I’ve never eaten fried shrimp out that were better than my own. Peel and clean shrimp. Soak them in either egg and milk or buttermilk for a few minutes. If you want a little more spicy, add tabasco in the wet part but I never have been able to tell the difference. Put a box of Aunt Jemima buttermilk complete pancake mix in a gallon zip loc bag (or 2 gallon if you have more than 3 lbs of shrimp). Coat well. I leave them in the dry mix for about an hour, tossing the bag around every 10 minutes or so attempting to get all the wet parts coated. When grease gets hot, remove a few from the bag and shake them off well before adding to the deep fryer. Sprinkle with salt right away. If you fry more than 3#, you will have to change the oil because the pancake mix will dirty it fast and burn.
Oh never mind, I get it now. LOL
Sorry, now I don’t get it … what am I missing?
Jaymes said something about MR Redtop and I thought she was referring to me. I’m often mistaken for a male because of my name “Lee” (I was named after my Daddy). I realized later she was referring to Don…
It was nice meeting Avi and also Ms. AND Mr. Redtop, (two different people!), as well as renewing acquaintances with JC and Wifecita and the Lambowners, (this is a community property state). Sorely missed was Jaymes of course and I have yet to personally confirm the existence of the elusive BruceSW although I have read eyewitness accounts from usually reliable sources.
Anyway, enough about me…
I have to admit that BBQInn was a bit more crowded than I expected at 4pm, but my jape about the Early Bird Special seemed oddly prescient. 
Despite this being at least nominally a fried chicken outing, the species have no need of fearing extinction on our account. Only Avi ordered “Fried Chicken” as an entree. JC And Wifecita ordered a couple of pieces on the side to accompany their fried shrimp and oysters respectively. My crew, (Moms and OBD and I), all requested half orders of chicken fried steak with a couple of fried oysters and shrimp on the side. At the other end of the table were some more fried oysters, a Salad(!), and honestly I don’t know what else, but I suppose that isn’t my story to tell…
Couple of thoughts, the side salad is just chopped iceberg lettuce and diced tomatoes. I’m not complaining, (much), but it almost seems a waste to put the tangy, housemade Thousand Island atop such an unimaginative pile of … well… chopped iceberg and tomatoes. MY advice, swap out the fries that come with most entrees for the baked potato, (slight upcharge), and enhance your salad with the green onions and cheese that your waitress will deposit on your table in a clever condiment display/server tower.
The chicken fried steak was fork tender, the shrimp and oysters some of the best in town. Mom didn’t enjoy hers as the tartar sauce tasted too onion-y and we know how that flies with her, right?
No?
OK, trust me - NOT AT ALL.
I love it though.
If I have a complaint, other than the wan salad, it’s the limp fries. I like mine extra crispy and airy and frankly Ore-Ida-ish.
I know. I know.
As for service, well Ms. Kitty took good care of us and as Jaymes noted from another visit and another waitress, seemed straight out of Central Casting:
“Whats that? You need a crusty seasoned diner waitress to chat up a big group? I’ve got just the gal for you!”
All in all, a great time. Lot’s of fun. Jaymes, you shoulda been there.
As promised, our visit was preceded by a trip through Caninos, Flores, and DairyMaids. I love all three of those spots. We picked up the usual fall produce at Caninos but they also cream peas and purple hulls, so I picked up a pound or so each of those. I’ll be cooking the purple hulls later today.
Mexican Oregano and San Marcos Chili Powder at Flores. Several kinds of cheese at DairyMaids. Big shoutout to Lindsey who started and runs it. She always makes a point of coming over to speak to me personally though she doesn’t know me except as a long time customer. If you haven’t been, go their website and get on their mailing list. She won’t fill you inbox with junk but she does have classes and popup type things from time to time and tastings of six to seven cheeses all day, every day. Unique place. Do that.
Should I tell you that I followed up last night with a half dozen Gulf Oysters and a half dozen Blue Points at Pappadeaux’s? The Gulf were muddy and frankly not great. The Blue Points were outstanding. I’m not going to tell you how much they cost because JC will point and laugh at me, but whatevs…
Yep. Was referring to hubby. Whom you said didn’t really want to come, but might. If indeed you were a dude, that would mean your avatar was most-likely a photo of dude you in a red wig. Seemed a little, um, out there for a food board. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
We did a half dozen blue points at Pappadeaux Austin, (expense account) and they were outstanding. The rest of the visit was utterly forgettable, except for the bread…
Gulf oysters are really a misnomer as they come from the various bays up and down the coast. The season is currently closed until Christmas due to all the freshwater in the bays from the floods. I won’t eat a raw Texas oyster until the water temperatures hit the mid 50’s which might be December-January.
BBQ Inn. It was great to meet Red and Avi, and OBD… Too bad as the Wifeacita remarked and I observed was the table was naturally divided into two camps, simply inevitable…I could talk to Avi for days.
The food. We ad some fried shrimp and oysters, excellent como siempre.
We got a wing and a breast on the side. The Wifeacita loved the wing, and my breast was something I just can’t replicate despite being a master fryer, except for chicken. The skin was perfect and the meat moist.
Doobs, I think I am the only person on the planet that likes limp fries.
I loved 'em.
We missed you Jaymes.
(
9
A round table is ideal for equal opportunity conversation. Otherwise one can only wave at the other end. Last week we went to another old Houston staple that we frequent a few times a year, Shanghai River on Westheimer. I was reminded once again that the old school establishment has big round tables that will easily fit 10. They have the best Spicy Shanghai dumplings, tossed in a spicy peanut sauce and that is the biggest draw other than the original gregarious owners and the dishes named after Marvin Zindler, who used to love the place. It is literally unchanged in 40 or more years.
I digress. Doobs I love that crispy iceberg and seeded tomato salad. Simplicity is sometimes a good thing. The fries are pretty darn bad, as is the cream gravy IMO. I ordered some on a last trip to taste with fries and it was really bland, a condition that was not improved with more and more salt and pepper. So was the tartar sauce, which needed pickles, onions, garlic, something, anything. I’ll take Mom’s word for it that it had onions though, her palate is highly tuned to onions.
On to Blue Points. I had some at Pappadeaux not long ago and questioned whether they were Gulf oysters and they assured me they were not. I was expecting a smaller east coast brinier oyster, what arrived looked and tasted exactly like a Gulf oyster. But a quick google showed that they do indeed look like a Gulf oyster. So color me confused on why they are more costly.
