radiowh0re's Profile
Five cities, 9 bbq joints, one day.
We did hit blacks. Not all the videos are posted yet. I thought blacks was overly-seasoned. Others liked it. Did not hit chisholm trail. Something wrong about BBQ with a drivethrough.
Five cities, 9 bbq joints, one day.
So much has been written about the Texas BBQ trail. We experienced it all in one day and took pictures and video.
Of course, it's all opinion, but you can actually see what the meat at these places looks like... so if we say the brisket is bad, you can see WHY we said it.... or if it's good, you'll see why.
We didn't make any money for this. We all used our own cash. We did not agree on everything.
Hope you enjoy!
http://texasbbqroadtrip.com
-mike
SAN ANTONIO
Wow. That was really vague. Is there a type of cuisine? Casual or formal. How far are you willing to drive? Kids? Maybe if you were more specific, we could help. Otherwise, I'd tell you that you totally should not miss the Starbucks in the lobby of the marriott riverwalk.
SA - Local Pizza?
Dough Pizzaria is on Blanco road, just inside loop 410. that fits your bill.
Looking for great BBQ in San Antonio
plain and simple, you're not going to get a great bar-b-q experience in downtown. just not happening.
I think you could probably get to the rudy's on i-35 in selma in 30 minutes. Now, remember, there are some people on this board that simply do not like rudy's. I happen to enjoy it very much.
Best CFS in SA?
DeWese's Tip Top cafe.
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A77329
and...
Lulu's Jailhouse Cafe
http://sanantonio.citysearch.com/profile/10092688/san_antonio_tx/lulu_s_jailhouse_cafe.html
Top 5 Budget 2008 - San Antonio, TX
breakfast? I guess breakfast tacos are your best bet for cheap-o. thebest in town are at taco taco on hildebrand.
I rarely have lunch out, so i can't comment.
dinner? Your best bet for budget is Ciao Lavenderia in Olmos park. VERY reasonable and DARNED tasty.
SA Sunday night dinner
may I suggest either el jaro, which is on 281 and bitters or beto's on broadway, inside the look.
El jaro is good texmex grub (maria's tortillas) and beto's has great empenadas
Steaks in San Antonio
that would be the old San francisco steakhouse, and while the builing is still there, it long closed. The best steaks in San antonio are at bohannan's downtown. There's also the little Rhine steakhouse in la villita.
need fine dining help from San Antonio hounds
If you want to stay on the riverwalk, that's fine. I'd stick with either las canarias (in la mansion) or pesca (in the watermark).
If you want steak, go for bohannans. it's on houston street, downtown.
If you don't mind driving, I'd go with the lodge at castle hills. It's a little drive from downtown, but I think it's worth it.
bohannan's is the most casual of the choices.
biga's has a menu posted at the door. If you're stumbing around downtown, you can check it out. I've never been there, becasue it's a) pricey and b) downtown. I've heard mixed reviews.
San Antonio's Best
I'm sorry. I couldn't let this one go. I know everybody has different tastes... but...
jim's? really? jim's is one step down from denny's. I don't care if it's 2 in the morning, there are better places. I'm not a hgue mi tierra fan, but that's light years better than jim's.
and alamo cafe? I've tried to give this place a couple of tries, but each time, I've been physically ill afterward. Their tortillas are god aweful.
I hate to be repetitive but:
Le Reve
Bohannan's
Liberty Bar
Rosario's
La fonda on main
El Mirasol
Boudro's
Ciao lavendaria (or anythign chef watel does)
Bistro thyme
La Frite
taco taco for breakfast
el jaro for maria's tortillas
paseno's for shrimp paseno
The lodge at castle hills
las canarias
acenar
bin 555
silo
and, pesca
need fine dining help from San Antonio hounds
Where are you staying? How much do you want to spend? What type of food are you looking for? Do you want a "dress up" place or a casual restaurant. Do you have a car, or does it need to be in walking distance? Do you want a chain or must it be a local restaurant? Are you alergic to anything?
A little help, here.
Ciao Vino [sat]
Chef Damien Watel is a genius!
The little nail place next to Ciao Lavenderia has been turned into a wine bar, and oh man do they have good stuff.
I was lucky enough to be part of the soft opening last night. The dark interior has just a few tables, a couch and a beautiful bar, but the wine list? holy cow, it's got some good stuff.
And the food (nibblers) is on par with the excellent dishes they serve next door. We munched in a cheese plate (brie, parmesian, some type of goat chest, bleu chese) then meats (smoked pork, some type of smoke beef with loads of yummy sweet fennel, and a pork pate?) , and then fish ( perfect slamon carpaccio, sardeens and from what my fiance said, amazing shrimp pesto. I'm alergic to nuts)
My fiance and her friend died for the carmel road chardonay, '06 and the "E minor" chard, '06. I bounced from a syrah to a merlot to several french wines with a strong dark cherry palat.
They told me this will be an overflow wiating room for the restaurant, and a happy hour spot. they also serve the food over there, which i think would be perferct for a romantic dinner.
As a romantic spot, this is the best wine bar in town.
graduation dinner in san antonio?
While paloma blanca and beto's are great ideas, they are NOT EVEN CLOSE to the area where they were looking. in fact they are ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN.
while the barn door is used to big parites, the food is god awful.
Now, if you don't mind going to another area of town, I have plenty of suggestions. First on the List is Ciao Lavenderia. It's in Olmos Park, and it's gosh darned good italian. It's well within your price range.
Paloma Blanca fits the bill, but it's mexican. it's really good mexican, but it's mexican, and you said you were not big fans.
The liberty bar is a great spot, and i think it fits all of your demands. But it's not in the area you're looking for.
graduation dinner in san antonio?
pasenos on 1604? that sounds like it fits the bill. I haven't been to the silo on 1604, but it may be more than you want to spend. Same with Reggianos, which is in stone oak. I love el chaparel on bandera, but it's outside 1604 on bandera.
the shops at la cantera is a great place to wander around.
San Antonio has lost a gem
It's with a heavy heart that I write about a true tragedy.
Viola Barrios, the woman who started Los Barrios, was murdered Thursday night. She was killed inside her San Antonio home by a neighbor. The 18-year old kid stole her credit cards, her car, and then set her home on fire before escaping.
Last night, the 18-year old killer was caught by the cops. When he's convicted, he'll face the death penalty. Joe Estrada wanted money to buy more drugs.
In a city full of amazing mexican restaurants, Los Barrios is truly a star. While some places edge more tex-mex, they do true mex. Viola was in the restaurant every day. She was a kind and sweet woman, as was her daughter Diana, who was always out front.
Viola's son, Louis, started la hacienda de los barrios, which is simply one of the best spots in town. The food is amazing. The patio is beyond compare.
Both places will stay open, and have been busy.
Viola has been on everything from the today show to the food network. She cooked with Bobby Flay and Emeril, both of who told her that she was a lot like their own mom.
In San Antonio, we have been robbed of a true gem. Her cooking and her restaurant has made me happy on so many occasions. We were lucky to have her in our town.
San Antonio recommendation - airport / zoo
"North of the Airport" is a HUGE area. It could mean almost anything. I would hate to send you all over the northside, driving for more than an hour. Northside stretches from the westin la cantera all the way to the forum shops at i-35 and 1604. It might be helpful if you were a little more specific. San Antonio is a HUGE city. Stone oak is one small area on the northside. If you're stayign specifially in stone oak, there are bunch of very good restaurants... like reggianos, silo north and paisanos. Of the three, i'd go for paisanos. Also on loop 1604 is Big'z... a burger joint run by famed chef andrew weissman. It's techincally in thevineyard, which is a subdivision to the west of stone oak... but it fits your bill.
Now, if you're not staying in stone oak... just "north of the airport".... I think Bin555 fits the bill. It's a wine and tapas restaurant on bitters, just west of 281. I can't talk enough about that place. great great great food.
Now... I have to ask. If you're going to the zoo, does that mean kids? If so, a wine/tapas place is probably not the best place for them.
San Antonio/ Riverwalk - Final Four Weekend help!
neat place to walk around/shop for trinkets. the new museo alameda is very well done. as for food? no. mi tierra his overcrowded and not that good. I would reccomend walking around the mercado and eating elsewhere.
San Antonio/ Riverwalk - Final Four Weekend help!
Your best bet around San Antonio is Rudy's. They have several locations. The original is on i-10, off boerne stage road.
The bbq snobs on this board like to slam Rudy's, but i've always enjoyed the brisket and sauce.
If you're playing at la cantera, it's further up i-ten.
And I know it doesn't get a lot of play on this board either, but I have no porblem with the bbq station on 410 and wurzbach. The bbq 1./2 chicken and the sausage are my favs.
but, like i said, the bbq snobs here think the only true bbq can be found in luling and lockhart.
bah. get over it.
The problem is that there is a lot of bad bbq in san antonio.
San Antonio
biga on the banks seems like a great place to wow clients. boudros. acenar. las canarias. pesca. these are all upscale and pricy.
San Antonio: Cheap, local Mexican
It is not open yet. They're building on at 1604 and red land road. It's a new strip mall, on the south side of the loop. It doesn't look close to being open. There's also a bar, a bike shop and a bank, from what i can tell.
where to eat one night san antonio...
Oh. I figured he was staying at the westin riverwalk.
If, in fact, it's the westin la cantera, then definatly go to el chaparral for the fajitas and the beans. go to floore's for a beer. go to the scenic loop cafe. go to the original rudy's. go to fralo's pizza.
If you're staying at the westin on the riverwalk, don't. that's a LONG drive.
San Antonio/ Riverwalk - Final Four Weekend help!
"No chains please"
Dick's is most definatly a chain. they're owned by landry's... which owns a ton of different places.
Dick's is a place to take out of town guests... if they're former frat boys on the hunt.
Austinites' recommendations for lunch in San Antonio on Saturday [Moved from Austin board]
usually, i would reccomend a place with a great patio to enjoy the weather and have a margarita... but tomorrow it's supposed to barely break 70 degrees. someplace like la fonda on main. That may still be your best best. I'm a big fan.
but... if you want some indoor spots.
if you're downtown, the first thing that comes to mind is sandbar. it's a seafood place, run by the same folks who run le reve. saturday, i believe, it'sopen 12-2.
as far as tex-mex... rosarios is just south of downtown, el mirador is just south of downtown.
I know you said you have a car, but i don't think people understand how flippin big san antonio is. I'd love to say, yes... go up to someplace on the northside... but that's literally an hour drive. I'm trying to be considerate of your time.
The coliseum complex... or the freeman coliseum... is east of downtown. There's not much in the close area.
if you want a sammich... I would reccomend texas farm to table. It's in the pearl brewery comlex, which is pretty close to where you'll be.
http://texasfarmtotable.com/
very good lunch stuff. I'd go there. no margaritas, tho.
where to eat one night san antonio...
I wasn't trying to compare the food. The comparrison I was making was... they're both upscale restaurants on the riverwalk. (well, kinda. le reve is by the greyhound station.)
The original poster made a comment that he was avoiding the riverwalk restaurants, because there was no good food. I was explaining that... yes... there is good food downtown. Boudro's is v.good. and I was explaining that I've heard good things about le reve and biga... although i have not been to either because they're expensive, downtown, and require dressy clothes.
biga... from the menu i read... was america... a bit on the soutwestern tip.
le reve is well known for it's french slow-cooking cuisine.
Italian restaurants in San Antonio
I smell a future, unoffical, un-licensed, chowhound SAT meeting.
Get ready, La Focaccia
where to eat one night san antonio...
For Le Reve, a jacket is a requirement, I believe. Bigs is probably a place that requirs nice clothes (As in, not jeans.) I bet business casual is acceptable.
For steaks, try bohannas. It's on houston st, which is downtown. It's not a chain. But, It's steakhouse prices.
as for mexican, it's hard to swing a dead cat in this town without finding a pretty darmed good tex-mex place. If you're downtown, roasrios, la fonda on main, el mirasol, and paloma blanca are all v.close and v.good.
the liberty bar has great food and a v.good winelist.
I know there isn't a whole lot of talk about Bin 555 on this board, but it's great tapas and great wine. Every time I go there, I wonder why I don't go there more often.
It's not texmex and it's not steak.. so it might not be on your list. but it is a great wine bar with great food. The suggestion may be good for someone else on the list.
where to eat one night san antonio...
I know you said anything goes, but what type of food are you looking for? How much do you want to spend? How far do you want to drive? Casual or fancy?
On the riverwalk, there's boudro's, which is excellent. it's the only place I reccomend people on the riverwalk go, although I hear great things about pesca in the watermark and Las Canarias,across the river.
I also hear that both Biga on the Banks and Le Reve are amazing (mostly le reve, but biga, too.) both places are v. expensive and require some dressing up.
To give you an idea, I had a business thing at the international buidling, where Biga is, last week. I stopped to look at the menu, to see what they were serving new these days. Most entrees were well into the mid $30 range. That's just entree.
Look, I'm not knocking Biga. I bet they do an amazing job. But, being a local, I don't want to drive downtown, find parking (valet?), walk, deal with the crowds, and pay that much for dinner. There are plenty of good places in this town (like the liberty bar!)
Now, if you're staying downtown... and mid $30 entrees are in your price range... or if want to splurge... and have nice clothes... I'd say dive into biga at least.
Le Reve is a whole different animal. In my wildest dreams, I'd eat there. But I'm not that rich. I can't drop that kinda cash on dinner. I'd love to! I just can't.
San Antonio: Cheap, local Mexican
If I'm doing lunch... because this weather is so increadible.... I'm thinking patio and margarita.
In that case, I'm thinking La Fonda on Main. Great ambiance and total san antonio. great margaritas.
