You are so welcome, although it is I that thank you. I know it’s hard dragging yourself out here when you’re living smack dab in the midst of one of the best “food cities” in the whole nation. And I had such a fun time. Seriously. One of the best days I’ve had in quite a while.
I do enjoy “Proud Pie,” and am eager to give them a little support and publicity. They’re new, and trying to make a go of it and I think they’re doing a fine job. Of all of the pies at Proud Pie, the one of which they’re probably proudest is their Cherry Pie: https://www.facebook.com/proudpiekaty/photos/a.1416719428648823.1073741828.1382147682105998/1554706151516816/?type=1&theater
We didn’t have it yesterday, but I’ve ordered it before, and it really is terrific. This is also a good place for coffee, sandwiches, snacks.
And then to Deli’s Café. I’ll admit I drove by it for a couple of years before hearing somebody rave about those cachapas with that green sauce. And now I can’t get enough. And yes, the place is “interesting.” Sometimes when I’m in there, I can hear giggly girly Spanish “charla” coming from that hair salon while, at a table near to me, what is clearly somebody’s husband waits patiently, snacking on Venezuelan food and reading a Spanish-language newspaper. Seems odd. But works well. A hair salon with a waiting room that provides delicious food. What’s not to like?
Hoodadak is pretty good, too. As I’ve said, I’ve never been much of a fan of chicken wings when I can grab a nice, meaty thigh. But these are really good. As DW’s Mamma noted, when you walk into the restaurant, you definitely get a “whiff of Korea” - the garlic and vinegar of kimchi. It can be sort of off-putting, but once you tear into those crispy morsels, the initial unfamiliar aroma has vanished, and it seems like a small price to pay.
And then…Good Ole’ Boys. I was much afeerd that, after three other places, my little troupe would abandon me and head back to town. That would have been such a disappointment. As Doobs says, I’ve been bragging on this place ever since I discovered it, several years back. I know I’ve told the story before but I’ll repeat it. I happened upon it, quite serendipitously. My car had been involved in a fender-bender and somebody told me that there was a “good body shop a couple of miles west of Katy on the feeder road on the south side of I-10.” So I set out to find it. After driving around for a while, I spotted what I was sure was it. A bunch of cars and pickups parked around in no particular order, with no apparent organization, in what seemed to be a gravel used-car lot, in front of and around a ramshackle building of some sort. So I worked my way in among the maze of vehicles and found a (very) small unoccupied spot, where I stopped, turned off my engine, and got out to go find somebody to give me an estimate.
To my complete surprise, as I threaded my way on foot amongst the cars and towards the “building,” I began to hear music. And to smell food. At first I thought it must be somebody’s birthday, perhaps the owner’s, that the workers were celebrating. And then it dawned on me, to my astonishment, “This is a restaurant!”
Naturally, I immediately decided to postpone my unpleasant auto body-shop search for another day.
Since that serendipitous discovery, I’ve returned several times with my daughter and her husband and kids, and an assortment of other friends and family. We have never failed to have a great time. It’s especially wonderful on spring and autumn nights when the weather is mild. You sit outside under the stars while the children play and people dance to live music from country or Cajun bands. It’s hard to exactly describe the atmosphere but, imagine you’re lucky enough to belong to a large family bornned and bredded on the Bayou Teche, and your uncle Boudreaux has a big place west of town and on Saturdays he and all the cousins and other redatives get together and throw a big party and as the sun starts to set, he grabs his guitar and starts to sing about how he “don’t look good nekked anymore.” And the beer is cold and the mudbugs are hot and you’re always invited.
If you’re not that lucky, you can come here.
