Wednesday, 3/7/12 - The Monterey

Date: 2/29/12
Restaurant: The Monterey
Location: 1127 S. Alamo
Executive Chef: Quealy Watson


So yes, I'm late to the show. The Monterey, or El Monty as it's affectionately referred to, has been listed by Texas Monthly as one of the Texas restaurants to try in 2012 (see http://www.texasmonthly.com/2012-03-01/feature2.php for the article) and is making a splash in the whimsical, Austin-influenced crowd of young San Antonian foodies. Oh well, that's a bandwagon I'm happy to hop on!

El Monty bills itself as a cool hang-out for "food lovers, beer nerds, and wine geeks." The menu is small, diverse, and open to last-minute additions and changes based on the chef's whim. The food is American heavily influenced by Asian ingredients, and funky organ meats abound! In theory at least.


Why was the photo taken from here? Because it's from El Monty's parking lot! Where you at, downtown? Oh yes, you're right there. And El Monty still has its own parking lot! (I can't emphasize enough how much of a draw this is. Seriously. I happily paid the amount that I DIDN'T have to pay for parking into the waiter's tip.)




This place is so Austin. Observe the kitschy decor and funky bathrooms (men's and women's respectively).


I loved our seating because I got to hear the occasional blurb from the kitchen. Tavis isn't so sure what he's in for.

We arrived in time for "the happiest of happy hours," so I enjoyed a $2.50 bottle of Shiner's new selection, Wild Hare (tasty!). I don't think anything on the food menu was discounted, unfortunately. We listened to the off-menu specials of the day, which included a salmon head (only two of those left!), an okonomiyaki (think Asian savory pancake) made with Chinese sausage and clams which I REALLY wanted to try and sort of wish I had, and a corned Wagyu beef tongue. Which I ended up getting. Which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me well enough to read this blog!

Our first course was actually my favorite, and it came as quite a surprise because it was brussels sprouts. Unfortunately it was my phone's favorite dish as well, and it ate the photo. Whoops! I ordered the brussels upon reading several rave reviews, and homygoodness were they incredible. Tavis and both gobbled them like there was a secret decoder ring at the bottom of the plate. I would eat these every single day. They were roasted, swimming in a sweet chili oil, sprinkled with peanuts. Sweet, umami, salty, utterly addictive. (And invisible.)


Tavis ordered the pork belly bahn mi, which is a sammich served with various pickled vegetables and spreads. I think one of them was a sriracha mayonnaise and another seemed like some sort of bean spread. I thought it was awesome, very tangy and tasty, with the crispy pork belly all nice and juicy in the inside, but it was not to Tavis's taste.


This is the corned Wagyu tongue, with a mustard-breadcrumbs coating on one side, covered in some awesome pickled veggies (are those beets? Did I enjoy pickled beets?) and swimming in what was probably some of the same yummy sauce as the bahn mi. It tasted like corned beef, just juicy and tender. I might not order this again, but I certainly enjoyed it this time.


Since Tavis didn't really like his bahn mi, he ordered a second dish, which were greek chicken meatballs. The flavors were pretty much identical to any gyro, with the garlicky dill tzatziki and the feta playing nicely together. He still wasn't stoked, and honestly this was a very forgettable dish.

It's been a long time since Tavis just hasn't had a meal he enjoyed; I maintain that the bahn mi was simply not to his taste. (For reference, he is a man who wants his sammiches as follows: bread, meat, cheese, bread. Yeah. I married that.) There were a couple other items on the menu that sounded interesting to him, but with a strong Asian influence comes sour and spicy, two flavors that just don't really agree with him. So this may just not be his sort of place.

I digress. Here's some dessert.



It was an espresso "panna cotta," the quotations because it was crunchy as much as creamy. I really think it was filled with Grape Nuts. If you've ever eaten them, you know their rather unique crumbly texture. This was tasty even though I'm not a huge coffee fan, but still pretty forgettable.

Overall: I wanted to like this place more! It's adorable, the service was friendly, I love the concept and the quality of the ingredients and the versatility/playfulness of the menu items. I think I would come back here again, but probably with different company. (Blasphemy!) Either that, or order 10 plates of those tasty sprouts (the ones that they call Brussels). I'll definitely give El Monty another try, and I think you should too.

Wednesday, 2/29/12 - Feast

Date: 2/29/12
Restaurant: Feast
Location: 1024 South Alamo St (King William district)
Executive Chef: Stefan Bowers

Hi kids! Didja miss me? I missed you. I haven't missed many meals, but they have come and gone unphotographed and unremarked, so you're going to have to take my word for it. Regardless, a new year, a new batch of eateries, and the same willing cohort/accomplice/sidekick/flunky/husband!

Today's delicious entry is brought to you by a word that doesn't exist in the English language. It is a Georgian word (the country, not the state, if that needed clarification) and the word is "shemomedjamo." It means "to eat past the point of being full just because the food tastes good," and it very well be the most succinct summary of my life. Well, at least my life last night.

Feast is "new American with a Mediterranean flair," if you are to believe their website. (Believe it.) It's also hip, food-forward, and in the ultra-trendy King William district about two blocks away from the Overtime Theater and Blue Star Brewery and all that First Friday artsy musicky goodness. Parking is free along the adjacent neighborhood streets and that's fine by me! A lovely evening stroll is just the thing to whet an appetite. Or burn off a fraction of the too many calories consumed.


Welcome to Feast!


Everything was very hip and modern and transparent, which I guess is "in." Fortunately (somewhat; they were all very attractive!) the waitstaff didn't carry the motif to their clothing. The bar was also transparent...but with neon! That's called "layers." (It probably isn't.)

Anyway, the menu for Feast is artistic in its own right. It is broken up into categories: Hot, Chilled, Grilled, Crispy, Melted and Mains. Basically everything but Mains are small plates, tapas-style, meant to be shared or hoarded as you like. I went in with the very modest expectation of selecting three things, encouraging Tavis to select three things that I also wanted to get and making him share them with me. IT WAS SO HARD. I might have been able to select three things I DIDN'T want!

Alas, stomach space is limited and I wanted an excuse to come back, so we found six items and stuck with them. Aaaaaaaaaand may I remind you of the word of the day, shemomedjamo! You'll understand why soon enough.


Delicious, delicious little pork cheek street tacos on masa tortillas. I think it was cotija cheese on top, and a little bit of red onion and (blech) cilantro. These were so sweet and succulent. What a way to start the meal.


Slightly hard to see through the foliage, 7 spice barbacoa tacos with a garlic yogurt sauce, more red onion, (blech) cilantro, and a slice of jalapeno. Even with the jalapeno set off to the side, these packed some heat. Too much for the Tavis, so I downed the rest and grinned through my sweat. Another beautiful and juicy offering, plus these were discounted for happy hour! Score!


Tavis picked the quail, served atop braised kale (hehehe quail and kale) in an oxtail broth. The quail is REALLY pepper-crusted, and on a bird with not that much meat, it was a little disconcerting. I just didn't find the harmony in this dish. But the greens drenched in broth were really tasty.


MAC AND CHEESE. This was done so well. Simple, no unusual cheese, but pasta was cooked perfectly, the bechamel was rich and decadent, the garlicky bread crumb topping was the perfect crispy counterbalance, and....I feel like I'm forgetting something....


Oh yeah. The ridiculous gooey cheese.


Okay, I'm a sucker for offal. You tell me there's sweetbreads, I'm gonna order me some sweetbreads. "Imagine it's like ribeye crossed with a scallop," I instructed Tavis as he prepared a forkful. He still didn't care for the texture. Oh well, more of this for me! The mustard sauce was a classic and very successful pairing, especially with the little sauteed cherry tomatoes for sweetness, and I love the perfect crisp on the outside of the sweetbreads. Might not order this one again though.




This was the only misstep of the entire night, and it was well-intentioned. I listened to myself ordering four meat dishes, and succumbed to the little voice of guilt which told me "Maybe you should get a vegetable too." Silly little voice! Velociraptors don't need spinach.

Plus this was spinach gratin, which means it was essentially swimming in the same bechamel/bread crumb mix that had made the mac n cheese so successful. Who needs green things when you can have mac n cheese? Oof. Sadly we tried to consume our mistake and silence the guilty little voice, and, well, shemomedjamo. Shemomedjamo shemomedjamo shemomedjamo. And a much-needed waddle back to our car before driving home.

Summary, or recap, or overview, or whatever word I used to have here: Feast is a darling little restaurant and I am definitely coming back. The servers were so much friendlier than the chic stylish decor would indicate; the prices were so much more reasonable than the sleek upscale menu would indicate; and everything was darn tasty. Darn tasty, I say. I have the overwhelming urge to try practically everything on this menu, and I rarely feel that way about a restaurant. If you haven't been here yet, please do yourself a favor and make the trip. But please don't feel the need to repeat my shemomedjamo.

Tuesday, 9/15/10 - Auden's Kitchen

Date: 9/15/10
Restaurant: Auden's Kitchen
Location: 700 E. Sonterra, down Stone Oak off of 1604
Executive Chef: Bruce Auden, of Biga on the Banks

Okay I have a confession. I can't pull the wool over your eyes any longer. We haven't been dining on Tuesdays for the past month...all the dates are Wednesdays. But I refuse to change the very nice name of my blog just because Tavis is rehearsing with the Unitarian church choir on Tuesdays! So I will just ask you to all ignore the reality that says that the 1st, 8th and 15th are actually Wednesdays. A little suspension of disbelief. Just move past the cognitive dissonance and stare at the sexy food with me.

Now, can we move on? Cuz we have a doozy of a meal here. Hoo boy.

I heard that Bruce Auden had opened up a new restaurant, more casual digs and comfort food than his wildly-praised Biga on the Banks which I hope to visit soon. Auden's Kitchen is what I imagine chefs would flock to after a long day on the line, sliding comfortably next to each other and ordering simple, hearty, delicious food to restore some measure of good feelings about mankind. I am obviously overthinking this, but taste the food and tell me I'm wrong.

One of the draws of Auden's Kitchen is that you can order everything on the menu for takeaway--and not only takeaway, but super fast takeaway. I called in the order--hey it was a long day and I didn't feel like putting on a public face--and was told it'd be ready in 20 minutes! It took considerably longer than that just to get there from our house.


It's considerably larger than this corner indicates. We were NOT expecting that.


Like I said! Way beyond what we pictured. This is lovely, cozy and relaxing. As we entered, we were told that we could pick up our order at the bar. As we approached, we were greeted warmly by the GM, Keith Ludwick--and lest you think I'm exaggerating, I think the exact conversation went something like this:


Keith: Hey, welcome! Come on, sit down over here, want a drink? *gestures towards the bartop, laden with top-shelf spirits*
Me: Uhh, sure! *conveniently forgets about not wanting to put on a public face*

They were in the process of getting their liquor license; they serve a great variety of wines and beers currently and are expanding to spirits as well. Hence the distributor and Keith and their bar o' plenty. They were very pleasant drinking companions as we enjoyed some basil- and balsamic-vinegar-infused gin (except for my designated driver, Tavis!) and then we finally had to take our leave so we could get to the grubbing.

What a lovely greeting! I definitely regretted not doing the meal the traditional way; it would have been a great experience. However, the food stood on its own merit and we can be back to do it right in the future.

So, the meal as boxed up, brought home, and opened for our nomming.


Prepare for the feast!


The best thing of the night, a duck confit pizza with smoked gouda, pine nuts, rosemary, and green grapes. So amazingly delicious. We just kept making "yummy!" noises at each other as we gobbled it down.


SCOTCH EGG. I had never tried one, and the longer I didn't try one, the more mythical status it attained in my mind. Well it was quite tasty, this little fried-sausage-wrapped-egg. His is served with a zesty jalapeno aeoli.


Wood-smoked mushrooms, all sauteed and spreadable on buttered and grilled toast (included separately). Good for people who love mushrooms. The smoky flavor didn't overpower them which was great for me.


Gnocchi, tossed with pulled pork and kale. This dish probably suffered the most from the wait and drive home; the gnocchi had turned pretty gummy in the trip. The pulled pork wasn't quite as tender as I'd hoped either. This may be worth another try in person.


My funky potted chicken and duck rillette, spreadable on crostini. Hey, I love braunschweiger, I admit that I'm a little off the beaten path. So this was right up my alley, although I think I wanted it to be a big twangier, like all good liver and forcemeat products.


The one unremarkable dish of the lot, the creamy chicken pasta. Ho hum, I could do this in my sleep. Not particularly good sleep either.


Finally we have our dessert, Bruce Auden's signature sticky toffee cake.


A plate laden with all the goodies. I am very proud of this plate.


And lookit, I can even make it look pretty! This cake was delicious, rich and sweet and laden with dates and sticky deliciousness. It's an excellent holiday cake. Or anytime cake. Cake for all seasons, really.

Returnability: HIGH. This is one of those menus that I look at and go "yep, I'll take that." Just the whole thing. I loved what I saw and experienced of the restaurant and definitely want to give them a chance in person. Great flavors, a creative menu, very welcoming hosts--yes, we will soon be known on a first-name basis with Auden's Kitchen.

Tuesday, 8/24/10 - Grey Moss Inn

Date: 8/24/10
Restaurant: Grey Moss Inn
Location: 19010 Scenic Loop Rd, Helotes (just north of San Antonio down Bandera Rd)
Executive Chef: Not said on their website, which is a shame.

Our first real official Tuesday date since June, and it just so happened to be Restaurant Week in San Antonio, which meant most places had special menus and special prices. Suweet! The Grey Moss Inn is consistently voted one of the most romantic restaurants in San Antonio, and for good reason. It's a lovely scenic escape from the city, and the quality of the food absolutely lived up to the setting and reputation.

After a pleasant winding drive, we arrived!


Sign #1 that you're in the Hill Country: trees.


Sort of not the door I would pair with the rest of the building. One of two discrepancies in decor!


I want my meat to come out of this!


The inside view in the front room, very pretty with the sunroof. We were closeted away in the back; apparently we were not fit to be seen by the other guests. Hmph!


Dubious Decor #2: this is apparently their signature candle because it was on every single table. But.....why? It's huge and unappetizing. It was at the perfectly wrong height where I could not look at Tavis because the flame would be scorching my peripheral vision. Grey Moss Inn, you chose poorly...

On to bigger and better things! As mentioned, we snagged our seats during Restaurant Week, so we had access to their special menu which was really quite a deal. We got their snazzy salad with quail, choice of one of three entrees, and choice of one of two desserts. All that for $35 each, not bad! I also ordered a bottle of moscato to keep me happy. It did the job.


Our amuse, their trademark "olive twists." Like breadsticks with a muffaletta center. They were okay...didn't do much for either of us.


Lest you assume that a salad during Restaurant Week would be a throwaway, feast your eyes on this salad! I know I did, and then I feasted my tummy on it too. Perfect balance of crunch and creamy between the apples, candied walnuts and cheese on the salad. And the quail were stuffed with chorizo--I can hear my mom going "mmmmmmmmmm" now--and barbecued. Absolutely delicious!


I can say with some glee that for the first time in a LONG time, I beat Tavis on the entree. He has a knack for picking the most delicious thing, while I get caught up in trying to order "artsy, avant-garde" entrees against my better judgment. Well, I went for the meatfest and I won.

We have a bacon-wrapped filet front and center, which was just perfectly juicy and tender. We have a couple of renegade shrimp which were cooked perfectly. Hiding in the back is a twice-baked potato which I could have skipped, along with its cohort veggies lurking under everything else--though they too were cooked in chorizo, cue Mom's mmmmmm. And finally, the best of all was this amazing venison sausage to the right. Our waitress said their antelope sausage is even better. Try the charcuterie plate if you come here and report back to me.


Tavis's dish, pork chops with sauteed greens and stuffing. The chop was dry, sadly! And the sides weren't wow. Too bad.


It wouldn't be dessert without a disastrous attempt at photographing creme brulee! Trust me, with the flash it looks like a Japanese horror movie. Anyway, it was just the right amount of brittle to creamy deliciousness.


Tavis's cheesecake with raspberry sauce. By this point, I was 3/4 through the bottle of Moscato, so forgive me for not remembering how he liked it. I thought it looked like a perfectly nice cheesecake.


Tavis shows off the romantic, just-shy-of-kitschy decor in our corner of the restaurant.


Am I sad because my wall has no decorations? Am I sad because there's no more creme brulee? The answer may never be known.

Returnability: high! The Grey Moss Inn made a very good impression on us, with fantastic service by Leah and a menu with far more hits than misses at very reasonable prices. It was a lovely escape and a sweet return to the culinary world.

Just....get rid of the candlestrosity first.

Tuesday, 6/1/10 - Gruene River Grill

Date: 6/1/10
Restaurant: Gruene River Grill
Location: 1259 Gruene Road in Gruene (aka New Braunfels) along the river
Executive Chef: Unknown

Yes, I've been shamefully absent from the interwebs. Two out of the past four Tuesdays we chose to skip, but I do have good eats and great photos on the other two culinary adventures. So let's jump right in!

Summer in Texas has exactly one redeeming quality: going down to the river. In this case, the river is the Guadalupe, the place is the historic town of Gruene, and the restaurant is the Gruene River Grill. If you can maintain any appetite after driving past one awful-pun-themed location after another, INCLUDING but not limited to The Village Gruene, Gruene With Envy, Tavern in the Gruene, and the Gruene Apple B&B......you'll arrive at our restaurant for the evening.


Everything about Gruene is, well, green and lush.


Why thank you, random welcoming man!



Views from outside and inside, respectively. What a neat building. We chose to sit outside and enjoy the view of the river.


There's quite a bit to enjoy. Hello, summer!

Service was prompt and the menu intriguing and fairly-priced. Our dishes arrived with a haste that contrasted the lazy river ambiance. No complaints here, we were hungry!


Taking a cue from the online research I'd compiled on this restaurant, I ordered us a round of Bellinis. A little heavy on the raspberry, but cold, refreshing and perfectly blended. The best part...during happy hour, these puppies (and by puppies I mean Great Danes, not Chihuahuas) were only $3! Unbelievable bargain to someone accustomed to being robbed for $12+ on the Riverwalk.


Our first round, shrimp wontons. Inside is a gooey explosion of cheese, bacon and serrano peppers. We liked the concept better than the execution, unfortunately. They were tasty but not something we'd want again.


I don't know that I've ever met a chowder I didn't like. This was no exception, creamy and thick with giant chunks of crawfish. Terrific stuff, even if on Top Chef they'd turn their noses up at serving chowder in the heat of a Texas summer afternoon. (Not pictured: Tavis's quite good Caesar salad, because even though it was quite good, it's, well, a Caesar salad. Not the most exciting photo. Moving on.)


My entree, Chicken Guadalupe. Chicken topped with avocado, salsa, bacon, and cheese. The chicken was just a bit dry, but pretty much anything smothered with all those toppings is going to be tasty. Still, I wouldn't order it again.


Tavis's absolutely amazing, literally-falling-off-the-bone tender Hawaiian ribs. Huge flavor, incredibly tender and juicy. The sides did not do it justice, both the new potatoes and the coleslaw were boring and forgettable. However, these ribs were massive win.


Speaking of forgettable, don't bother with the cheesecake. Not made in house, nothing special, darn my insatiable sweet tooth for requiring tribute when I KNOW it isn't going to live up to my expectations!

Returnability: to the river, absolutely. For the happy hour Bellinis, you better believe it. But I think there are other restaurants in Gruene we'll try for comparison before we come back to this particular one. While we had a wonderful time with zero wait, good service and an unbeatable view, the food was hit-or-miss enough that I won't feel guilty reviewing my options. Still, a perfect entrance into summer.