Galveston Seafood Company now in Abilene--fresh and quite fabulous

My apologies for the long absence from the blog. Sometimes life gets in the way of dining out.

Now on to the good stuff.

There is a new seafood place in town, Galveston Seafood Company, in the old Towne Crier location on Highway 80. Table service, nice dishes, freshened decor, very attentive servers and a visit from the son of the owner to check on us, I have to say--I was impressed. But what most impressed me was the food. Lunch specials for $10...alright, alright, alright!

Lunch fried shrimp with red beans and rice and hushpuppies

My companion and I walked in and were greeted promptly and seated quickly. We both had the fried shrimp $10 lunch special. Two sides were included. Me being me, I had to have the red beans and rice and hushpuppies.  My friend got fries and mixed vegetables to go with her shrimp. Other side options were greens, fried cabbage, and red potatoes. A definite southern/Cajun/Creole influence was at play.

The shrimp had a tempura style batter and they were fresh. You can just tell. The texture is different. Fresh seafood is something that is not easy to get in landlocked Abilene. The shrimp were good-sized as well, not those sad little ones you get served in chain seafood restaurants.

I enjoyed the extra effort in the presentation of the food. The red beans and rice were tasty but my preference is for a bit more spice so some added Tabasco sauce did the trick. The hushpuppies came out crisp. The fries and mixed vegetables that my friend has as sides were good as well, though keep in mind the vegetables are sauteed not steamed. Portions were generous.

Lunch fried shrimp with fries and mixed vegetables

The service was excellent. The son of the owner brought me a sample of the crawfish etouffee after he stopped by our table and we were discussing the food. It was a variation on a recipe from his grandma.  The etouffee was extremely rich. Butter and cream were part of the roux and it had a nice spicy kick to it. I could not finish the sample due to being stuffed from the size of my lunch. He told me that they bring in the seafood every 2-3 days.

Dinner prices are higher but I would imagine the servings are large. The main menu had a lot of variety of seafood and included some non-seafood items such as a burger and chicken Alfredo pasta.

Sample of the crawfish etouffee

This is a nice restaurant and fresh seafood is not cheap. Plan accordingly. The quality and service was wonderful and my next visit will be for dinner or maybe breakfast/brunch on the weekend which had some intriguing options on the menu.

If you like seafood, I highly recommend you give them a try.





Galveston Seafood Company
818 E. Hwy 80, Abilene, TX 79601
325-232-6580
https://www.facebook.com/galvestonseafoodcompany/

Friday 11AM–3PM, 5–9:30PM
Saturday 8AM–3PM, 5–9:30PM
Sunday 10AM–3PM, 5–8PM
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11AM–3PM, 5–9:30PM
Wednesday 11AM–3PM, 5–9:30PM
Thursday 11AM–3PM, 5–9:30PM

CLOSED Cajun/Creole Cuisine in Lampasas, TX at Toupsie's

Toupsie's is a restaurant, bar and live music venue located on the north side of Lampasas, Texas. On a trip returning to Abilene from a meeting in Austin, myself and a friend decided to stop for lunch there. I heard that it was a pretty good spot to get some Cajun food. Granted one would not normally think of Lampasas as a place that would have a restaurant that specialized in cuisine from Louisiana but why not give it a try since we were passing through and hungry! Also, I read that one of the owners grew up in Thibodaux, Lousiana.

Fried shrimp and crawfish basket with fries and red beans/rice

Shrimp salad

We hit Lampasas on a Tuesday around 1:45pm. It was their first Tuesday to be open and it was also pouring rain outside so the place did not have many customers. They had a decent-sized selection of items on the menu. My choice was the combo basket of fried shrimp and fried crawdads ($14.99). Sides were battered fries and red beans and rice (a must-have at any Cajun/Creole restaurant).  My friend got a shrimp remoulade salad and a cup of seafood gumbo...much healthier choices than mine. I asked if they also had etouffee and the answer was in the affirmative though I didn't spot it on the menu. For dessert we split a piece of French silk pie.

Menu--front

Service was friendly and fairly quick. Since there were only two other customers the attentiveness is to be expected. The food came out fast as well. I was quite pleased with my fried entree. The breading on the seafood was crispy and well-spiced. The shrimp were a nice size and the crawfish were small but I take that as a sign that they were not imported. The fries were not quite warm enough, probably sat out too long. Ask to have them cooked fresh. At first, I thought the meal seemed small for the price but it was plenty of food, too much for me to finish. The beans were very tasty. My friend really enjoyed the gumbo. I'm not a fan of stewed okra in any form. Her salad was just fine and had plenty of remoulade sauce on the side. The shrimp were dusted with spices. Our dessert pie from a local bakery was scrumptious! We dug in before thinking of taking a picture.

Menu--back

There are daily specials and other items on the menu such as burgers and a steak night on Saturday. I have a feeling the place is hopping on weekend nights with live music and adult beverages. Toupsie's is worth the stop if you find yourself in and around Lampasas.

Toupsie's 

904 N Key Ave

Lampasas, Texas

(512) 556-5862
Closed Sunday night and Monday