Dinner at the Gumbo Bar
As we entered the restaurant we stopped and looked at the menu...looks good so far! The interior of the Gumbo Bar is very quaint and clean. There are Creole paintings to the left and cases of Abita beer that stack almost to the ceiling of the back wall, and to the right a bar almost the whole length of the building. It had 3 kettles where they keep the gumbo broth, lots of bottles of wine and a cooler with many beer types to choose from. There are quite a few with the wait staff which stood around talking. We are seated at the back (which is fine by me, I like being able to see the kitchen and the whole dining room without having to look behind me.) at a very small table which was cluttered with 3 hot sauces, crackers (which were a little stale), salt, pepper and sugars for the tea/coffee.
Our waiter immediately bring us our drinks, no waiting, such a plus! I decide on a dozen Gulf oysters to start off with and ask to sample the gumbo. I get a small cup of the roux which is thick, dark and delicious. It had a strong taste of seafood. I ask about the chicken and sausage gumbo...can I taste that? Our waiter tells us It's 1 soup base, a seafood base and then they add the meats of your choice. This is dangerous. People with seafood allergies will assume its safe if it says chicken and sausage. I order the chicken and sausage with potato salad, (Since I love this the best) and my daughter gets the Seafood gumbo.
My dozen oysters arrive within minutes. I add horseradish and Tabasco to my cocktail sauce and squeeze lemon on the oysters. Presentation is very nice and clean. The oysters at this restaurant are LITERALLY THE BEST I have had on this island. They were watery, clean tasting and just the right size. The person who cleaned them really knows what they are doing, There was no shell in them at all. I enjoyed all but 2 of them which the waiter plated for me in case I'd like them during my meal.
Immediately after my oyster tray is taken, french bread with an herbs and Parmesan cheese and our gumbos arrive in large bowls and they are piping hot! They are filled with meats and topped with a mound of white rice. After a few bites I quickly decide the seafood base roux and sausage/chicken combo do not mix. Don't get me wrong, the meats were good, the combination was not. I ask the waiter if he minds trading it for the seafood gumbo and he right away with no questions asked, returns it and brings me a new bowl. The seafood gumbo is amazing! I will reorder this many times. The potato salad was ok something I will not order again, nothing memorable, the french bread was to die for.
Our waiter constantly refilled our glasses, ensured out happiness and comfort, plated our foods to go and treated us as if we were very special and he was so glad to help. Needless to say he got a nice tip.
The price of the food for its value was great. Soda was pricey as it was over $2. As far as wait staff which stood around talking...as soon as tables began filling up they quickly got to work, were prompt and kind.
I will definitely recommend The Gumbo Bar to everyone I talk to. It made me feel like I was back home South Louisiana. It deserves a 9 out of 10.
2105 Post Office St, Galveston, TX 77550-2023
