Anticipated openings

New Olmos Park restaurant represents evolution of high-end Mexican dining

Evolution's dishes will be a feast for all the senses.

During the last half of the decade, San Antonio restaurants have increasingly kept it casual with white tablecloth establishments often usurped by more raucous joints. Considering those eateries often place more emphasis on a party atmosphere than the food, it is heartening to see one local chef is bringing back classic standards.

A rep has confirmed that fine dining newcomer Evolution Restaurant will debut November 8 at 201 E. Olmos Dr., the former home of Chez Vatel Bistro. In contrast to the many come-as-you-are spots crowding Alamo City cuisine, chef Arturo Fernández will offer 10-course prix fixe meals that are meant to be savored and an à la carte menu for those who want to chart their own adventure.

San Antonio diners may recognize Fernández from his stints at Fresh Horizons Catering and Castle Hill’s Spoon Eatery, but Evolution is a return to a more refined style of cooking for the chef, using skills he honed running Mexico City’s acclaimed Restaurante Raíz and the Michelin-starred El Bullí in Girona, Spain.

For a market price of $100-$125, guests will be treated to a dégustation menu — a series of artfully plated small portions meant to engage all of the senses. The cuisine has roots in the traditional foodways of Mexico, but the preparations will be experimental, with exquisite ingredients and techniques culled from molecular gastronomy.

The opening night menu has yet to be announced, but Fernández has been experimenting with dishes like octopus ceviche with a transparent cilantro “veil” and jalapeño cilantro sorbet and a deconstructed tortilla soup.

The restaurant will have a full bar with cocktails, but Fernández previously told CultureMap that the beverage focus will be on wine. The cost of pairings has yet to be announced.

Once open, Evolution will operate from 5-10 pm Tuesday through Thursday and 5-11 pm Friday and Saturday. Reservations can be made via the website and require a credit card number to confirm.

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These Boots Are Made for Sippin'

Western rooftop bar pop-up gets San Antonio in the mood for the rodeo

High Praise/Instagram

The Dusty Diamond is ready for rodeo romps.

Before the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo get here in February, a temporary rodeo-ready bar is settling in. Every Thursday through Sunday, from now until March 2 (completely encapsulating the actual rodeo's schedule), the themed pop-up Dusty Diamond is taking over High Praise Rooftop Bar.

The Intercontinental San Antonio Riverwalk debuted in August of 2024, and with it was High Praise. That makes this the "first-ever rodeo-themed pop-up bar," according to a press release — suggesting that this might become a tradition for the new rooftop bar, a moody space with both indoor and outdoor sections.

The Dusty Diamond will have some fun touches in the decor including cowhide rugs, wagon wheels, and lanterns, but the real fun is in the activities. Guests can try riding the mechanical bull, testing their lasso skills, and getting their hats branded and bandanas embroidered by Hat Bar San Antonio. Pus, they can pick up jewelry by Kendra Scott, handmade leather items by Tried and True Leather, and more branding by Tecovas on products made by the brand.

On the drinks menu, there are 10 special cocktails inspired by country hits like "Boots Stop Working" with Tito's Vodka, Cointreau Orange liqueur, raspberries, lemon juice, rosé, and a rose petal; and “If I was a Cowboy" with Pendleton Whiskey, Creole Orgeat, angostura bitters, pecan bitters, and a dried lime garnish. "This One's for the Girls" is a pickly pear ranch water made with Surtierra tequila, a rodeo partner alongside Stockman Wine.

Guests can taste Surtierra and Stockman Wine in the lobby of the hotel from 7-9pm every other Saturday, starting January 18. If they buy a bottle of tequila, all proceeds will benefit scholarships for students in Texas.

The food menu has Tex-Mex bites like shrimp-esquites tostadas, deviled eggs, chips and caviar, pulled pork sliders, and chicken lollipops with jalapeño honey.

High Praise is open from 5-11 pm on Thursdays and Fridays, 10 am to 11 pm on Saturdays, and 10 am to 4 pm on Sundays. On Saturday, February 1, the pop-up will open early at 9 am so that guests can stop by on their way to the Western Heritage Parade & Cattle Drive on Houston St., which starts at Market Square about half a mile away.

rodeo pop-up bars cocktails rooftop