29 thoughts on “…eel be comin’ ’round the mountain when he comes…”

    1. “Aquarium Restaurant”

      You mean, you get to pick out your eel before you eat it?!?

      Texans are strange. Although, in most mainline supermarkets in New England, you can pick your own live lobster out of the lobster tank. 🙂

      But that’s traditional and not weird at all.

      1. No, I don’t think they serve the aquarium fish. However, we used to eat at a steak restaurant located on a cattle farm (and I call it a farm, not a ranch, because the owners did), and the windows overlooked cows in the pasture. I really didn’t enjoy it.

    1. I’m so glad you know these places, too. We first went to the Kemah Aquarium many years ago when my friends Jim and Steve were here from CA, and Tim surprised me by showing up from NYC. Steve and Tom did the Space Center and met the rest of us at the restaurant. We had such a good time that night that after the Aquarium opened here, it became one of the places we like to take anyone from out of town. It’s not for the food–it’s for those amazing aquariums. The sharks! The eels! And gorgeous fish.

      I have ALSO bravely ridden the Ferris wheels in both locations. The Houston one is a little more unnerving because it vibrates from the traffic on I-45. Eek!

      1. The first time I went to the Aquarium restaurant in Kemah, I was standing downstairs near the hostess station looking up the giant tube-o-fish. I was so enamored by the aquatic goodness, I didn’t seen the gargantuan eel making it’s way into my line of sight until we were face to face. I nearly soiled myself it scared me so bad.

        Every time I go, I always say I’m not going back. The food is not very good but for some reason (ambience?) I keep returning.

        I’ve also ridden the Ferris Wheel in downtown and was too awestruck at seeing over the freeway to worry about the vibration. lol

    1. I get that. I think the reason I like looking at all those killers of the sea is because there’s no way in hell I’m going in any water that doesn’t have a lovely cement or tile bottom, with water that’s as clear as what I drink with a lovely chlorine scent, and nothing weird swimming with me except the occasional kid who pees in the pool.

  1. Well, somebody beat me to my question of whether you got to pick out your dinner:

    “I’ll take that one, the one that looks like Nemo!”

    There was a short-lived but uber-trendy nightclub several years ago in Louisville with a see-through glass floor, and underneath were various reptiles and amphibians. That would be creepy.

  2. If I ever break my vow of never knowingly entering a Fertitta place of business, I will call this eel Murray the Jewish Eel. Of course, I don’t think eels are kosher. Hmm…Murray the Self-Hating Eel.

    1. On the plus side, you can see these just by walking inside, where the host takes guests’ info for seating. You never have to actually go upstairs to the restaurant, although they have great aquariums there.

      1. I know! I’ve kind of hated the guy since he bought everything on the Kemah Boardwalk and turned The Flying Dutchman into just another Willie G’s/Landry’s. One of which is also on the Boardwalk, so it’s not like we needed another one.

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