I couldn't wait to try out the brand new Port Aransas Brewing Company. We stopped by for lunch on opening day. Not a good idea.
On the positive side, I thought the new building was nice. It seems to be designed to reflect the property's past life as a garage with large windows taking the place of garage bay doors. They have a bunch of nice flat screen TVs scattered throughout. I think if you were there to watch TV you would not be disappointed. This would be a nice place to catch a game on the tube and sip a cool one. They do have a good selection of bottled beers as well as their own brews.
I'll skip most of the negative stuff, for now, since I'm optimistic about their ability to correct the service and food issues that were going on when I visited. I do plan on giving them a second chance. I ordered a hamburger and got a cheeseburger. No big whoop, I can deal. The hamburger actually looked good. Unfortunately, it had all the heft of a happy meal hamburger and was completely devoid of beef flavor. The cheese was that fake, easy-melting kind that also suffers from lack of flavor. I'm sure plenty of people like this type of cheese since it seems like many restaurants use it; it is just something I try to avoid. Don't get me wrong, I adore (real) cheese. The burger came with fries and a tasty black bean, pozole salsa. Our table ordered a pizza, grilled cheese sandwich, fried shrimp sandwich, hot dog, and queso and chips. I only tried the queso, which was fine. The accompanying tostadas are served heated, which I do appreciate.
I tried one of their own brews, the Port Aransas Pop Pilsner. It was just OK; crisp and light with a bitter finish. I felt like it could use a little more balance. Although I've certainly consumed more than my fair share, I am not a beer connoisseur so please don't give my opinion too much weight. Does anyone know if a pilsner should have a head?
On the positive side, I thought the new building was nice. It seems to be designed to reflect the property's past life as a garage with large windows taking the place of garage bay doors. They have a bunch of nice flat screen TVs scattered throughout. I think if you were there to watch TV you would not be disappointed. This would be a nice place to catch a game on the tube and sip a cool one. They do have a good selection of bottled beers as well as their own brews.
I'll skip most of the negative stuff, for now, since I'm optimistic about their ability to correct the service and food issues that were going on when I visited. I do plan on giving them a second chance. I ordered a hamburger and got a cheeseburger. No big whoop, I can deal. The hamburger actually looked good. Unfortunately, it had all the heft of a happy meal hamburger and was completely devoid of beef flavor. The cheese was that fake, easy-melting kind that also suffers from lack of flavor. I'm sure plenty of people like this type of cheese since it seems like many restaurants use it; it is just something I try to avoid. Don't get me wrong, I adore (real) cheese. The burger came with fries and a tasty black bean, pozole salsa. Our table ordered a pizza, grilled cheese sandwich, fried shrimp sandwich, hot dog, and queso and chips. I only tried the queso, which was fine. The accompanying tostadas are served heated, which I do appreciate.
I tried one of their own brews, the Port Aransas Pop Pilsner. It was just OK; crisp and light with a bitter finish. I felt like it could use a little more balance. Although I've certainly consumed more than my fair share, I am not a beer connoisseur so please don't give my opinion too much weight. Does anyone know if a pilsner should have a head?
10 comments:
Hey, Dude, why not give the restaurant a second chance. I found the food delish.
I'm glad to hear you had a good experience. I'll give them another try.
Almost all beer should have a head, except perhaps some barleywines.
I'll check this place out in August when I come down for a long weekend, but I've seen comments elsewhere that don't give me much optimism.
Any other new places to eat in PA worth a visit?
There is a new bar and grill open on Beach St., the Wild Horse Saloon and Grill. I've heard good thing about their burgers. Also on Beach St. is the Phoenix, which I've also heard good things about. I noticed a new deli on Allister St., Debbie's Deli (I think that's the name). I don't know how long it has been since you've visited Port A, so the list of 'new' places could be longer.
I won't be returning the Port A Brewing Co. The beer was not noteworthy. The pizza lacked taste. My kids hated the grilled cheese and hamburgers off the kids menu. It's really hard to mess up a burger and grilled cheese and they managed to do both. The burger was the size of a silver dollar and burned - mmmm tasty---not! For the price, I expected better.
I like that you're not a food/drink critic... pretty good observations, however. Do they serve pelican on the menu? Perhaps I could ask them to serve pelican as a special deal for me (with broccoli and cheese, of course)?
Keep up the good work.
Hey ,
Sounds great that you know all about your stuff! Its intriguing when you speak to someone who knows what they speak about, as oppose to reciting it from someone else they learned from. I can see you are very experienced and with your credentials in the food biz it is quite obvious that you will make it far in life, or have already made it far in life :)
I finally made it out there this summer. It pains me to say this, because they were very nice people and obviously beer fans, but their house brews were AWFUL. I mean like completely undrinkable.
On the upside, their food was decent and their overall beer selection was outstanding, but they need to seriously reconsider whether their own brews are ready for prime time.
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