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 Johnn......

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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 real......

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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 ......

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