HAPPY FIESTA

Epic Fiesta kickoff grills up star-studded culinary lineup

Milpa is one of the buzzy restaurants showing off bites during Taste of the Republic.

Milpa/Facebook

What to do when a sudden cloudburst spoils months of carefully laid plans? If you are chef Brian West, you start the process all over again.

Since 2017, Taste of the Republic has been the official opening event of Fiesta San Antonio, giving locals a chance to experience some of Alamo City’s best restaurants before being swallowed by the festival’s storm. Unfortunately, torrential downpours forced an early closure of the 2023 event, held last year at the Gardens of the Alamo.

Undeterred, West is bringing back the fête to a much more rain-ready venue — the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s Jack Guenther Pavilion at 210 W. Market St. Tickets are now on sale for the annual tradition, held on April 18 from 5-9 pm.

As usual, West has asked a who’s-who of local chefs to draw inspiration from six of Texas’ culinary regions. The bites will each be paired with wine to offer guests a complete dining experience, augmented with beer and wine samples.

The recently unveiled lineup features some of San Antonio’s most well-known names, including:

Lisa Astorga- Watel and Chef Damien Watel of Bistro09
Juan Carlos Bazan of Cuishe Cocina Mexicana & Toro Kitchen + Bar
Ernie Bradley of The Cherrity Bar
Benjamin De Los Santos of Benjie’s Munch
Andrew Gutierrez ofSA Pops
Jessie Kuykendall of Milpa
Joe Melig and Chef Esaul Ramos of 2M Smokehouse
Jose Ochoa of Palenque Grill La Cantera
Braunda Smith of Lucy Cooper’s Ice House
Ceasar Zepeda of Saucy Bird
Kristina Zhao of Dashi & Sichuan House

“We are so excited to bring together an excellent group of San Antonio chefs once again to celebrate Texas’ unique culinary traditions,” said West via a release. “We can’t wait to celebrate the best of San Antonio and to kick off Fiesta with all of our guests.”

The $125 ticket is all inclusive and helps the Fiesta San Antonio Commission’s work to preserve and promote Texas's cultural heritage. Dilly-dalliers should be forewarned, however, that the event sells out quickly. The forecast currently calls for sunny skies.

Bar Culture

Ramen chain from Tokyo opens new location in San Antonio

Photo courtesy of Jinya Ramen Bar

This chain emphasizes traditional ramen.

San Antonians may not realize they have a real Japanese ramen spot in their city, and now they'll have more as Jinya Ramen Bar opens its second location in the city.

The restaurant at 7010 W Loop 1604 N. Suite 203 will open December 17. That will make 16 Texas locations for the Tokyo-based chain, which emphasizes the spread of "real ramen culture."

The first 100 guests will get a free bowl of ramen. The count starts at 11 am.

Jinya Ramen Bar bowls Jinya has a diverse menu with lots of possible add-ins.Photo courtesy of Jinya Ramen Bar

“Guests in San Antonio love big flavors and we’re happy to supply them,” said founder and CEO Tomo Takahashi in the release. “The Culebra neighborhood has become an incredible restaurant and retail destination, and we knew this community would be a great fit for our traditional ramen dishes.”

American ramen-lovers will recognize many of the ensembles featuring tonkotsu, shiyo, and miso broths with chashu (braised pork belly) or ground pork and yellow noodles. But the menu is much wider than these standard options, also featuring a vegan bowl, some bowls with chicken chashu instead of pork, shrimp or chicken wontons instead of noodles, and yuzu-flavored broth. A popular temporary menu item has also returned: The Red Garnet with vegetable broth, pork chashu, and chili garlic sauce.

Most of the ingredients listed above are offered as mix-ins (including all the proteins), plus additions like butter, fried onion, cabbage, broccolini, and more. "Tapas," rice bowls, salads, and desserts add some more variety, alongside beer, wine, sake, and just about anything else that would be available at a full bar.

According to the release, Jinya is particular about the water it uses in its broth and has a special aging process for its noodles.

Jinya Ramen Bar Culebra interior A sneak peek at the new location.Photo courtesy of Jinya Ramen Bar

Jinya Ramen Bar in Culebra will be open daily from 11 am to 10 pm.

ramen openings japanese cuisine