Photo by Stuart Villanueva

We asked on Facebook: What’s the best meal you’ve ever had on the shore and where did you have it?

On the sand off 81st and seawall. Dad took just a brick of meat, added a pickle, barbecue sauce and sand, put it between two buns and talk about the best meal ever; 45 years later I still taste it. Memories are everything.
– David Herrin

On the sand, under an umbrella, around 35th street … grilled hot dogs on a toasted bun, and, of course, Lay’s potato chips and an ice cold Coca-Cola. Those were the days.
– Pamela Fairchild Quintanilla

Once, on one of those end of the months when I had no cash left to splurge on anything, my friend and I found a watermelon growing wild in the dunes. I have to say that a free watermelon shared with friends is about as great a thing as exists.
– Stephen F. Duncan

The best was for my birthday. My husband had stone crabs shipped from Miami and we ate them with drawn butter on the patio of Ann Simmons’ house on Offatts Bayou …
– Karla Klay

Olympia Grill on the seawall. Gyro Platter.
– Paul Ray Heinrich

Kielbasa grilled on our hibachi and served on homemade bread. Eaten on West Beach and spiced with sand … with my family.
– Holly Thorson

Gaido’s. Love the Blue Cheese and Grits.
– Bruce Blankenship

Shrimp Peques at Gaido’s.
– Brian Grant

Crawfish, crawfish, crawfish! M&M, On the Bayou and Pooks.
– Carly Risko Rowland

Shrimp salad sandwiches at a little beach cabana in Seaside, Fla. with my sister. Yummy.
– Bobbey White

Unlimited fried whitefish, collard greens and shrimp coleslaw at Shrimp Basket in Pensacola, Fla.
– Katherine Carr

One of the best meals I’ve had was at Baytown Seafood in Texas City. It consisted of baked quail, sauteed vegetables and rice. Delicious!
– Tracy Orr

Farley Girls French grilled chicken, blackened catfish at Shrimp ‘n Stuff downtown, and French grilled cod at Jimmy’s on the Pier.
– Laura Trout Goalen

At Rudy & Paco for lunch — their meatloaf sandwich.
– Gene Bindhammer

First raw oysters we ever ate at Tuffy’s in ’83 or ’84.
– Kathy Matteson

I take Tiki Bar & Grill on Crystal Beach any day. Their Tiki Burger is a family fave … .
– Sheryl Denton Johnson

Snapper Parmesan at Mario’s Seawall; always my favorite topped with lump crab.
– Katherine Becker

Letter to the Editor

More to the story
Great article in the June issue of Coast Monthly about Sue Bown and the kitchen in her circa 1900 Dickinson home. To add to the story, Sue and Rodney’s home was one of the first recipients of the Dickinson Historical Society’s Landmark Medallion Program. The society was very honored to recognize this absolutely unique and beautiful Dickinson home and to help preserve its interesting history. You’ve added a great page to the story.

Mary Dunbaugh
Vice president, Dickinson Historical Society