A SHORT JAUNT MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE – PALACIOS, TEXAS

We left Mustang Island in dense fog with a bit of rain mixed in.  135 miles and 2:34 hours later, we pulled into Bayside RV Park (read our review here) in Palacios (pronounced Puh-LASH-us in the Texas dialect – forget any Spanish you know!) as the sun was peeking through the clouds.  By the time we checked in and set up, the sun was shining.

Leaving Mustang Island in dense fog.	A sunny walk on the Palacios Pier

Odel did a speedy wash of the Jules – it was so covered with road grime after being pulled along behind Scoopy through rain and damp that we couldn’t see out the windows – and we went rushing off to find a shrimp po-boy at a restaurant in town, the Outrigger Grill.  Their website said they closed at 3 pm – we arrived at 2:30.  Whew.

Half an hour later, Odel had finished his po-boy, and I had polished off a Seafood Basket of shrimp and catfish – with Odel’s help.  Palacios is the self-proclaimed “Shrimp Capitol of Texas” (third largest shrimping port in the state) and the shrimp we ate was outstanding – tender and succulent, not at all chewy.  The catfish matched the shrimp – superb.  Talking with the owner during our meal, we discovered they are closed Monday through Wednesday; if we hadn’t arrived by 3 pm today, we would have been out of luck since we are leaving on Tuesday.

Palacios is NOT a tourist town – no t-shirt shops or gift stores, or at least none evident on our cruise through town.  They do have a seawall with a walkway that extends 1 1/4 miles, and several public fishing piers in good shape.  We enjoyed a walk after lunch, then headed home so Odel could resume the endless fight against road grime, on the lower part of the motorhome.   I walked a short distance away to take photographs of the shrimpers in the basin nearby – our unassuming RV park is tucked in behind “Basin #3”.

Tomorrow we have another restaurant on our radar screen, reputed to have excellent catfish: Baytown Seafood.  Here is part of the review I read:

“I have to drive 110 miles to eat catfish. Yes, I have to. From the time I had my first plate of catfish at Baytown Seafood in Palacios, I have been hooked. Perfectly seasoned crust that houses the flaky, tender, juicy pieces of catfish...... oh man, that is eating.”

So we drove past Baytown Seafood, to make certain they would be open tomorrow.  No cooking going on at home while we are here – we’re taking advantage of the good seafood dives while we have a chance.  :)