One of the great things about living near the Gulf is having access to quality seafood. This is both a blessing and a curse because if you have never had good seafood then you never really know what you’re missing. But if you’re like me and you’ve had it, then you just can’t go back to subpar seafood again.
So, where can you go for good seafood in Friendswood? Haven’t found that place yet, but just up the road in Pearland you find Floyd’s, which is well worth the stop. Everything that I have had from Floyd’s Cajun Seafood has been wonderful. There food is well prepared and well seasoned and served in overly generous portions. Yet, despite the large portions, the pricing and atmosphere make Floyd’s a great place for a family to enjoy a great meal.
The menu is typical Cajun fare along with the traditional fried seafood platters that have been clogging arteries for decades. As I said before, everything that I have tried has been great and I look forward to eating my way through the menu. The crab stuffed jalapenos are an excellent starter, stuffed full of moist and tender crabmeat. The gumbo, which I consider to be the true measuring point of cajun cuisine, is well prepared and filled with seafood or chicken and sausage – take your pick! A bowl of gumbo at $5.99 makes a filling and affordable lunch. The seafood in the gumbo is cooked perfectly, with no hint of rubberiness that comes with overcooking. I ordered the jambalaya once and was served enough to feed my entire family – and I’m a big eater!
The only challenges I see with Floyd’s is there website, which leaves some to be desired (it doesn’t even list their Pearland location), and their service, which can sometimes be slow. Neither of these are enough to keep me from returning again and again.
Floyd’s Cajun Seafood
1300 Broadway St in Pearland, next to the Pearland Skate Center (They have another location at 528 & I-45, I have not dined there and cannot attest to the quality of their food)
Price: About $8 for lunch
Food Quality: *****
Service: ***
Ambience: ****
Notes: Go hungry and leave full! Make sure to try the crabmeat stuffed jalapenos!
I love good coffee. There is a lot to making a good cup of coffee. You have to have the right method – french press is my favorite. You have to have a fresh grind – grinding yourself makes a big difference. And you have to have good beans – beans from a great source and freshly roasted. Up to now, I’ve been able to achieve most everything except the freshly roasted part. Sure, those beans you see in the bins at your favorite coffee store are fresh compared to that dusty can of Folgers in the back of your pantry, but not nearly as fresh as buying from a roaster. In Katy, that wasn’t much of a problem because I could go to Dunn Bros Coffee and buy beans that were roasted the day before. But as far as I can tell there isn’t a source for good, fresh roasted coffee in the Bay area.
My solution? Roast the beans myself.
When I was in Hawaii earlier this summer, I picked up a bag of green (unroasted) beans from Greenwell Farms. I bought them because the grower suggested that a possible easy method for roasting the beans is an air popcorn popper. I figured this was an inexpensive way to give it a try, so why not?
Good decision on my part. Today, as I am writing this, I am enjoying the fruits of my easy labor – smooth, fresh, nicely roasted Kona coffee – roasted just last night in my chefmate air popper. I followed the instructions from Sweet Maria’s. I also used their pictorial guide as reference. Here are pictures from my experience.
Here are the coffee beans in their "green" unroasted state.
Beans after 5 minutes of roasting - now a "full city" or medium roast
Beans in the "roaster." The air keeps them moving so none of them burn.
Whether you are an omnivore, a carnivore, or an herbivore, I think you’ll find this funny. This is in no way an endorsement of harming animals or anti-vegetarian actions. I love veggies and would be a vegetarian if I didn’t like meat so much. WARNING – THERE IS ONE BAD WORD, BUT OVERALL IT IS STILL FAIRLY FUNNY.
For some strange reason, I have discovered that August is National Goat Cheese month. Goat cheese is one of my favorite ingredients, and got me to thinking about what ingredients I think make a dish jump from “so-so” to “slap your mamma” good. So here’s a list of my top 12 ingredients that make food better.
Goat Cheese – Just about anything from pasta to pizza to salad is made better with a few dollops of creamy, tangy goodness.
Mexican Sour Cream – No, not just regular sour cream. Not sure what makes it different, but once you’ve had it you won’t go back.
Bacon – Do I really need to say why bacon makes everything better?
Pecans or Walnuts – Being from Texas, I’m partial to Pecans, but I can go with Walnuts as a good substitute. Great from salads to main course to dessert. An all position player!
Eggs – By themselves they are great, but added to something unconventional and it makes for a unique experience. Try an egg on a hamburger, the classic steak and eggs, or eggs with chilaquiles – ymm!
Panchetta – Bacon’s sophisticated Italian cousin. For that bacon flavor without the heavy smokiness.
Butter – Sure, I like olive oil and I know it’s good for me and all, but nothing beats butter.
High quality spices – going full board here on the spices, but they make all the difference. I’m particularly fond of the high oil cinnamon from Pendery’s.
Fresh basil – the dried stuff tastes as much like real basil as tootsie rolls taste like Scharffen Berger Chocolate.
Prime beef – beautifully marbled and aged – it’s worth it.
Garden tomatoes – They shouldn’t be allowed to call what they pass off as “tomatoes” in the grocery store by the name “tomato.” You can’t get the flavor of a tomato by picking it green and gassing it to “ripeness.”
Homemade jam – I’m a big fan of homemade jam. It’s easy, cheap, and is another reason to make biscuits. (Not that you need a reason to make biscuits, mind you!)
In the historic examination of candidates for ordination in the Methodist church, the bishop asks, "Are you going on to perfection?" I'm not there, but I do hope I'm getting closer day by day. Join me as I share thoughts on life and ministry - everything from scripture to sports to great places to eat. Nobody's perfect, but I'm going on anyway.
