I only ate at the one in Harlingen one time, can't remember why. But I did know Sammy Carrasco pretty well from my time living on/in SPI/PI. Sam's parents were the owners and I think in the latter years Sammy ran both the Harlingen and SPI one. At one time I know they had restaurants in the valley trifecta of Harlingen, McAllen, and Brownsville as well as SPI. Their first one was the one in Harlingen I do believe, and I think it was the last one to be open besides the one on SPI. The SPI one was also really old. The building and shopping center it was in was at one time the oldest remaining structure on the Island after some of the old beach front places were wiped out or torn down.
Sammy was a dive instructor and avid fisherman so he gravitated to SPI and he did a really good job for many years, the food at Palmetto was always consistent. I will never forget their "Ladies Special" plate, which I often ate and their queso was extremely good. Lots of folks really liked the Palmetto food and I can say I was one.
I think Sammy married his long time girlfriend right before he died in the mid 00's, and she or someone else tried to keep the one on SPI open, but it didn't last and I think was gone by around 2008 or so. I remember the place having a "grand reopening" or something, but it sucked from what I was told. That shopping center was eventually sold and either torn down and or completely rehabbed. During the 80's Sammy put up those plexiglass barrier things around the open deck and had outdoor seating overlooking Padre Blvd and it was pretty cool. But like most things SPI, the harsh ass environment beat them up pretty good so they enclosed it.
The Palmetto Inn's were truly a RGV original and I do miss them, but I miss seeing Sammy around more.
