef stroganoff.
This is heresy and won’t hold up in court but a friend of mine saw a documentary on the ICW and said Texas was the ugliest stretch.
I don’t dispute that. Lot’s of oil and gas industries. The Dow Chemical complex in Freeport has a no wake zone that takes thirty minutes to get through.
The ICW down here does have it’s moments, however.
Opinions of course, but if you look at both the AICW and GICW Georgia is the worst. It’s pretty enough but it winds around so much it takes about 10 miles on the water to get 2 miles south.
That said the Texas part of the GICW is not attractive. From a skipper point of view the preponderance of commercial traffic means dealing with professionals which I prefer.
You want barges we’ve got barges full of petroleum products with pro captains in charge.
We were in Galveston for a couple nights last week and man do I feel sorry for all the restaurants and hotels. Signs up all over the place Hiring for All positions.
Stingaree - Great as usual. Fried soft shell crab, fried seafood platter, good gumbo. Efficient/friendly service. Think they probably keep the same loyal staff which makes a difference.
Benno’s - Without naming names, the employee who someone on this board talks about really held her cool. I could tell she was getting an Exedrin headache trying to train FOH and the cook in the kitchen was in the same boat. Regardless, fried seafood platter and blackened oysters were on table 15 minutes later. Hot and delicious.
One other place that shall remain nameless (because I feel sorry for them and think they were doing the best they could with the best they had ) wasn’t so lucky. Only one busboy for the whole restaurant. An hour wait with empty littered tables galore. We left.
So there you have it.
I like big commercial ships, but I’ll take tugs & barges over recreational boaters any day. I really don’t care what they’re carrying as long as they follow the rules and are predictable.
Not unique to Galveston. Here in Annapolis MD restaurants I’ve never seen with a social media presence are pimping for employees on Facebook and Nextdoor.
As long as the bridge is actually properly manned and not just complacently running a course with radar alarms.
Nonetheless I loved the rules of the road. When all circumstances being equal it boils down to my favorite…the law of gross tonnage.
Update:
Fingers are crossed.
A friend of mine and I went to Salt Grass a week ago Sunday and there was a thirty minute wait even though the restaurant was half full. My friend is in the restaurant business and he can’t get any good help as evidenced by our perch at the bar as two scared trainees were thrown to the wolves.
I got a ribeye rare knowing I would I would have to saw into it but it tasted great.
Yes the situation is dire, and just when they are able to fully operate. So sad.
I don’t get the hype. I wouldn’t celebrate Denny’s - why Luby’s?
There is no reason to go to Denny’s. Nobody, and I mean nobody can replicate the rectangular fried fish and tartar sauce at Luby’s.
You’re not from around here are you? 
Nope. Spent a lot of time in Texas over the years though. I’d rather go to a Kettle restaurant (Black Kettle? I forget) than a Luby’s. I’ll note that Fuddruckers has spiraled in quality and performance since Luby’s bought them eleven years ago. I’d rather go to a Denny’s. Doesn’t really matter since they’re in bankruptcy and plan to close everything by Aug 25.
I have fond memories of Red Barn Restaurants from my youth. They went bankrupt also from mediocre food and poor management. I get that people have connections. It doesn’t mean it’s really any good.
I would agree that Luby’s was much better before the Pappas family bought them. But now they’ve been sold to a third owner, and it will be interesting to see if they make some improvements. The recipes by in large have stayed the same though, particularly the square fish!
I went to a Denny’s several months ago and was told they no longer serve grits. No grits. In Texas.
Get a rope. 
Can you believe we were in Luckenbach Tx today for the first time. That was a shock/surprise. No wonder Waylon Jennings wrote a song about it.
