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

On November 13, the team behind the popular Asian dinner pop-up series Best Quality Daughter opened its anticipated brick-and-mortar at the Pearl. Headed by culinary dream team Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin and Quealy Watson, chefs and owners of Tenko Ramen, Best Quality Daughter sees the duo pioneering “New Asian-American” cuisine that reflects Dobbertin’s travels and the comfort food of her youth as a first-generation Chinese-American. The concept’s menu features Chinese, South Texas, and Southeast Asian influences, and includes such standout items as chorizo, egg, and cheese pot stickers; fat-noodle short rib; and Taiwanese popcorn fried chicken. Located at 602 Avenue A, Best Quality Daughter is currently open Tuesday through Thursday from 5-9 pm; and Friday through Saturday from 5-10 pm. Starting November 24, the restaurant’s hours will extend to 11 am- 10 pm, Tuesday through Saturday and 11 am - 3 pm, Sunday. Best Quality Daughter is currently open for dine-in service by reservation only, which can be made the restaurant’s website here.

Last year, CultureMap San Antonio reported the Texas debut of singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffet’s LandShark restaurant with a San Antonio location set to open on the River Walk by the end of 2019. Now, after nearly a year of delays, the concept finally opened on November 16, 2020, at 849 E. Commerce St. Inspired by the traditional beach bars of the Atlantic coast, the new location’s menu features such options as street tacos, fresh seafood, and burgers. For drinks, LandShark offers an array of draft beers, plus signature cocktails including the coconut-rum forward Bahama Mama and the frozen Havanas and Bananas made with Bailey’s Irish Cream. While this location marks LandShark's Texas debut, it’s not the first Alamo City residents have seen from Buffet. The star’s Margaritaville restaurant opened on the River Walk in July 2016. LandShark's hours are currently 11 am - 11 pm, Monday through Friday, and 11 am - midnight, Saturday and Sunday.

Other news and notes

In other River Walk news, The Westin Riverwalk has appointed chef Thad Geoffrey Crennen to head of its distinguished dining team. Prior to accepting his current position, Crennen spent time as the director of food and beverage at the Omni Charlotte Hotel, executive chef at Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol, and did a 12-year stint as executive chef at the Omni Colonnade Hotel in San Antonio. In the new role, Brennan will oversee all culinary operations for the hotel, including banquets, special events, and daily dining across its three eateries: Zocca Cuisine D’Italia, Cafecito Caf,e and the Pool Bar. “With more than 33 years of experience specializing in food and spirits management, Crennen’s palpable knack for success and aptitude for creating and maintaining exceptional team talent will elevate our hotel’s offerings to an even greater level of service and satisfaction,” says Westin Riverwalk general manager Maria Martinez via press release.

On Thursday, November 19, Stone Oak’s Copa Wine Bar is bringing San Antonio back to a simpler time with the latest iteration of its prix-fixe wine dinner series. “Blue Plate Special" pays homage to that particular period of American dining when diners and cafes offered early-bird deals and discounts. At Copa, diners can feast on a four-course dinner featuring an elevated B.L.T salad, chicken and dumplings, spaghetti-stuffed meatloaf, and banana pudding for dessert. All dishes will be accompanied by such wine parings like an Italian Villa Bianchi Verdicchio and a sparkling wine cocktail served with a bitters-soaked sugar cube. Additionally, beer pairings are available in lieu of wine. The event is scheduled to run from 7 pm to 9 pm. Reservations are available for $60 per person and can be made by calling 210-495-2672. Copa Wine Bar is located at 19141 Stone Oak Pkwy., Ste. 704.

One of the state's top sommelier turned winemaker, Rae Wilson is launching her third label of wines made from 100-percent Texas fruit. Available via Wilson’s company, Wine for the People, the first two wines of this new label include 2019 vintages of a Carignan Blend and Chenin Blanch, the former of which is a lighter-bodied red wine reminiscent of those found in Southern France while the latter is a bottle-fermented sparkling wine made from 46-year-old-vines at Martin’s Vineyard (some of the oldest in Texas). Both releases will be exclusively available via Wine for the People’s wine club and at the organization’s forthcoming tasting room, set to open in Southwest Austin in the near future. Customers can now sign up for the wine club, whose membership includes four annual shipments of newly released wines, as well as several perks at the taproom once it opens. Wine For the People is also set to debut a paid apprenticeship program for future female winemakers to earn specialized training in the wine business. Interested parties register for Wine for the People’s wine club and learn more about the forthcoming apprenticeship programs and tasting rooms at the website.

For those seeking a relaxing, if indulgent, alternative to the usual Black Friday madness, The Rustic will be hosting a boozy iteration of its beloved Jam + Toast Brunch on Friday, November 27. Priced at $16.95 a head, guests will have full access to a family-style brunch buffet, including avocado toast, country baked eggs, and Nashville-style hot chicken. For drinks, carafes of the Rustic’s famous mariposa mimosas and house-made Bloody Marys will be available for $9.95 and $20, respectively. Supplying a lively soundtrack for the event is blues rocker Anthony Wright, who will be on hand for a free live outdoor performance. Brunch begins at 10 am and music will go from 12:30 pm - 2 pm. Tickets for the brunch event can be purchased at the door on the day of the event. The Rustic is located at 17619 La Cantera Pkwy.