< Previous50 COASTMONTHLY.COM / May 2016Table SurfingStory by Alicia Cahill Photos by Jennifer ReynoldsLora Larsen knows a thing or two about dessert. Before opening Eat Dessert First Café in November last year, she worked as a professional baker. Striking out on her own, her homey restaurant in Hitchcock is an extension of her sweet disposition, naturally.Bouquets of fresh-cut flowers sit atop flo-ral table runners decorating an eclectic col-lection of chairs and tables within the dining room. A large chalkboard wall is devoted to listing the day’s sweet and savory specials.Lights are strung overhead to add a warm glow for dinner service. And a prominently placed glass case displays an impressive variety of desserts. Freshly baked frosted cupcakes, flaky pies, towering cakes, fudgy brownies, decadent cookies, breakfast pas-tries and candied popcorn are on parade, reminding diners who didn’t start their meal with a sweet treat to at least leave room for dessert.The restaurant’s cozy and comfortable vibe is reflected in a menu of homestyle dishes patrons will recognize from meals enjoyed around their own family table. In addition to the daily soups, such as the creamy sweet onion topped with buttery croutons, the menu offers patrons a daily quiche, a half a dozen fresh salads and twice as many sand-wiches to choose from.The Italian sandwich arrives oozing a blend of melted mozzarella, Asiago and Parmesan cheeses over a bed of sautéed vegetables topped with a robust marinara. Nestled between two slices of focaccia, the sandwich on its own is a satisfying meal, but diners can add meatballs for a small fee. The restaurant’s take on the Reuben is quickly making it one of its most popular Eat Dessert First CaféSave room for heaping plates of homestyle favorites and decadent treats Lora Larsen and her husband, Ken, are serving up a variety of desserts and savory dishes, including steak salad, Italian and caprese sandwiches and 16-ounce rib-eyes, at Eat Dessert First Café in Hitchcock.dishes. Homemade chopped corned beef and sauerkraut are piled high between sliced rye bread. Swiss cheese and special dressing complete the toasted stack. Each sandwich arrives with chips, onion rings or French fries. These sides are also available à la carte.Larsen recently has expanded the lunch and dinner menus to include more of her COASTMONTHLY.COM / May 2016 51signature entrees. Now, customers can enjoy heaping plates of crispy chicken-fried steak smothered in cream gravy or 16-ounce rib-eye steaks paired with seasonal vegetables every day, rather than waiting for them to appear on the day’s menu.The rotating specials keep the menu current and allow Larsen to introduce new dishes. Grilled sirloin steak topped with a lively chimichurri sauce, accompanied by mashed sweet potatoes and garlic bread, might be followed the next day by a plate featuring pan sautéed tilapia garnished with fresh mango and cilantro and served over rice pilaf and black beans. Customers can keep up with the daily offerings by checking posts on the café’s Facebook page.Early birds and sleepyheads alike can enjoy a traditional breakfast served at 6:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Southern favorite fried chicken and waffles arrive on a stick with warm maple syrup butter and ripe strawberries. Big-as-your-plate pancakes, granola and yogurt parfaits, as well as freshly baked seasonal muffins, are available, as are homemade brisket and egg corn tacos and crispy French toast. Eat Des-sert First Café recognizes the importance of this daily meal.Today’s hectic pace can make it difficult to gather around the family table. Spend-ing time together while enjoying a pleasing homestyle meal at Eat Dessert First Café is the next best thing. EAT DESSERT FIRST CAFÉ8735 B state Highway 6 in 4 Way Plaza, Hitchcock409.978.5925(Clockwise from top) Chocolate layer cake is one of the many fresh baked cakes, pies and sweet treats at Eat Dessert First Café. Lora Larsen slices into an orange Dreamsicle cake. Shelby Rodwell plates a mini lemon meren-gue pie for a customer. Taylor Jordan takes a customer’s order. A chalk board lists the daily specials.52 COASTMONTHLY.COM / May 2016The GalleyStory and photos by Alicia CahillI love pasta like I love my dog Junebug — unequivocally, deeply and without judgment. Just like Junebug can do no wrong, I have never met a plate of pasta that didn’t make my appetite swoon and my hand reach for the closest fork. Me and pasta, we’re simpatico.So, when I began swapping my beloved noodles for zoodles — vegetables cut into long, noodle-like strips — it was as if the Earth gave forth a thunderous crack and the sky went dark.Turn my back on my cherished noodles for vegetable impostors? Only it didn’t feel like culinary betrayal. My fork still twirled across my plate. The zoodles weren’t soggy or overcooked, as I initially feared. In fact, they retained a pleasant al dente texture. This delicious meal was flavorful and satisfying, but light. A stark contrast to my typical heavy carbtastrophe.Dishes composed of zoodles, fresh spring veggies and herbs, are on heavy repeat this month at my house. And because vegetable noodles cook even faster than traditional pastas, dinner is on the table in time for us to enjoy it on the deck with the dogs watching the sinking sun paint the sky. In that respect, even Junebug approves of the swap.Twirl your fork through a plate of shrimp scampi zoodles SHRIMP SCAMPI ZOODLESINGREDIENTS2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 tablespoon good olive oil4 cloves garlic, minced1½ teaspoons kosher salt1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1½ pounds zucchini, cut into long strips using a spiral cutting blade¼ cup white wine1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leavesZest from ½ lemonJuice from ½ freshly squeezed lemon1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakesGarnish: 1 lemon cut into wedgesDIRECTIONSIn a large, heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. add the garlic to the pot and sauté Pasta impostor?for 1 minute, being careful not to burn it. Toss in the shrimp, salt and freshly ground black pepper and continue cooking, stirring often, until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan.add white wine and lemon juice to the pot and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. add the zucchi-ni noodles and cook another 1 to 2 minutes (any longer and the “noodles” might lose their firmness).Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. add shrimp, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. Top with lemon wedges, if desired, and serve immediately.Pro tip: One of the easiest ways to devein shrimp is to poke a toothpick completely through the shrimp body, beneath the vein, and pull it up through the flesh toward you. The toothpick hooks the vein allowing you to gently slide it out. 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So, for this edition, I grilled up a country version of surf and turf with wild pork steaks, sweet and spicy pineapple and bacon-wrapped Gulf shrimp stuffed with smoked Gouda cheese and roasted poblano pepper.Feral pigs in Texas are flavorful and tender, depending on their size and the terrain where they’re harvested. Guides are available for night hunting right here in Galveston County. This entrée pairs well with The Outlaw from Chisholm Trail winery, my all-time favorite Texas red wine.Wild pork steaks and Gulf shrimp pair well with Texas red wineYou caught it or shot it and now you want to cook it. Each month, William “Wild Bill” Powell, owner of Texas Select Seasonings in Santa Fe, shows us how to prepare fish and wild game.Surf and turf country styleGRILLED WILD PORK STEAKS AND STUFFED GULF SHRIMPINGREDIENTSFor the pork:4 to 5 brined, wild pork steaks (no brine for domestic pork)Texas Select Seasonings Rustic RubClarified butterFor the brine:½ cup white sugar¼ cup kosher salt¼ cup apple cider vinegar1 gallon of waterFor the shrimp:1 pound 8- to 12-count shrimp, peeled and cleaned, leaving tail section1 poblano pepper, grilled until blistered, scraped and cut in strips8 sticks smoked Gouda string cheeseClarified butterTexas Select Seasonings Herbal RedTexas Select Seasonings Chipotle CowgirlTexas Select Seasonings Salted Vodka Grapefruit BBQ GlazeDIRECTIONSFor the brine, soak the steaks overnight in a solution of white sugar, kosher salt, apple cider vinegar and water.Remove brined steaks and rinse. Lightly oil steaks with clar-ified butter and apply even coat of Rustic Rub. Grill until desired internal temperature and keep moist with clarified butter for lean steaks.To make the shrimp, butterfly to the tail, creating a pocket. Lightly brush clarified butter and season with Herbal Red. Slice cheese and poblano to fit inside, then wrap with bacon. Season outside with Chipotle Cowgirl and grill until bacon is rendered. Remove and rest 3 minutes, then apply a coat of the Salted Vodka Grapefruit BBQ glaze.GRILLED PINEAPPLEINGREDIENTS1 pineapple, cored and cut into 2-inch wide sectionsWhite sugarTexas Select Seasonings Texas Chili Pequin Garlic SaltDIRECTIONSapply base coat of sugar and top coat of Pequin Garlic Salt, then grill until brown. Rest, cut in chunks and serve with the pork steaks and shrimp. COASTMONTHLY.COM / May 2016 57www.HomesInGalveston.com4113 Vista Road2BR/1BA Precious BeachsideHome in Palm Beach$205,00022108 Zapata Drive2BR/2BA Fabulous CanalHome in Sea Isle$279,0004830 Jamaica Cove Road3BR/2BA Canal Frontin Jamaica Beach with Bay Views$370,00025015 Intrepid Lane3BR/3BA in Playa San Luis withBeach & Bay Views$525,000WendellOdorizziREALTOR®, GRI, RSPS, ABR, SRS409.771.2649wendell@sandnsea.comCarol Miller OdorizziREALTOR®, GRI, SRS713.882.3934carol@sandnsea.com1402 Market Street4BR/2BA Victorian HomeNear the StrandOwner Financing Available$287,000For more listings,visitsandnsea.com16614 Jamaica Cove Road2BR/2BA Fabulous Canal Front in Jamaica Beach$439,000NEW PRICE REDUCTIONNEW PRICE REDUCTION Monday - Saturday 9 am to 5:30pm Sunday 10 am to 4 pm 2014 - 45th Street 409.763.4713 Happy Mother’s Day 58 COASTMONTHLY.COM / May 2016Coastal CuisineBy Zach TateAny way you slice itNew York-style pizza meets Texas-size appetites on the coastPhoto by Zach TatePizza King owner Peter Giovanniello brought the sign from his family’s New York restaurant to his League City restaurant.Anyone from the Northeast, and many from elsewhere, will tell you that when it comes to quick, cheap, hit-the-spot foods, there’s nothing quite like a slice of pizza. A slice can cure a hangover, or prevent one after a night on the town, and it’s lunch when your hour has been sliced to 15 minutes.The pizza slice originated in New York, as legend has it, and has migrated all over the country, although, curiously, Galveston County and the Clear Lake area have only a few spots that sell the sensational, yet solitary, slice of pizza.Gulf Coast pizza slices may be an oddity, but that didn’t stop four pizzerias we talked to from sharing secrets about what makes the perfect triangle (or rectangle, in the case of one slice depot) of chewy, cheesy goodness. COASTMONTHLY.COM / May 2016 59Photo by Zach TateThe “Oh My Godzilla” slice at Midnite Slice in Seabrook is just one of the many creative selections on the menu.Photo by Zach TatePizza King owner Peter Giovanniello has been stretching pizza dough since he was 13 years old.restaurants outside New York deserve.Giovanniello’s father, Pietro, was born in Naples, Italy, and owned a pizza restaurant in Italy in the 1960s. By the early 1970s, he had moved to the United States and opened a pizza shop in Brooklyn, N.Y., followed by two more New York shops in Long Island and Wellsville.The original Pizza King outdoor sign from the Wellsville restaurant hangs inside Giovanniello’s League City pizza parlor to-day. In the early 1980s, the Wellsville restau-rant was Giovanniello’s training ground for making pizza and where he began working at age 7.“I’m not an expert chef,” Giovanniello said. “I just know what I know — and that’s how to make pizza and Italian food. High quality and consistent ingredients that cost a little more are the key for us.”Slice sales haven’t exactly taken off in League City the way Giovanniello had hoped, despite Pizza King being very close to Clear Creek intermediate and high schools. But he has no plans to end the menu item that includes “Happy Hour” $1 slices.“I know the slices are good,” he said. “I have quite a number of East Coast customers who come just for the slices because they say it reminds them of home.”PIZZA KING103 Davis Road, League City, 281.554.7232Long before 40-year-old Peter Giovanni-ello opened Pizza King in League City, he lived in Wellsville, N.Y., and dreamed of being a truck driver. That dream came true, and one day in the 1990s, while on route through Galveston, Giovanniello was driving along Broadway at sunrise and was moved by the scenery.“It was a beautiful morning,” he said. “There was just something magical about the light, the old houses and the trees.”That image stayed with Giovanniello. By 2006, he was a Texas resident. Within a few months, Giovanniello met his bride to be, Carrie McCarthy. The couple in 2006 opened Pizza King in League City and married the next year. The entrepreneurs are big propo-nents of independent business.“We believe in shopping and eating local,” Carrie Giovanniello said. “We’re up against multimillion-dollar corporate pizza operations, so we appreciate our loyal customers.”Trucking got Giovanniello to Texas, but making pizza is keeping him here. “New York-style” pizza is a motto Giovanniello’s Pizza King comes by honestly, but one few MIDNITE SLICE1605 Second St., Seabrook, 281.291.7498It doesn’t get much simpler for Midnite Slice owner and chief pizza Chef Sibbian Roe.“We love pizza and listening to music,” Roe said.The sentiment resonates throughout the former Seabrook post office turned pizza parlor. The ceiling is adorned with 12-inch album covers; a guitar rests next to the front counter, ready for anyone to pick up and play a tune; and the TV mounted on the wall frequently runs a stream of YouTube videos Roe took herself while hosting live, local musicians on the Midnite Slice patio.Although the vibe is funky and laid back, and despite names like “Oh My Godzilla,” the pizza slices are serious business. They’re created by Midnite Slice pizza Chef Harold Rhames.Midnight Slice makes the pizza dough fresh each morning and uses only real moz-zarella cheese.“A lot of places use ‘cheese product,’ which is not cheese at all,” Roe said.Roe, who grew up in Houston in a house where someone was always cooking, dreamed of owning a restaurant since she was 5 years old, she said.Midnite Slice opened in 2012, before Roe was in her 30s, and in keeping with the creative spirit that drives her, has redefined the “pizza slice,” at least for Midnite Slice pa-trons. In fact, it’s not really a slice at all, but its own small pizza. And it’s rectangular.“It takes about 10 minutes, but it’s fresh made to our customers’ specifications,” Roe said.Next >