If you are in Texas, what kind of food comes to you mind first? Steak? Tex-Mex? BBQ? Well, I did all those in my previous trips to Texas, so my the latest trip to Dallas area, I decided to try something different and healthier – seafood. The state is next to the ocean, so it has some fresh seafood. Also, there are lots of immigrants from Central and South Americans, which brought their unique cooking style and flavors to different seafood.
Gloria’s Latin Cuisine
Gloria’s is the creation of Gloria and Jose Fuentes who came to the US from El Salvador in 1978. They opened the first restaurant in Houston in 86 and now a chain of 15 restaurants through out Texas. It’s a mid-upscale place with bar and outdoor seating, a lot of professionals hang out here after work.
For start I ordered Ceviche Trio, which consist of orange roughy ceviche, scallop ceviche and shrimp cocktail. Very colorful presentation with baked banana chips. I like the scallop ceviche the most as the scallops are sweet and tender. Shrimp cocktail the second, good balance of tender shrimp, avocado and ketchup based sauce. The roughy is not so tender, so it ranked third.
I checked a lot of reviews online for the entree choice, and my final decision is Pescado a la gloria, and that decision is based on what foodies are saying and the description of the dish as well. Pescado a la gloria – the best seafood on rice dish I’ve ever had, Payaya doesn’t even come close. This dish is loaded with fish, pan seared tilapia which is crispy on the outside and tender inside and red snapper chunks which are tender and juicy, then topped with lots of shrimp, scollops and mussels and some vegetable cooked in mildly spicy broth. All the seafood are served on bed of Spanish rich. It’s comfort food meets gourmet, and it hit the right spot in my mouth and stomach.
Rockfish Seafood Grill
Rockfish is another small seafood chain with 13 locations in Texas. They offer good quality dishes with very reasonable prices.
When you walk in to the restaurant, you can get a bucket of peanuts to eat while waiting. (Hmmm, I thought the peanuts is a steakhouse thing, guess it must be a Texas thing then The restaurant theme consists both fly-fishing in the mountains and fish in the sea.
I ordered the THE TOWER. It has layers of sashimi ahi tuna, salmon, crab meat and avocado, topped with wasabi aioli and served with crispy wonton chips. This east meets west starter is better for two people as it’s very generous on the portion. The combined taste with light seasoning creates a harmony in your mouth.
The Cedar Plank Salmon is one of Rockfish’s favorites and after tasting it I can see why. Tender fish with crispy edges, topped with BBQ glaze complements the salmon’s rich taste. The Cajun spice blanked shrimp is good sidekick so you are not lots in the sweet taste of the fish. A1nd the roasted corn salsa added extra body and flavor to the combination.
PandaWalk 