Hall of fame

Cake Boss sweetens San Antonio with opening of new La Cantera restaurant

Buddy Valastro is bringing Italian-American fare and his signature desserts to San Antonio's Shops at La Cantera.

Photo courtesy of Buddy V's Ristorante

San Antonio, prepare to be starstruck. Following the news that Paula Deen is looking to the Alamo City, TLC’s “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro will open a location of his Buddy V’s Ristorante on Monday, January 29, in The Shops at La Cantera.

The San Antonio restaurant will be the third outpost of the Italian-American chain from Valastro, veteran restaurateur Elizabeth Blau, and chef Kim Canteenwalla. Other locations are in Las Vegas and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The menu will pay tribute to the recipes the star's family would cook for get-togethers. Highlights include My Dad’s Bucatini Carbonara loaded with pancetta, cracked black pepper, and egg; a bone-in veal Parmesan chop baked with provolone and mozzarella and served with a side of spaghetti marinara; and Valastro Sunday Gravy, a dish featuring a hearty pile of meatballs, sausage, lamb, and pork with a bowl of rigatoni.

Of course, the eatery would not be complete without the sweets Valastro is known for. Diners can indulge in such treats as an Italian birthday cake drowned in rosolio (a liqueur made from rose petals) and layered with cannoli filling, chocolate pastry cream, and toasted almond; a warm Nutella cake with chocolate sauce, hazelnut praline crunch, and salted caramel ice cream; and Buddy’s Lobster Tail, custard cream in a pastry shell topped with seasonal fresh fruit.

For the bar program, Valastro is tipping his hat to Texas by featuring San Antonio brewery Alamo Beer Co.; Texas distillers Witherspoon, 512 Tequila, Garrison Brothers, Dripping Springs, and Deep Eddy; and Lone Star winemakers McPherson, Fall Creek, and Duchman.

Signature cocktails include the dessert-y Cake Boss, with Three Olives’ cake flavor, chocolate liqueur, and Bailey’s Irish Cream, and the tart Margarita Veneziana, a cross-cultural mix of Patron reposado tequila with Italian amaretto and Italian Amarena cherries.

The decor is a nod to Valastro’s grandmother and features homey accents and family photos framed on the walls. Small touches, like a screen made from vintage rolling pins and light fixtures made from whisks, are inspired by Valastro himself.

Buddy V’s will be open seven days a week: 11 am-10 pm, Sunday through Thursday; 11 am-11 pm, Friday and Saturday.

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Better Days, Same Burgers

Shuttered San Antonio burger joint stages surprising comeback

Teddy B's/Facebook

Teddy B's has made a surprise comeback.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Teddy B's life. In October, the popular burger joint shuttered its decade-old location on Babcock Road, grieving a loss of foot traffic and rising costs. On November 20, the spot revealed a plot twist. The owners are now slinging patties at 9903 Fredericksburg Rd.

"Dear Teddy B's customers, we have good news," the restaurant posted on social media. "We are back in business...We are waiting for our new sign, but we are up and running."

The unexpected comeback is the culmination of a tumultuous year for the business. As the restaurant marked its 10-year milestone this summer, the outlook was much darker. On August 4, the restaurant took to social media to warn that closure could be imminent. A traffic decline affected Teddy B's ability to maintain its affordable price point.

The messaging worked, at least in the short term. Days later, the restaurant reported an increase in business. The marketing language was hopeful until October 13, when the restaurant abruptly announced it was closing for good.

The news of Teddy B's rebirth came just as suddenly. After a month-long social media silence, the restaurant announced it had taken over the former home of Burger Haven. The latter restaurant was little known, appearing to operate mainly as a ghost kitchen.

Assumably, burgers will be back on the menu, but it is unclear whether other favorites will be eliminated to streamline the operation. The business has not posted any revisions, and its website is down at press time.

The burger joint's comeback manifests as other shuttered legacy restaurants like The Lion and Rose and Fratello's have staged their own returns. While Teddy B's has offered no reasoning for getting back into the game, it is a testament to the resiliency of San Antonio's culinary community.

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