Restaurant Reflections: Papadeaux of Houston, a Review

If you are ever in the Houston area, I highly recommend going out to eat at Papadeaux, a self-proclaimed "Seafood Kitchen".  Although there appear to be multiple locations in the US, the one I at at is located southwest of Houston proper on Highway 59, and provides an excellent meal with good service, a nice atmosphere, and reasonable prices.

I went to Papadeaux for dinner twice during my stay in Houston (yes, it was that good).  Each time, I left feeling sated, happy, and glad that I had chosen that restaurant for the evening.

The restaurant itself feels cozy, but is actually quite large.  A substantial bar area to the left of the main entrance looked to hold quite a few people, but did not feel packed.  The main dining area had plenty of tables, but they were spaced far enough apart that you did not feel you were intruding on another's meal.  Wooden pillars painted to look like old wooden columns were interspersed with the occasional fish mounted on the wall.  The ceiling appeared much higher than it actually was, due to the light grey spanish tile decorating the entire span of the restaurant.

The service was also excellent - my waiters were attentive, polite, and answered all of my questions regarding the menu.  Both times I felt they actually cared about my dining experience, as opposed to some places where it seems the waitstaff is only concerned about pushing tables through their meals.

Meal #1:

I started off with a Manhattan and a half dozen raw oysters.  The drink was very strong, but offset slightly by the large amount of ice they put into it.  The oysters, on the other hand, were some of the best I've ever had; they were large, plump, very fresh, and were actually seven in quantity (I guess they throw in an extra for the half dozen).  It wasn't long before they were gone, but not forgotten.

For my entree, I had two soft-shell crabs, served blackened, with dirty rice on the side.  I was surprised to see that in addition to the dirty rice, the plate also appeared with a side of mixed vegetables.  While pretty, these vegetables had little taste and I quickly ignored them in favor of the spicy, flavorful dirty rice and the exquisite soft-shelled crabs.  Each of the crabs was medium in size, crisp and blackened on the outside but juicy and tender within.  Between the crabs and the rice, I found myself reaching for my water glass often, but in a good way.

I chose to end the meal with the bread pudding, which was half the price of all the other desserts on the menu, at a surprisingly low $2.95.  Served warm with a bourbon sauce, it was topped with whipped cream and was the perfect portion to end my meal without leaving me overstuffed.

Meal #2:

Wanting to mix things up a little bit, I chose to try a cup of the "Louisiana" Seafood Gumbo for an appetizer along with my typical Manhattan.  While full of rice and seafood, including two large shrimp and pulled crab meat, the gumbo was not anything out of the ordinary, and the small size of the cup was probably not worth the $5.50 I paid for it, in my opinion.

For my main course, I chose a "Blackened Catfish Opelousas Fillet", which, in addition to the blackened catfish you would expect, came served with blackened oysters, shrimp, and crab meat in a creamy lemon garlic butter sauce.  The fillet was HUGE, so large I couldn't dream of finishing it, but was extremely tasty.  The blackening added spice, but the meaty fillet was still tender and flaky to the touch of the fork.  With three or four large, plump oysters, a handful of smaller shrimp, and assorted pieces of pulled crab meat, this was an entree that could not be beat.  Served with a huge half-plate portion of dirty rice, I really could have turned this dinner into two meals, had I chosen to take the rest home with me.

Having stuffed myself on gumbo and catfish, I declined to order a dessert after this meal.  I left the restaurant to the well-wishes of the host-staff bidding me a good evening, sure that I would return again the next time I was in town...