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Meals on wheels

Where to eat in San Antonio right now: 9 hottest pop-ups for foodies to feast on

Brandon Watson
Oct 12, 2021 | 9:54 am

Pop-ups have always been a thing in Alamo City. After all, the city birthed the Chili Queens, who would set up camp in plazas to sell enchiladas, chili con carne, and tamales to locals and tourists alike. The challenges of the pandemic, however, have ensured what’s old is new again. Faced with staff challenges and the need to serve outdoors, crafty chefs have revived the tradition of restaurants without walls. The menu is now more international, and the public square has shifted from parks to bars, but open-air food stands are still just as San Antonio as ever.

Dang!wich
Maray McChesney and Matt McLaughlin have already made a mark on the city’s food scene with their South Texas-inspired mixer line Bexar Tonics. Now they are shaking up the pop-up world with their Philadelphia-style sandwiches. Instead of the requisite cheesesteaks, think hoagie rolls piled high with Italian roast pork and garlicky greens or cold cuts and all the fixings — and more to come. As with their first brand, the couple has a knack for the unexpected. Even though this concept only debuted on October 9, it has already left its mark.

Gigi’s Deli
Sure, Subway has salami, but the art of the Italian sandwich in San Antonio has been neglected for far too long. Chef Matthew Garcia is doing his part to correct that with his series of pop-ups at St. Mary’s Strip wine haven Little Death. The menus change with the theme (previous pop-ups have paid homage to The Sopranos and Mean Girls), but guests can expect artisan bread stuffed with creative ingredients like roasted pork, provolone, broccoli rabe, and pickled peppers or fried zucchini, roasted garlic ricotta, and gremolata — along with a specially paired dessert. Mamma mia!

Last Place Burgers
Smash burgers are, as they say in the fashion world, having a moment in San Antonio. Few eateries take them as seriously as this roving concept — frequently found at local hot spots like Tony’s Siesta, TBA, and Jefferson Bodega. Take its latest creation, a still-unnamed burger featuring a wagyu patty loaded with chili crisp mayo, house-made pickles, butter lettuce, and a positively scandalous drape of American cheese. Owner Mark Villareal doesn’t have to take such care with his burgers, as bar patrons aren’t always known to have the most discriminating tastes. But one bite with a Lone Star tallboy easily explains why he does.

Masshole Food Truck
OK, this one may be a bit of a cheat. After all, chef Adam Bylicki’s lobster rolls can be found around town every weekend and he does park an actual truck. Still, you must follow the concept on Instagram to know where it will park next. When guests track it down, they would be wise to order St. Anthony, a Texas twist on the New England staple with sweet onion, jalapeños, and lime. Traditionalists shouldn’t balk, however. There are still pitch-perfect representations of both the Maine and Connecticut styles.

Ooyoo Pan
Owners Aldo Cortes and Nari Hodges fuse their respective Mexican and Korean heritages in this innovative pop-up concept specializing in hand-piped macarons. The adorable character cookies look great in pictures, of course, but it’s the flavors that really stand out. The couple has a knack for creative fillings like lavender Earl Grey, matcha guava, and soybean injeolmi (a variety of traditional Korean rice cake). Perhaps the cleverest of all their treats is the red bean macaron, molded in a fish shape like their waffle-like cousin bungeo-ppang.

Pumpers
Chef-driven food sometimes takes itself way too seriously. That’s why it was so refreshing when Stefan Bowers — one of Alamo City’s culinary powerhouses — debuted this smash-burger concept at the height of the pandemic. Delightfully profane, Pumpers doesn’t try to impress guests with its lexicon of global ingredients and adherence to classic techniques. Instead, guests get a damn fine burger and a jolt of R-rated humor. Though the food truck was recently sold, Bowers promises that the joint is still kicking. It’s hard to tell if the mischievous chef is really rebranding as Humperz, Shrumperz, of Frumperz. A burger by any other name would taste as sweet.

Pure Heart Foods
Proprietors Priscilla Gomez and Jessica Gaertner started this Alamo City-based company partly out of necessity. On restricted diets, the pair struggled to find commercial grain-free baking mixes that met their family’s standards. Though their products are typically reserved for lazy Sundays at home, the team frequently takes their waffle iron on the road to spots like Southwest Elixirs and Vista Brewing. There, they adorn treats with crowd-pleasing toppings like fresh berries and whipped cream or Wildflower Caramels and nuts. What better way to show that gluten-free eating can also be decadent?

Sijang Korean Corn Dogs
The State Fair of Texas as nothing on this brand-new collaboration between The Hayden sous chef Brian Reese and Extra Fine cook Eddie Barrera. Golden battered, with a hint of sugar, their takes on the popular Korean street food are slathered with Kewpie mayo, encased in ramen noodle crusts, or sprinkled with something called chicken sugar. Though the concept would be right at home in a Seoul night market, it does allow room for some puro San Anto flavor. The SA is a mad mix of XO Kewpie, pork sung (fluffy cotton-candy-like dried pork), and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Vegan and Sara
Vegans often get a bad rap as humorless scolds, but this recent CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nominee is pure joy. Owner Stephanie Lopez specializes in nostalgic “plant-based junk food” that brings up memories of summer afternoons spent at North Star Mall. Chicken-fried steak is transformed with cauliflower, fries are loaded with pickled onions and soyrizo, and pan-fried noodles are lightened up with plenty of broccoli and carrots. These are the universal foods of youth, made better by winking at teenaged angst. Asymmetrical haircuts are strictly optional.

Pure Heart Foods doesn't waffle on flavor.

Pure Heart Foods San Antonio
Pure Heart Foods/Facebook
Pure Heart Foods doesn't waffle on flavor.
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Hot Headlines

Big Bend named 2023 must-see destination, plus more popular San Antonio stories

Hannah J. Frías
Nov 5, 2022 | 12:00 pm
Big Bend National Park
Photo by Adan Guerrero on Unsplash

brown and green mountains under white sky during daytime

Editor’s note: It’s that time again — time to check in with our top stories. Here are five articles that captured our collective attention over the past seven days.

1. Texas' Big Bend named one of the world's must-see destinations for 2023. The vast natural wonder out in far west Texas landed on National Geographic's list of the top 25 global destinations for 2023.

2. San Antonio museum displays Broadway's 'Wicked' best costumes in new exhibition. The McNay Art Museum's newest exhibit displays costume mastermind Susan Hilferty's beautiful Broadway creations.

3. San Antonio cozies up as No. 5 best winter travel destination for warm-weather lovers. Texas claimed three of the top 10 "best winter vacation destinations for warm-weather lovers," and San Antonio landed at No. 5.

4. San Antonio chef invites locals to explore Europe on guided culinary adventures in 2023. If you've been binging From Scratch lately, these trips are for you.

5. Taylor Swift dawns a new era with world tour coming to 2 Texas cities. San Antonio Swifties who are willing to travel should keep their eye on November 18, when tickets for her Arlington and Houston shows go on sale.

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Disney debuts immersive, family-friendly experience in San Antonio in 2023

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Movie Review

Life lessons abound in Oscar hopeful Armageddon Time

Alex Bentley
Nov 4, 2022 | 1:01 pm
Life lessons abound in Oscar hopeful Armageddon Time
Photo by Anne Joyce/Focus Features

Banks Repeta and Anthony Hopkins in Armageddon Time.

When a filmmaker decides to tell a personal story about their life growing up, it can go one of two ways. It can be a nostalgic, candy-coated vision of an idealized childhood, or it can be a warts-and-all endeavor, digging deep to expose their bad family experience and the state of the world at that time.

Writer/director James Gray tries to find the middle ground in his new film, Armageddon Time. Set in Queens, New York, in 1980, the film centers Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), a Jewish tween boy with a love of art and a bent toward troublemaking. His mom, Esther (Anne Hathaway), and dad, Irving (Jeremy Strong), have kept him in public school even though his brother, Ted (Ryan Sell), goes to a private school.

Banks Repeta and Anthony Hopkins in Armageddon Time
Photo by Anne Joyce/Focus Features

Banks Repeta and Anthony Hopkins in Armageddon Time.

Paul strikes up a friendship with Johnny Davis (Jaylin Webb), one of the few Black kids at his school. Finding common ground over raising the ire of their teacher, whether warranted or not, the two conspire on a number of minor-to-major infractions. Paul is also close with his grandfather Aaron (Anthony Hopkins), who provides him with pearls of wisdom that come with his age and worldly experience.

On the surface, the film is a type of coming-of-age story as Paul pursues his passion, learns about bigotry, and tries to survive his sometimes-abusive father. Taken on this level, it’s an interesting if uncomplicated narrative. The situations that Paul goes through are typical of a suburban New York kid, with some slight deviations given his choice of friend and inability to stay on the right side of his parents and teacher.

There are several elements that indicate Gray is trying to tell a deeper story. Paul’s family being Jewish is a big part of the film, whether at family dinners or stories about past persecution. And the treatment of Johnny by his teacher and others is an undeniable parallel, with him experiencing subtle and not-so-subtle acts of racism on multiple occasions.

But a few other storytelling choices make it seem as if Gray wants tell an even more expansive allegorical story, as the film’s tagline – “The end of an era. The beginning of everything.” – illustrates. Ronald Reagan, who was running for his first term in 1980, pops up in television clips on a couple of occasions, even referencing his fear of Armageddon in one interview.

Fred Trump (John Diehl) and his daughter Maryanne (Jessica Chastain) are benefactors of the private school, making an appearance in one brief scene (why an Oscar winner was chosen to deliver less than 30 seconds of dialogue is unclear). Fred’s son Donald is not present, but the inclusion of the Trump family at all, especially for the very short time they’re on screen, speaks volumes.

Child actors can be hit-and-miss, but both Repeta and Webb turn in solid performances, making it feel like their characters have a true friendship. Both Hathaway and Strong live up to their reputations, inhabiting their roles fully, although their strong accents might be too much for some. Hopkins, who speaks in his normal voice, doesn’t exactly scream “old Jewish grandfather,” but his excellent acting makes up for that fact.

No matter if you fully grasp Gray’s actual intentions with the film or just take in its basic story, Armageddon Time is one of the best-acted films of the year. At its core, it’s a tale about a family going through a time of change, a universally-relatable idea regardless of where you grew up.

---

Armageddon Time opens in theaters on November 4.

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CMT Awards

Texas will host CMT Music Awards for the first time ever in 2023

Hannah J. Frías
Nov 4, 2022 | 10:56 am
Carrie Underwood Kelsea Ballerini Moody Center
Getty Images for CMT
Airing April 2, 2023, the awards ceremony will be hosted in Texas for the first time ever.

Big news for country music fans: During Carrie Underwood's sold-out show in Austin on November 2, CMT Music Awards co-host Kelsea Ballerini came on stage to announce that the CMT Music Awards will come to the city's new Moody Center next year. Airing Sunday, April 2, 2023, the fan-voted awards ceremony will be hosted in Texas for the first time ever.

Ballerini will return as the event's co-host for the third year in a row, which she also shared during Underwood's set. The Austin stop of Underwood's Denim and Rhinestones Tour was the perfect time to share the announcement, since Underwood currently holds the title as the winningest artist in CMT history. According to a release, she has garnered a total of 25 trophies, and she will be the first performer for the 2023 show.

“Both Austin and Nashville are two of the world’s greatest music cities and we couldn’t be more excited to announce the return of the CMT MUSIC AWARDS on CBS than with co-host Kelsea Ballerini surprising Carrie Underwood, our most awarded artist, in the middle of her incredible live performance at Moody Center – the exact venue where we’ll all be back exactly five months from today!” shared CMT Music Awards executive producers Margaret Comeaux, John Hamlin, Leslie Fram, and Jason Owen.

“Our fans are in for an unforgettable night of music with plenty of surprises, as the Live Music Capital meets Music City for the first time ever on a national stage in what will be a true country music extravaganza.”

The 2023 CMT Awards is the result of two years of planning between CMT, CBA, Paramount, and the Moody Center team. The show will make its global premiere exclusively on the CBS Television Network, available for both live streaming and on demand on Paramount+. For its inaugural year on CBS, the 2022 CMT Music Awards delivered 5.89 million viewers, a 529 percent increase from June 2021.

“The programming team at Oak View Group and Moody Center have spent the past two years cultivating this relationship and working to endear CMT, CBS and Paramount to Austin and our new, world-class arena," says Michael Owens, vice president of programming at the Moody Center, in the release. "CMT’s commitment to Austin reflects those efforts and we couldn’t be more grateful and excited to host them next year."

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