Tag Archives: eating review setx

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I'm a little uncomfortable typing right now. My laptop could near lay on my belly while I type just like my plate could when I was with child. I had a good lunch. (Not to mention a large dip-cone from DQ in honor of my Swedish sister Eva who mentioned last Friday that "You shoulda had ice cream too". If you've forgotten or haven't been told, it's Friday. And Jason and I have decided to celebrate every Friday in May while at the same time making our contribution to SETX by dining at the local eateries and then giving a review. Don't mention it. It's our pleasure. Really.

Today we decided to eat at Bruce's Seafood Deli in Port Arthur. We'd heard about it from a couple of friends. They compared Bruce's to the now closed J Martin's Seafood on Nederland Ave. I agree. It near seems that J Martin must have changed his name and moved on down the road to Port Arthur. Bruce's serves salt and pepper shrimp so tasty that even if you order a large order of them, you'll only be willing to share one shrimp with your wife. If you like oysters, you're in luck too. There's more oyster than "fried outside", which is important. I was sorry to see J Martin's go but Bruce, you're alright too.

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I'm so full that I've asked Jason's help in writing this review. Here's his take.

 

Service

We arrived at Bruce's right around 11:00 AM.  The lunch crowd had not yet formed, but business was definitely picking up.  By the time we placed our orders a line had formed behind us.  A steady stream of hungry people entered Bruce's while we were there.  There aren't a lot of bells and whistles as far as service goes.  The menu is on the wall behind the counter, the lady at the front takes your order, and you go wait for your dish to come out.  I take it that Bruce's is more of a take-out place than a sit-down restaurant.  This matters very little to me.  Just don't arrive expecting to be waited on hand and foot.  There are tradeoffs here.   On one hand, you have to bus your own table.  On the other hand, you get to save money on the tip.  I'm all for saving money to spend on dessert.  For what they are doing, I would say they are doing it well. 

Atmosphere

I didn't go there for the ambience.  That being said, I found it to be clean and uncluttered.  It reminded me of the old J. Martin's Seafood on Nederland Ave.  I suspect there was a connection between Bruce's and J. Martin's.  It was something about the oversized crawfish hanging variously on the walls that left that impression with me.  The best part about the atmosphere was the light hearted conversations  I could overhear between the patrons.  Folks were trading stories, laughing and having a good time.  I enjoy a place where people come to enjoy themselves.

Price - $$

This was good seafood.  Kristi and I paid @ $26 for two plates of food plus drinks.  That's on par with what we would spend just about anywhere else.  What throws us off is that I always make Kristi get the next size up from what she would normally order.   She would have ordered the 6 fried oyster plate if I had not intervened and upped it to the 9.  It was well worth the money.
Selection

Oh my gosh…they had more items on their menu than you can shake a stick at.  There were pictures on the wall to advertise certain plates.  I'm going to have to go back a few times to get my mind around the menu.  It was too large to take in during a single visit.  Most of it was fried items but there were some other offerings as well.

Tastiness

I had a combination I've never put together before: Salt and Pepper Shrimp and Chicken Wings.  I'll admit, when I saw the picture of this dish on the wall, I thought it was the Shrimp and Catfish.  I wasn't disappointed.  The wings were tasty.  The shrimp were large (as far as shrimp go).  The food wasn't greasy and it was seasoned just right.  It was piping hot when we got it to our table.  As I mentioned earlier, Kristi had the Fried Oysters.  Good choice! I judge a fried oyster by whether or not it tastes like an oyster after they've fried it.  These were oysters!  I could have eaten all of my plate and two of Kristi's!

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Overall, this was a really good idea.  We finished off the lunch date by picking up an ice cream at DQ and then eating it down at the river in Port Neches.  No big boats came by but it was a wonderful day to have the windows down, catch some sun, and hang out with my best friend!

In case you wanted to try Bruce's for yourself, here's a map.

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Here are links to our past food reviews

Taqueria Gonzalez   http://kristiburden.com/?p=7363

The Wheelhouse http://kristiburden.com/?p=7332

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May's shaping up to be a really busy month. There are few white calendar spaces left already. That's why I've suggested to Jason that we make the most of our sacred Fridays. Friday's our day off. And the kids are at school. I guard our Fridays as anyone would guard such a treasure.

To make our May Fridays even sweeter, we've decided to try out a different eating joint in the area every Friday. Then I'm going blog about it.

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It's been busy with the typical family stuff (crazy schedule, appointments, keeping a house, raising kids and being a wife), not to mention helping out at the school with ESL and providing Homebound services this year.  I haven't had the opportunity to write as often as I'd like. And I've missed it so.

These Friday writings won't be the product of deep soul-searching or an attempt to cope with another crazy Burden escapade. It's going to be mindless, high calorie writing.
Every Friday I'll be pretending to be a foodie. I'll be able to feed my craving for good food. And I'll fill my craving to turn words into life expression.  My stomach and my soul will be happy.

Yesterday commenced our foodie mission.  Jason and I checked out the Neches River Wheelhouse Restaurant. I've heard great reviews but I was still skeptical. I heard they had everything from burgers to Grits and Shrimp. I would think that a place that makes outstanding burgers wouldn't make notable Grits and Shrimp and vice versa. I would think two such opposing entrees would come from different eating establishments. But I have to say I was really impressed. Here's a rundown of our experience.

Service
The service was excellent. When we drove up, they were pretty crowded. However we were seated promptly. My glass was never empty and the waitress checked on us frequently to see how everything was.

Atmosphere
Gosh we picked a gorgeous day. We sat outside and the weather was beautiful. Outside you'll find umbrella-covered patio-type tables with enough space between each party that you're not able to hear your neighbor's conversation nor will you bump into the person seated behind you when you scoot your seat back. That's a big plus in my book. There's also grassy space around the table for your kids to get up and run around if they want to. And it's the kind of place where I don't think anybody would mind.

Price
$$- Each entrees cost $10 to about $30. I think mine and Jason's each cost $13.

Selection
The menu is limited for now as this is a new establishment. But as they get the kinks of being new worked out, there will be a larger menu to choose from. I'll just say I'd have eaten anything on the menu. I think that's important.

Here's a look at the price and selection.

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Tastiness
I know that's not a foodie word but it's the best I could come up with. Jason ordered a Po' Boy, "The Jolly Roger". It had, as Jason would say, "50" different kinds of meats and some incredible gravy on it that made it as rich as Warren Buffet. Fries came on the side, as they should. I had the stuffed chicken. When I saw "Stuffed Chicken" on the menu I wasn't in the least impressed. That is until I saw that it was stuffed with, get this, crawfish and cornbread dressing. It was served on top of asparagus spears and was drizzled with some kind of garlicky butter (that was much better than I just made it sound) sauce. I would have licked the plate of I hadn't had enough dressing to sop up every drop.

To my family reading this. If you'll ever come see us, this is a place is we'll take you to, Dutch of course. Haha.

Next Friday we plan on possibly eating at the little taco van we've spotted several times in Port Arthur near one of the refineries. #1 Because we want the price to be one dollar sign ($). I'm thinking like five bucks a person. And #2, we're adventuresome like that.

Until next Friday, or the next time inspiration or good food hits me,
Au revoir