Sunday
Brunch On The Strand
Written by Marsha Wilson Rappaport
I
love the idea of Sunday Brunch. I also love the idea of
sleeping in at least one day on the weekend. Bistro LeCroy
fully understands my dilemma, and their doors open on
Sunday at noon, just about the time I’ve fixed my
bed head and found a shirt that isn’t too wrinkled
to be seen in public.
On
the Sunday that I stopped by Bistro LeCroy, the Strand
was teaming with tourists who were bright eyed and already
carrying shopping bags. I had to show a couple of them
how to make your five bucks into a really tight little
cylinder that would fit in the self-parking lot machines
because the street parking was filled. No parking and
lots of folks with shopping bags on the Strand on a Sunday
is as Martha said “A good thing” – so
I was already optimistic about the brunch.
When
I walked in there was a large group already seated yet
the wait staff came immediately to my table – another
“good thing.” I was on a roll therefore I
pressed my luck and asked for substitutions.
After all – on a day this pretty, why be forced
to eat the two veggies you really can’t stand? That
being accomplished, I dug right into my appetizer, the
crawfish (mini-pies). They were lightly crispy on the
outside, filled with a substantial amount of crawfish
on the inside and covered by a surprisingly savory yet
not overly spicy etouffee sauce.
My
entrée were rich, generously stuffed crab crepes.
The crab filling was comprised of large, blue lump crab,
with a distinctive savory rich cream sauce. This is a
serious crab dish – no filler, no faking –
just heaping mouthfuls of crab. My substitute veggies
were fresh sweet potatoes French fries – lightly
fried, so the rich flavor of the Sweet Potatoes clearly
takes the lead.
Louisiana
Native Barbara Davis and her partner Tommie Leroy are
dedicated to this kind of full bodied South Louisiana
fare:
“Most
people don’t realize that there is a difference
in food from Northern Louisiana and Southern Louisiana;
“said Davis. “The soils are different and
the food and flavors as just a different.””
Davis
and LeCroy are survivors of the “I” word and
the like the rest of us fought hard to get back to business.
Despite the disruption however, they’ve tried to
stay true to their vision of serving affordable, Southern
Louisiana style cuisine.
“We
love the tourists;” said LeCroy, “But we keep
our prices moderate so locals can enjoy a good meal. “
For example, LeCroy explains that a lot of their “regular”
business is from employees at local companies like American
National Insurance.
The
menu here is a mix of good solid basics like Burgers and
Chicken as a meal or a sandwich with a generous smattering
of Louisiana style favorites, like Gumbo, Boudin Balls,
Shrimp, Catfish, Gulf Oysters, and Crawfish Etouffee.
I mentioned the fried sweet potatoes earlier, but those
of you who love “down-home” veggies will love
Bistro LeCroy. The selection here includes Dirty Rice,
Rice and Gravy and Onion Rings. I know – I know-
we’re all
trying to love steamed green beans but sometimes you just
have to have your Okra Deep Fried and Crunchy!
Therefore
if you’re up on Sunday mornings and want your traditional
Mimosa’s accompanied by some “down-home”
Louisiana fare – now’s the time to drop into
Bistro LeCroy.
Bistro
LeCroy is located at 2021 Strand; they’re open daily
except Mondays. Their lunch menu is available Tuesday
through Friday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. There is a
Children’s Menu and Wine and Beer are available.
Give them a call at 409-762-4200. Or go to http://www.galveston.com/bistrolecroy/.
Quick
Note: I took a moment to drop by the Iron Bartenders Contest
at the San Luis Resort. Mike Pistone, of the Hilton Resorts
noticed the lost look on my face and took pity on me by
explaining what a test of “accuracy” meant
for a bartender. In short, when you go to a bar, everything
is measured out. That way your “Dirty Martini”
doesn’t taste like dishwater. At this competition
however, in one of the contests, the people had to “pour”
out the exact right amounts with no measuring glass. They
let me try it. Needless to say if I had been your bartender
– you’ve be really upset with me when you
realized your drinks were “lacking a lot of their
zip”.
Some
of the other contestants had to make a series of drinks
accurately without spilling a drop in just a few minutes.
Once again...a lot tougher than it looks. Kudos to the
San Luis for staging a very innovative and very well attended
event. It looks like it’s going to be an Island
fave.
Marsha
Wilson Rappaport is a local author and free lance writer
who’s still trying to walk my talk by recovering
from Ike by replacing stuff locally. Stay tuned for the
juicy details next month!
I
love the idea of Sunday Brunch. I also love the idea of
sleeping in at least one day on the weekend. Bistro LeCroy
fully understands my dilemma, and their doors open on
Sunday at noon, just about the time I’ve fixed my
bed head and found a shirt that isn’t too wrinkled
to be seen in public. 
On
the Sunday that I stopped by Bistro LeCroy, the Strand
was teaming with tourists who were bright eyed and already
carrying shopping bags. I had to show a couple of them
how to make your five bucks into a really tight little
cylinder that would fit in the self-parking lot machines
because the street parking was filled. No parking and
lots of folks with shopping bags on the Strand on a Sunday
is as Martha said “A good thing” – so
I was already optimistic about the brunch.
substitutions.
After all – on a day this pretty, why be forced
to eat the two veggies you really can’t stand? That
being accomplished, I dug right into my appetizer, the
crawfish (mini-pies). They were lightly crispy on the
outside, filled with a substantial amount of crawfish
on the inside and covered by a surprisingly savory yet
not overly spicy etouffee sauce.
Louisiana
Native Barbara Davis and her partner Tommie Leroy are
dedicated to this kind of full bodied South Louisiana
fare:
“Most
people don’t realize that there is a difference
in food from Northern Louisiana and Southern Louisiana;
“said Davis. “The soils are different and
the food and flavors as just a different.””
The
menu here is a mix of good solid basics like Burgers and
Chicken as a meal or a sandwich with a generous smattering
of Louisiana style favorites, like Gumbo, Boudin Balls,
Shrimp, Catfish, Gulf Oysters, and Crawfish Etouffee.
I mentioned the fried sweet potatoes earlier, but those
of you who love “down-home” veggies will love
Bistro LeCroy. The selection here includes Dirty Rice,
Rice and Gravy and Onion Rings. I know – I know-
we’re 
all
trying to love steamed green beans but sometimes you just
have to have your Okra Deep Fried and Crunchy!
Quick
Note: I took a moment to drop by the Iron Bartenders Contest
at the San Luis Resort. Mike Pistone, of the Hilton Resorts
noticed the lost look on my face and took pity on me by
explaining what a test of “accuracy” meant
for a bartender. In short, when you go to a bar, everything
is measured out. That way your “Dirty Martini”
doesn’t taste like dishwater. At this competition
however, in one of the contests, the people had to “pour”
out the exact right amounts with no measuring glass. They
let me try it. Needless to say if I had been your bartender
– you’ve be really upset with me when you
realized your drinks were “lacking a lot of their
zip”.