Eat All the Way South to the Padre Island

You heard surprise party, did you ever try surprise vacation?
It's a gift to our middle school graduate. He loves beach, fishing, and seafood. Enjoy a lot of time thinking, along, and grow and smart.

The sea lives in every one of us. Seafood as well?  ^_^

I like always eat local when travel, and yes, mom's just such an expert to google food reviews whenever kids asking what's next when driving in the middle of nowhere. 

The sauce makes the whole dish stand out. 

There is no better way to eat seafood than fry~ fry~fry them all. My typical boys. Old and young. 

Got my whole red snapper from local Oyster Bar and it was quite well. (Not giant as I thought ^_*). Love the sweetness of grilled onion pair it with local hot sauce. 

When we spent an evening by the bay side for dinner, nothing works better for me than a wine, snow crab legs, and a perfect sunset. While, for boys, no meal is a real meal if without cattle: prime rib is good indeed tonight!

 Pasta. The third one is the best seafood pasta ever. Everything is possible on a famous pier.

If you get so close to the border, it is so nature to do Mexican food. Love the long time local fav Isabel's Cafe. Not fancy but generations' of hard working and great "real" Mexican BF & lunch.  Even the milk is very milk, juice is very juice, coffee... is true Mexico :)

Spanish cafe famous for their signature French Toast. MmmMmmGood. (butter & syrup decor credit to me)

 Have you ever try BF Contodo in such a size?! It is not big, it is huge!

The Mexican Migas Deluxe to the front right is outstanding. 

Pancakes. Who ordered before check the size...

Snack or dessert. So spicy sweet lollipop. 

Don't miss their in house hot sauce when eat Mexican food. It always their secrete recipe and takes time and effort to make. I love the heat and smoothness within. 

All right. No beach vacation is complete if no own caught fishes from beach house. A tiny kitchen won't hold me to cook a lot.

There are some food you always miss badly if you don't eat three days in a row. Like, rib eye?

When we are talking what's local @Gulf Coast, sure should be shrimp and oyster. Life is good, when bake a giant pan of 10-16/lb shrimp. They are almost smaller size lobster. With very limited, garlic, pepper, butter and lemon work well on oysters and shrimps 

No fancy plate or knife, the dinner is such high in protein. 

You cannot believe how many fishes we throw back to sea. But still have a lot in kitchen. We pan grilled, sauté, also just boil a pot of milky fish soup. Simple, delicious, and kids get amazed fresh fish can make soup good compare to their fav ramen noodle port bone soup base.

The Sharkarita is very strong. For a very few time I almost cannot finish it and feel a bit drunk on the island, on a first night :) 

The sweetness of Japanese Plum Wine goes very well with my Asian cooking seafood. Finish the whole bottle, no drunk. 

There are some pre-breakfast before breakfast. Mom's black coffee & "endless" fruits of course, and their cannot-wait-if-order-takes-too-long-pre-noodle-cup. 

  

Joke of the morning: kid open the lid and shocked: wow, mom! This instant noodle comes with lettuce *_* (apparently, he is never working in kitchen or not totally wake up yet, or both) 

On the way back home, their comfort eats in an old small town. Pizza is always the best if you eat right upon out of oven.