The steaks are high

Upscale steakhouse butters up La Cantera Heights with new restaurant

Redlands Grill is beefing up the restaurant options at La Cantera Heights.

It took over two decades to get there, but upscale restaurant group J. Alexanders Holdings is finally opening a second restaurant in San Antonio. On April 29, the Nashville-based company announced it is bringing its Redlands Grill concept to the La Cantera Heights shopping center in the first half of 2020.

The new eatery will be located near La Cantera Boulevard and Interstate 10. Since the area is still under development, an exact address has not yet been established.

“We're pleased to announce plans for our second J. Alexander’s/Grill concept in San Antonio,” said J. Alexander president and CEO Lonnie J. Stout II in the release. “This Redlands Grill will be the first developed from-the-ground-up under this concept.”

The company first eyed the Alamo City back in 1997 when it opened its namesake restaurant, J. Alexander’s, at 255 E. Basse Rd. It has remained popular for serving steakhouse fare like New York strips, ahi tuna steaks, and burgers in a clean, contemporary environment.

Expect more of the same from Redlands. Although the company did not release the final menu, the other 12 locations share many of the same dishes with the main brand, albeit with different names. Jumbo lump crab cakes, for example, are called Carolina or Redlands crab cakes depending on the sign on the door, but both feature chili mayonnaise, mustard sauce, and a side of fries. That all makes sense, since many Redlands locations are revamped J. Alexander restaurants.

The ambiance designed by Minneapolis-based Shea Architects, however, is typically very different. While the San Antonio J. Alexander’s features fire engine red banquettes, oversized modern drum fixtures, and a geometric slatted wood ceiling, Redlands locations tend to feel a little more traditional with brick detailing and more Tudor-style beams.

Similarities or not, locals likely won’t mind. Even after more than two decades in business, the company’s original outpost in San Antonio hasn’t dipped below four stars on TripAdvisor, OpenTable, or Yelp.

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Serving up local beer news

What’s brewing in San Antonio: Back Unturned honors closed brewery memberships

Back Unturned Brewing Co./Facebook

Back Unturned Brewing Co. is offering a free monthly beer to anyone who has an old or canceled club membership at a closed San Antonio brewery.

Editor's note: The bustling San Antonio beer scene is always changing — usually with openings and closures, but there are other twists along the way. Let's discuss it over a cold one.

Back Unturned helps craft beer fans

The folks at Back Unturned Brewing Co. in downtown San Antonio are serving up some incentives for patrons of some recently closed breweries.

They are urging people to bring in their old membership mug or other proof of membership from a closed brewery, and their first beer will be free. According to Back Unturned’s owners, customers of shuttered breweries such as Weathered Souls and Second Pitch may take advantage of this offer once a month.

Back Unturned’s leaders said this way, customers of closed breweries can still use their old membership mug or discount, and show support for a locally owned and operated brewery amid hard times for the craft beer industry.

Back Unturned will promote the canceled and old membership offer during its inaugural free beer event, which will take place all day long October 16 as part of its San Antonio Beer Week activities.

Busted Sandal closes its taps

Speaking of hard times, Busted Sandal Brewing Co. is closing its doors for good, ending 11 years of service. The owners announced the sad news in an October 2 social media post, citing inflation as a major factor affecting their decision.

Busted Sandal was among the first in a new surge of breweries that opened in San Antonio in the early 2010s. With a main taproom located near the Medical Center area, Busted Sandal served up yearly anniversary parties, pie and beer pairings, bad holiday sweater contests, and Porterpalooza, a celebration of their porters.

The main San Antonio taproom hosted its final Portepalooza October 12 before permanently closing the next day. Busted Sandal’s taprooms in Helotes and Kerrville are still open through early November, with farewell bashes scheduled at those Hill Country locations.

Former brewer teases post-closure plans

Marcus Baskerville, co-founder of the recently shuttered Weathered Souls Brewing Co., has been keeping social media followers and fans updated on his professional plans and ideas.

The James Beard Award semifinalist just published a book, Wood Barrel and Time: The Art of Barrel Aging, as part of his efforts to share some of his experiences as a beer brewer. He also opened Fresh Consulting Co., a locally based beer consulting company.

Additionally, Baskerville has been teasing the creation of a new bar concept called Fresh. According to Baskerville, he hopes to launch Fresh in a renovated downtown space where patrons may enjoy a hidden speakeasy and a short bar food menu featuring soul food.

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