Mardi Gras Galveston 2009, Part 1 - Arrival

Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious. – Saint Thomas Aquinas

I invited several friends to come down to the Mardi Gras this year. Johnny, my bro-in-law from Dallas, my poker buddy Anthony from Ohio, and an old beer drinking and camping buddy currently residing in Michigan, Canoe Lew. When I picked up Anthony and Lew from the airport on Thursday morning wearing Mardi Gras beads and sporting a cooler full of beer, they knew without a doubt that I was ready to get the party started. The weather was exceptionally favorable with clear skies, sunshine, and a temperature of approx. 63 degrees F. We left the airport with sunroof open and at Anthony’s suggestion, headed straight for a high quality gentlemen’s club for a free lunch and some entertainment. Unfortunately, the bad economy is affecting even these sorts of places and we were promptly informed that the lunch buffet was only spread on Wednesdays + Fridays and today was Thursday. So, we decided on BBQ instead. Not surprisingly, neither of these former Texas residents had eaten any good BBQ since leaving the Lone Star State. So, we headed for the well known Goode Co. BBQ joint on Kirby. Although they were pleased, I was disappointed. I have been a judge at quite a few BBQ cook offs/contests and I know the good stuff when I taste it. I ordered a combo plate with beef brisket and pork ribs. The brisket was pretty good but not great. The ribs had some sort of cinnamon or clove taste in the spice rub that did not suit my palate at all. After leaving there, we headed to one of my local buddies place at Gotham, a swanky condo he recently leased. Doug, my buddy residing at Gotham, works from home doing computer consulting and always forks over big bucks for a premium place. This was no exception. The loft itself was really cool but what makes it awesome is that one entire wall is glass with an unobstructed view of the downtown Houston skyline and the surrounding area. If I had that place, I would never get anything done because I would be too busy being distracted by the view. After knocking out the beer I brought, we proceeded to work on Doug’s supply. Before long, it was time to go meet some more friends at Taco Milagro, also on Kirby. Taco Milagro was unimpressive with respect to the food and drinks. However, they did not disappoint on the crowd they attract for an after work happy hour. We were surrounded by visually appealing women that were also apparently affluent. We partied there for a few hours before heading home for the evening.