Favorite Bites - Burgers, BBQ & Beer

The final event of Culinaria was possibly the most popular or at least the best expression of of San Antonio--an outdoor barbecue with a casual, fun and friendly vibe. The theme was burgers and there were several that broke the mold. I picked up some tips and ideas for places to visit on my next trip, as I did at the Grand Tasting (which you will find bolded), best of all it gave me another excuse to visit the Pearl.

The Pearl is the name of what was once a landmark brewery in San Antonio. The grounds which are set on the river, are now home to the latest campus of the Culinary Institute of America, shops, restaurants, bars and a thriving farmers market and small but lively amphitheater. A visit to San Antonio is not complete until you've been to the Pearl.


First up, the venison burger with onions, cucumber and a pickled pepper. It was so rare and juicy. I'd want to check out The Esquire Tavern based on this burger alone.


Another top pick came from chef Johnny Hernandez who runs La Gloria, a Mexican street food restaurant at The Pearl. It was a pork belly and short rib burger, topped with house made kimchi and also featured cucumbers. Note to self, when tomatoes are out of season, try a cucumber slice instead. It was served on a steamed bun, a nod to it's Asian influence.



My last favorite burger was a very innovative one, and it came from Arcade, a restaurant that has not yet opened at the Pearl. It was a thin chorizo "burger" on a bun with spicy arugula and crumbled feta. A thin sausage patty is a great compromise when you can decide between a sausage or a burger!


A black currant macaron with chocolate filling might have resembled a burger, but it was in fact the quintessential French Parisian style macaron. It was so light and with just the right amount of filling. This was no ordinary macaron but a truly outstanding one, the best I've had in a long time. Look for Bakery Lorraine goodies at the Quarry farmer's market.

My thanks to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau for inviting me and hosting my trip.

Favorite Bites from the Grand Tasting at Culinaria

One of the most elegant events at Culinaria, the wine and culinary arts festival in San Antonio, is the Grand Tasting at the Convention Center along the River Walk. Attending an event like this (or even just reading about it) allows you to pick up some great tips and ideas for future culinary explorations--both dishes to try on your own and a head's up about restaurants that are worth seeking out on future visits (find my tips in bold text).


At the Grand Tasting I had three favorite dishes. First was something very creative and tasty, compressed watermelon with pop rocks! Mainly it was just a lot of fun, juicy and crunchy and crackly. It's definitely a dish with a sense of humor, and while prepared by the chef at the hotel La Contessa restaurant Las Ramblas, it is available from their food truck, Tapa Tapa. I believe it also had a dab of black garlic. Pretty too. Compressing watermelon is a technique to try using a vacuum sealer, no sous vide necessary!


The next dish I really loved was a twist on Italian bread salad called panzanella. It was burrata, tomatoes (undoubtedly ripened in the hot Texas sun) with torn bread, micro greens, balsamic and roast chicken. I'm usually in the "please don't ruin Caesar salad by adding chicken to it!" camp, but in this case, it really worked. The dish was from Luke, a restaurant I got to visit last year.


The last dish was coconut ice cream with fresh red curry, pickled mango coulis and Thai basil micro greens. A sweet and spicy savory bite, I loved the cool sensation of the cold coconut ice cream with the hot curry swirled into it. A very innovative and unsual dish from James Beard nominated chef Jason Dady who runs several restaurants in San Antonio as well as a food truck.

I just noticed all these dishes had micro greens. Not sure why they are in vogue in San Antonio, but I guess you could call it a trend...

My thanks to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau for inviting me and hosting my trip.

Food Trucks at Culinaria

I'm in San Antonio for Culinaria, an annual food and wine festival with events that range from BBQ to beer and burgers to a grand tasting. For the first time, the events included a food truck round up (hey, it is Texas after all). A $10 ticket got attendees into the event and included beer and wine--including some wines from Texas hill country.


I waited in line the longest for the Say-She-Ate, a food truck chosen best food truck of 2012 by the San Antonio Current. They were serving Akaushi beef sliders with grilled onions and blue cheese and duck fat fries. Akaushi is a Japanese wagyu style beef, and cattle are raised in Texas. While I would have preferred the slider a little less well-done, it was still flavorful and delicious. The fries were great too, though another truck was cooking them in beef tallow and they were crispier.


My favorite bite of the night was from the Duk truck. Duk stands for Dady's Underground Kitchen, but you wouldn't know that from looking at it since it was covered with rubber duckies.


Or from trying their speciality, duck tacos. They were out of tortillas by the time I got there, but chef Jason Dady improvised and served a soft, fresh pita topped with luscious duck confit as tender and juicy as pulled pork, with Thai basil, cilantro, fresh pineapple and crema.


Another great innovative fusion dish was from Spice Runner. Thai coconut hot wings were served with a cooling yogurt sauce and lime wedge. The wings were crispy and the sauce creamy and rich with a hint of peanuts.


Finally for dessert a bread pudding from the Guilty Pleasures truck I would have sooner expected to find in a restaurant. A large portion of super moist bread pudding studded with nuts, dripping with boozy bourbon sauce and topped with ice cream, whipped cream and couple of wafer cookies. What can I say? Everything's bigger in Texas.

If you haven't been to a food truck event, here are my tips:

* Go early! Lines form quickly at popular trucks and are also a good indication of good eats.

* Divide and separate. Each person in your group should choose a different truck and line then meet up to share bites.

* Chat with your neighbors in line, you'll learn what's good and make new friends. It will also help pass the time more quickly.

* Check out the menu before you get in line, there usually aren't a lot of choices, so be ready to order when you do get to the window. You may even be able to research what trucks will be at an event and what they will be serving before you arrive.

* Bring small bills for paying and tipping.

My thanks to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau for inviting me and hosting my trip.

20 Things to Do with Leftover Guacamole

Is there anything sadder than guacamole and no chips? And yet, it happens. Instead of stashing the guacamole in the refrigerator, this list of ideas should get the green out of the bowl and onto your plate! Just remember to season to taste before serving your new creation...

1. On a baked potato instead of sour cream or butter
2. On a BLT as a sandwich spread instead of mayo
3. Whisked into a vinaigrette or ranch salad dressing
4. On toast with a fried egg on top
5. Layer on a sandwich with mozzarella and tomatoes (good hot or cold)
6. As a topping on chili
7. Dollop on top of pizza, really!
8. As a pasta sauce, combine with olive oil, season with salt, serve hot or cold
9. On top of crab cakes or potato pancakes
10. Cold guacamole soup, just combine with chicken broth and chill
11. Make chicken salad by combining guacamole with chunks of cooked chicken and chopped scallions
12. Use in place of mayonnaise to make guacamole deviled eggs or guacamole egg salad
13. Combine with canned tuna to make tuna salad
14. Puree with canellini beans to make a hummus like dip
15. Slather it on cornbread or corn muffins instead of butter
16. Make a salad by stirring it into a bowl of black beans, corn, diced tomatoes and peppers

The following ideas are sweet! A highly savory (salty, spicy or oniony) guacamole is not recommended. But a mild guacamole will work just fine. Simply puree the guacamole and use it in place of mashed avocado in the following recipes:

17. Guacamole ice cream try this one from Two Peas their pod or this one from Tabasco or this one from Yum or this one from Alton Brown.
18. Bake a guacamole pound cake or cupcakes
19. Guacamole frosting, combine pureed guacamole and powdered sugar to taste
20. Make a guacamole smoothie

What are your favorite ways to use guacamole when there are no more chips or crudités?

My thanks to the California Avocado Commission. They are sponsoring my attendance to Camp Blogaway 2012 and provided me with a shipment of fresh fruit. Note: They did not pay for this post, although they did inspire it...