austinfoodie's Profile
South Padre / Port Isabel Recs
We, too, love to get fresh seafood from B&A in Port Isabel and do some cooking ourselves. They make their own cocktail sauce, loved it. Didn't get to try their ceviche.
Wanna Wanna was our new discovery. We sat on the Gulf side under a thatched roof with cool breezes. It was too warm at the tables under the awning. The menu includes burgers, fresh fried shrimp and fish, ceviche featuring shrimp, fish, cilantro, avocado and tomato, nachos which are really chips and queso and corndog. All were yummy. 5100 Gulf Blvd
Wahoo Saloon on the bayside was as cool as ever. The menu features ceviche same as Wanna Wanna but the cumin moves it up a notch for me, angus beef burgers, chicago hot dogs, marinated grilled chicken sandwich (I don't know what is in the marinade, but the chicken comes out tender and juicy) and boiled shrimp that was so sweet I felt I had just put a packet of sugar in my mouth. We take our children, but arrive around 6:30 or so and spend the time waiting for sunset eating and drinking while they play on the beach. If you arrive too late, management will not let you in with children. 201 W Pike St
De Luna never disappoints for fine dining. Chef De Luna is internationally recognized and the restaurant caters to the Monterrey crowd who arrive later in the evening 9-10pm. We eat so much earlier than that and literally have the restaurant to ourselves. We sip martinis watch the boat traffic and the sunset. We feasted on Hawaiian Poke (Pokee) sashimi tuna, sesame, crunchy light seaweed, avocado and mango with leaves from a plant from the mustard family to make wraps. That was a flavor I've never experienced and loved. My daughter always gets the beef carpaccio. Fresh tasting beef with excellent balsamic vinegar and capers. Their dipping sauce for bread is made with the same balsamic vinegar and oil and is thick. A stand out entree was the shrimp in light rosemary oil with risotto. Perfect risotto. When we go back in October I want to try the lamb with indian spices. There is a lighter fare restaurant in the bar area that is cheaper and seems really popular at the earlier time of day but we haven't tried it yet. 201 W Coral
We ran out of time and did not get to try Dirty Al's as Ibobi suggested. Next time. :)
South Padre / Port Isabel Recs
We're heading down to SoPa next week. On past trips, we've liked
Wahoo Saloon on the bay side
Manuel's in Port Isabel
De Luna on the bay side
Looking for all kinds of recs including the best place for fried shrimp or fried fish.
Thanks.
Local and Organic
Also... Opal Devine's, Whole Foods Market, Mother's Cafe (after they re-open) and Kerbey Lane Cafe. RuBy's BBQ on Guadalupe has natural beef.
Iconic Food place on Cape Cod
We never miss Giordano's in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard. It is home style Italian Food and Pizza. We feel comforted after lots of walking and sightseeing. They only take cash. Also, the Fishmonger near the draw bridge at Wood's Hole is a favorite. They empasize organic food and have an eclectic and good wine list. Folk dancing is a hoot next door at the community hall on the first Wed of the month.
Local and Organic
Eastside Cafe on Manor Rd has a garden, on site, that is nice to stroll through. If you're going at lunch, try making a reservation to cut down on the wait. Wink on Lamar Blvd. is another restaurant that features local food. The tasting menu with wine pairings in the evening is incredible. The dishes show subtlety with many layers of taste. They use salt well. The wine pairings are what I look for: the food and the wine sort of meld and become a whole new flavor.
Mashpee Cape Cod Lobster
When we visit the Cape, we like the lobster roll at the Raw Bar at the Popponesset MarketPlace. It is full of claw and tail meat and not too much mayo. The rum punches are yummy and make us feel like we're in the Caribbean. Don't throw away the cherries. They've been soaked in Bacardi 151. Yow!
Great Patios in the Spring
Chuy's 183 is a lot of fun for the kids too. There's a big yard to run around in. Although they've recently posted signs asking you to keep your kids with you, mob rule prevails and the kids have a blast. The heaters are nice in fall and early spring.
Jaspers is now open in the Domain
We started our night with classic martinis which arrived exactly as we ordered them and very cold. Our shrimp and pork tend appetizer was overcooked, but our foccacia was awesome. The wine list had some great options and not as overpriced as some restaurants. Darioush-$89 Our entrees were perfect. The pork tenderloin was medium rare and like butter. The bass was lightly breaded in a lovely buerre blanc. The truffled potatoes were so good that I didn't leave room for dessert. Which is a shame because that menu looked great. Our server, Joe, was attentive and had a sense of humor. My only caution, don't sit anywhere near the patio doors. They slam constantly and are really loud and distracting in a place with soothing color and music.
Good Indian Food in Austin
We eat weekly at the lunch buffet at Bombay Bistro. It's in the strip center near HEB at the corner of Braker and 183. It is consistently good and full of variety.
