This was my first trip to San Antonio. From what I had heard, I was to expect lots and lots of amazing, locally inspired Tex-Mex and Mexican food with a smattering of southern food thrown in the mix. What I experienced in 3 days in April was a small American city with its own, uniquely south Texas, food identity.
Yes, San Antonio is damn close to the Border. Ok, Alamo City, as it is called by the locals, is not ON the border and it is technically closer to Austin and Houston, Texas than to Monterrey and Chihuahua, Mexico. The foodways here are heavily influenced by the population in residence, not the tourists, and every other restaurant appears to be Mexican or Mexican-inspired.
I was in town to visit with my Dad and my godfather, who resides in Houston. Dad, who does not make Mexican a staple cuisine in his house, would only tolerate so many plates served with beans and tortilla. I went with the flow.
Acenar
Friday night, before everyone else arrived, I was on my own. I ventured out of the hotel to the Riverwalk, a tourist haven in the heart of downtown. The Riverwalk is certainly charming at night. The River, more like a canal, is flanked on both sides by restaurants and bars too numerous to count. Each establishment offers open air eating and drinking on their patios and decks which face the canal. Warm lights, music, and the chatter of the patrons spill from every doorway and window.
Working off recommendations of the hotel staff and the airport cabbie (from Queens), I walked all the way to the end of the Riverwalk to try a place called Acenar. Acenar, or “to dine” in Spanish, bills itself as a place where “old school recipes meet new school flavors and style”. I could only imagine what this meant outside of the Coasts.
First impression: this place is huge. Can they make the food work? Inquiring of the hostess for a seat, I was told that no singles could be offered a table and I was welcome to sit at the bar. I am now turned off by this hostile-to-solo diners place. At the bar, I order a “Tuna Margarita” made with fresh prickly pear cactus juice.
My usual barrage of allergy-specific “can I eat this?” questions was skillfully handled by a manager when the barkeep was overwhelmed. The menu was vast and interesting with items not often seen in US Mexican restaurants. Stewed baby goat in chile ancho sauce, duck crepes with tamarind sauce and veal shank with three mole sauces were among the interesting menu offerings. Unfortunately for me these and other dishes infused milk, butter or eggs and were off-limits. I ordered the suggested ceviche and the Acenar crab salad. The ceviche was passable with fresh fish and avocado, if a little too liberal with the vinegar. Ditto the crab salad. I topped off the evening with a finger of Don Julio añejo. This was the best part of the evening - Don Julio makes beautiful tequilas and I enjoy them straight to appreciate their complex flavors.
In sum: interesting food, tasty adult beverages, and a mix of tourists and locals make this an interesting, somewhat “off the beaten path” locale. I give it a B overall and an A for effort.
Acenar
146 E. Houston St.
San Antonio, TX 78205
Visited Friday, April 13, 2007
Mi Tierra Café
I heard about this place from San Antonio locals who walked into my wine shop while in San Francisco. The place received rave reviews from these folks for “authentic” and “down home style” Mexican food. On Saturday afternoon at 6 pm when we arrived at the door, the place was overflowing with people and the wait for a table was over 30 minutes. Fine. A place with raves from all sectors (my godfather also gave it a rave), was worth the wait. It was average at best, boring at worst. Everything was mass-produced with not a hint of inspiration in the flavors or presentations. What do I expect from a place that serves meals in red plastic chip baskets instead of actual plates? More than airport food at a minimum.
A good Mexican restaurant of any price point should be able to provide a decent tortilla chip and salsa. Yes, the salsas were edible but the tortilla chips were overly fried, greasy, and dense. Any number of “Mexican” chains does a better job at these basics – Chipotle Grill and Chevy’s come to mind. Chile con Queso was at best made with Velveeta and the same gloppy chips. Enchiladas with mole sauce were overly-fried and drowned in flavorless sauce that was not what I have come to expect of mole. Depressingly, the mariachi heralded by Mi Tierra as a main-stay of their service, were nowhere in sight.
Could this meal be any worse? I can only say that our harried server was friendly enough to our table of 5 gringos. I was happy to leave. I give them a D for food and a C for effort.
Mi Tierra y Panadería Market Square
218 Produce Row
San Antonio, TX 78207
Visited April 14, 2007
Rathskeller – Fredericksburg
Sunday morning, we drove out of San Antonio into the Hill Country and Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg, long ago settled by German immigrants, clings to its German heritage and identity. Frequented by Texas tourists and curious ethnic Germans of all stripes, the town offers numerous shops and restaurants that bring the “old world” to life. We lunched at the Rathskeller. Now, Rathskellers in Germany are found underneath, or in the “cellar” (-keller) the old town halls (Rat-). True to the old world style, to enter Fredericksburg’s Rat, you go downstairs from street level into the basement of a stately old hospital building on the main drag.
On a warm, sunny Sunday, the cool interior was a refreshing change of climate. Our group was thrilled that the restaurant offered traditional sausage, red cabbage and potato prix fixe plates. Also available were southern fried chicken, green salads, soups, egg dishes, and other typical American bistro food as well as beer and wine. No muss, no fuss, fresh food, made by the people inside the building. A winner. A for food and A for effort.
Rathskeller Bistro
(830) 990-5858
206 E Main St
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
Visited April 15, 2007
Tower of the Americas
Sunday night, Dad treated us to a more up-scale dining experience. In search of a different perspective on San Antonio than the Alamo, hotel, and omnipresent taco, we made reservations to dine at the restaurant within the Tower of the Americas, Eyes over Texas. Situated at 750 feet and turning 360 degrees within an hour, this is not a restaurant for anyone who suffers from vertigo. The views of San Antonio are beautiful and finding the bathroom was sometimes confusing for members of our party.
The meal was the best I had in San Antonio. I am always thrilled when Chef leaves the kitchen to chat with me about my numerous food allergies and intolerances. This small gesture demonstrates a commitment to each and every diner and almost automatically rates the restaurant with an A for effort. Chef and I extensively discussed the menu and settled on the Sake Glazed Tuna with asparagus and cucumber. The kitchen would have to change nothing to serve this dish at its premium. I also ordered a salad.
Now, forgive me this Texas slam: everything is big in Texas. The landscape, history, people, imagination – all are over-sized. The portions served everywhere we went were enormous, far beyond what a normal person needs in a single meal. I was expecting Eyes over Texas to scale down as the price scaled up. I was wrong. I could have been completely satisfied with the appetizer salad as my meal - it could have fed 6 people. The tuna entrée was equally large. I ate a third of each and sadly left the rest behind.
The tuna was fresh and cooked to a medium-rare with an Asian-inspired sauce seasoned with fresh black pepper. The fresh vegetables on the plate were minimally fussed over to let the fish receive all the acclaim. My dining companions were enthralled with the enormous bowls of lobster bisque and fresh salmon, that evenings Special.
The Wine List was dominated by Texas wines. Why not try one? Our server knew little about wine or how to serve wine so we took a chance and ordered a Llano Estacado Chardonnay. The wine glasses, once again, were enormous, and the server poured an entire bottle into only 4 glasses, leaving one in our group without a drop of wine.
A second bottle was ordered to give the fifth in our party a chance to enjoy. In a word: oak. The depth and complexity that is often found in chardonnay was not to be found in this Texas bottle. I do not presume to know much about Texas wines but I suspect the growing conditions in Lubbock, where Llano is headquartered, are more challenging than Northern California. Producing a wine that can complete a fine meal without withering halfway through a glass is a great accomplishment. …even if the restaurant almost killed the wine by serving it close to freezing temperature. (No joke.)
In sum: an A for effort, an A for very good food and an A for the view. Next time, please, reduce my portion by half, serve the wine at the correct temperature and all will be well with the world.
Eyes over Texas
Tower of the Americas
600 Hemisfair Plaza Way
San Antonio, Texas 78205
Visited April 15, 2007Labels: acenar, eyes over texas, mi tierra cafe, rathskeller fredericksburg, san antonio dining, texas cuisine