Restaurant Review - Fajitaville Grille

Grandad and I dine out regularly, usually 2-3 times a week. We go out every Friday night and frequently on Thursday or Saturday. Our Friday night dinner group, which includes my mother-in-law and our next-door neighbors, tries to "mix it up" by going someplace different on a regular basis. We eat at chain restaurants as well as local places. We are not picky eaters, we like good food and a quiet atmosphere. And, we're almost always willing to give a new restaurant a second chance. If we try a place and don't really love it at first, we'll wait a few months and then go try it again, especially if it's a new restaurant. Corpus Christi is well known for mobbing a new place for the first few weeks, making it difficult to get a table. Then business slows down and it gets easier.

This past Friday night, we went to a fairly new restaurant located on North Beach. Fajitaville is a three-story restaurant that sits right on the beach. In fact, the first floor Bamboo Beach Bar is an open-air bar where you can have your cocktail while you enjoy the ocean breeze and the rhythm of the nearby waves. You can also opt to enjoy your dinner there with a variety of choices including appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, and sandwiches.

We opted for the second-floor grill which offers an extensive menu including all kinds of fajitas, seafood, steaks, and Mexican food. Three of us ordered beef fajitas and one ordered chicken fajitas. They were served in a sizzling skillet with sauteed mushrooms, green and red bell peppers, and onions with sides of pico de gallo, shredded cheese, Spanish rice, refried beans, and your choice of flour or corn tortillas. The portions were extremely generous. Each skillet would easily have served two people. The fajitas were well-trimmed and perfectly cooked. We brought home enough to have dinner again last night and there is still enough for one more taco tonight.

My mother-in-law had the fried shrimp, which was the special that night. It came with seven large fried shrimp and a side salad. I didn't notice what other side came with it, but she also took a to-go box home. She said the shrimp was good.

We ordered one dessert which was split among the five of us. The Caribbean Bananas were really, really good. Warm bananas simmered in orange and brandy sauce served with vanilla bean ice cream. YUM!

The second and third floors are easily accessible by elevator. In fact, the hostess greets you as you walk up to the restaurant, joins you in the elevator, and escorts you right to your table. It was a nice touch.

Our waiter was helpful and friendly. The only complaint I have was that several of us tried to order pork medallions, then pork fajitas. Neither item was available. The waiter explained that they were in the process of changing their menu this weekend. I hope the new menus arrive before we go back. There is little that irritates me more than ordering something off the menu that is not available.

Perhaps the best thing about Fajitaville is the view of Corpus Christi Bay. It's nothing short of gorgeous. Sadly, they have chosen to install large televisions in every dining room and the bar. I could see three large flat-screens from where I was seated. When you have a gorgeous view of the ocean, do you really need the distraction of television screens? Keep your televisions in the bar, but leave them out of the dining room.

The addition of multiple televisions seems to be a trend in all the restaurants around Corpus Christi and it's a trend that I really hate. If I want to watch television while I eat dinner, I'll order my meal to go and pull up my own tv tray at home. When I'm dining out with friends I want to enjoy the conversation and the ambiance of the restaurant.

The food was definitely good enough to warrant a return visit. Next time my kids are home, we'll take them. I know they will enjoy the open-air bar right on the beach.

You can visit Fajitaville Grille at 221 South Hotel Place, Corpus Christi, Texas. They are currently undergoing some renovations. We found the parking lot somewhat tricky to navigate. The three-story building is brightly colored and stands out so it's easy to see, but you have to go around a hotel to find the parking lot. They could use some additional signage on the corner.

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this restaurant review. We paid for our dinner. All opinions are my own.

Friday Night Dinners

At our house we don't cook on Fridays ... and we never have. When Grams was working full time, by the time I got off work on Friday evening, I was usually fried. I just wanted a glass of wine and a chance to sit in a stupor and stare into space. Grandad was pretty much the same.

When we were raising kids, Friday nights were always busy. We would rush home from work, change clothes and head to the gym for a basketball game, to the stadium for a football game or track meet, or the soccer, baseball or kickball field. It was always some kind of season for one or the other of our kids. Often we just ate whatever was convenient.

Any Friday night when we weren't already occupied, we either went out to dinner ... often to McDonald's or Taco Bell because that's what we could afford ... or we would stop at the deli counter and buy cold cuts, cheese and crackers. Our kids particularly enjoyed these deli dinners because we would either take them to the park for a picnic or we would have a picnic in the living room.

The kids loved it when we had a picnic in the living room. I would take out a big quilt and spread it on the floor in front of the fireplace. Ham, turkey and cheese were cut into cracker-sized pieces and stacked on a plate which we all shared. We included baby carrots, pickles, and olives. Grandad and I would split a bottle of wine while the kids had Kool-aid or sparkling grape juice. We would rent a movie and watch it while we lounged over our dinner. These living room picnics are among our favorite memories. They kids still talk about them.

Grams and Grandad realized early the importance of a family dinner. We were very strict about dinners. Every day of the week except Friday, we sat down together as a family for dinner, always beginning our meal with grace. We were not flexible on dinner. Everyone came to the table and ate together every day of the week except Friday. The kids were never allowed to make their plates and sit in front of the television. Everyone sat at the table.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that teens who don't have regular family dinners are more likely to abuse drugs. Girls who have regular family dinners are less likely to develop unhealthy eating habits including anorexia. They also report that parents who sit down for meals with their children on a regular basis are more connected with them and more involved with what is happening in their lives.

We were fortunate that we didn't have any major problems with either of our kids when they were teens. Neither of them gave us any big problems like drug abuse or running away. I always say that our kids were too busy to get into trouble. But, if these family dinners were part of the reason -- we got lucky. All I can say is "Who Knew?" I certainly had no idea that these were the possible effects of family dinners. I just knew it was important to slow down for a few minutes and spend a little time with each other.

I'm happy to report that our daughter started the tradition of daily family dinners with our little princess as soon as she could sit up in the high chair.

As our lives have evolved, so have our Friday night dinners. Now that we're empty nesters, we have a new Friday night tradition. Friday night is strictly reserved for dinner out with Grandad. Our Friday night dinners together are sacred. We don't make separate plans for Friday nights. Exceptions are extremely rare.

We have a group of neighbors who often join us. We've come to call ourselves the Friday Night Dinner Club. It's a very casual group. There are three couples who form the core group. One couple in their 40's, one in their 60's and Grandad and I are in our 50's. Since she moved into our neighborhood, Grandad's mother joins us every week and there are a few other couples and singles who sort of drift in and out of the group. It's very loosely defined, and it's a lot of fun. We have been known to drive up the coast 45 minutes to Rockport or go out to Padre Island for seafood. We take turns deciding where to go and our choices vary widely. The best thing about the Friday Night Dinner Club is how much fun we have. It's a great chance for neighbors to spend some time together and unwind at the end of the week.

This group of neighbors has proven to be a great support group. We share each other's lives and challenges. We laugh together and cry for each other. The 30+ year span of our ages is valuable. We are able to give each other advice and perspective from a variety of viewpoints. The Friday Night Dinner Club is a big part of the reason Grams Made It.