Guests Still Here!

I'm going to give a brief post with restaurant updates - whenever you have company, you end up in a lot of restaurants!

Pirates Landing, June 28, 2011
After a wonderful morning with Scarlet Colley doing a dolphin watch, we descended on Pirate's Landing so my son could have his mandatory Shrimp Po'boy.  We had an exceptional waitress named Jennie and she "ta da" brought us fresh hot rolls (see previous post).  She said it is not the standard but she likes to do it.  Guess I can't count on it, but it was a great way to take the edge off of the hunger!  The orders were Shrimp Po-boys (on their homemade bread), Fried Fish Po-boy (huge portions), the teen's requisite burger and waffle fries, and the grandkids got chicken strips and a grilled cheese.  Everyone raved that their food was awesome, and I concurred.  Pirate's Landing is back in my good graces!



Shrimp Haus, June 29, 2011
During the strong rain storm (an outer band of TS Arlene), we took shelter at Shrimp Haus since we were spending the day at Schlitterbahn Water Park.  We were chilled from the strong wind and I had a great cup of chili chicken soup (a spicy broth, generous chunks of chicken, corn, cilantro), and an appetizer of "Bahnditos" which were like a chimechanga...burrito sized tortillas wrapping up shrimp, cheese, peppers, and other goodies...then deep fried.  Served with a spicy mayonnaise for dipping, it was pretty darn good!  The eldest had shrimp ceviche with fresh tortilla chips...he said the chips were stale so that was a misnomer.  The shrimp ceviche was "pretty good" he said.  My middle son's fish tacos were thumbs down.  The grandkids had a kid's meal pizza and a chicken strips meal - both were good they said.  The teen had...you guessed it, hamburger and fries.



Dirty Al's Pelican Station, Port Isabel, June 30, 2011
Awesome food, rotten service.  Either our waiter was spread too thin or he just was inattentive.  We sat with empty drinks for some time and he didn't stop back to see if we needed any condiments after the food was served so my son's food got cold as he waited for someone to come so he could get some Dirty Al's sauce for his shrimp platter.  We had fried calamari and the Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (again with the packaged crackers which made me unwrap about 10 packages!).  The food was really good.  The oldest son tried to get a margarita with no sweet and sour...but our waiter couldn't seem to grasp the concept so that was less than optimal again, in the service arena.



Bayside Cafe and Deli, Laguna Vista, July 1, 2011
The oldest son and I went for a late breakfast - he said it's not a trip to Mom's house without eating at "Sandy's place".  He went wade fishing all morning out in the bay in front of the condo and was starving when he came in.  I had dropped the teen off to work at the Sea Life Center and so we headed over to the cafe for a basic breakfast - eggs, bacon/sausage, hash browns, toast/biscuits, coffee/juice.  We both inhaled our food in about 15 minutes and sighed happily.  Thumbs up for the local joint!



Wanna Wanna, July 1, 2011
We walked down the beach and stopped at Wanna Wanna for some nachos and drinks.  My oldest son had a delicious margarita on the rocks.  So many places use sweet and sour in their margaritas...which he doesn't like...and they used lime juice with the triple sec and tequila.  I sipped it and it WAS very good.  The nachos were crisp and generous...the teen and I just had soft drinks.  Very pleasant sitting on the outdoor deck by the ocean.



Grapevine Cafe, July 2, 2011
The oldest, the youngest, and I all went for breakfast at Grapevine this morning.  Grumpy teen made the atmosphere tense, but the food was outstanding and the service was fast and efficient.  Nice.
The teen had thick French toast with a side of bacon, and it looked delicious.  The elder had eggs ranchero with refries, homemade tortillas, an extra side of bacon and hashbrowns, and fresh squeezed orange juice.  He was a totally happy camper.  I had a fresh fruit, granola, and yogurt parfait which was delicious, as usual, and I had a side of bacon and a cup of Pura Vida coffee...strong but good.



Other than that, we've made spaghetti at home, homemade pizzas from the dough I prepped, pigs in a blanket for breakfast, and a traditional eggs, sausage, and biscuits breakfast another morning.  The elder son grilled some dynamite steaks last night at my friend Ann's house.  We had grilled purple onion and bacon-wrapped grilled asparagus to go with them.  Their dog, Nelson, thoroughly enjoyed the porterhouse bone and has become best buds with my older son.  Outstanding meal, with fresh sweetened strawberries over angel food cake with whipped cream for dessert...can you say waddle, waddle???

That's the food report...it's going great so far...it's 4th of July week-end, the island is hopping, and the weather has cleared up and is great!  The only down side is lots of sargassum on the beach from TS Arlene and still having very high tides thanks to the tropical storm as well.  Still, no place I'd rather be!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!