Page 41 - Ma 2023 Galveston Monthly

Deep fried wings with house-made mango
habanero sauce from venados cantina.

distilled and bottled in Galveston and available in 500 road, they built out the commercial space surrounding
stores across the state. Hair Tech which remains on the premises.
At that time, they moved Buck’s West into their new
haBanero ChiCken Wings building and opened venados Cantina, serving coastal Tex-
venados cantina @ buck’s west Mex cuisine. Tim’s wife Melanie Quiroga-Buck stepped in
16510 Termini-San Luis Pass Road in Jamaica Beach as general manager of the restaurant in March of 2023.

Head chef Abelardo “A.B.” Garza created the recipe for spiCY CraWfish WiTh The fiXings
this classic staple using fresh, never frozen, chicken wings viet cajun seafood & pho House
that are seasoned and marinated overnight in a special 8910 Seawall Boulevard, Suite E
blend of spices. venados means “male deer” in Spanish;
meant to be a play on the name of the bars also owned by Husband-and-wife team kim Pisith Meak and Puthly Da
the Buck brothers—Buckshot Saloon and Buck’s West. Phuon bought viet-Cajun Seafood and Pho house from
The spicy wings at venados Cantina are sauced two their aunt in early 2023.
ways—with a mango habanero or a Buffalo sauce. The restaurant opened in 2020 at the height of the
Assorted fresh chiles and bell peppers, cilantro, onion, and COvID lockdown, but it is now running at full speed and
garlic are cooked down and mango puree and habaneros is often crowded for a good reason; the food is incredibly
are added. The Buffalo sauce is also made in-house from flavorful and hits high marks for super spice seekers.
assorted fresh chiles and cooked down with a vinegar The extra spicy crawfish will have you mopping your
base. The wings are meaty, served as a generous portion, brow in minutes. This dish is a ten-out-of-ten on the spice
and have a medium to high spice level. scale and is usually available through June, depending on
Long-time island residents, business partners and the crawfish season. As is usually the case when ordering
brothers, Joey and Tim Buck opened Buck’s West in a strip crawfish, there is an extra charge for sausage, corn, and
space in Jamaica Beach in 2003. In 2022 just down the potatoes. GM

MAY 2023 | GALVESTON MONTHLY | 41