Laguna BOB

My oldest is down for a slightly post-birthday visit.  He likes to come down around his birthday and gifts himself with a fishing excursion and lots of relaxing fishing (wade, jetties, piers, docks, whatever he finds).  Today, however, the inestimable Captain Jack Barton once again scored for my boys.  Jay and Ian caught a ton of fish (some of it catch and release) and ended up with one trout and 5 big Red Drums.  We will be having Red Drum for dinner, that's for sure!

They were out of the house at 6:00 a.m. and home around noon.  They wanted a shower and FOOD.  Ian requested lunch on the island.  I knew Jay's "things to do" list ALWAYS includes ceviche from Laguna BOB (previously Wahoo's).  He was thrilled to find the ceviche hadn't changed when he first came down after the closing of Wahoo's and the opening of Laguna BOB.  Both of my older boys find this to be one of their favorite spots for sitting around, drinking a margarita or a beer, and munching on ceviche.

So, with that knowledge, I suggested we go there for lunch.  Mr. Flip Flop was not so happy - he is not a big fan of lunchtime outdoor dining...with the record heat and high humidity he was groaning and moaning...but he's a trouper and said he'd come along.  We got rained on HARD as we were passing through Port Isabel and driving over the causeway, but by the time we got to the lovely bay front location, there was just a bit of sprinkling going on.  Fortunately, they have expanded and provided so much more covered seating, that even at 1:30 on a Saturday on Labor Day Week-end, we found covered seating and a few napkins got rid of most of the wetness on the tables.  Our butts were damp in the chairs, but hey, it was COOL outside and for that we were immensely grateful!

You order at the bar, can run a tab with plastic, and they deliver your food to the table, calling out your name as they come.  The brought all the correct condiments, were very friendly, and we had a fabulous meal with enough food to fill any one's belly!  Jay and Will like coming off-season and chatting with the friendly bartenders.  They've always liked the casual, laid-back environment.

We knew Ian would be having a hamburger...and he did.  What he won't do is wait around for Mom to take a photo...hence, a half eaten burger by the time I snapped everyone else's photos.  The teen and the Dad are now growling at me for taking food photos.  They are growing more and more irritated by it.  Tough, I say.  It's what I do!

Here I am getting "the look" for interrupting his chowing down!

My Jay ordered a large ceviche and a margarita, frozen, with a shot of tequila on the side.  He said his arm ached from fishing all morning...but by the time the tequila hit his empty gullet, he was starting to feel much better.  I will say, I have tried ceviche twice and hated it both times...but, since Will and Jay both say this is the best they've ever eaten...I gave it a try.  It was DELICIOSA!  The difference is the excellent flavor balance and the small pieces of fish.  The last time I ate ceviche it tasted like raw fish in lime juice - big chunks...and nothing else.  This, however, was a work of art with the perfect balance of spice, heat, herbal, and citrus.  Really, really good.


This is a large ceviche...he couldn't even eat half of it!

 

That is one contented man!
Fishin', margarita, and ceviche...in that order :-)

 

I ordered a Grilled Chicken Club (sans the tomatoes).  It had bacon, melted cheese, moist chicken, and was served on a light onion roll.  Excellent - made excellent by really good bacon.  So often I find restaurants take short cuts with their cheap bacon (down here anyway) and it can ruin a meal.  This was good thick tasty bacon.  Yum.  The fries were a mixture of sweet potato fries, regular white potato fries and waffle fries.  I couldn't eat many because the sandwich was so big, but I focused on the sweet potato fries and they were very tasty.

My Grilled Chicken Club needed to be cut in half for me to wrangle
in all of that bacon and other good stuff.

John had a BLT and he ate every single bite.  He, too, focused on eating his sweet potato fries.  He even finished off my sandwich for me because it was just too much.  He was pleasantly surprised at how cool it was and uncrowded and a nice view of the bayfront activity.

The BLT was a generous sandwich!!!

All-in-all, it was a great lunch.  I certainly see why my boys like it so much.  I bet it is truly an awesome place to wind down the day on a pleasant Fall or Winter's evening!  Summer is hot - so I'll leave it to the tourists and young'uns who can tolerate the heat.  I'll definitely enjoy it again in my favored non-summer seasons!

This appears to be primarily a bar environment - I don't think I'd take my kids there.  I didn't see any children present...but I could be wrong.  The menu didn't list a children's menu...just saying, in case you were wondering. 

Also, I see that they have quite a musical line-up.  Check out their Facebook page and Like them to keep up with the musical offerings!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

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

The Cafe on the Beach at The Palms Resort

Father's Day 2012... Sunday morning late, we head towards the island on a gloriously sunny beautiful day.  We motored past a few of our favorite restaurants (it was almost 11:00) looking for someplace where breakfast was still being served.  Brunch, breakfast, whatever!  Every place we rolled by was packed to the point of bulging.  I finally turned to Mr. Flip Flop and said "do you have a suggestion?"  He said, "yeah, I'd like to go to the place at the Palms, the one on the beach".  YAY!  We'd never had breakfast there and I hoped they were still serving breakfast.  Considering it was Sunday and Father's Day, I reckoned we had a decent chance.  We knew we'd have a good view even if we were nudged towards the lunch menu.

We went at JUST the right time.  There were a few tables for two left (the teen had snubbed us again) and we were right at the edge where we knew we'd have an exquisite view as soon as the sun screen was raised.  Soon thereafter, the place was packed with nary a chair to spare.  Really good timing!

The waiter everyone is staring at - he balanced 4 plates up his arm
and several drinks (like 4) in one hand...
balanced on the edge of his thumb.
He was quite entertaining and could probably get a job
in the circus if the gig at Palm doesn't work out!!!

It was already getting hot, and the breeze only hit my legs because the sun screen also blocked the breeze from the top of the railing upwards.  It wasn't unbearable, but it was pretty warm - especially after the hubs started drinking coffee.  He eventually asked for ice and poured his coffee on the rocks - iced coffee a much better idea.  I'd already been brilliant and ordered their tropical iced tea.

We were lucky that the menu said breakfast was served until noon on Saturday and Sunday!  Woo hoo!

My breakfast choice was Eggs Benedict.  My better half requested the Breakfast Taco with sausage.  I could have sworn the menu said two, but he didn't remember (and when I double checked, it didn't).  It was fine, because I couldn't eat all of my meal, it was so rich.  He ended up eating half of my meal!

Now - I didn't get to try his Breakfast Taco, but he said it was delicious.  It looked delicious!  Generously filled with scrambled eggs, pork sausage, and cheese.  A side of salsa and a small cocktail pick of fresh fruit made for a pretty plate.

My Eggs Benedict were nicely presented with a side of has browns, crisped just the way I like them, and the same spear of fresh fruit.  I felt the Hollandaise could have had just a squeeze more of lemon, but maybe that was just me.  The Canadian bacon was a generous thick slice and the eggs were perfectly poached.  The English Muffins were more dense than I would expect, but again, might have just been me.  It was a nice celebratory breakfast option that was out of the ordinary for me and I did enjoy every bite.  (I can't say the last time I've ordered Eggs Benedict anywhere!)

The sun was just peaking over the roof when we finished our meal so we never did get to linger to look at the view while dining.  I did snap a photo as we were leaving, which I'll share here.

Hello, ocean!  I love you!

It seemed as if every family was in good spirits and even if the food took a little longer than usual to get served, I don't think a single soul cared.  The staff were very attentive and jovial and it was a lovely South Padre Island Sunday and Father's Day.  The Palms is a quirky little place, with a surprisingly nice beach side cafe.  I'm glad we decided to spend Dad's special day dining at The Cafe on the Beach at the Palms Resort!

From the parking area

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Windy City - Delightful Outdoor Dining!

UPDATE:  OUT OF BUSINESS AS OF FALL 2012

Last week we were at the Light It Up Blue night for the Port Isabel Lighthouse in honor of Autism Awareness Month.  It was after 8:00 by the time we were finished and the teen was starving.  I, too was nearly gnawing nails as I had been so busy baking all day I had neglected to eat - literally - no food except for a snack package of peanut butter crackers mid-morning.  We had planned to drive across the causeway and hit up Pier 19 at the teen's request.  Then, he spotted Windy City and noted they were still open.  He begged for a Chicago-style hot dog.  I scrunched up my face and said "you don't like anything but mustard on your hot dog...do you know what they have on a Chicago Hot Dog???"  He said he didn't care, he wanted to try it.  Far be it from me to discourage a picky eater wanting to try something new!

I'd seen on their Facebook page that they were open for dinner now so we walked over and sure enough, they were open until 9:00!  It was a gorgeous evening...not overly breezy, pleasant cool temperature, and the sidewalk seating was just perfect.

We went in and ordered - he eventually opted for the Bacon Cheddar Hot Dog which was covered in onions and tomatoes (he doesn't eat tomatoes, but said he wanted to try it just the way they made it).  He got a side of fries and a soft drink and was contentedly sitting at "the sidewalk cafe", admiring the blue lighthouse.

I ordered (bad me) a Chicken-fried Chicken Breast.  They said all their sides were made fresh - homemade mashed potatoes, cream gravy, and grilled veggies with Texas Toast.  I knew I would likely be sorry I ate that rich of a meal so late at night, but I also knew I was going to be up for hours frosting 250 cupcakes...so, I figured if it might not be too bad.  I selected a freshly made lemonade with lime added.  Awesome I must say!

The teen and I chatted and waited for our food.  It was a really REALLY nice evening.  The teen ate every single bite of his hot dog...he said the tomatoes and onion were the perfect match for the dog, the bacon, and the cheddar.  He added a bit of mustard and gobbled it all down!  Wow, I was shocked.  He ate all of his fries next...then he helped me with my plate.

The first thing I tried were the grilled zucchini slices.  OMG - they were so flavorful and garlicky - with a smoky flavor from the grill.  Just incredibly delicious.  The teen tried one when I ooohed and ahhhed over them (uh, he also doesn't like zucchini).  He said they were very tasty...and had another bite.  Who is this person in my son's body???

I next cut a nice bite of the chicken-fry... oh my!  I am an admitted Chicken-fried ANYTHING snob.  I make pretty good chicken-fry myself and this was definitely up to my snobby standards.  Light coating, moist inside.  Yum.  The gravy was good, the potatoes were good...between the teen and myself, we cleaned the plate, sopping up the gravy with the Texas Toast.

Damn fine dinner!

I took these few crappy cell phone photos because my camera had been dropped off at the car enroute and I was too, too tired to go get it.  Still, you get the picture.

Fast forward a week... I'm out running errands, it's a gorgeous day in Port Isabel and I think I'll swing by Windy City and try a hot dog since Ian said they were so good.  I was disappointed to find the umbrellas down (the sun was straight overhead and I needed an umbrella if I was going to sit outdoors).  I went ahead in, thinking I might get something to go.  The server asked if I wanted to sit out back.  I didn't know there was an out back, so sure, I said.  Sounds great.

She lead me through to a veritable little oasis off the Lighthouse Square.  Who knew?  She said "why don't you sit under the tree?"  I walked out the door and stopped in my tracks when she pointed at my table underneath the most gorgeous hibiscus tree I had ever seen.  I've seen some braided trunk hibiscus plants in some big pots, and the hibiscus bushes in our complex get really big, but I have never seen an Hibiscus TREE - in full pink bloom!  I sighed in happiness and started snapping photos.  As I was gushing over the beauty, she mentioned it was THIRTY YEARS OLD!  Unbelievable.

A hibiscus blossom - I just stuck my camera up in the tree

My lunch choices were, the lemonade again...because it's awesome... and a Chili Cheese Dog with a side of pasta salad...also made fresh.  I think they use Nathan's hot dogs...that's what it tasted like, a quality beef dog...with soft poppy seed buns.  Not the traditional Texas Chili taste, but a wonderful chili that almost tasted New Mexican and didn't leave that chili after-taste.  It was really delicious. 

One of the gentlemen I had spoken to the other night came out and said "welcome back" so we chatted about my meal and I asked him about the pasta salad.  He said it was his Mom's recipe and she used to take it to potlucks, etc.  It was simple, yet delicious.  I could have eaten a huge bowl of it...probably good that I didn't.  It was, however, a generous portion.

I was pleasantly full, but not over-stuffed...just right.  For $8.48 with tax, I couldn't ask for a better lunch in such a lovely environment.  The teen is hoping we will eat there again one night this week...we'll see...but there's a good chance!

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

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