Review: Bistro LeCroy (Galveston, TX)

Posted by johngl

Three years ago, at about this time of year, most glorious spousal unit and I discovered Bistro LeCroy located at The Strand Historic District in Galveston. We were impressed enough to look for it again, hoping that it would still be there.

We made our way down Strand and lo and behold, there it was!

As many of you may remember, Hurricane Ike blew through Galveston during the 2008 season and left much of this this grand old Texas town in ruins.

The LeCroy reopened in August 2009 after 11 months of work.

I love the architecture of this place. It’s combination of old oak and vertical-grained fir makes for a warm and inviting environment.  Those pillars are solid wood; there is nothing fake in this place.

If you look right about in the center of the picture, a little over halfway up the post, there is a plaque:

I went over to the plaque, just to get an idea of how deep the water got — it was just above my eye level, easily over six feet. I can’t imagine bringing something back after an event like that.

Lucky for us, these folks are amazingly resilient. However they managed to pull this off, my hat is off to them. Looking around the place, you would never know anything had happened let alone something as catastrophic as a hurricane.

We’re very pleased they made it back!

We opened with some delicious lobster and crab bisque (and a pair of mimosas). It was thick and rich and loaded with flavor, just like we like it.

Most glorious ordered some NOLA Shrimp, too.

These jumbos were coated in a tempura-style batter that made for an amazing crunch that countered the tenderness of the shrimp. I was most pleased that she actually allowed me to snatch one without too much whining.

I ordered the crawfish étouffée.

While it doesn’t look like much, the étouffée was loaded with crawfish tails and all those bits and pieces that make this gumbo-esque dish so delicious.  After the bisque, I needed some time to get through the large bowlfull of mudbug goodness, but I wasn’t about to let a spec of it get away from me.

We finished up then headed off for a walk through The Strand. I was really pretty impressed that this part of Galveston was in such good shape after such a disaster.  While there are still a few empty buildings, some with boards over what used to be windows, the vibrant old-world flavor of the place is still there.

A lot of work was still going on and the smell of fresh paint lingered in the air. Since Mardi Gras will be upon the town in just a few days, everyone was busily tidying up in preparation. I think the locals really need this year to be an economic success so get off your duffs and come on over to join in the festivities.

Oh, and don’t forget…