Need a cure for the post-holiday blues? San Antonio Restaurant Weeks is back January 21 through February 1 with its winter edition and some of Alamo City’s hottest eateries are participating.
As always, the two-week party offers locals a chance to try San Antonio’s best restaurants at a fraction of the cost. Meals are $25 for breakfast or brunch, $15 for lunch, or $35 for dinner and benefit nonprofit Culinaria’s mission to promote San Antonio’s food culture.
But with so many choices, it can be difficult to make a decision of just where to start. That’s why were stepping in with our top 10 picks.
Chart House
Take the elevator up at the Tower of the Americas for a budget-friendly meal and breathtaking views. Guests can chart two courses for dinner, opting for simpler dishes like cedar plank salmon for $35 or more decadent fare such as prime rib for $10 more. If you are extra peckish, add a family-style side of mushrooms, creamed spinach, steamed asparagus, or gooey mac ’n’ cheese for $6-$9.
High Street Wine Co.
Reworking the usual formula, this snazzy Pearl wine bar is toasting Restaurant Weeks with a wine flight for $35. The pours are split into three “courses,” starting with an introductory choice of Jansz sparkling rosé, a crisp Rezabal Txakolina white, or a Houchart dry rosé. Each is especially paired for the event with bites ranging from artisan cheese to creative charcuterie, leading to a grand finale of rare dessert wines.
Maverick Texas Brasserie
This Southtown newcomer is rolling out two experiences for the week.The lunch features smaller portions of dishes like a mixed green salad with Champagne vinaigrette, New Zealand grass-fed sirloin with herb butter and frites, and chocolate marquis with chantilly cream. The dinner adds a few more choices including a creamy butternut squash with caramelized apples and a seasonal fruit tarte.
Meadow Neighborhood Eatery & Bar
One of the most acclaimed members of 2018’s new restaurant crop, this farm-to-table restaurant continues to shine with a Southern-inspired menu of dishes like steamed corn fritters with ’nduja marmalade and Gulf golden tilefish with dirty rice, grilled kale, and green garlic salsa verde. Though chocoholics will no doubt flock to the ganache tart for dessert, the buttermilk panna cotta tempts with winter strawberries and a rosemary-pecan crumble.
Matinee Cafe
With an intriguing mix of Middle Eastern cuisine and American comfort food staples, this new location of a San Antonio location practically demands two Restaurant Weeks trips. Stick to homey fare like jalapeño poppers, meatloaf, and chocolate chess pie on the first go-round, then come back for yabrit (grape leaves stuffed with meat and rice), lamb kabobs, and flaky housemade baklava.
Nola Brunch & Beignets
Southern hospitality is the focus of this cozy cafe’s power lunch. The prix fixe includes chef Pieter Sypesteyn's take on regional favorites like a fried shrimp deviled egg with mustard greens and pork grillades served with grits and green tomato chow chow. For dessert, what else but a classic beignet?
Outlaw Kitchens
This rebellious Flores Street fave makes its own rules by offering two distinct dinner experiences. On January 23 and 24, guests can enjoy dinner selections like shrimp bisque, seared redfish atop cauliflower mousse, and potato gnocchi tossed with butternut squash, shiitake mushrooms, and sauteéd spinach. On January 25 and 26, the restaurant switches it up new choices including chimichurri steak, crab, and shrimp ravioli, and baklava-inspired dessert with apples and walnuts.
Periphery
Not content to sit on the sidelines, Monte Vista’s beloved neighborhood joint impresses with tons of lunch and dinner choices. During the morning hours, feast on lighter items like a roasted cauliflower and shredded chicken salad or spicy tomato braised chick peas, then treat yourself to vegan, gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. For dinner, sup on a heirloom bean risotto, a prime New York strip, or barbecue catfish. With the money you save, spring for a wine pairing, available for $15-$25.
Tribeca 212
Plenty of San Antonio restaurants offer lunch and dinner deals during Restaurant Weeks, but this contemporary Olmos Park eatery is one of the few to offer brunch. For $25, wake up the weekend with traditional green chili pozole; breakfast tacos with egg, Spanish chorizo, patatas bravas (think home fries in a spicy tomato sauce), and roasted red peppers, and tiramisu s’mores slathered in raspberry sauce.
Zinc Bisto & Bar
The downtown oasis is putting a Texas Hill Country spin on the week’s festivities with a tempting dinner that starts with a Little Gems lettuce salad with avocado relish, Cotija, and roasted jalapeño buttermilk dressing. Next, Alamo City foodies can choose from braised Angus short ribs or a slamming Meyer lemon-agave glazed salmon before diving into a crowd-pleasing dark chocolate truffle cake with orange-caramel sauce and fresh berries.
Corn fritters are one of the choices on Meadow's prix fixe.
