My name is the SPI Flip Flop Foodie....

...and I am addicted to PadreRitaVille Nachos. 

I think about the chips when I've gone too long without them...
I think about the beans and the chicken and the beef....
I think about the guacamole and sour cream.

Today, I gave in to my obsession...again.  I can't seem to help myself.
I'm paying for it though.
I ate almost the entire container of jalapenos (served on the side)
I ate a handful of diced red onion sprinkled on the nachos
I ate almost all of the delicious salsa
I picked all of the globs of melted cheese off the plate...

I have indegestion

I have taken Ranitidine

I have chewed Tums when the Ranitidine didn't work sufficiently to douse the burn in my belly...

I even tried to coat my stomach with... chocolate (it seemed smart at the time)

Is it wrong, nay even SICK of me, that I will make it through this horrible discomfort,
and think of returning to
those evil geniuses at PadreRitaVille?

There is something terribly, terribly wrong with me.

Can you blame me?
PadreRitaVille Nachos

Eating with Gusto!

My niece and her husband were visiting the island this week.  It was soooo windy all week that they only got one good day on the beach.  I think they enjoyed the after-festival viewing of the sand castles from Sand Castle Days and just hanging out at their hotel.  We had dinner together at Gabriella's on Tuesday evening and enjoyed talking smack with our jovial waiter.  We plowed through the delectable calamari with marinara sauce in under 5 minutes.  I need to teach the teen how to truly "share" a shared appetizer!  He ate most of it, the piggy!  Holly and I both had Bowtie Pasta Carbonara - it was awesome.  The intensely flavorful asiago cheese has just the right bite for the rich creamy sauce.  Big pieces of bacon didn't hurt either as well as thin bite sized pieces of chicken!  Really, it was about perfect.  We both took leftovers home (and I greatly enjoyed mine for lunch the next day).  Her husband had Pasta a la Tonno which featured a flaky yellow fin tuna over linguini with a creamy pink sauce - sun dried tomatoes, fire roasted red peppers, garlic and mushrooms.  It looked delicious and he cleaned his plate - so I'm guessing it was!  The teen had, surprisingly, a new dish (for him) - Shrimp fra Diava - which was a big pile of onions and peppers and Gulf shrimp over pasta with a white wine sauce.  He put a good sized dent in the dish but did say the sauce tasted too much like alcohol for him.  I think he would have been happier with a buttery garlic sauce - but I was glad he tried something new!  After the salad and bread and small antipasti plate, we had no room for dessert.  It lived up to my expectations again!  Gabriella's has a new website which I've linked here.  My complaint is that you can't see the entire menu at a reasonable size.  Hopefully their web master will get that fixed.  My old eyes can't handle that small print!  They are also now on Facebook - so "like" them here!

On Thursday we had scheduled to go to Louie's Backyard for the sunset and buffet when I saw this photo appear on Facebook!  Instead of Joe vs the Volcano...it was TONY vs the PadreRitaVille Nacho Volcano!!!

Photo by Holly Monnich

They went for a late lunch and thought they were "just getting an appetizer" when they saw what Cathy and Micheal have to offer.  It really can't be beat!  I messaged them that we could forgo dinner if desired - but they said no "you only live once" and they would meet us there before sunset!  They enjoyed watching several of the island's sand sculptors carving pumpkins at PadreRitaVille and got to meet a few as well.  I'm glad they had a good time.  I couldn't believe they still wanted dinner - but I was glad.  I haven't been to the Louie's buffet in a good while and was looking forward to it.

The evening was so windy, though, we sort of "waved" at the sun going down and scurried into the inside dining area.  We gorged on crab legs, prime rib, fried shrimp, a spicy shrimp scampi sort of dish, (I had salad I might piously add), baked potato, corn on the cob, barbecued ribs, boiled shrimp...and I don't know what else everyone had... unbelievably, we ordered a huge piece of chocolate cake for dessert.  With 4 forks though - we shared :-)

We stayed for over 2 hours and I bet they were glad when we left!  Although, I will say, we didn't eat the whole time.  We chatted and told old family stories and just had a great visit.  Service was great - they weren't crowded and our table was kept cleared and our drinks filled.  That's always a plus! 

They left this morning and are safely back in Austin.  I miss them already.  They are fun people.

As a side note, the teen was very social - he knew people working there (from school) and went out on the deck and met another person he knew out there.  It's nice to see that he's settled in so nicely here.  It was a good move for us.

Anyway - thanks Holly and Tony for the good times - and the great photo of the Nacho Volcano.  It's fun to dine out with other foodies!

PadreRitaGrill - Revisited!

My friend and I were in dire need of adult conversation and some time out of the house... so, we decided to hit PadreRitaVille for lunch Tuesday.  I suggested it in an email last week, and I baited my hook with a link to the Island Breeze article last week that had me salivating for most of the menu items mentioned.  She, being weak, like me, succumbed rapidly.  Yay! 

Today finally arrived and we hopped in the car and headed out to lunch.  I was nearly giddy with happiness!  I didn't even need to think about looking at the menu... but I did.... in great detail.  I knew, going in, that having to decide between a volcano of nachos and the Tuesday lunch special, Shrimp Scampi, was nigh impossible...but I managed.  Up until the last minute it was going to be the special and then I had a quick step switch to the Nachos.  My friend got the special so I can speak to both.

My 1/2 order of supreme nachos were delicious - I had beef this time since I had chicken before.  The chips were delicious, generous dollop of guacamole (freshly made) on top and fresh salsa, jalapenos, and sour cream on the side.  Piled high with beans, cheese, onion, (skipped the tomatoes), and a LOT of nicely-seasoned ground beef....overall, excellent.  I couldn't eat more than half of the half order.  It was an extremely generous serving.  The $6 lunch special my friend got was deemed very good (and I challenge you to find a lunch like that for the price anywhere else on the island).  It started with a mixed lettuce with tomato and red onion side salad.  The entree was served on a large, very attractive, pewter fish-shaped platter filled with pasta topped with shrimp and a tasty garlicky butter sauce; broccoli on the side, and garlic toast.  (there were other side choices, she chose broccoli)   My meal, with iced tea was in the $15 range and my friend's was $8 before tip.  She had a generous mug of freshly made French Roast coffee and said it was delicious.  I opted for iced tea and it was as good as I remember (despite the waitress topping it off with raspberry tea instead of regular tea - I'm not a raspberry tea fan - I didn't have the heart to tell her at that point).

I'm sure restaurant owners wish people would stop taking pictures of their food with their cell phones - I read an article in Bon Appetit magazine that said so - but I feel irresistibly compelled when something is so exciting to me that I think the whole world needs to see it!  I held off because I kept imagining my mother giving me the stern "big eyes" if she saw me.  I had my camera in my purse, but by the time the food was in front of me, I was starved and just dug in.  It was delicious.  Unfortunately, that leaves me - again - with no pictures from PadreRitaVille!

The follow-up visit was as good as the previous visit.  There was a slight mis-step in both of our orders arriving "not as ordered", but it was taken care of pretty darn quickly.  We weren't overly concerned because we were gabbing.  The shift manager checked in a couple of times and apologized for the beginning mis-step.  No problemo.  Regardless of the few service bleeps, I continue to totally enjoy the food here.  Really nice.

I want to come back for dinner - the "steak night" special has been luring me for a couple of weeks now.  However, I'm finding now that school is back in session, homework is abundant, and eating out on a week-night is just not feasible unless there is a special occasion (like no homework for the teen or a parade).  I also know I need to keep trying new places...but, by golly, I just want to go back to PadreRitaVille so I can try some more of their menu.  It all looks soooo good!

If you haven't made it by - you MUST go...  'nuf said!

UPDATE 1/3/2014
My son and I had a delicious lunch here on a gorgeous January day on the island.  Excellent prices for delicious food.  I continue to love PadreRittaGrill! (note name change)

Here's the slightly edited update from my Facebook page:

"Yummy lunch at PadreritaGrill Spi with Ian Hook. Outstandingly creamy and delicious Tomato Basil Soup with a plentiful and diverse Salad Bar for me. Generous Shrimp Po'Boy with fries for him. Mine was great and he said his was really good. (high praise from the usual shoulder shrug)  All for a reasonable price. "

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

4 – Lip smackin’ - good quality – flip flops will definitely be parked under their table again!