Anytime we travel, I usually try to research food options ahead of time, particularly since we are vegetarian. I did for this trip as well, but had limited success because many of the restaurants in Port Aransas do not have websites. Of the few restaurants who had websites, not many had vegetarian options, hence the name of this blog! Even so, it really was not a big deal since we stayed in a condo and prepared most of our own meals.
However, there were a few restaurant options we tried. Shell’s Pasta and Seafood had 4 different vegetarian pasta dishes available on their dinner menu, as well as a couple of different appetizers and desserts. We ate dinner there one evening in which we split an appetizer, had our own (different) entrées, and split dessert. It was very good; all together, including a couple of glasses of wine, was only $40. Our waitress said they had a different lunch menu, but we did not have a chance to go back and check it out. I would definitely go back to this restaurant.
The Venetian Hot Plate only had one vegetarian entrée (pasta), a couple of appetizers and a couple of salads. We ate dinner there one night; it was o.k., but because of the very limited variety and high cost, I would not go back.
Port A Pizzeria had lots of options (sandwiches, pizza, a salad bar and buffet) but we did not actually eat there. We did eat a vegetarian pizza at the Port A Brewery, which if I recall correctly was the only vegetarian “meal” option available there at lunch/dinner. However, they did also have vegetarian desserts. It was good, average in cost, and we did go back on our last day to get some cinnamon rolls to go!
Overall, if you plan to stay in Port A for a whole week and are vegetarian or vegan, I recommend staying some place where you can prepare some of your own meals so you do not get bored eating the same things daily!
Besides researching places to eat, whenever I take a “beach” vacation, I always pack a few books to read. This trip’s selection included one book purely for enjoyment, one for learning more about our food supply, and one about fitness. Usually I can finish 3 books in a week, but this time I lacked about 50 pages to finish my last one (the book about fitness). Oh well, guess I spent more time than usual napping and playing in the water! I started with the “pure enjoyment” book, which was about dogs, and finished it in the first two days of the trip.
My second book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan, was a bit heavier and took me three days to finish. I was so impressed by this book that my next blog is going to be entirely about that book, so stay tuned!
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Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteHave you read Animal Factory by Kirby? He was recently on Imus talking about this research into animal factories and their impact on the environment as well as our diet.
I would like to connect when convenient to talk about the lab testing services that my company offers......we are talking with the ADA about providing members access to ordering lab tests directly through our web portal. You can reach me .... john@teton.com.
thx.
Port A is a great place to visit, but being the sleepy little beach town that it is, vegetarian options are kind of scarce. My family has food allergies so we are particular about where we eat, making sure that the wait staff are good at communicating to the chef and that they are responsive to our needs. One of our favorite restaurants is Cafe Phoenix. But staying at a vacation rental with a kitchen makes a lot of sense. We like to stay at The Commons townhomes. commonsporta.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments!
ReplyDeleteJohn, I have not read Animal Factory yet, but have read a number of research articles and other books on the subject.
Jimi, thanks for the tip on Cafe Phoenix!