Taste the (Alamo) Heights

Alamo Heights' best restaurants get wild for tasty party at San Antonio Zoo

Taste of the Heights is can't-miss even for San Antonio foodies.

It’s not often one gets to sample gourmet chicken tacos, pasta salad, and wines while surrounded by crocodiles, flamingoes, and monkeys. But hungry San Antonians have the opportunity to go wild October 18 when Taste of the Heights takes over the San Antonio Zoo.

This year marks the 25th anniversary for the Alamo Heights Chamber of Commerce’s signature event. Naturally, the group has pulled out all the stops with a program of live entertainment, beverage tastings, and bites from some of the area’s best restaurants.

According to a release, some of last year’s big names are returning to the party, including La Fogata, Paesanos, and Smoke Shack. There is also plenty of fresh talent making their zoo debut, from returning favorites and brand-new restaurants.

Appearing for the first time at the event is Italian trattoria Pesto and gastropub The Winchester. Matinee Cafe, a favorite breakfast and lunch destination near McArthur Park, will be representing its second location, which opened in Alamo Heights this past summer with a Lebanese-inspired dinner menu.

Other savory dishes this year are provided by Southwestern fave Canyon Cafe, JD’s Chili Parlor, popular Quarry Italian joint Piatti, and upscale New American eatery Tribeca 212. Sweets are provided by Amy’s Ice Cream, Paciugo Gelato, and cookie dough shop Viva la Dough.

The culinary staff from the zoo also joins the merry crew of restaurants. (And yes, their bites are for the human guests, not the hippos.)

Mirroring the recent growth in San Antonio’s brewery scene, there is an increasing focus on craft beer at Taste of the Heights, but wine and cocktails will be flowing for those who like their booze less sudsy. The general admission ticket comes with two drink tickets, but attendees can purchase extras.

Adding to the fun is live music scattered in different spots around the zoo grounds. This year, guests can take in performances by husband-and-wife duo Fein Tuned (Kathy and Steve Feinstein), Americana act Jonathan Garcia Band, and The Court Jesters, the famed local band made entirely of lawyers.

As always, Taste of the Heights, is more than just a party. Each year, the chamber selects a different beneficiary as a charitable partner. A portion of the proceeds for the 2018 event will go to Aspergers 101, an organization that supports and provides resources for people with high-functioning autism and Asperger's Syndrome, and their advocates.

Tickets for the rain or shine event are $60 and VIP tables are available for parties of eight with 24 drink tickets. Guests can score a $10 discount by entering code 10off until 11:59 pm on October 17.

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SPARE ART

North San Antonio gets crafty with new creative supplies shop

Photo by Ismael Rodriguez.

Local nonprofit Spare Parts recently opened its brick-and-mortar center for creative reuse.

One local nonprofit organization has spent years getting environmental accountability and community education down to a fine art. And now it’s getting crafty with a new brick-and-mortar shop in North San Antonio aimed to help locals to go green.

Spare Parts was founded in 2010 by executive director and longtime arts educator Mary Elizabeth Cantú to provide a creative spark for area students and schools lacking arts funding and resources. Through a variety of educational programs, public art exhibitions, events, and the organization’s traveling Mini Art Museum, Spare Parts has enlightened thousands of students and San Antonians, all while fostering reuse practices and sustainability, a key tenet of the nonprofit.

Spare Parts’ latest endeavor is another artistic triumph. Its new center for creative reuse, located at 13451 Wetmore Rd., is nothing less than a crafter’s delight. The shop features an impressive array of “pre-loved” and price-reduced artsy merchandise — from paint supplies and paper crafts to sewing items, beading and jewelry, school and office supplies, vintage gadgets, and crafting kits — all of which has been rescued from area landfills.

Cantú notes that proceeds from the new Spare Parts’ shop will enable the organization to further increase creative and educational experiences for San Antonio students and families. But even more so, she hopes the shop will help locals embrace the concept that one person’s trash can be another’s artistic treasure.

“There really isn’t any more room in the world for this stuff. Buying pre-loved at places like Spare Parts or other stores is a way to reduce the amount of things [people] feel that they need,” Cantú said in a recent interview with the San Antonio Sentinel. “We’re challenging people to rethink things around them, buy pre-loved, and find a way to be creative in their lives.”

In the time of COVID-19, however, getting the creative juices flowing isn’t as simple as popping into the Spare Parts shop. Though the center for creative reuse is open, the store is currently offering only weekend curbside pickup of items ordered through its website. But crafters shouldn’t despair, as Spare Parts is offering private in-person shopping experiences in the new year, with the first planned for January 16 and 17.

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