Gatlin’s Fins Feathers - Houston

Chef Greg Gatlin is a witch doctor. The food at Gatlin's Fins and Feathers is uniformly savory and tasty across the board. He has done something even more difficult: made different fried foods taste unique from one another while each being juicy and seasoned. The catfish is perfectly fried in a cornmeal that isn't wet or too crisp. It's then dusted with a spicy powder that compliments its texture without overpowering the taste. The wings were amazing. My wife took a bite and said they're the gold standard for wings in Houston. They're brined overnight then coated with their own mixture that highlights the chicken's flavor rather than hiding it. The sides were amazing. The red beans and rice had a strong bay leaf presence that melded with the other flavors and didn't overpower the overall flavor. They were meaty and thick. Maybe the best I've ever had. The creamed corn is amazingly good. And if you don't get the biscuits you mis-used the $7 they would cost you. The dollop of jam they serve it with is almost worth the cost. And the local beer is just $5. Seriously.

3 for lunch today. I had the grouper special with risotto and Brussels. What a great dish, excellent seasoning and a good looking plate. Thanks to the manager for recommending. Wife and her buddy split the seafood platter. They ate a lot of it but ended up taking a lot home. Did I mention the biscuits? Pretty big and heavy. Wonderful. Gigi served us and was very friendly and helpful.

The vibe of the place was very inviting. Greeted quickly and happily. Our server was friendly. The food was so good and well priced. We drove 30 minutes to get there and it was so worth it.

Warm welcome… great food. Manager was great. Server Anthony was nice but not the most attentive server. Rest of the staff definitely made our experience great.

Biscuits- undercooked Gumbo- way too salty, rice was dry/old Chargrilled oysters- good Jerk Chicken- beyond dry Hot Fish Sandwich- decent, fries are clearly frozen Peach Cobbler- missing any semblance of a cobbler/crust, ice cream out of grocery store branded container Really need to take down the NYT Top 50. Perhaps NYT needs to revisit. There are much better options in Houston.