Goode Company Seafood, Houston

This post is long overdue. It was in June of 2011 that I was in Houston with my family, and my sister took us to this place called Goode Company Seafood, a local chain that also has BBQ restaurants, and I think she said a taqueria. I was expecting sort of a Spaghetti Factory type of feel. Not so, my friends. Oh, not so. You could smell the mesquite smoke from the parking lot as you approached the genuine railroad car exterior. The interior was kind of a cross between a diner and a seafood shack in an upscale sort of way. It wasn't cheap, as good seafood never is, but it was reasonable. The waitress was the kind of motherly, down-home type of lady you just wanted to snuggle (but I wouldn't take that liberty for fear of being slapped upside the head). When asked about foods that contain gluten (because right at the top of the menu it said to ask about it and we had some gluten sensitive folks with us) she was concernedly honest like any good mama would be, and very specific about what to order and not to order. I had the grilled Coho baby salmon and, it, the seafood rice, the veggies and the tastes I had of everyone else's catfish, hushpuppies, shrimp, fried green tomatoes etc., were mind-blowing.
Goode wine, goode fresh food, goode service, goode atmosphere and our own built-in goode company. What an aptly named joint!
Evaluation: Extraordinarily sincere!
http://www.goodecompany.com/

VestaTrattoria and Wine Bar

Recently, two lost, bedraggled Texan ladies staggered through the streets of Astoria, Queens, trying to find their way to the home of their sister/step-aunt who cruelly was not answering her cell phone. Determined to be strong, they found refuge in a quaint wine bar called Vesta until said sister/step-aunt could be reached. There they found sustenance in a couple of lovely glasses of wine and, lo and behold, a friendly Texan bartender. They had miraculously stumbled upon one of Astoria's little treasures.

They had no way of knowing that they were only two blocks away from me, sister to one, step-aunt to the other, who's cell phone had died. But as soon as I got home and plugged it in, I was able to guide them on their way. Well, they were in no hurry. Vesta is cozy and pretty: dark woods and cheery windows, not more than ten tables in the whole place. If they'd stayed for dinner, they would have been treated to fresh, seasonal food, much of it locally grown, Italian in theory, but with an international flair. The menu is small and changes now and then. The staff is indeed the friendliest you'll find anywhere in NYC and the prices are affordable.

Jon and I were thrilled to see a place like Vesta open in our humble neighborhood, and other like-minded establishments soon followed. Yet somehow we don't feel we're being gentrified, just grateful to have such a nice place within walking distance. Those two Texan ladies will attest, Vesta is:
Evaluation: Extraordinarily sincere!

21-02 30th Ave
Astoria, NY 11102
7 1 8 - 5 4 5  -5 5 5 0
http://www.vestavino.com