The Neches River Wheelhouse

When I first heard about this new restaurant opening up on the Neches River last year I was very excited.  I'm a supporter of local businesses and restaurants and was so happy one was opening so close to my home.  So one Sunday we went after church soon after it opened.  Long story short, we waited more than thirty minutes for a table.  We had some of James' relatives in town so our party was for seven people.  Instead of waiting for a few tables to finish and pushing them together, they kept seating groups of four (who came in behind us) and waited for a big table to open.  Then once they finally had a table for us it started raining outside and all the people from outside moved in, and sat at our table.  We were very upset and I immediately decided to ban the restaurant from my list, much to my disappointment.  Over the year we heard conflicting reviews.  Some people loved the atmosphere, but said the prices were high and the food wasn't that great.  I've even heard from people that birds were flying into the enclosed part of the restaurant and landing on tables. 

My son was constantly asking me to go "the place on the river."  So finally, my parents took us there after baseball closing ceremonies.  We sat right outside the main dining area, not at one of the tables with the umbrellas, but a regular covered table.  The weather was very nice.  The sky was overcast and there was a good breeze.  I can't stand to sweat while I'm eating so I was very pleased the weather cooperated.  They do have fans to help when it gets warm.  It was nice to watch the small boats and tugboats go by.  We even saw this ...

Yes, the prices are a little high.  I think a combination seafood plate was $18?  I'm falling behind a little bit because I don't remember the exact prices, but count on a typical meal being $20-$30.  I ordered the Godfather sandwich which was fried cod on a hamburger bun with American cheese and tartar sauce.  It came with fries.  It was very good and makes me not want to order a filet-o-fish from McDonald's ever again.  The fish was very thick and flaky.

My husband and mom ordered the chicken fried steak.  My mom gave it a six, which is probably a nine for anyone else.  My husband said it was good.  

My mother-in-law said her crab cakes were okay as well, not great.  My dad ordered the Bessie Heights Burger with a fried egg on it.  He said it was great and gave it a ten.  Our waiter's name was Alex and he was very attentive and brought fresh drinks constantly.  We would have stayed longer but the kids were getting a little restless.  They were digging in the sand out in the yard.  I'm sure a lot of people come here to relax and enjoy the view.  I know it gets crowded on the weekends, so a weekday is probably your best bet on getting a table quickly.  They do have a giant game board, horseshoes and washers to pass the time.  Overall, we had a great time and will visit again. 

(The man to the right was nice enough to let Philip stand on his knee to reach the cutout in the picture, thank you whoever you are!)

The Crowded Mexican Food Place on Highway 365

For the longest time, I wasn't sure what this place was.  A club?  Bar?  I knew it used to be a mexican restaurant called the Tropical Grill, but I was never really interested in the new place until a spur of the moment decision to eat there with my sister.  We consider ourselves conoisseurs of mexican restaurants and we usually keep it to a few places we can always count on.  Casa Ole' being our first choice.  We ventured out of our comfort zone one Saturday afternoon.  We drove by El Viejo Tony (across from Ritter's, by those apartments on Highway 365) a couple times before deciding to stop.  The place always seems crowded and I always forget the name.  I googled it and it actually means "The Old Tony".  We were surprised when we walked in.  It was very spacious and despite all the cars outside, there were plenty of tables open.  The salsa was warm and very good in my opinion.  They have a lunch menu that you can order from even on weekends.  I got the enchilada plate with rice and beans.  It came with three cheese enchiladas.  The rice was my least favorite and needed more seasoning or something, but the cheese enchiladas and beans were great.  

 

My sister got an enchilada, tamale and taco with rice and beans.  She likes her tacos full of meat and cheese and said this one passed the test.

The manager came by to check on us, which is always a plus in my book.  Perhaps it was "El Viejo Tony" himself?  After our lunch, we would definitely visit him again, and that says alot coming from a pair of picky Mexican food-eating sisters.