October: A Banner Month for San Antonio Foodies!

October looks to be a banner month for San Antonio food lovers:

• Our local branch of the Culinary Institute of America (at the Pearl Brewery) holds its grand opening on Saturday, October 9. The event includes cooking demos, tours of the facility, competitions and live entertainment. In the past several months, they’ve also started to offer “culinary enthusiast classes,” for foodies who want to learn about a subject in-depth. Upcoming offerings include “Bistros and Brasseries,” “The Italian Table,” and “Baking at Home.” RSVP for the grand opening and register for classes on their website.
• Renowned Chef John Besh (who once competed on Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef”) opens his newest restaurant, Lüke, some time in October. (I’ve heard an October 15 date, but having driven past the location today, that date seems rather, um, optimistic.) Lüke features “French and German Old World cooking” and will include fresh local ingredients from the Hill Country. The restaurant is (well, will be) located in the new downtown Embassy Suites hotel, just across from the Majestic Theatre. San Antonio, we have a new pre-show dining option.
• An anonymous (but knowledgeable) source told me that Restaurant Pavil will welcome a new chef (a “top 100 master chef in the US,” the source said) to the kitchen in mid-October. My source was not allowed to reveal the name just yet, but he was apparently in the kitchen within the past month, sampling some of his recipes. “When San Antonio finds out,” said the source, “the lines will be out the door.” Pavil is currently open for breakfast pastries and dinner; it plans to open at lunchtime in November.