We’ve done both eat-in and take-out at Tino’s, the one (to date) local franchise of a casual seafood joint—with its own fishing boats, no less—otherwise exclusively located in Brownsville and South Padre Island. And we’re of two minds: the décor, or lack of it, is such that your own dining room is surely less fluorescent, more accommodating; on the other hand, the fried fish is such that you really want to eat it right away.

Yes, fried fish: we rarely order it. But there must be something about being one’s own source, for we found this to be the best we’ve had in town. It was not overcooked, the crumb coating was delicate and non-greasy, and there was actual taste. Almost the same can be said for the shrimp, minus the notable taste part—but an ice chest of same arrived while we were there, suggesting better for subsequent diners. The crusty fries were also tolerable, despite the possibility of warming lamp. (There was only one employee, manning both cash and kitchen, so we suspect he can’t have done it all from scratch.)

His jack-of-all standing might have contributed to the morphing of a “Vuelve a la Vida” seafood cocktail into a mostly shrimp one on the way home. Fortunately, we had liked the unusual, peppery-fruity cocktail sauce on the fish (along with a very good “tarter” sauce), so we weren’t totally disappointed. But next time we’ll check the bag—and try the fish “chicharrones” that are our overworked guy’s favorite.