(From March 2011)

Although prescriptions are a thing of the past here, this historic landmark offers shakes, sundaes, and even egg creams at a U-shaped counter straight out of the twenties. Lunch draws locals hankering for juicy cheeseburgers, tarragon chicken salad studded with sliced almonds, and hearty tomato basil soup enriched with chunks of bacon and Latvian sourdough rye. Beer & wine.

Thursday, September 16th, 2010, 3:03 pm
Wayne says:
I can’t rank Star Drug high enough. Every trip to Galveston has to include at least one meal here. Both the atmosphere and the food are outstanding.

Leave a Review

(From March 2011) Christopher Lampo’s uptown menu keeps this hip farmhouse hopping. Our dinner started with a “whet your appetite” amuse of Italian sausage with a light pesto, which we followed with an entrée of savory cornbread-crusted chicken breast. Vegetables get proper attention here too; the chicken came with fresh spinach, a roasted corn–crawfish ragoût, and lobster mashed potatoes (proving that old adage “Everything is better with lobster”). The wine list is extensive; call on the well-trained servers to walk you through it. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011)

As much as we enjoy the dignified and ornate dining room, we decided to forgo its swank (and more attentive) service for one of the tables on a little ledge just above the River Walk proper. The menu, though short, is studded with standouts like appetizers of Meyer lemon risotto with crab and spinach salad with duck confit, both of which are exotic and inventive. Main courses, similarly fetching, include striped Texas bass with crab and Marcona almonds and savory grilled scallops with mushrooms. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011) With good reason, Outer Loopers consider this French gem a star. Seated in the sleek dining room, with its portrait of a large Brahman bull, we fell under a spell while downing garlicky baked escargots, coquilles Saint-Jacques with fennel butter, and skewered quail with figs. How long since we’d had duck à l’orange? Chef David Denis’s version was perfect: a boned leg confit and caramelized breast with Grand Marnier sauce, alongside squash risotto and asparagus fricas-see. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From May 2012)

Owner Bernard Tronche has the perfect remedy for the current hard times: his lovely French restaurant now offers a three-course Bistro Meny on Tuesday and Wednesday for $25. We enjoyed an olive-and-onion tart before polishing off a perfectly pan-fried steak and pesto sauce accompanied by wonderful frites. An orange-blessed chocolate mousse brought out meal to a sweet close. (The usual menu, as well as the à la carte blackboard listings, is also available.) Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011)

Creative and fresh combinations are the or-der of the day at this earthy, urban hot spot (and, yes, there is a real porch in front). Locals love the “Big Board,” with its daily specials, but the regular menu is filled with American comfort food dishes. Smoked-brisket enchiladas with tomatillo rice, avocado, and fresh salsa were good and filling, as was the Porch Salad, with greens, red grapes, toma-toes, crunchy smoked almonds, and pickled on-ion. Leave room for the S’more Redux; the heavenly pillows of torched marshmallow topped with gooey chocolate lava cake and crunchy graham crackers will take you back to campfires of yore. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From May 2011)

Have they actually lowered the prices here? Seemed so on our last visit, with a large, meaty, slow-braised lamb shank weighing in at $24. Other highlights included an imaginative kale salad with currants, pine nuts, and Parme-san, two good risottos—one with lobster and the other asparagus—and a great salad of burrata, cherry tomatoes, and arugula. Less successful was a special of roasted oysters with cheesy bread crumbs; it came oversalted and with a too-hard crust. But we happily recouped and regrouped with a shared tres leches dessert. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011) Diners entering this quaint neighborhood restaurant are treated to the classy feel of pressed tin ceilings, tiled floors, and col-orful rugs. And the stylish interior is matched with an equally chic and somewhat eclectic menu. The salpicón salad with tender brisket is a favorite, but don’t pass up the panko-crusted fish and chips—tender cod and hot crispy fries. Bar (till 2 a.m.).

Leave a Review

(From January 2011) Across from the Alamo, dining choices are unfortunately limited to fast food, burgers, and pizza, so if you want something a bit more locally sourced, stop into the casual dining room of the new Hotel Indigo, a restoration of the old Gibbs Building on the site of the Maverick homestead. Living up to that heritage is a challenge, but the light, and lighthearted, menu and clever kitchen seem up to it. Witness hand-cut potato chips with Texas blue cheese, smoked chicken and Gulf shrimp salad served in avocado halves, and even pan dulce “imported” from Mi Tierra. As old Sam (Maverick) himself might have said, “Bring it on!” Bar.

Leave a Review

(From December 2010)

Looking like a small, colorful Tower of Pisa were stacked rounds of buffalo mozzarella brushed with pesto, slices of yellow and red heirloom tomatoes, and a sprinkling of tiny sourdough croutons and water-cress. A pyramid of truffle whipped potatoes and baby vegetables came parked beside a hefty hunk of wood-roasted beef tenderloin napped with a velvety red-wine butter. If you’ve never had sage ice cream—who has?—it’s a treat, especially paired with a blackberry crisp, as it is here. Note the sizzling bar scene, where everyone seems to be celebrating some sort of corporate coup. Bar.

Leave a Review