I had the privilege of being back in the Lone Star State for the July 4th holiday. If you know the LaToof’s, you know that there’s one thing we don’t skimp on, eating. Over the holiday weekend, we ate good. Perhaps too good. But, my caloric surplus will be your gain! In this article, I review Steve’s Landing.
To get the breakdown of how I score each restaurant and the criteria I go by, check out this article: Restaurant Review Scoring.
Steve’s Landing
Atmosphere
Walking into Steve’s, I immediately liked the atmosphere. It was beach-y, open/spacious, and laid back. The noise level was moderate and appropriate for this type of setting. The dress was real casual, which I greatly appreciate, as I brought nothing but beach attire for this short trip home. #TravelLight
SCORE: 7.6
Service
The restaurant wasn’t overly crowded and it was clear that several tables remained open, yet our party (6) had to wait. The hostess said that there would be a wait in order to provide the best possible service. A little strange but I suppose they were a little under staffed.
The waitress was awesome! I regret not getting her name because she was perfect. Had a great smile but wasn’t over enthusiastic and certainly didn’t pull out any dramatic adjectives. She didn’t try to do too much and allowed us to enjoy our meal. Fine job.
SCORE: 7.2
View / Ambiance
The restaurant is located right on the bay so barges and shrimp boats were in clear view as you eat. Another perk of the bay location is the getting to see the sunset. While I’ll always watch a sunset, this location is far from the best I’ve ever seen. After all, I do currently reside in Southern California.
SCORE: 6.1
Social Media
Well, social media is how this review came about. They liked one of my pictures from a golf outing in Crystal Beach (don’t ask for a review of that course). I reached out to them on Instagram and told them that I really enjoyed my experience eating there.
They responded, which very few respond when I reach out, so I always like to reward the ones that do however I can. So, I told them I’d write them a review and here we are!
They’ve got great engagement on their Instagram. Their pics are high quality and are up to date on #Hashtag utilization. I would love to see this become more active and highlight some of their specialties. I had a Blueberry Jalapeño Margarita that was solid! More on that in the food/drink category.
Their website is solid and smooth, providing great info. Reservations weren’t necessary and I’m not sure that they accept them anyway. I could be wrong about that, though. Nonetheless, I was impressed with their social media but certainly some room for improvement.
SCORE: 6.4
Food / Drink
Now, it’s time to get down to business. All of the other information can be for not, if the place can’t deliver on the food!
Blueberry Jalapeno Margarita… I’m not big on fruity mixed drinks but I enjoyed this one… I’m not a fan of spicy things so I couldn’t drink it all (make fun if you wish) but I certainly appreciated it for what it was… innovative and different, I like that….
As I stated earlier, I had a really awesome Blueberry Jalapeño Margarita. Now, I’m not much of a drinker and I’m not a fan of spicy at all but this was a pretty solid drink! I only drank about 1/4 of it but can appreciate it for what it was. I also had a sip of my sisters Blue Dolphin which was delicious; I’m talking desert delicious.
If you read the scoring article, you’ll know that there are two things rather difficult for me to turn down. One of those is crab cakes. And yes, crab cakes were on the menu!
The cakes were delicious and gone too quickly! One thing I dislike about crab cake dishes, is that they are hardly ever satisfying. That’s when you have to strategically plan appetizers and sides. We ordered some crab wontons (Crab Rangoons) and the beach blossom onion for the table.
I ended up eating 4 or 5 wontons and half of the onion blossom and I may have stolen a fry or two from my 3 year old niece (she didn’t mind).
I also had a bite of the Red Snapper and that was solid as well!
SCORE: 7.8
Price
I saw nothing wrong with the prices on the menu. They all seemed pretty justifiable. Can’t speak to the drinks because they were ordered at the bar and my dad was so kind to buy. But, judging by the food, I would venture to say that they weren’t too astronomically high.
SCORE: 7.5
Food was great! Combine that with a solid atmosphere, good service, and great company and you have yourself one fine dining experience. Steve’s will definitely be on my radar whenever I’m in South Texas and not because they’ve offered me free food.
They have a great set up for a bar downstairs. I would love to see them capitalize on this space. Bar and tiki hut look to already be set up and corn-hole and washer games are in place. Be an awesome spot to share a beer over a friendly game as the sun sets down over the bay.
Steve’s Landing
Overall Score: 7.1
… I snagged this picture from the interwebs but I wanted to show you the sunset capabilities at Steve’s… A-OK in my book!
Final Thoughts:
It was a total rookie move not taking any pictures. But, in my defense, I didn’t decide on the review until after the fact. However, that’s still a poor excuse as I usually take pictures at every meal.
I mean, what good Instagram-er doesn’t?
(not an implication of myself being a good Instagram-er, but I’ve learned a thing or two over the last few years of use)
Moving forward I will do a better job of this.
The overall score of 7.1 is a strong score and one to be respected! Steve’s is a great spot. I look forward to eating there again when my travels take me back to that neck of the woods again.
Eaten at Steve’s before?? What did you think?? Comment below!
