Chef Jason’s “Iron Chef Gauntlet” Dinner

Of *course* I had him sign the menu

If you’re living in San Antonio and didn’t know about Chef Jason Dady’s (@ChefJasonDady) recent appearance on Food Network’s “Iron Chef Gauntlet” (ICG), well, welcome back from whatever planet you just returned from. (Note: if you haven’t watched it and don’t want to know how it turned out, quit reading right here.) He did a marvelous job, in cooking, presentation, working with the camera, and above all, representing San Antonio to the wider food world. He made it all the way to the Final Three before host Alton Brown eliminated him. It was a great run.

How I didn’t hear about the next part, I’ll never know. (For starters, he didn’t tweet about it, and that’s rather unusual.) A friend heard about a special dinner (three seatings only) featuring some of his ICG dishes. All three seatings sold out within an hour, but she had the foresight to put herself on the waiting list. The night before, we got the call that we were IN!

That's Chef Jason in black

We arrived at a packed Tre Enoteca, and Chef Jason and crew were hard at work. (I cannot imagine the planning and logistics of serving 80 people 5 dishes, all at the same time.) Due to a massive traffic tie-up on I-10, we missed the reception and appetizers, but arrived in time for the dinner. 

The menu

Servers brought in each dish, and while we ate, Chef Jason chatted a bit about the dish and how it went down on the show. I’ll start there:

Chef Jason tells us about the dish and the show

Course 1: Soba Salad with Black and White Sesame Salad and Dashi Broth. He prepared this for the “Yin/Yang” round, where Alton encouraged them to showcase opposites. “You know I f***ing lost, right?” he asked, to much laughter. He said his goals were “not to get cut first” and to represent San Antonio on a national stage. The soba noodle salad was a perfect starter; you rolled up your noodles, then dipped them into one (or both) of the bowls of sesame puree. He was frustrated, though, that the show chose to omit the second part of the dish (and the fact that Alton apparently didn’t “get” the yin/yang theme he presented). Chef Jason made a rich dashi broth, which the servers brought around and poured into the sesame broth bowls. Totally different texture and taste.

The prettiest presentation, in my book

Course 2: Lightly Smoked King Salmon with Soft Poached Hen Egg, Asparagus, and LOTS of Lemon Zest. When the altar rose (and they really *don’t* know what’s under there), they were all surprised to find….nothing. The challenge was “your best dish with only five ingredients.” When this dish appeared on the show, I tweeted “That looks just like a @ChefJasonDady dish!” I’m not a big fan of salmon, but I could have eaten this all night. Delicately smoked, perfectly moist, and falling apart on the fork. The “LOTS of Lemon Zest” was a response to an earlier criticism that a dish was not “lemony enough.”

The coconut was charred under the grill

Course 3: Pan Seared Diver Sea Scallop with Thai Red Curry, Thai Herbs, and Coconut Ice. This week’s theme was “re-imagining a classic combination,” and Chef Jason drew coconut/lime. On the show, as he prepped the dish, Alton was under-whelmed with the “re-imagining” part. So Chef Jason quickly altered course to prepare something Alton had never eaten before. The result was this stunning coconut and Thai curry presentation. My only complaint: the jasmine rice underneath was uncooked (to hold up the coconut shell), and I couldn’t retrieve and eat the spicy and creamy curry sauce that ran out of my bowl. The coolness of the sea scallop perfectly offset the rather spicy sauce. He used liquid nitrogen to prepare the coconut ice. This dish gave him the win for that week of the show.

This reminded me of the "duck confit orchiette" dish at The Lodge

Course 4: Braised Pork Shoulder Ragu with Celery Root Ravioli. This week’s altar ingredient: half a hog. Chef Jason decided on a pork shoulder, with which he has a lot of experience. People often asked him if he practiced, and he tells them, “Only one thing: the pressure cooker.” It always amazes us on cooking shows that the professional chefs don’t think ahead on this score. They don’t use the things, of course (if a dish needs “low and slow,” that’s how they cook it.) But with only 45 minutes, the pressure cooker is the obvious go-to appliance. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen an amazingly talented chef waste 10 minutes trying to figure out how to put the fool thing together. So Chef Jason practiced this like a fiend and had it down pat. The pork shoulder just melted in the mouth.

Course 5: Porcini Crusted Elk Loin with Wild Mushroom, Red Currant Bordelaise, Blackberry Gastrique and Micro Arugula. Week One’s theme was “Into the Wild.” If you know Chef Jason, you know he knows his wild game, so he obviously went for the elk. This dish had a lot going on, and he liked how it came together; I’m pretty sure he said this was the dish he was happiest with. Alton had no criticism for him and plenty for the other chefs. So he was a little floored when Chef Izard won the challenge (“I had to keep my poker face on.”)

Dessert was a simple but delicious shortbread cookie. In response to a question, he said he has already been to New York to film something else. He didn’t share any further details, but we’ll be watching.

The event was such a success that I would bet he’ll do it again, if the logistical challenges aren’t too overwhelming. We’re both looking forward to seeing more of him on Food Network and Cooking Channel.

Opie’s BBQ: A Texas Monthly Top 50

I'm happy to be back to Alamo A La Carte after a long sabbatical. I'm planning many more posts about food, travel, and arts, particularly in central Texas. I hope you'll join me (or rejoin me). 

Labor Day provides a great opportunity for a barbeque road trip, as long as you’re careful to check if your target joints are open on Mondays (many aren’t). So we headed to Spicewood (about an hour and a half north of San Antonio) to try Opie’s BBQ. The air was redolent with mesquite smoke as we drove up.

Judging from the number of cars, we weren’t alone. I love places that keep their meats in an indoor “pit” (like Schoepf’s and Cooper’s). They lift the lid, and you choose (if you can) from the many smoky selections. We picked out some baby backs, sausage, and brisket. We’ve heard raves about their spicy corn and tater tot casserole, so those came home too. We helped ourselves to onions, jalapenos, pickles, and sauce at the center island (bread and beans were also available; we’ll need to return on the weekend to try their butter beans).

I met head pitmaster Marco Oglesby out back. (One really has to love this job to put in the hours required, but one must have a special love to do so in the August heat.) He said they try to estimate how much meat they’ll need and get everything going hours before service. It’s not like he can cook it to order; once they’re out of product, they’re out. “We try to stay open as late as we can,” he said.

The fork-tender brisket, with its defined pronounced smoke ring, fell apart as I cut. The meat had a great body. The ribs were sweet and peppery with an intense bark, and very tender.

A bit of onion and mushroom gave the creamy tater tot casserole some texture and had just the right amount of cheese. The cream in the spicy corn helped to offset the kick from the jalapenos. The corn was fresh and crunchy, with a touch of smoke.

I highly recommend a road trip. As with most popular BBQ joints (especially those on the TM Top 50 list), the earlier you get there, the better choices you’ll have. What are your favorite BBQ joints?

Construction Update: Dough Pizzeria

On a recent visit, I asked Nancy about the progress of the renovations at the San Antonio Dough Pizzeria (@doughpizzeria). The only sign of construction is the blacked-out windows of the former State Farm office next door. From inside, there's no indication of construction.

Nancy said their number one reason for building the expansion was to "get people out of the heat." The new space will have several hi-tops for waiting customers. The hostess stand will also move into the new space (you'll enter through the old State Farm office), and they plan a few more tables, both inside and out.

The current wine wall will be torn down and replaced with a wine wall in the new space.

They hope to open the new expansion in April.

Second Edition: Glutton's Tour of Houston--Unexpected Surprises

I love coming across unexpected surprises when I travel—even to very familiar places like Houston. On the one hand, I enjoyed (most of) the restaurants we visited, but situations I didn’t anticipate led to some of the best moments. Here are a few from our recent Glutton’s Tour:

• “Dinner and a show” at El Real Tex-Mex @ElRealTexMex : No, I’m not talking about the silent Western movie or football game inside. Sit outside, close to the front rail along Westheimer, and enjoy watching the parade of humanity. A not-particularly-fit woman runs for the bus at the curb up the street (and makes it!), the cyclist jumps out of his skin when he hears the squealing car tires (he avoids catastrophe), a couple of drug addicts cautiously step off the bus just in front of the restaurant (there’s a fence and they move along). Make a game of counting the car honks (we heard four) and screeching tires.
  
  
  
  
  
• Meeting the chef @thefrenchcowboy: After a marvelous meal (see future post) with a very knowledgeable server at Philippe Restaurant, Chef Philippe Schmit left the kitchen and stopped by our table to chat. He is quite personable (with that charming French accent) and was truly pleased that we enjoyed the meal.
  
  
  
• Finally breaking my hex on sports: Regular readers know of my love for the Tour de France. I even play along a own fantasy team. This year, I expected the Cyclists Union to ring my doorbell and ask me to quit choosing riders for my team. By the time they reached Paris, only five riders on my team of ten remained upright on the bike. Complete carnage. Then along comes the American League Championship series. I turned off a couple of games when the Texas Rangers went south upon my tuning in. My friend Shauna enjoined me to switch off and offered to text me the score. Upon returning to my hotel on Saturday night (a week ago), I hesitantly tuned in….and happily watched the Rangers decimate the Tigers 15-5 to win the pennant. Finally I am no longer the bane of professional sports.
  
  
  
  
  
• Watching and learning from the crepe chef at Melange Creperie @melangecreperie: You can't often see the chef prepare your food in most restaurants; even “open kitchens” provide only a partial view. But we enjoyed watching our crepes (and the orders ahead of us) come together—from bubbling dough on the griddle to slicing the bananas to folding the finished product into perfect thirds.

Next up: Failing to meet expectations

Second Edition: Glutton's Tour of Houston--The Sweet Stuff

My sister Robyn and I recently embarked upon another Glutton’s Tour in Houston. (She also posted about the trip on her blog The Burbanist.) We grew up there and enjoy visiting every once in a while. Neither one of us miss the traffic, which snarls worse on every visit. I wonder when they’ll pave over the entirety of west Houston to make IH-10 25 lanes wide….and it would still jam up. We generally confine our visits to the fun and funky areas inside Loop 610, though, so we avoid the worst of it. Over the next several posts, I’ll share the highlights of the trip.

I usually eschew desserts at the end of a meal. But on this trip, the sweet stuff provided the culinary high points.

Banana Nutella Crepes from Melange Creperie @melangecreperie : We patiently stood in front of the small cart on the corner of Westheimer and Taft with ten other people (and one enormous but laid-back dog) while noisy traffic whizzed by behind us. Our chef took individual orders and prepared the crepes fresh, two at a time. Given the serving size (and our plans to visit several other places that day), we decided to split one. We watched in awe as our chef ladled out the batter and spread it thin over the griddle. He expertly flipped it after a few seconds (my attempt to do so would resemble a wadded-up piece of paper), then added the fillings. Our crepe was perfectly thin, with crispy edges, a tender center, and pleasantly warm to the touch. The sweetness of the slightly overripe bananas paired well with the Nutella. Get there early. His small cart doesn’t hold much, and once his ingredients are gone, you’re out of luck. ht

French Cowboy Churros at Philippe Restaurant @thefrenchcowboy : Churros? At a French restaurant?? Why, yes. After a marvelous meal of monkfish, foie gras, and soup in this elegant restaurant on Post Oak, we split an order of cinnamon churros, salted caramel ice cream, and spicy chocolate sauce. The churros were airy and light, and not oversweet. We alternated dipping the churros into the luscious ice cream, then the sauce, which had just the right “kick.” We left not a crumb.

Petit Fours from Moeller’s : I’ve posted about Moeller’s previously. This small shop was my Frannie’s “go-to” spot when she didn’t feel like fixing dessert on her own or needed a girly birthday cake for one of her three granddaughters. Based on past experience, we arrived early on Saturday morning so we could snag the coveted white petits fours and a tray of cheese straws. Over twenty boxes on the table at the rear held pre-ordered cakes ready for pick up. When I asked my husband if I should bring back vanilla or chocolate, he replied “yes.” They didn’t last two days.

Next up…. unexpected surprises.

The Debut of Laura's Lists: This Edition, Vegetarian Lunches

A few months ago, I changed the way I eat. (I don’t believe in diets; you either change the way you eat or you don’t.) I replaced white bread and pasta with whole grain bread/pasta, white rice with brown rice, and potatoes with….well, I haven’t figured out that one yet. (I don’t eat a lot of sweets, so reducing sugar doesn’t require much of a sacrifice.) Note that I said “replace” and not “eliminate”… I still occasionally enjoy French fries and the crisp and tender crust of Dough pizza. We also observe Meatless Monday (which, due to schedule issues, moved to Tuesday), and I set a goal to eat meat only once per day. (The notable exception: bacon when Bruce fixes breakfast on some Saturdays. I could never actually go vegetarian. My DNA includes a gene requiring periodic bacon intake. Sorry Karen.)

I’ve discovered that whole grains and brown rice have a rich, nutty flavor—much more complex than plain white bread. They keep me feeling fuller longer, reducing the afternoon snack craving. And I’ve lost ten additional pounds (with irregular exercise) since starting the plan. (Please check with your doctor before making any major diet changes.)

I’ve been searching for good places for a vegetarian lunch, with some specific requirements. Hu-Hot, for example, has great potential, with its colorful display of veggies and noodles and the aromas of griddling peppers and onions. But they only serve white rice, and all of their noodles are wheat- or rice-based. I don’t care for roasted vegetables or Portobello mushrooms, frequent denizens of vegetarian menus. And “eating vegetarian” requires more planning than just throwing a bunch of veggies on the plate. Do that, and your tummy will be rumbling in a couple of hours.

I’ve selected my top five (in no particular order) places for a vegetarian, whole-grain lunch. The good news: more and more places have added whole grain options to their menus. I hope the trend continues.

1) Freebirds World Burrito @freebirds_wb: Opening in Texas in 1991 directly across from the main campus of Texas A&M, Freebirds provides many choices. Not only do you choose your fillings (with plenty of vegetarian options), you also choose your wrap….and one choice is whole grain. I always order the smallest burrito, and I still can’t finish it. Very filling and satisfying without the heaviness that leads to the afternoon snoozles.

2) California Pizza Kitchen @calpizzakitchen: you can request whole grain crust on all their pizzas, and many of their pasta selections can be ordered with whole grain. My favorite: the white pizza topped with several rich and creamy cheeses.

3) Carrabba’s Italian Grill @carrabbas: they also offer a whole-grain pasta option on all their signature pastas, many of which are vegetarian.

4) India Oven: their fabulous lunch buffet always includes at least one vegetarian choice. I order the whole grain naan and skip the white rice. The earthy, exotic aromas of garam masala and turmeric make for an interesting change of pace.

5) Jason’s Deli @jasonsdeli: their menu includes several vegetarian soups, vegetarian sandwiches with a whole-grain bread option, and a marvelous salad bar. I skip the diced ham and turkey and fill my plate with hard-boiled eggs, chickpeas and sunflower seeds, all good vegetarian sources of protein.

I hope Hu-Hot and India Oven (and others) start serving brown rice soon. I greatly anticipate the opening of Green Vegetarian Cuisine’s new restaurant nearby.

Please send your suggestions…..I’m always looking for new places!

A Sad Day for San Antonio Foodies: The Lodge Restaurant Closing 12/31

Chef Jason Dady (@chefjasondady) tweeted today, “120 more days of awesomeness and kicking ass. The Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills last day of service will be Dec 31st.” That intake of breath you heard around 3:30 this afternoon was collective hyperventilation. San Antonio Express-News dining critic Ed Tijerina (@etij) chatted with Chef Jason this afternoon and posted to the Food Flash blog within a couple of hours.

Shortly after his first post, Chef Jason tweeted, “Fine dining is on life support and I don't want to be here when it dies. We are gonna finish strong and then move on #greatthingsinfuture.” While greatly saddened by the closure of my favorite restaurant, I find my excitement growing at his next venture.

We’ve dined at The Lodge almost since it opened; it impressed from the very first. The wait staff always presents us with one work of art after another; the dishes look as pretty as they taste. Each one features a range of textures; he first delights us with delicate flavors then surprises us with bold ones.

Chef Jason also carefully listens to his customers. After a few visits, I mustered the courage to comment on the hard wooden chairs. The Lodge encourages a relaxing dining experience, and the unforgiving seats didn’t complement the meal. Sure enough, the next time we visited, the seats sported a cushion.

A fabulous artist with food, Chef Jason is always gracious and open, willing to share tips and techniques with us noodlers. A couple of years ago, he offered several Dady’s Underground Kitchen (DUK) events at private homes. We snagged the first one, and it was one of the finest meals that we (and eight of our lucky friends) have ever eaten. Chef Jason brought one helper (who served and washed the copious dishes), and they prepped and presented five courses. In between courses, he invited us into the kitchen to watch him work. Most chefs would bristle at the presence of rank amateurs in their kitchens. But Chef Jason shared his tips and ideas and even sipped a glass of wine as the dishes percolated.

Whenever we see him, he always takes a moment to thank us for coming and explain a little about the dishes we’re eating. He has even invited us back to the kitchen a couple of times!

He’s planning a huge Celebration Dinner on New Year’s Eve, as well as a special dinner in October to commemorate The Lodge’s tenth anniversary. I would recommend making reservations soon.

One thing I know for sure…even after 12/31, Chef Jason will remain one of San Antonio’s leading chefs. Next week, he and other prominent local chefs (including Andrew Weissman and Rebecca Rather) are cooking a benefit dinner for Foodways Texas.

Thanks for all the birthday, anniversary, and special occasion dinners, Chef Jason, and I’ m sure we will see you very soon!

Food, Friends, and Fun!

What a weekend! Friday evening and Saturday morning with amazing friends, and a Sunday cooking up Hatch ideas! I was in seventh heaven on Sunday night and didn't particularly look forward to returning to work on Monday.

How many of you can say you have a lifelong friend? I mean....really lifelong? Some of you, maybe, I'm sure, but not many. I am one of the lucky ones.

Lynn (pictured) and I have been friends since we were two years old. Our dads worked together at Humble Oil and Refining (now ExxonMobil), and our moms were pregnant with our younger siblings at the same time. Lynn and I were bestest, best friends; we were in the same first grade class.

Our families moved to Houston together, but they only stayed a year and moved to New Orleans. We kept in touch via snail mail (remember that?) over the next few years.

When my grandmother asked where I wanted to go on my seventh-grade trip, I hesitated not a bit. "New Orleans!" Grandmama looked somewhat surprised (not your typical seventh-grader's travel request, after all), so I explained why.

A few weeks before our trip, Lynn's father died in a tragic accident. The family moved to Scottsdale shortly thereafter; I never did get to see her. I enjoyed the trip, but the soul had gone out of it.

We saw each other a few times over the years, and I asked her to be a bridesmaid. The older we got, the longer it went between visits. She last visited over 15 years ago when we were in Virginia. Then we kinda lost touch.

When she found me a couple of years ago on Facebook, I cried and cried. We re-established contact and invited each other to visit when in town (she's in Colorado). And lo and behold, she visited San Antonio.

The best thing about lifelong friends is how easily you slip back into conversation, even after all the years. We had a great time catching up with each other.

We all enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Tre Trattoria (@tretrattoria). You definitely want to go with friends and order several dishes to share. They aren't "small plates" (like Bin555), but the dishes are meant to be passed around the table. The entrees come in both small (two servings) and large (four servings) sizes. We devoured a chef's market salad with black cherries, cannellini beans, asparagus, and wagyu meatballs with house-made pasta. The sweet onion sformato (sort of like a souffle, but not as airy) tasted smoky and fresh. We were simply all too full for dessert.

Lynn and I both promised each other that it won't be 15 years before our next visit!

The very next morning, our friends Shauna and Mike arrived bright and early at 7:30 am so we could enjoy watching a stage of the Tour de France. We had the TV, Mike's iPad, Shauna's iPhone, and my laptop all tuned into the action. Although the stage was not as decisive as expected, we still had a great time sharing all the hilarious comments on the various feeds. (From Twitter: "Confirmed: Jens Voight crashes on the descent; mountain suffers a broken collarbone." He was fine.)

Since he doesn't really care about the Tour, Bruce agreed to fix us a fabulous breakast (pictured). Cheesy grits with peppers, salmon croquettes, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce, accompanied by an asparagus salad with vinaigrette and goat cheese toast. The acidity of the asparagus salad perfectly offset the richness of the salmon and eggs.

This is definitely another date next year!

And our Hatch experiments? Well, you'll just have to wait for a report on that one. :-) Everything is still top-secret.

I am truly blessed to have such great friends. They have made all the difference in getting through this challenging summer (see my other blog, Mighty Marine Mom), and I love them dearly.

Learning from Chef Steve McHugh

Mary Martini of the San Antonio Central Market cooking school wasted no time in getting Chef Steve McHugh of the new downtown restaurant Lüke (see my blog post about their grand opening) on the schedule. I hadn't planned to blog...but nearly as soon as he opened his mouth, I was scribbling down notes.

"We're often asked, 'Why San Antonio?'" he said, when Chef John Besh could have opened a restaurant anywhere. "Chef Besh feels that San Antonio and New Orleans have similar cultures. There's a lot of history and a lot of tourism. Plus, San Antonio just opened its arms after Katrina. Many of our New Orleans employees evacuated here and stayed. My pastry chef, in fact, is one of them."

Chef Steven moved to San Antonio ten months ago, when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. "Most of the doctors fled New Orleans after Katrina, and San Antonio was recommended to us for treatment," he said. "I've been in remission for five months. I wanted to stay here since I was cured here."

Both in New Orleans and here, Chef Besh's restaurants seek to be a part of the community and use local ingredients as much as possible. Lüke's menu in New Orleans, for example, doesn't include the sausages on Lüke's menu (all house made and cured). They wanted to have some items that appeal to the local German culture. "We use only Gulf shrimp and mostly Gulf seafood," said Chef Steven. Chef Besh wouldn't be caught dead using Chinese crawfish or Vietnamese shrimp.

Chef Besh's restaurant August in New Orleans opened only a month after Katrina, one of the first businesses to reopen. "Many of our employees couldn't get back," said Chef Steven. "We had no bartenders; we asked customers to pour their own drinks and use the honor system. We had to add up all the tickets by hand since we had no computers.

"We were forced to buy a lot of product locally, since Sysco and the big seafood distributors weren't yet operating. It taught us a lot. Since then, we've become a very localized company. You'll see me a lot at the Pearl Market. We now have a farm outside of New Orleans. We want to keep as much of our money local as possible."

Someone asked if it was pronounced "luke" (like the name) or "loo-kay." He pronounces it "luke," but he said really the proper way is "loo-kay." "I don't really care, though, as long as you come to the restaurant."

Another hallmark of Chef Besh's restaurants is their hospitality. They want everyone, both casual tourist and suited businessman, to feel comforable. The entire staff, from the hostesses to the wait staff, is very welcoming and accomodating. Chef Steven often leaves the kitchen to chat with diners and find out how they're doing.

We got an example of that hospitality during the class. Bruce (to his great regret) cannot eat shrimp, so he quietly told one of the assisting chefs to just serve him the grits (which are shrimp/broth-free). Unfortunately, he can't even sample the marvelous sauce, since it's based on shrimp stock. Either the assisting chef quietly told him, or Chef Steven overheard...because when the time came to demonstrate and serve, he prepared a shrimp-free version of the sauce, just for Bruce. Needless to say, we were quite impressed.

The menu included a candied beet salad with Hill Country cheese, a simple pork tartine, jaeger schnitzel, a warm berry tart, and Lüke's famous shrimp and grits.

The beets were pickled and served with a local blue cheese and candied pecans. "People who don't like beets like this," he said. A tartine turned out to be just a fancy word for a sandwich. He said that this recipe works well for a picnic, as it's served at room temperature. For the shrimp and grits at the restaurant, they use a special-order white grits and cook them for four hours. For this class, they used an Arrowhead Mills Organic Yellow Corn Grits, and stirred in a generous helping of mascarpone and butter. The sauce includes andouille sausage. The entire menu was delectable and easy to prepare at home.

I hope you enjoyed the class, Chef Steven, and will return soon to demonstrate more of your dishes! Welcome to San Antonio!

Chef Jason's Newest Opening: Tre Trattoria Downtown

Earlier this week, Chef Jason Dady (twitter.com/@chefjasondady) started teasing his Twitter followers with mysterious posts like "T-minus 48 hours" and "T-minus 24 hours." He stubbornly ignored all inquiries; WHAT happens in 24 hours??? Then Friday evening, he posted, "T-minus 19 hours"....and a photo showing the logo for Tre Trattoria Downtown.

He told us that when he opened Restaurant Insignia (at the Fairmount Hotel), he was hoping to draw downtown tourists to chef-driven food. But he has discovered that's not what they want. "Put a big plate of pasta in front of them, and they're happy," he told us. Timing things carefully to catch a lull between conventions, he closed Insignia on Wednesday, thus commencing a mad 48-hour rush to convert the menu and restaurant to Tre Trattoria Downtown. (He's been planning the change for months, but kept it very quiet.)

The lunch and dinner menu is very similar (if not identical) to the original Tre Trattoria on Broadway (which is still open). But the downtown location also features brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00am to 3:00pm. We headed downtown yesterday to be one of the first to sample the new menu.

An extensive list of $1 mimosas (for the first two) remains, as does the barbeque bloody mary (which proved too spicy for me on this visit). But the brunch menu has been reworked to reflect a Tuscan theme.

Featured menu items include a breakfast panini, a chef's daily frittata, and a breakfast pizza. Bruce thouroughly enjoyed his steak and eggs, featuring a filet, hollandaise, and perfectly cooked potatoes. My creamy mascarpone polenta (pictured) melted in the mouth. Others raved on Twitter about the biscuits. We are looking forward to trying all the other items; they all sounded delicious.

Good luck, Chef Jason, on your newest venture!

Two Notable Grand Openings

Chef John Besh's Lüke held its grand opening last Thursday. Chef Besh (pictured), ever the gracious host, mingled with the crowd, chatted with nearly everyone, and posed for endless pictures.

Oh, and about the food.... simply marvelous. Lüke's menu is reminiscent of a French brasserie, but he and Chef Steve McHugh (@chefstevemchugh and @chefjohnbesh on Twitter) took pains to feature local ingredients. There's house-made sausage, local beers, and locally sourced produce. A Besh menu would be incomplete without his famous shrimp and grits. The downstairs bar area feels like a neighborhood pub; I'm certain it will quickly become a downtown favorite. The open kitchen provides dinner and a show for those seated on the second floor.

The grand opening featured a paté board (with buffalo, rabbit, and pork belly flavors), an amazing raw bar (the poor waitstaff kept running out to restock the oysters), shrimp and grits (smooth, creamy, and delicious), steak tartare with a quail egg, shrimp jambalaya, flammenkuchen (an onion tarte), and much, much more. Many of my foodie Twitter friends attended (see @ohmypuddin's blog post at "I Go Right for the Blogular"), as well as Ken-David Masur from the San Antonio Symphony. (When we introduced ourselves and told him we had sung "Carmina Burana" with him and the symphony, a nice conversation ensued.)

I'm looking forward to our first dinner visit!

Another local grand opening: Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling (@rangercreek on Twitter). Their whiskey won't be ready until the spring, but they have several beers ready to go. The Smoked Porter has a rich, smoky taste that I really enjoyed.

Dennis (one of the owners) told me that he and his partners couldn't decide whether to brew beer or distill bourbon, so they decided to do both.

Their 6,000-square foot "brewstillery" (located near IH-35 and Thousand Oaks) houses equipment special-ordered from Germany. They overbuilt their cold room, based on feedback from an Austin brewery that quickly ran out of space. They smoke their own malt in a smoking room out back.

While they cannot sell their product to the public, they welcome you to visit for a tasting and tour. In addition to Lüke and Freetail Brewing, several other local restaurants feature their products.

A Spectacular Evening with Chef Rick Moonen

In late October, Watermark Grill invited Top Chef Masters finalist Chef Rick Moonen (www.twitter.com/rickmoonen) to prepare a menu featuring sustainable fish. What a meal we enjoyed!

Chef Moonen defines "sustainable" as "not taking an active role in the extinction of a species." So everything he serves is either farm raised or fished in a responsible, sustainable manner. (I found it interesting that his definition doesn't include transportation distance; one of our selections started in Iceland.)

The menu (in collaboration with Watermark's Chef Tyler Horstmann):

• Thai Style Shrimp Wraps and Lobster Corn Dogs (the corn dogs won our table's vote)


• Oyster Martini with Black Olive Pearls (I would never have thought "gee, olives go with oysters." I guess that's why he's the Top Chef and not me.)


• Grapefruit-Pomegranate Icelandic Arctic Char Ceviche (char is one of our favorites, and it worked surprisingly well with the acidic grapefruit)


• New England Steamed Dinner with Alaskan Halibut (our favorite; rich, with potatoes and cabbage, and a light halibut on top)


• Hapuka (a firm-fleshed fish) with Wild Mushrooms and Herbed Shellfish Vinaigrette


• "An American Classic" for dessert (more on this later)

Watermark's sommelier paired each couse with a sustainable wine.

Chef Moonen is just as approachable in person as he seemed on "Top Chef." Before the meal began, he circulated through the restaurant, signing cookbooks and having his photo taken. He said this was his second trip to San Antonio. He made the Central Market hop tour a couple of years ago when his cookbook came out.

Most diners had not heard of Hapuka, a firm-fleshed fish that reminded me of swordfish. Chef Tyler explained that it's a deep water fish from New Zealand and Australia. It stands up well to the grill.

As for dessert....our "American Classic" looked like a burger, fries with ketchup, and Coke float. It looked like a dish that could have appeared on "Top Chef," and in fact Lynn (one of my dining companions) seemed to recall seeing it on the show. Only the Coke float was "for real," of course. Two light-as-air macaroons sandwiched some smooth chocolate for the "burger," and the "fries" were breaded and fried apple sticks with a raspberry coulis.

Chef Moonen's dining philosophy: "Enjoy. Smile. Laugh. Ask questions." Hard to argue with that. Come back soon, Chef!!

Coming Soon: Lüke, by Chef John Besh

Prepare your palates, San Antonio...Chef John Besh's Lüke Restaurant opens within a few weeks on the Riverwalk.

Rather than developing the same exact restaurant and menu as the original in New Orleans, Chef Steve McHugh (www.twitter.com/chefstevemchugh) has modified the Alstatian-style restaurant to meet local needs and flavors. The menu will include many local ingredients, such as quail, beef, and a wide variety of produce.

They invited the local food blogging community (hey, that's me!) to a special preview tasting tonight, across the river from the restaurant. It's located in the new Embassy Suites downtown, just across the street from Acenar and the Hotel Valencia. Their chefs prepared a variety of house-made sausages (not on the menu in New Orleans but added here due to the strong German community), Texas fried quail with Hill Country honey, Chef Besh's famous creamy shrimp and grits, and a decadent bread pudding for dessert. Their bar will feature Texas wines and beers (as well as French, German and Belgian beers).

We had to don hard hats for our restaurant tour, as construction is still very much underway. Keith Zars Pools designed the $2 million indoor/outdoor water feature, a future bridal photo location for-sure. Oddly for a Riverwalk restaurant, there's no river seating, although the large curved picture window overlooks the river, and there are two small outdoor dining patios. The glassed-in kitchen (which was unfortunately inaccessible due to welding work) features VIP seating; manager Victor told us those are the most popular seats in the New Orleans location.

Chef Steven (and most of the other senior staff) moved to San Antonio several months ago and has been overseeing the (slow) construction work. Their current plan is to have a "soft" opening at the end of October, with a grand opening about three weeks after that. But all depends on construction progress.

Hours will be 11:00am-11:00pm, 365 days a year. Valet parking will be avaialble for $7, and the restaurant is within easy walking distance of the Majestic. In fact, they've already arranged with the symphony to have pre/post-show sessions with the new conductor. I strongly recommend reservations, available online through Open Table.

Really looking forward to this one!

Victoria: Whale Watching and Some Great Food

Long layover at DFW, so a good excuse to compose the next installment in the Victoria Chronicles.

Bruce booked only one excursion when planning the trip — a whale-watching expedition. After a quick breakfast, we boarded the Ocean Magic II for a trip out to the bay.

The waters around Victoria host a large number of orcas year-round. We took a 30-minute boat ride out to prime watching grounds. Even as warm as Thursday was, this smart cookie remembered to bring her windbreaker. During the speedy trip out, Bruce regretted leaving his back at the hotel.

In addition to running the larger boat (with an enclosed cabin and small snack bar), "Prince of Whales" also runs open Zodiac boats for whale watching, seating sixteen. Bruce wisely chose the less adventurous but more comfortable enclosed boat for our trip.

We spent the morning tracking several pods of orcas. The above video shows three surfaces, the last one being the best. (Forgive my lack of video skills; this is the first time I have used my new camera to post a video, and I have a lot to learn.) After about an hour and half, we headed back toward land, but not the harbor. Turns out other boats had sighted a gray whale at one end of the island, and we saw that animal a few times.

After docking at the inner harbor, we took one of the handy water taxis across the bay to Spinnakers, a "gastro brewpub" recommended by our travel guide. It did not disappoint. I selected a "flight" of their microbrews: Scottish ale, nut brown ale, a hefeweizen, and Spinnaker Ale (the best). Their menu is extensive and nearly all locally sourced — a hot British Columbia food trend, we came to learn. Bruce had a seafood chowder (the best I've ever tasted) and a marvelous fish and chips; I enjoyed a lentil soup and smoked fish.

After lunch, we took the water taxi back to the inner harbor and enjoyed an afternoon of shopping along the roads leading out from the harbor. We found an Irish store, a hat store (two new hats to add to the collection), and several stores featuring First Nations (the Canadian version of "Native American") art, making several purchases along the way.

Our dinner deserves its own post; more on this later.

The "In-Studio" Experience at KLRN's Blazing Gavels Auction!

We've enjoyed KLRN's Blazing Gavels auction for years; we've bought wine, vacations, art...all sorts of cool things. They had a Twitter account last year but really didn't do much with it. This year, rather than tweeting themselves, they decided to ask members of the San Antonio social media community to come into the studio and serve as "guest tweeters." I was flattered and honored to be asked to do so Friday night!

As much as we've watched the auction, I've never been in studio during the events. I previewed the new digs a couple of days ago (see my last blog post). I've heard it's very exciting, so I was really looking forward to it. And here I am:

• 5:05pm: arrived at the station early. Each night a restaurant donates dinner for volunteers. Tonight we enjoyed salad and pasta; very tasty.


• 5:20pm: into the studio with Katrina, who helps set up my station and get me logged onto the various accounts. She offers a few suggestions on what to post, but for the most part, I'm on my own.


• 6:07pm: went on air a few minutes ago with lots of hoops and hollers from the USAA volunteers. There's so much activity that it's tough to know what to focus on. Can't hear Steve (the announcer), which is oddly disorienting.


• 6:20pm: found out they plan to do a little interview with me later this evening. I hope my tongue doesn't decide to get all tied in knots.


• 6:30pm: Bonnie Walker of the great blog SavorSA just sat down next to me! She's reading one of the wine boards later. Trying to figure out how to pronounce all those foreign words. Oh...and she's co-editing a new foodie magazine, San Antonio Taste. Look for it at HEBs.


• 6:50pm: starting to feel the rhythm and keep my eye on things I want to bid on. I'm allowed, but I have to call from outside the studio. I think I may have gotten a Texas red wine package, but just like everyone else, I won't know until they call.


• 7:30pm: wandering around the studio. Lots of wine lined up in the back. At any given time, there's at least one board with open bidding on wine packages.


• 7:50pm: I've just about decided that bidding will have to wait until I'm not tweeting. Too much going on.


• 8:10pm: snack break. Headed up to snack room for some soda, popcorn and chips.


• 8:15pm: sandals may be cute, but an unwise choice in a chilly studio. My toes is froze.


• 8:40pm: Ellen stopped by to say goodbye and asked me to come back! She also asked me to put a bug in Chef Jason Dady's ear about donating some gift certificates for his restaurants. I'll see him Monday night at a cooking class, so I'll ask!


• 8:55pm: about to do my on-camera interview. Boy, I hope the words all come out right.


• 9:15pm: done! Everyone said it looked fine. Hope so. I recorded it at home and will look later. That's nerve-wracking!


• 9:45pm: tonight, USAA volunteers man the phones. Shift changes at 10:00, and new folks are trickling in.


• 9:55pm: winding down. Last night's guest tweeter made it to 11:00. Not this tired bear.


• 10:00pm: finally got to meet the awesome Steve Alwais, the voice of Blazing Gavels!


• 10:05pm: signing off! They want me to send a "guest" entry for their blog. Will do so tomorrow!
  

And to finish the night, a much-appreciated escort out to my car by a nice deputy sheriff.

Many, many thanks to KLRN, Ellen, and Katrina for a fabulous evening!

It's Almost Time for Blazing Gavels!

It's almost here! The 44th annual Blazing Gavels Auction (sponsored by KLRN) is June 10-19.

This year's auction features a spiffy new set. Students at the International Academy of Design and Technology designed the colorful murals (pictured), which were painted by students from the Blue Star Mosaic program. They give the set a marvelous sense of color and movement. KLRN's engineers worked hard to design a new set in about half the space. (KLRN now rents part of its studio to another production company.) But there's still plenty of room for volunteers to move around...and for three rows of phones!

The auction features hundreds (if not thousands) of items...everything from gift certificates to food to wine to travel to......you name it. The most valuable prize this year is a Harley Davidson motorcycle, valued at $15,000. You can bid on the more valuable items on their website.

I highly recommend calling the station (210-270-9000) to get a speed bid number. This makes it easy for you to bid on multiple items (and multiple times, as you compete with other bidders).

This year's auction also features social media. They have a Facebook page and a Twitter account (www.twitter.com/KLRNauction); the Twitter account will have "guest" Tweeters each night. I'm honored to say I'll be the "guest Tweeter" on Friday, June 11. They'll also feature social media-only items each night, with the biggest prize being an iPad (donated by Rackspace). You'll only be able to bid on these items via Twitter or Facebook.

They're still looking for volunteers for a few shifts, particularly the late-night shift (9:30 pm until it's done). Call 270-9000 to volunteer.

The fundraising goal this year is $402,000, which represents about 8% of KLRN's annual budget.

Tune in June 10-19 at 6:00 pm, or visit their website. Bid high, and bid often!

Sogo Market Cafe in Stone Oak

At the recommendation of friends and tweeps, I visited Sogo Market Cafe (Stone Oak Pkwy and Hardy Oak) for lunch today. What a terrific neighborhood restaurant. It won the 2009 San Antonio Express-News Critic's Choice award for best North Central neighborhood restaurant.

The menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches, pizza and a couple of heartier entrees (today's features were roast pork and a half chicken). Their standard menu features about ten sandwiches and eight salads, as well as their "daily blackboard" of changing specials. They also serve a variety of yummy-looking cupcakes, cakes and cookies. (These same folks operate Saweet Cupcakes, whose bright pink van can be found most Saturdays at the Pearl Farmers Market.)

I'm rather a conossieur of BLTs, so I tried their "PELT" which featured prosciutto and a fried egg. I've got to say it was one of the best BLTs I've had. The proscuitto was nice and salty, offset well by the egg. The cup of French lentil soup was warm and delicious, flavored with bits of ham.

I found the relative lack of vegetarian entrees rather surprising, although with a chef-driven resturant such as this, I'm sure they would be happy to make something to order. There were only two vegetarian salads on the menu, for example. (And since my favorite vegetarian loathes beets, she would have only one choice.) You can, however, make your own sandwich or salad from their variety of fresh ingredients.

They've recently opened on Sundays from 10:00am-8:00pm (brunch served from 10:00am-3:00pm), and kids eat free on Saturdays. Stop by and give it a try!

Dady's Underground Kitchen (DUK) #8!!

Allow me to cause your mouth to water with last night's menu:

• Hors d'oeuvres: Proscuitto di Parma wrapped greens; Meyer lemon and ricotta crostini with olive tapenade; romaine with Spanish piquillo peppers, cherry tomato and chevre; "what's in your fridge?" (more on this later)



• First course: jumbo lump crab salad with Minneola tangelo, baby arugula, heirloom tomato, avocado, and blood orange vinaigrette



• Second course: "bahn mi" with Meyer lemon and jalapeno-cucumber salad



• Third course: pan roasted duck breast with Okinawa purple sweet potato, bosc pear, zucchini and raspberry gastrique



• Fourth course: nutella parfait (pictured)

Hungry? Of course you are. This was Chef Jason Dady's (www.twitter.com/chefjasondady) eighth edition of his now-famous "Dady's Underground Kitchen."

We were honored to host the first edition last August, so this time, we visited the home of our friends Mike and Shauna. Each of the five couples brought two bottles of wine and enjoyed the starters in the kitchen while watching Chef Jason work and share his expertise. His excellent server Josh served the wine and the four main courses in the dining room.

For the "what's in your fridge?" starter, Chef Jason stuck his head into Shauna's pantry and fridge, pulled out a few things, and made an appetizer on the spot. (I am very grateful I didn't have to suffer this at my DUK; would have had a heart attack.) He whipped up a delicious apple, dried cherries and green chile chutney atop a cracker.

The crab salad was delicious and light. Opinions were somewhat mixed, but most agreed that the "bahn mi" (a Korean-style sandwich) was the big winner (see dessert caveat below). One guest even suggested he turn it into sliders and put them on the menu at Bin 555.

Before he served the dessert, he asked us our favorites, because "once you taste the dessert, THAT will be your favorite." I am not a big dessert person, so I was skeptical. But he was right. I've never heard so many oohs and aahs over a dish. Our group was only the second time he has served it (the first was a special event the Saturday night prior). Be watching for this fabulous concoction to appear soon on one of his menus (he wasn't sure which one just yet).

Some of Chef Jason's thoughts (these are paraphrases, not exact quotes):

• Great cooking is all about the balance of acid and salt.
  
• I enjoy doing these because it breaks down the barriers between chef and diner.
  
• It's all about showing that a "regular" kitchen can produce great food.
  
• The bahn mi was outside my comfort zone; I usually don't cook with Asian flavors.

It's clear that Chef Jason enjoys (and is very talented at) cooking, but he is also extraordinarily gracious in sharing his knowledge and expertise. Everyone there learned something last night. We are pleased and honored to have participated twice and hope to do so again in the future!

Chef Jason Dady's New Venture: Restaurant Insignia

So my "regularly scheduled" blog post for the weekend was pre-empted by a totally unexpected email on Friday afternoon.

I've been anxiously awaiting the grand opening announcement for Restaurant Insignia (Chef Jason's new downtown place; www.twitter.com/chefjasondady) and even brazenly asked for an invite a few weeks ago on Twitter. Imagine my surprise, then, when I received one!

Chef Jason invited all four Dady's Underground Kitchen hosts (see earlier post), as well as several others, to a "soft opening" on Friday evening. After meeting friends for drinks at Tre Trattoria, Bruce met me downtown (his evening plans having been hastily rearranged.)

The restaurant is located adjacent to the Fairmount Hotel, at S. Alamo and E. Nueva. Turn south on S. Alamo from Commerce and use the Fairmount's valet parking (Restaurant Insignia will validate one hour of parking for every $25 spent). According to Chef Jason, the cuisine is "Modern American with Texas Roots." The decor was warm and inviting, with a bright central bar area. We joined about 50 other invited diners, including @cmfoodie's Mary Martini and @SavorSA Bonnie Walker.

We were pleased to discover that our favorite waiter from @Bin555, Derek, had received a promotion to General Manager of Restaurant Insignia. Our server Ashley handed us a menu and informed us that the Chef would be making the selections. After watching the activity for several minutes, Bruce correctly observed that this evening was a "stress test." Chef Jason was testing his wait staff and kitchen by serving nearly everything on the menu to different tables.

For starters, he has developed a marvelous "chef-inspired" cocktail menu. Bruce enjoyed a licorice drink; I unfortunately failed to record the name, but it was delicious. Our "snack" of garlic fries with a harissa aioli began the meal perfectly.

Next, Chef sent out a tuna tartare "poke" with a pineapple mojo. (Here was the only service hiccup of the evening. For all other courses, he sent out one dish for Bruce and I to share. In this case, we got two, which given the amount of food served during the evening, was one too many.) The flavors and textures were perfectly balanced. A wedge salad followed. Bruce described it as a "BLT without the bread." A light dressing complemented the balsamic bacon very well.

The sous-chef in charge of the wood-fired oven kept busy all evening, and a "bacon and egg" pizza arrived next. The crust was tasty and crunchy, and the toppings of quail egg, red onion, bacon and pancetta all blended. Our entree was cast-iron fried chicken with piloncillo waffles and a maple gravy. It sounds super-sweet, but wasn't. As with all his other creations, the flavors all balanced, and the maple in the gravy was perfectly subtle.

Bruce chose a "tres leches" cheesecake for dessert (marvelously light), and I chose a classic Chef Jason nutella mousse cake.

Throughout the evening, Derek and Chef Jason wandered around the restaurant, making sure everyone was enjoying their experience and their meal. I saw a lot of happy diners. Several (myself included) snapped photos throughout the evening.

Restaurant Insignia opens Monday (October 19) for dinner at 5:00 pm. Regular hours will be Sunday - Thursday, 11:00 am - 10:00 pm, and Friday-Saturday, 11:00 am - 11:00 pm.

Good luck to Chef Jason as he begins his new adventure!

Chef Jason Dady Cooks at My House! Really!

Recently, Chef Jason Dady (www.twitter.com/chefjasondady) tweeted about "Dady's Underground Kitchen," whereby he comes to your house to cook for five couples. I quickly found four other interested couples and booked a date.

I just about drove Bruce bananas with preparations. "I haven't seen this level of cleaning since the Corps," he moaned. I might not have the snazziest kitchen, but I was gonna have the cleanest one, by golly. Let me tell you....it gleamed.

Chef Jason arrived at the house about 4:00 pm on the appointed day, with helper Josh. They quickly unloaded all the supplies. (He brought food and wine glasses, couples brought wine, and he used our plates/silver/pots-and-pans.) The only equipment he brought (other than his knives, of course) was a sous vide rig. (Post a comment if you want to know more about this.)

He didn't fully develop the menu until he visited Central Market that morning to see what was fresh. Our menu:

• Hors d'oeuvres: Foie gras terrine mousse with sea salt; "smoked" popcorn; grilled chevre sandwich with cherry tomato jam; Thai crab salad
• First course: Fresh seasonal figs with basil goat cheese mousse, saba, honey, and proscuitto de parma
• Second course: Butter poached scallop with house-cured guanciale, fresh Texas peas, white polenta, and lemon beurre blanc
• Third course: Sous vide pork tenderloin with oca potato, summer asparagus, dijon emulsion and "sauce"
• Fourth course: Brioche french toast, brandied peaches, and vanilla bean chantilly

And yes, it tasted just as good as you think it would.

By the time our friends arrived at 6:00 pm (each with two bottles of wine), he had an hors d'oeuvre ready, with Josh bringing out the other three as we gathered and chatted. He encouraged us to come into the kitchen, watch him cook, and ask questions. He is very personable and very willing to share hints, tips, and an occasional secret. In addition to a fabulous meal, we all learned a lot.

The foie gras just melted in your mouth, and the popcorn was simple but delicious. We both very much enjoy his scallops and were not disappointed this time. The whole meal was an incredible journey. Best piece of advice he shared: "Cooking is all about balancing salts and acids, temperature control, and time management."

And Josh did the dishes!

We all hope he continues this, as he has time (opening a new restaurant downtown this fall!). It was a very great pleasure to not only eat a fabulous meal, but to meet and get to know this incredible local chef.