NEWS YOU CAN EAT

Ice house's new chapter and metal bar's demise amp up San Antonio dining news

Lucy Cooper's Ice House is scaling back its business.

The nation may be transfixed with Bennifer breakup news, but San Antonio is abuzz with dining news. From the sudden closing of a brand-new bar to a boozy pop-up at the Pearl — plus one heck of a fake-out — there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.

Openings and closings

Mere weeks after Dignowity Hill's Torchedebuted with a doom metal format, the nascent bar is packing up its gear. According to a story in the San Antonio Current, the watering hole had to abandon plans to add live music to its programming after attracting ire from neighborhood groups and receiving a citation for a zoning violation. The bar at 910 Nolan St. plans to go out with one last party, permanently shuttering on August 31.

A 2831 NW Loop 410 building that once housed a series of strip clubs is shedding its past. Aguazul, a new concept focused on mariscos, is finishing up renovations to open in the upcoming weeks. The restaurant has not revealed a website or exact opening date yet, but its Instagram feed reveals a few menu details, including a shrimp Caesar salad, aguachile, tacos al pastor, and tropical cocktails.

A new interactive sports bar swung into action on August 8. Fore! Golf Swing Lounge at 18720 Stone Oak Pkwy. #123 in Stone Oak combines virtual golf with a full bar and food menu — notably all under an air-conditioned roof.

Alamo City chain Burger Boy is continuing its rapid expansion with the August 21 opening of its latest outpost at 5622 UTSA Blvd. Still, the company is not resting on its laurels. Days before firing up the grill, the restaurant filed paperwork at the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation laying out plans for its 10th location at 7560 IH 35 North.

Other news and notes

Lucy Cooper’s Ice House is scaling back its business to one location. In a Facebook note, chef and owner Braunda Smith said the decision to sell was made in the “best interest of [her] family." The original San Pedro outpost will continue to operate independently under Smith while the other two locations will eventually transition to new concepts under the lead of a Houston-based company.

With clever marketing, Merit Coffee has fans in a tizzy with a billboard hinting at a possible Buc-ee's collab. Turns out, the local caffeine purveyor is working with another beloved Texas brand. The company is partnering with H-E-B to sell its goods statewide and celebrating with more promotional prowess — an Instagram giveaway.

Yucatan whisky brandGran Maizal is popping up at Pullman Market on August 22, from 6-8 pm. Guests are invited to stop by the property’s Mezcaleria to meet cofounder Gonzalo de la Pezuela, sample sips, and enjoy a limited-time cocktail made with the spirit.

The opening event of speaker series PechaKucha San Antonio on September 4 isn’t strictly about food, but it does include two of the local culinary scene’s heaviest hitters. Among the personalities who have prepared slide show presentations will be Jerk Shack founder Nicola Blaque and San Antonio Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter. Tickets for the Carver Community Cultural Center event are $10 per person.

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NYT loves AUS

Pastry chef from San Antonio makes New York Times Best Bakeries list

Comadre Panadería/Instagram

Comadre Panadería is known for nostalgic Mexican bakes with feminine flair.

The New York Times has once again shined its spotlight on Austin’s culinary scene. It included Comadre Panadería, an Austin bakery by San Antonio native Mariela Camacho, on its new list of the 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now.

Interim food critic Priya Krishna praises pastry chef Camacho’s pastries that include conchas and her signature pink cake. “Despite their saccharine appearances, not one of the desserts is overly cloying, and even the coffee drinks (Texas pecan horchata! Cranberry vanilla agua fresca!) strike the playful tone of the pastries,” she writes.

Comadre Panadería has been widely recognized, including by this publication; Camacho, who is now based in Ausitn, won Pastry Chef of the Year in the 2023 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards. She also earned a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

Camacho and Comadre as a whole are both invested in using baked goods to make a more equitable world, from the bakery's early days as a fundraiser for disaster relief, to a current insistence on charging enough to support ethical and organic foods, and paying staff enough to keep up with rising costs in Austin.

Although Camacho was born in San Antonio and started her baking career there, she also spent a significant time in Seattle, Washington, where Comadre started as a pop-up. According to Austin Monthly, she then moved back to San Antonio, and then to Austin. But no matter where she is, the Mexican cooking traditions of her ancestors take precedent.

Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panaderia in Austin Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panaderia. Courtesy photo

The Times also recognized Houston's Koffeteria. Krishna hails the bakery for pastry chef-owner Vanarin Kuch’s creative fare that includes dishes such as beef pho kolaches, Chinese sausage breakfast tacos, and butter mochi.

“Some of Mr. Kuch’s offerings are rooted in his Cambodian American identity — he makes cornbread with the coconutty, scallion-forward flavors of Cambodian street corn — while others are odes to Houston’s multicultural makeup. But most of the fun of Koffeteria is having no idea what Mr. Kuch will do next, and eagerly awaiting his next innovation,” Krishna writes.

Open since 2019, Koffeteria has been riding high this year. It earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bakery and a CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Award for Pastry Chef of the Year.

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Comadre Panadería and Koffeteria are the only Texas establishments to make the Times’ list. Only California and New York City, which each have three representatives, earn more recognition.

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