It's GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up and that means restaurants throughout the state are serving up meals that showcase the wonderful ingredients and products from the Lone Star State.

I decided to check out the new kid on the block, Eleven XI, which is serving a four-course Texas tasting dinner for $39 per person ‑- all Texas beers are half off as well. The newly opened restaurant on West Gray serves a variety of dishes focusing on the Texas coast, so what better place to celebrate GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up than Eleven XI?

My boyfriend and I decided to split the tasting menu and pair it with the Eleven XI salad complete with three lettuce wedges, heirloom tomatoes, grilled baby vegetables and a cranberry vinaigrette ‑- highly recommended.

The first course starts with two Gulf grilled oysters covered with a crispy topping of Parmesan Reggiano, diced tomatoes, Texas pecan pesto and apple-wood smoked bacon. The two oysters, brought straight from the Gulf, are delicate and salty and pair nicely with the warm cheese topping. The nuttiness from the pesto with the chunks of salty and sweet bacon is a nice surprise. Squeeze a little bit of the lemon juice on top for a wonderful complement to the saltiness from the cheese and oyster. All in all this is a great dish to start the tasting menu. It's also available on the regular menu, so you can still enjoy these grilled oysters after GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up ends.