Summer time with our Daughter is about to come to an end as she will soon be heading back to Austin for a new school year at The University of Texas. Her recent lament that “Summer is almost over and we haven’t been to the beach yet” was just the swift kick in the pants I needed.
The timing wasn’t the best. Work is super busy right now, I’m facing deadlines on multiple big projects and really didn’t need to be taking off. Then I thought about the plaque that sits on my desk that says, “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life” and realized it was a no-brainer. The days of Daughter wanting to go to the beach with her mom and dad over summer break are surely fleeting and I knew I needed to soak up every little moment.
A few days away – to unplug, rest, relax and enjoy time with each other – would do us all good. My work – including all those deadlines – would still be there when I got back and at this point, three days away wouldn’t necessarily make or break any of those ongoing work projects.
Over the years, we’ve stayed in Galveston and we’ve also stayed at Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula and we’ve always enjoyed both. For the sake of ease and convenience, I booked us a room for three nights in Galveston. I knew that would provide multiple opportunities for hanging out, sightseeing, eating and relaxing. I also knew that we would earmark one day of the trip for taking the ferry over to Bolivar and spending the day at Crystal Beach where we would let our stresses melt away as we became one with the sand, sea, salt and surf.
We enjoyed our time away and I think it recharged us all a little bit. I’ll spare you the details of the sightseeing, shopping and places we visited and get straight to the good stuff – what and where we ate. I mean, that’s why you’re here, right?!
Our first night, we ate at Nick’s Kitchen & Beach Bar located at 3802 Seawall Blvd. Daughter selected a club sandwich and fries, Hubby ordered a bowl of shrimp gumbo with a side of coleslaw and I chose blackened shrimp tacos with a side of grilled vegetables.
The following morning, we enjoyed brunch at The Sunflower Bakery & Cafe located at 512 14th St. Daughter went with the three egg omelet, with bacon and roasted potatoes. Hubby chose migas (three eggs scrambled with tortilla strips, onion, tomato, jalapeño, and cheddar cheese with potatoes, beans and flour tortillas). I selected the smoked brisket hash with peppers, onions and two poached eggs with hollandaise sauce.
That evening we dined at Miller’s Seawall Grill located at 1824 Seawall Blvd. Daughter ordered a bowl of gumbo with a side of mac and cheese. Hubby selected fish tacos with a side of coleslaw. I chose “The 16,” which was 16 medium shrimp – half fried and half grilled – with hushpuppies and a baked potato.
The following day we ate lunch at Little Daddy’s Gumbo Bar located at 2107 Postoffice St. Daughter selected prime rib gumbo served with steamed white rice. Hubby chose the Bourbon Street Platter which included Gulf shrimp gumbo, crawfish étouffée and char-grilled bacon-wrapped Gulf shrimp, served over jambalaya with cajun green beans. I ordered a platter of fried oysters that was served over fries.
We’d enjoyed Nick’s Kitchen & Beach Bar so much two nights earlier that we decided to make a return visit. Daughter ordered a large Caesar salad with grilled shrimp. Hubby chose the crispy catfish étouffée – cornmeal-fried catfish laid on a bed of white rice, topped with house-made crawfish étouffée and served with grilled vegetables. I opted for the panko-encrusted blue crab cakes that were served with a summer arugula and corn salad and house-made remoulade sauce.
On our final day, we ate lunch at Yaga’s Cafe located at 2314 The Strand. Daughter ordered the breakfast burger which consisted of a half-pound Angus beef patty, a fried egg, bacon, lettuce and tomato with a side of cajun potatoes. Hubby chose a club sandwich and fries and I selected a grilled salmon sandwich, which came with jalapeño bacon, Dijon mustard aioli, lettuce and tomato and a side of cajun potatoes.
One afternoon, we stopped in at La King’s Confectionery located at 2323 The Strand for ice cream. He selected chocolate chocolate chip, she selected chocolate chip cookie dough and I selected coffee bean flake.
Though it may seem as if all we did was eat, we actually only ate two meals a day – and we thoroughly enjoyed every single bite. I’m glad we went. We needed it. And sure enough, work is still here.
