Editor’s note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of San Antonio’s restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings

The team behind one of the city’s most acclaimed Chinese restaurants, Sichuan House, is expanding its reach in Alamo City with Dashi Sichuan Kitchen + Bar. A reservation-only operation, Dashi Sichuan, which opens officially Thursday, July 15, will serve a variety of traditional and regionally inspired fare. Chef Jian Li’s menu includes such delights as cumin lamb chops, seared green beans, and spicy whole fish with tripas. A variety of cocktails, beer, wine, and Asian whisky options are also available. The operation, which is located at 2895 Thousand Oaks Dr. (in the former space of LA Crawfish and Hawx Burger Bar), is open for reservations Thursday through Sunday from 4-10 pm. Reservations can be made via email at hello@sichuandashi.com or by calling the restaurant directly at 210-562-3343.

Other news and notes

Remember those hot San Antonio childhood summers when cool refreshment came in the form of the neighborhood paletero doling out delicious fruity frozen pops? Well, now we’re all grown up, and — thanks to the brilliant boozy minds at area seafood eatery Costa Pacifica — so are the paletas! Introducing the jumbo paleta-rita: a big ol’ Costa Pacifica margarita with the sweet addition of a whole paleta dunked into the glass. Available flavors include traditional margarita, mango, jalapeño, and others, and tropical flavors of paletas will vary throughout the month. Customers can enjoy a paleta-rita for $9.50 (with the option of adding an additional margarita flavor for only $1) now through the end of July. Reservations for Costa Pacifica, while not required, are encouraged and can be placed by calling 210-491-4497.

Brunch gives back on Monday, July 26, when renowned restaurant and music venue Backyard on Broadway hosts a special service-industry brunch. Coordinated in partnership with local delicatessen Mission Bell, the event is meant to bring the hospitality community together and support local nonprofit Saint City Culinary Foundation’s Heard initiative, a wellness program for workers in the food and beverage industry. Tickets to the event are $35 per person and include a buffet featuring popular Mission Bell menu items like eggs in purgatory, bread pudding French toast, and summer melon salad, as well as two alcoholic beverages. Onsite entertainment includes live music by Jonathan Garcia, Laura Marie, and JD Duarte. Lawn games such as giant beer pong, giant Connect 4, and more will add to the festivities. Learn more about the event and purchase tickets via Eventbrite.

Alamo Heights classic French brasserie Bistr09 has introduced a new pizza menu that features fresh homemade pies prepared in a new wood-fired oven located on the eatery’s patio. The idea for the tasty new project comes from chef Damien Watel, who in the last year envisioned an interactive dining experience wherein guests could dine on the patio while watching their pizza being prepared in the newly constructed space. Guests can choose from a variety of pizzas for $16 per pie. Choices include classic favorites like the Margherita and pepperoni. And Watel has created two varieties of his own: an arugula and prosciutto pizza and a salmone pizza. Guests hankering to try the pizza offerings can enjoy $5 slices during Bistr09’s happy hour, Monday through Saturday from 4-6 pm.

A hemp-tastic new spirit is making its way into the Alamo City. Introducing Texas’ first hemp vodka, Highway Vodka, created by the state’s first Black-owned distillery. Based out of Houston, Highway Vodka features a unique strain of hemp, locally sourced corn, and water from an artesian aquifer, all of which is distilled by the founders’ daughter, Codi Fuller, one of the only Black female distillers in the U.S. The hemp acts as a super fuel during fermentation, creating a smoother product with a noticeably different viscosity and mouthfeel than other vodkas. To celebrate national hemp month, the brand will host a meet-the-maker event on Friday, July 15 from 4-7 pm at Alamo City Liquor, 1311 N. Alamo St.

It’s (almost) the tastiest time of the year for the Alamo City. Returning with a delicious vengeance is Culinaria Restaurant Weeks. Hosted by nonprofit hospitality organization Culinaria, the event is a 14-day celebration of the local dining scene and features participating restaurants offering multi-course menus for lunch and dinner at reasonable prices. During Culinaria Restaurant Weeks, San Antonio diners can enjoy special prix fixe menus from restaurants throughout the Alamo City and nearby suburbs. Each meal is $20 for lunch and $35 or $45 for dinner, excluding beverages, tax, and gratuity. Check out the complete list of participating restaurants — Copa Wine Bar, Cuishe Cocina Mexicana, and Jardin among them — and view their menu options here.