Restaurants

Matagorda – Texas

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Despite the chilly weather this Spring Break, I was able to make a quick trip down to my hometown to see my folks. We decided to make a trip to Matagorda one evening for dinner. They must have known my soul was calling for some salt water therapy!

While we didn’t get on the beach, just being near it was enough for me. The smells, the salt in the air, filled my heart up. We hit up some of the local shops and then had dinner at Poco Playa. Despite the weather, there were quite a few people in town. It had been years since I had eaten at this restaurant and I was excited to see if anything had changed.

While we were at a place that served seafood and we were on the coast, I took a different route and listened to my cravings. Beef fajita tacos! Mattie followed suite and got Beef fajita quesadillas! It warms my heart to know that she loves Beef just as much as I do!

My folks shared a seafood platter and the onion rings on this bad boy looked amazing! There was plenty of food to go around and lots of left overs to take home. I made a note to myself at the beginning of the year that I wanted to get to the coast at least once a quarter this year. I am happy to say, I have that first quarter checked off! I can’t wait until the weather warms up and I am able to start traveling more.

If you have never been to Matagorda Texas, you should check it out. It is a quiet little town but packed with people once the temperatures start rising. Since it is close to home, this was my go to place anytime I went to the beach. While it has changed some over the years, there is nothing like feeling that coastal salt air hit you when you get there.

As always, share some love, we could all use a little more love
XOXOXOXO
Casey

The Little Big Cup

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I love food but have not always been the biggest seafood fan. I spent a week in Louisiana, and I decided that I wanted to venture out and expand my tastebuds. I kicked off my trip with the perfect place to do it.

The Little Big Cup – Arnaudville, Louisiana

One of my friends from Facebook always shares this restaurant’s posts. While we were driving down, we looked up the restaurant, saw that it was only a slight detour, and decided to go for it, and man! There are no words for how amazing this food is. The restaurant was booked but we were able to get a seat at the bar. I ordered the Cajun Kevin Po Boy – a French Bread hollowed out, stuffed with sautéed Gulf Shrimp, Lump Blue Point Crab Meat, Louisiana Crawfish Tails, and Andouille Sausage simmered in their mixed Pepper, Parmesan, Butter, and Cream reduction. One taste of this sauce, and I swear I was in Heaven.

My friend Linda ordered the Crab Stack – Two Louisiana, Blue Point Crab Cakes over fried Eggplant Medallions topped with Crawfish Etouffe garnished with Fried Gulf Shrimp. The Etoufee sauce was a little spicy, so if you like spicy, you are in for a treat!

My friend Debbie came in clutch and ordered the Bread Pudding for dessert. Being a newbie to Bread Pudding, I had to try it. Needless to say, one bite of this dessert and I knew that my diet was going out of the window for the rest of the week! Simply perfection.

This is the cutest little restaurant backed up to the Bayou. It is in a little downtown area and the atmosphere makes you feel right at home. The place was packed! If you are trying to dine here on a Friday or Saturday, you have to make reservations beforehand. On Saturdays, they normally serve around 700 people. They have a Sunday brunch and are only open for 4-5 hours. During that time, the bartender told us they normally serve around 400 people. This restaurant is the place to be!

For more information and pictures to make you stop scrolling and start booking your trip, be sure to check out their Website and Facebook page.

Great food brings joy, laughter, good times, and soothes the soul! This is one place I will definitely go back, it is worth every mile traveled to it no matter how far the detour is!

As always, share some love, we could all use a little more love
XOXOXO
Casey

Galveston, Texas

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Oh, how my soul was calling for the coast? Do you ever get that? That longing to be somewhere else? To recharge, to feel at peace once again? Do you have a special place that does that for you? This year I have discovered that mine is the coast. There is just something so peaceful about sitting on the sand and listening to the waves crash. Don’t get me wrong, if I could get away to the mountains as quickly as I could get to the coast, I would be there as well.

Despite it being rainy and cold, while waiting for a table at a restaurant, Mattie and I made a mad dash across the street and walked down the stairs at the seawall to the sand. We watched the the waves crash in and she even picked up a sea shell. While it was only a few short minutes by the water, it was all I needed. That time was even more special because Mattie was there with me. I hope that I am teaching her to follow her heart and do things that bring her joy.

One of my favorite things about traveling is eating at places that are new and unfamiliar to me. I got in two new restaurants the last couple days in Galveston.

Riondo’s Ristorante – we stumbled onto this restaurant while doing the Polar Express. They had a truck serving drinks while people were waiting to get on the train. The owner gave us a 15% off card so we decided to check out the restaurant for dinner. It is located in historic downtown Galveston and offers Northern Italian Cuisine and sources their ingredients from local farmers’ markets, fresh seafood from The Galveston Shrimp Company, and beef from 44 Farms.

I went with one of the specials for the night. A filet topped with crab meat, served with your choice of scallop potatoes or vegetables…. of course I went with the scallop potatoes. Disclaimer… I am not the biggest seafood person but I have been venturing out and trying new things and I am so glad that I did. While, my steak was a little overcooked, it was still very tender. The crab meat, delicious. No other words for it. I don’t think you can ever go wrong with potatoes, they were great as well. Did I mention, they serve bread as well? While I did not get a picture of that, bread is practically the way to my heart.

Shykatz – I was looking for a good breakfast place on our way out of town and found this one. It is on the East End and they serve baked goods, breakfast and lunch. We hit the jackpot with this one. Not only was the outside adorable but so was the inside.

I tried one of their croissants, talk about melt in your mouth, it was so good. For my meal, I got the Benni’s Breakfast Tostadas. It was a tostada with beans, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, onions, bell peppers, cheese, avocados, and salsa. Have I mentioned that I love Mexican food? This was the first item listed on the menu and I looked no further. The tostadas were crispy! The toppings topped off with salsa, best breakfast I have had in a while.

There are restaurants galore in Galveston, I am just glad to have stumbled upon these two. Great experiences with great food. I will be sharing all about my Polar Express trip in the next blog, stay tuned!

As always share some love, we could all use a little more love.
XOXOXOXO
Casey