F&B — Restaurant in South Padre Island

Having previously dined at F&B on New Year’s Eve when we visited South Padre, we made reservations for NYE again this year. Our previous meal here went well with good food and top notch service so we had no qualms about paying $150 per person again for the prix fixe meal. Our server seemed a little new and tried really hard to upsell, but he was attentive, nice, and kept our drinks full and plates cleared. However, we were sorely disappointed in the food this time. My husband and I both ordered the same meal- I am severely allergic to scallops, so we ordered the beef option. Our starter was King Crab soup, which had good flavor and pieces of crab but the temperature of the soup was ridiculously low. We like our soup to be extra hot but this was just warm. Second course was Lobster Ravioli which was served at an even lower temperature than the soup. The sauce was okay but I expected much more from the sauce. The ravioli was too far on the crunchy side of al dente, it definitely needed to be cooked longer. And I am someone who really appreciates a good al dente pasta. The filling was awfully dry and rather skimpy. Main course was Braised Beef Short Ribs over Parmesan Polenta with a black truffle au jus. I really wanted to enjoy this course as the two previous courses were disappointing. I immediately took a bite of polenta and was very shocked that it was room temperature. The meat too was room temperature, and I had to scoop a bite of polenta from under the meat to even find a semblance of lukewarm warmth. I looked over at my husband and he set his fork down and told me a story of one time when he was terribly snowed in out in the country and had to eat a can of Alpo dog food. And that is how he knows that our overcooked beef short ribs both tasted and looked like canned Alpo dog food. Can’t just add truffles to make it a fancy feast, it will still taste like Fancy Feast. The Polenta was too gummy for me and the sauce wasn’t great. I finished my meat so as to not be hungry after an expensive meal but my husband did not. Dessert was a Strawberry Soufflé which took quite a while to come out. The Soufflé and the ramekin were extremely hot which was rather odd after our previous under temperature courses. The accompanying vanilla bean chantilly cream was perfectly whipped and scooped but not perfectly enough to make up for...

Our reservation was for 9:30, we arrived at F&B at 9:38. We had a party of 10, unfortunately 4 guests could not arrive. We let our waiter know of this change, after this, we waited a hour and thirty minutes for them to say that our food was being plated… mind you we are a mixer crowd of Mexican and black people. All of the crowds that cane in on, or after us were seated directly in front of us. Multiple crowd that came in before us received their food, and left… the staff were having conversations with other guests, workers leaving, chefs visibly in the open and no food to be found. I hate that to label this a racial thing but the fact of the matter was, our waiter hadn’t came back to us since saying “your food is being plated”, 30-40 minutes ago. There was no, check in to see how we were doing, there was no letting us know it would take longer…we walked out. Upon walking out what seem to the manager gave us a goodbye and thank you for coming and hoped we enjoyed the food…where we were sitting was right in the from, where she was taking pictures of people who had already gotten their food. Literally feet away from from us… once we officially gotten out of the restaurant she then came after us as we were already in the car…we had a conversation, she claims to tell me that we were instructed that it would take a long time… considering that I am a military retiree, I take and hear everything and can track time with the best of them. I disclosed to her all the times her staff cane and gave us any information, and the only time was 30-40 minutes before we left that out food was apparently getting plated. The manager also claimed that “your food is almost ready” how when it was getting plated 30-40 minutes ago? Btw the manager looked over at our table and had zero initiative to actually come and greet us, or check on us at all! Took pictures with personnel who “looked” the part to be there… considering I was going to pay for whatever my family wanted to eat, it was six of us and I alone was going to foot the bill. This establishment is garbage, rude, and has terrible customer service, past taking pictures of guest with the appearance to be there. Beware if you don’t look like you...

F&B SPI is a "must do" dining experience for anyone who appreciates simple, locally sourced ingredients transformed into gastronomical masterpieces. With a pedigree that includes top gun culinary experience in New Orleans and Las Vegas, Owner/Chef Walter Greenwood has created a dining experience that is easily a top 3 of the "best Texas coastal restaurants."

Our beginning courses included the soup du jour, potato leek soup, and an artichoke and mushroom salad. Both were exquisite, and set the tone for the evening. Having read in advance that Chef Walter repertoire includes fresh homemade pasta, we ordered the Texas Ragu pasta special as an additional course before our entrees. The pasta was made to order, and was served perfectly al dente. The ragu sauce that accompanied the pasta was sublime, that included Texas rabbit. An incredible dish.

The evening's entrees included the 18 oz ribeye a whole branzino. The steak was grilled to perfection, served at precisely the right temperature. The branzino was stuffed with lemons, herbs, etc. that highlighted the freshness of the fish. Both entrees were fantastic!

We rarely order dessert. But, we could not take a pass on the fresh key lime pie. Key Lime and Chocolate martinis were the perfect match for what has to be one of the best key lime pies ever made. If you only stop by F&B for dessert (not recommended), you will be amazed.

The wine list was less than 50 bottles, but the selection was a very thoughtful compilation of wines from around the world, with a small tip of the cap to Italian wines, given that fresh pastas are a mainstay on the menu. The wines were all very modestly priced, something for every palate and pocketbook. Our selection of Illumination (2017) by Quintessa was delicious.

F&B (which simply stands for Food and Beverage) provides diners with a 5 star epicurean dining adventure. Some might say it's a bit pricey, but as with all things in life, you get what you pay for. At F&B, you get the finest cuisine offered on the...