Hot Headlines

One-price Mexican eatery opens in San Antonio, plus more popular stories

Everything on the menu is $2.90.

Cervecería Chapultepec - San Antonio/Facebook

Editor's note: Each weekend, we share five stories that captured the attention of the Alamo City over the past seven days. Here are the hottest headlines of the week.

1. 6 things to know in San Antonio food right now: One-price Mexican eatery opens near Pearl. A renowned fast-food chain has made its San Antonio debut, and you can snag anything on the menu for just $2.90.

2. Hill Country resort opens limited lazy river day passes for locals. To make this summer a bit more bearable, the Hyatt Regency is granting locals access to some of the resort's most popular attractions for the day.

3. Here are the top 5 things to do in San Antonio this weekend. On the Alamo City agenda this weekend: an at-home bubble fest, virtual art exhibition opening, and Broadway-caliber performance.

4. Popular South Texas beach destination extends emergency orders as COVID-19 rages. New emergency protocols are in effect for South Padre Island, and they extend past the Labor Day holiday.

5. Popular podcaster Joe Rogan punches one-way ticket from LA to Texas. It appears he has ditched California in favor of a lakefront home in Austin.

hot-headlines

James Beard Finalists 2023

3 San Antonio-area chefs named James Beard Award finalists

Photo by Josh Huskin

Chef John Russ of Clementine has been named a James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Texas.

Three San Antonio-area chefs are in the running for one of the food world’s most prestigious prizes. The James Beard Foundation has selected them as finalists for their annual Restaurant and Chef Awards.

Considered the Oscars of the food world, the awards recognize chefs and other culinary professionals in a wide range of categories ranging from Outstanding Chef to Best New Restaurant. Texas is considered its own region and one person will earn Best Chef: Texas.

The finalists for Best Chef: Texas are:

John Russ, Clementine, San Antonio
Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland, Burnt Bean Co., Seguin
Reyna Duong, Sandwich Hag, Dallas
Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen, Houston
Emiliano Marentes, ELEMI, El Paso

Other Texan restaurants and chefs in the running for national awards include:

Outstanding Bar: Las Ramblas, Brownsville
Outstanding Bakery: Kuluntu Bakery, Dallas
Outstanding Bakery: La Casita Bakeshop, Dallas
Outstanding Restaurant: Lucia, Dallas
Best New Restaurant: Restaurant Beatrice, Dallas
Best New Restaurant: Don Artemio Mexican Heritage, Fort Worth
Best New Restaurant: Tatemó, Houston
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Nancy’s Hustle, Houston

Notably, all of this year’s finalists for both the national categories and Best Chef: Texas are new. None of them received nominations in 2022.

The finalists are drawn from a pool of semifinalists that included 10 nominations each for Houston and Dallas, seven for San Antonio, six for Austin, and two for Fort Worth.

Last year, Texans did well in the awards, with Houston cocktail bar Julep winning Outstanding Bar Program, Austin chef Edgar Rico (Nixta Taqueria) winning Emerging Chef, and Austin chef Iliana de la Vega (El Naranjo) winning the first ever Best Chef: Texas. In addition, two Texans won media awards — Austin chef Jesse Griffiths (Dai Due) for his cookbook, The Hog Book: A Chef’s Guide to Hunting, Butchering and Cooking Wild Pigs and Texas Monthly taco editor Jose Ralat for his Tex-Mexplainer columns.

The Foundation will reveal its Restaurant and Chef Award winners at an awards ceremony on Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Media Award winners will be announced on June 3.

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