Good food and a prohibition on cussing are paying off for The Terrace Café in Kemah.

R&R TV plans to feature the 609 Bradford St. eatery in the debut episode of "The Perfect Gentleman," to air sometime in September. (I’ll let you know when I get an exact date.)

The show, attempts to prepare men for a date, Terrace Café owner Richard Puccetti said.

“The reason they picked The Terrace Café was because of the food, the watch-your-language theme (because the perfect gentlemen would not cuss) and the fact that I do all of the cooking,” Puccetti said.

Here’s the message on a sign over the bar at The Terrace Café:
“The bartender determines what is or isn’t bad language. And even if it’s in the Bible, that does not make it acceptable. Thou shalt not cuss.”

Puccetti’s family owns Sonny’s Place on the island. The popular eatery also frowns on profanity. I wrote this article for that eatery’s 60-year anniversary.

Of course, a perfect gentleman would be sure to take his date to where there’s good food and wouldn't mutter about valet parking. But I digress.

While filming, Puccetti served lasagna, spaghetti and meat sauce and his famous grilled muffuletta to the host.

Signature drinks include the chocolate martini, the Kemah Libre (made with San Leon’s Railean Rum) and the Bomb Pop, which Puccetti said tastes like the frozen treat.

All this has me wondering about the best places to take dates. Oh, and the worst places, too.

My first real date with the man who is now my husband was at Café Noche in Houston.

Here’s a little history of Café Noche.

What stood out was the soft lighting and the really good food. The restaurant was nice enough, without being too chi-chi. But it wasn’t cheap and that made an impression. He was a college student without a lot of money. Oh, and the margaritas were perfect.

So tell us about the best date places, or your best first dates.

And ladies, are there any perfect gentlemen out there?

Any advice out there for young men planning a big date?

Last year, Landry's Restaurants Inc. announced it would restore the hurricane-ravaged Flagship Hotel and return amusement rides to the historic pier.

But yesterday, while reporting this Biz Buzz, I got word that crews were preparing the 225-room hotel for demolition not restoration. I'm hearing that Landry's is now considering demolishing the hotel but still plans to build amusement rides and restaurants on the pier.

I posed the question about demolition directly to Landry's representatives. Here's the answer I got back today:

“Landry’s Restaurants Inc. is in the early stages of clean-up efforts and removing hurricane damaged remains at the Flagship in Galveston, Texas. As we previously mentioned, undertaking a project of this magnitude and complexity take a tremendous amount of coordination, planning and approvals.

"Landry’s is in the process of refining plans to submit to the City of Galveston for approval. They expect to have those plans submitted this fall. Once the plans receive city approval, the redevelopment will commence. Landry’s remains committed to this exciting new project and we are looking forward to bringing a world-class entertainment experience to Galveston Island.”

A lot of people have complained that the Flagship is such a prominent eyesore, something must be done. Would you be happy to see the building demolished as long as a viable tourist attraction replaced it?

Those rumors that Sam’s Club would leave its 9300 Emmett F. Lowry Expressway site in Texas City in order to build a store in La Marque are false, officials confirm.

I finally spoke with a Sam's Club spokeswoman Monday who said the Texas City Sam's Club is about to get spruced up. The work will include a new exterior paint job and new signage.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Sam’s Club, which is owned by Walmart, also offers free Wi-Fi at all its stores, the company announced earlier this month. The free Wi-Fi will be available at Sam’s Club by November.

I was surprised and a little sad Thursday to see crews demolishing what most locals call the “Old Kelso House,” 8219 Teichman Road.

The red-brick house sat on the banks of Offatts Bayou for 70 years. I pass it going to and leaving work.

Construction mogul W.A. Kelso built the house in 1940. It boasted 9,022 square feet in three levels and stood on prime waterfront land. For awhile, it was marketed as a bed and breakfast under the name Beau Rivage. The building is zoned commercial, last time I checked at least.


Crews on Thursday demolish the 70-year-old Kelso House on Offatts Bayou.

I don’t know how much water it took in during Hurricane Ike, but
I’m guessing a lot.

Dominick and Barbara Sasser bought the foreclosed property from Union Planters bank about six years ago.

The Galveston Central Appraisal District’s website on Thursday was having technical problems, so I couldn’t confirm whether the Sassers still own the property.

My memories of the house are mostly tied to scandal. James and Ella Ramey owned the property before the Sassers.

I had attempted to visit the estate when the Rameys owned it. I wasn’t welcome and almost got run over by a car.

I was working on this story about how consumers from Canada to Florida who had sent thousands of dollars to the 8219 Teichman Road address to pay for gold they bought on the Internet.

Those consumers say they got the shaft, not the gold and had lodged complaints to law enforcement officials.

Do any of you have fond memories of the house? Are you sad to see it go?

A rumor is being shopped around that Sam's Club is planning a store next to Walmart, 6410 Interstate 45 in La Marque.

While that may be good news for La Marque, there's also talk that the La Marque store would replace the Texas City store.

As you'll read in Tuesday's Biz Buzz, I was unable to get confirmation from either city officials or Sam's Club representatives. So this could all be pure poppycock. But if it's true, is it good news for any shoppers out there?

I could be wrong, but I think there's only one Sam's Club in the entire county, in Texas City. The nearest other one is on El Dorado Boulevard in the Clear Lake area.

Any Sam's shoppers out there? Where would you like to see a store built?

Could betting correctly on where hurricanes make landfall become a way for consumers to cover gaps in their insurance or just make a little money off a popular pasttime?

Ken Horowitz, who founded Cellular One in the infancy of the cell phone age, thinks so.

Horowitz has created a new financial product called a Hurlo, short for Hurricane Risk Landfall Option.

Previously, the Hurlo was only available to the very wealthy and hedge funds. But now, Horowitz' company Weather Risk Solutions is marketing availability to “average homeowners” and small businesses to hedge their storm risk.

Through online trading, participants make a bet on a storm striking on any of 74 coastal counties or regions on the East or Gulf coasts. The option premiums are pooled. When a hurricane strikes, the pool of money is divided among those who correctly picked where the hurricane would make landfall.

There's a 75th option, which is that hurricane won't make landfall in a selected region.

If a homeowner or business owner lives in a storm-struck county and bought options as a hedge, then the payout could be enough to offset the discrepancy between what insurance covers and the actual out-of-pocket expenses consumers must pay for storm damage, according to Weather Risk Solutions.

Hurlos are meant to supplement, not replace insurance, according to the firm.

The trading platform closes 48 hours before a storm’s predicted landfall. That's kind of interesting, since three days out from a storm, the National Hurricane Center forecast is dialed in pretty tight.

If I were betting today that a storm would hit Galveston-Chamber counties, I'd pay $30.50 for a single option, according to a demo account on the company's website.

If I'm right, that option pays $997.40. If I bought 12 options, I'd get $11,968.

So what do you think? Is this all just a form of online gambling or a smart way reduce your losses after a hurricane, or both?

Galveston Island Paintball, 9020 Stewart Road, is alive and well. I bring this up because some readers e-mailed to say otherwise. Those readers may have gotten the impression that the venture, which opened in April, had closed after employees moved the playing field to a different area at the site, owner Stacy Young said.

Galveston Island Paintball moved the playing field as it prepares for a major tournament on the island dubbed "Warm-up for World Cup." The World Cup of paintball is in Florida this year. Young is working to replicate the Florida field to give teams practice for the The World Cup, he said.

"I'm offering a dry run," Young said.

But first crews must level the entire playing surface on the island field, which was formerly a driving range and is tiered.

Next month's Warm-Up for World Cup tournament will bring 10 teams, each with eight members and their families, to the island.

Also, Young is working with the city to bring much larger tournaments to the island, he said.
After he launched the business, he got a call from the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau about attracting those large tournaments, he said.

"It made me feel good that the city was behind me," Young said.

So, there you have it. Galveston Island Paintball is still open for business. Anyone been or plan to go?