Cheap Eat$
Mardi Gras started last weekend, and I just happened to be in Galveston, not to ring in the two weeks of overindulgence preceding the Catholic Lenten season, but to celebrate another Catholic holiday-gone-secular- Valentine's Day.
The revelers were out in full force, dancing in the streets and swingin' their glassy beads every which way. And did I participate in all of this fun? Did I jump around in a splashy flapper outfit shaking what God gave me? Of course not. I was too hungry to concern myself with such sinful behavior. Not that the thought didn't cross my mind...
So we parked the car in this muddy lot, got out and hoofed it until we found an affordable place to munch. Mind you, neither my partner-in-crime nor I wanted seafood. Neither did we want to go to some restaurant that would require a long wait and anything more than casual dress.
We happened upon Slices, a pool hall/sports bar that serves sandwiches and pizzas. It sounded interesting enough, and it was not crowded, as the day was still young. We walked to check it out and found a pretty simple setup of pool tables, dining tables, a bar and a counter where one places orders.
Consistent with pool halls, the lighting was dim, but large windows allowed some of the soft gray light from the overcast day to filter in. The menu boasted a satisfactory range of selections, such as deli sandwiches, pizzas, hot dogs, meatball subs, hoagies, wings, salads and cheesecakes.
The few selections we tried were generously portioned out and dutifully prepared. Nothing phenomenal, but nothing bad either. So basically, we stumbled upon a middle-of-the-road pool hall/bar/deli. Not bad for just wandering around the Strand.
Pizza sounded good to me, so I ordered a 9-inch pizza ($5.50) with bell peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms. The extra toppings were 50 cents each. The pizza was enough to fill me up. (Yes, I ate the whole thing.) The ingredients tasted fresh, but a more generous sprinkling of vegetables and a more aromatic sauce would have been much appreciated. The crust was the perfect consistency: not too thin but substantial enough to support the cheese and toppings.
The All American Club that my date had featured ham, turkey, bacon, colby cheese, lettuce, onion black olives, mayo, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper on wheat. He pronounced it good, definitely filling and a worthy deal at $5.75.
Speaking of filling, beer fans might be interested to know that you can get your suds for $1.50 to $2. Coffee (flavors available) won't cost your more than a buck and fountain drinks are 75 cents.
Happy hour is from 2 to 7 p.m. Excuse me, maybe my math is off, but isn't that five hours, not one? But after a few beers, who's counting?
And the cheaper the beer, the better. After all, alcohol is nothing more than glorified sugar, at least according to my psychology professor. So why pay big bucks for the same effect you can get with a boxful of candy and a severe sleep deficit?
Draft beer will set you back $1.00, mixed well drinks are $2.25 and wine is $2.50 a glass.
Pool will cost you $5 an hour, unless you order ten bucks worth of food. Then you get a free hour of pool. Of course, I was back in Houston by the time I realized what we'd missed out on. Alas, I now know where to go to get my pool and my grub on when I'm broke, hungry and killing a little time in Galveston.
This columnist eagerly awaits Cheap Eat$ suggestions and comments. E-mail them to btavakol@bayou.uh.edu
Slices
2113 Postoffice
Galveston, Texas
(409) 766-1779