|
To Christie's with Kristi! For many years, I've been curious about this restaurant with the glowing anchor & steering wheel. My dining buddy, Kristi was game to go! Lots in Common Kristi and I actually met over 3 years ago through this dining blog. She was googling a trapeze term and managed to find my write up about "trapezing", which lead her to the dining blog. We communicated and concluded we both lived in the Houston area. We've been meeting up for food adventures since! Over the past few years we've determined we have more in common than taking a trapeze class. We share an enthusiasm for posing with odd things, like giant lobsters! At Christie's Last November I'm a little slow with this write up. It was actually a weeknight last November when Kristi and I planned on meeting up at the iconic Houston restaurant. I arrived a little early and peeked at the blue bar, with mounted fish and I loved it. I was told that this room was where owner, Jim Christie was often found sitting and chatting with customers, until he died 2 years ago. Looking Around I enjoyed a few minutes, absorbing some of the decor! The oars, anchor and life preserver were pretty festive. The words on the orange circle reminded me that Christie's has been in the biz since opening in Galveston in 1917. Coat Check? I was somewhat amused by this structure with the arched window. The kid in me immediately thought, "puppet theatre!" Then I had a moment of nostalgia and felt sure I knew just what it was. I asked the woman who was smiling out from the window, "What is this? Is this a coat check?" She seemed confused and smiled back at me. Assuming she didn't speak English, I tried to sort of pantomime my question again. Then she suddenly laughed and spoke with only a slight accent. "Oh! No, they only have those in the Northeast. We don't have those in Texas!" We shared a chuckle and then I noticed the computer and desk behind her. Silly me. Waterfall and Crabs I sat for a moment and enjoyed the trickling fountain with little ledges holding potted plants and crab figures. And then Kristi arrived and we moved into the dining area for more fish and boat decor! A White Table Cloth I like a booth with a white table cloth and we were seated in a comfy one. It was good for catching up on Kristi's latest marathon and my latest road trip. We ordered some fried mini-crab balls, which looked like hushpuppies... And then we ordered our dinner, which I remember little about. No it was not amnesia or too much alcohol. I just waited too long to write this blog. Kristi got some kind of grilled fish and I got fried shrimp and maybe a baked potato. It was all good, but the food wasn't as memorable as the feel of the place or the conversation. There was much to catch up on. A Lively Place A table of business men jabbered and laughed nearby and a birthday group celebrated in the next room. But Kristi and I blocked out the noise and jabbered about travel and sports injuries. The main thing I wanted to find out was, "When are you and The Giant going to get married!" This is Not The Giant Kristi would rather have posed with "her Giant" Jim, than this swordfish, but it was the best we could do. Kristi's British beau, Jim (who happens to be very tall) was in England. He was also in England back when Kristi was looking up trapeze terms, so she could email Jim with news of the stunts she was learning in trapeze class. Since Kristi and I started meeting for meals, I've learned from her just how tricky long distance courting (and wedding planning) can be! The History Before heading out, we peeked at the guest book on a memorial table, honoring the late, Jim Christie. Too bad Kristi and I didn't get ourselves here 3 years ago. Mr. Christie obviously was well loved and we probably could have had a nice chat with him about the restaurant and the people he loved so much. The Christie's Experience So I kind of wimped out on this dining blog entry. I can't remember the food. And I hardly focused on the restaurant history, which is a great story that you can find on their website. But my memory of the restaurant is mostly about a relaxing, nice evening catching up with my dining buddy. Maybe Kristi and I should return soon for another catch up... since I need to hear about her honeymoon! CONGRATS TO KRISTI AND JIM! They got married 2 days ago!
2 Comments
The Locker Room I'll be honest, I don't usually like sports bars. But then I saw a Groupon for this new place in Sugar Land. And I saw they served Canadian poutine... and the Olympics were on TV! I said "Let's go!" Inside The Locker Room! Don and I grinned when we walked in the door and realized this place was connected to the Sugar Land ice rink. Not only were there 4 or 5 flat screens (mostly showing Olympics) but we could actually look out the window and watch some hockey on the ice! This would be fun! Canadian Beer We started with some Molson's on draft and took a look at the menu. It was a little before 7, just in time for the Olympic coverage to start up. It was also about time for a youth hockey team practice, so the atmosphere was starting to change. Zamboni If we lived somewhere north of Texas, this might not be quite as thrilling, but I got a kick out of watching the big machine get the ice ready for the kids. (The pic is a bit blurry because of puck dents in the plastic!) While the kids near the rink got ready to burst onto the ice, the bar/dining area inside began to fill with a curious mix. There were some men with beer at the bar, but many of the tables had kids and moms. There were some young boys eating pizza (they call them ringers on the menu) and moms with laptops. Some kids were doing homework while they ate and I had smile when I saw two little girls arrive, carrying their American Girl dolls, who seemed to be wearing ice skating outfits! here to edit. Poutine! Two years ago Don and I were in Ontario and didn't have time to try out the Canadian favorite called poutine. So I was excited that we finally got to sample the decadent treat of French fries with gravy and cheese! The order we shared was huge! (And this was before our hamburger and salad arrived!) We were both impressed by the tangy flavor and the fresh cut potatoes. (At least they looked and tasted fresh!) Winding the oozing mozzarella on the fork, made the whole poutine experience fun and messy! A big thumbs up for our poutine experience!! Adults on Ice I guess we'd been seated an hour when we noticed the kids flying off the ice and the goals being moved out of the way. Zamboni did its work again and then it was time for an adult league to take over the ice. Scott We had just about finished our poutine when Scott, one of the owners came over to introduce himself. He seemed pretty amused that we were so excited about the Canadian items on the menu. We told him we were equally thrilled to have the novel experience of dining with view of the ice rink. It was fun hearing about how Scott got into hockey. He is the one non-Canadian in the trio of owners. He laughed about the difficulties they had getting some of the candy and chip products that Canada won't sell to the US. He talked about some of the complications of opening a bar/restaurant connected to an ice rink. It must be hard catering to so many different crowds throughout the day and evening...when the rink draws children and families, adult hockey and sports crowds and figure skaters. It sounds like they have found a pretty magical way of making the place comfortable for all kinds of visitors. I'm sure the little boys who were playing air hockey in the back room were replaced by adults hours later, when the hockey players came off the ice. Tim Horton's and Lay's Ketchup Luckily we stayed long enough for another one of the owners to arrive, carrying in a box of Tim Horton's coffee. Tim Horton is the name of a famous hockey player and donut/coffee shop hugely popular in Canada. Don and I have had the coffee before, but we needed to try the Lay's Ketchup chips. They taste just like you would expect, but still it's a bizarre surprise to the tongue. Evidently the local Canadian's crave these. They were sold out of the Old Dutch brand ketchup chips. David As soon as David put down the heavy box of bagged coffee, Scott introduced us. As David's shirt suggests, he is from the Toronto area. We heard some stories about his hometown, Mississauga. David and Scott sort of chuckled about the fact that the big train derailments of 1979 was the town's main, claim to fame. We got off on many tangents as well as the fact that I do a dining blog. Scott was quick on his phone and found it, knowing just our first names. He is very quick. Scott and David couldn't have been more welcoming and fun. I know this business has got to be work, especially since it's only been open a half a year, but both seemed upbeat and good humored about this odd world of food, drink and ice Skating on TV Don and I finished up our dinner, (Excellent burger by the way) and enjoyed a little Olympic ice skating on the TVs. Funny that they showed a glimpse of Tara Lipinksy on the screen. The young gold medal figure skater of 1998 actually lived in Sugar Land back then. When we first moved to Sugar Land in '98, there was a big Congrats to Tara banner near this rink! Off We Go Around 9, we said good-bye. Scott said he was heading onto the ice with his league at 9:30. We didn't ask Ryan, our high school aged waiter if he had homework, but we did inquire about his lacrosse tee shirt. (Yes, he plays...and football, too) We wished Ryan good luck with his college plans and headed out, passing a welcoming patio with big TV, bar-b-q grill and heaters for cold weather. No heaters needed on this balmy February evening. In fact a number of people inside, who had been enjoying the rink and Olympic viewing were wearing shorts! I had to laugh as we headed to the car.
As I already said, I don't usually care for sports bars, but I left wishing I could lift up this place and transplant it to a corner in my neighborhood. What a fun place! |
The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|