Christina P.
Yelp
Have been to a few restaurants on South Padre while there for conferences and haven't been "wowed" by any of them, but F&B would be my hands-down #1 choice for a nice dinner out.
My colleague and I took a client out to dinner - you don't want to look like you're treating a client poorly, so you want to choose the best place - and I think we did it!
Clean, calm, island- chic vibe, with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Our waiter had an extensive knowledge of the menu and even offered recommendations based on our preferences. Menu has good variety, with a fresh catch of the day, local seafood, as well as seafood brought in from elsewhere. There was also lamb from New Zealand, Venison, I think from PA, and more.
Our guest ordered ceviche, which she said was great, and I ordered the crab cake for a starter, which had good flavor and a beautiful presentation, however, was a little mushy in texture. My colleague ordered the chicken, which she said was wonderfully cooked, and she loved the jerk spices in the sauce that accompanied it. I had the seafood pappardelle, which had wonderful flavors and again beautiful presentation. The noodles were cooked perfectly, but the seafood was a bit overdone and chewy, but not horribly so.
I watched a server de-bone the whole red snapper table-side at a table close by, which was impressive! I want to go back just to try it.
We were all excited for our shared key line soufflé dessert, which was pretty (in attaching pictures), but I missed the tangy zip I would associate with key lime. My colleague said she thought it was bland as well.
I don't want to end on a bad note, so I'll say that although the food missed the mark a little, this meal was still far and away the best meal I have had on the island in my handful of visits for business. The restaurant staff, cleanliness, and ambiance are worth going for, too. I definitely recommend and would go back every time I'm in the area and want to have a beautiful dinner.