When it came time to find a place to take our family out to dinner for one evening I looked at all the restaurant choices listed at the Visitors Bureau office. By studying the available menus we had three places we felt we might have some luck. Most of the menus seemed to be heavy on fried fish, fried shrimp, fried oysters, and a few other fish choices that were grilled. Since it was 3 pm it seemed a good time to ask questions, rather than wait until all eight of us trooped into the front door and hit them with our gluten-free, casein-free, nut-free, egg-free questions.

First we stopped at Sea Ranch, one place recommended by our local Alamo Celiac member, but the doors were locked and it was dark inside, so Joe and I moved on to the next place on our list, which was right across the causeway in Port Isabel. Pelican Station was said to be our “best/safest bet” of all the choices. We walked in the front door and were lucky to meet one of the owners, Jeff Zimmerman. I explained how we were a family of eight, with six gluten-free diners wanting to enjoy one night out. He was familiar with the term gluten free, but I quickly got the idea he would be willing to learn more. I picked up a menu, and we began to discuss possible safe choices, and since I knew two of our group also have a shellfish allergy, I was looking for options. Jeff soon escorted me back to the kitchen where the woman in charge was preparing for the evening meal. She is the authority on all the seasonings, and we were able to go over the ingredients, seasonings, broth bases, salad dressings, etc.

When I asked what all was fried in with the French fries, they assured me that only fries went into one vat, and the breaded fish items in the other. I stressed how important it was for us to have oil that had not cooked any breaded items, even if the oil had been strained or cleaned. They understood.

At this point I had a “take-out” menu, annotated with my gluten-free notes, and enough choices to satisfy everyone in my group. We made a reservation and returned at the appointed hour. Our first nice surprise was that they had anticipated our return and had started a fresh, new pot of oil, in case we wanted French fries. Turns out we had eight orders of French fries and ate every last one of them. The young gluten-free children in our group never order from the kid menu, and each was delighted with their choices, although the 10 year old decided she liked her mom’s pan sautéed Red Snapper with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic better than her own chicken selection and happily cleaned Mom’s plate. The 7 year old opted for a 12-ounce New York Strip steak and ate the whole thing. Several of us ordered the “special of the day” which was “all you can eat” broiled shrimp on skewers, served with salad and the famous French fries.

Other items you could choose would be the Grilled Shrimp Tostada, grilled or pan sautéed fresh fish, or a steak. If you want chicken, there is rotisserie shredded chicken (made in house) that you could have with a salad. Or ask about the grilled chicken breast used to make a sandwich. The Pueblo Rice is gluten free, along with the salads. Other options include baked potatoes and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. There are other side dishes, but you will need to ask about them. I read the labels of all the salad dressings and highly recommend you choose a house vinaigrette (which is not listed on the menu).

Other offerings from the sea would include Starters such as Peel’n’Eat Shrimp, Oysters on the Half Shell, or Shrimp Nachos Florentine. Don’t be looking for fried fish of any kind in any restaurant at S. Padre, as it is prepared in oil along with breaded fish items. You will need to make that in the kitchen at your beach house, and we have just the source for you. See the other suggestions about where to shop for fish or groceries at the end of this article. (AB July 2008)