Quantcast
sidechicks.com

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 and closings

Lucas Bradbury, the Shark Tank-featured founder of plant-based fast food joint Project Pollo, has some meaty news. The entrepreneur has openedSide Chicks at 303 San Pedro Ave. Although the concept will have plant-based sandwiches, salads, and oat milkshakes, the new project is omnivorous. Real chicken options include a Nashville hot sandwich, nuggets, wings, and a Caesar wrap.

The long-awaited reincarnation of Rosario's finally opened on February 10 at 722 S Saint Mary's Street in Southtown. The sparkly new space has a much more contemporary look than the original, with low leather furniture, poppy art, and looming fringe chandeliers. The team also added al fresco dining, courtesy of a large rooftop patio cooled by ceiling fans.

While a host of national chains race to fuel San Antonio's daily grind, one local coffee shop has entered the fray. On February 5, Press Coffeeannounced via Facebook that it had debuted its second location at 11103 West Ave. in Castle Hills. Although it serves the same espresso drinks as the Broadway corridor original, the new shop has an additional perk — a spacious outdoor patio for enjoying early spring.

Other news and notes

Knock one back for the Alamo City Winners of this year's Texas Craft Brewers Cup. The annual event, organized by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, awarded six local favorites medals, including four golds. The big San Antonio winner was Freetail Brewing Co., earning golds for its Image 14 Years and La Muerta brews and four medals total. Alamo Beer, Dorćol Distilling and Brewing, Kuenstler Brewing, Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling, and Roadmap Brewing Co. also went home with bragging rights. See the full results here.

Three San Antonio restaurants have landed on Yelp's annual list of the most romantic places to eat in Texas. The review giant analyzed its trove of customer feedback, plucking out spots frequently mentioning words and phrases like romantic," "date night," and "valentine." The picks were then weighted by total ratings and volume of reviews. Bliss came out tops of the local spots, landing the No. 3 ranking. Also placed were Biga on the Banks and Toro Kitchen + Bar, nabbing the No. 13 and 16 spots, respectively.

What's better than Girl Scout Cookies? Girl Scout Cookies turned into edible and drinkable creations by some of the city's top chefs and mixologists. Girl Scouts of South Texas is bringing back its annual Girl Scout Cookie Flavor Fest on February 17-26 with 25 featured creations. Among the highlights are a cookie beer flight at Black Laboratory Brewing, a chocolate caramel brownie at Clementine, and a spiked coconut hot chocolate at Hops & Hounds. See the complete list of offerings here.

Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Here are the top 7 things to do in San Antonio this weekend

Weekend Event Guide

Entertainment is the name of the game for the days ahead, and this list of happenings is proof. Catch Becky G or Alejandro Fernández live in concert, or sample some of the best beers around at Flying Saucer’s inaugural BeerFest. Check out the top seven things to do in San Antonio this weekend. For a complete list of events, please visit our calendar.

Friday, September 29

San Antonio Parks Foundation presents the 40th Annual Jazz’SAlive
Jazz’SAlive, San Antonio’s official jazz festival and one of the largest festivals of its kind in the country, is back for another year of music at Civic Park at Hemisfair. The two-day event will feature a lineup of jazz talent including Kirk Whalum, Jackie Venson, Dirty River Jazz Band, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, and the Aaron Prado Sextet featuring Azul Barrientos across two stages. For a schedule of events and more details, go to saparks.org.

Majestic Theatre presents Becky G in concert
Latin music sensation Becky G comes to San Antonio for a live concert. The California-based artist is best known for hit songs such as "Mamiii" and "Bubalu" performs at Majestic Theatre in support of her 2022 album, Esquemas. Get more details on Ticketmaster.

13th Floor Haunted House
Test your mettle at this year’s 13th Floor Haunted House San Antonio experience. Guests can choose between two separate haunted attractions — The Deadlands and the Rot Shop — to explore. Cocktails will be available onsite at the Copper Tavern for guests who prefer a frighteningly good drink. Check out 13thfloorsanantonio.com for more information. The haunted house is open through November 4.

Saturday, September 30

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium presents BeerFeast
The first-ever BeerFeast at Flying Saucer Draught Emporium invites guests to celebrate all things brewed for one day only. Tickets include samples from a curated selection of 80 local, national, and international breweries in commemorative BeerFeast taster cups for attendees to take home. Special tasting cards will also be available as souvenir swag. To purchase tickets, learn about VIP experience offerings, and more, go to beerknurd.com.

Tobin Center presents OktobinFest
Local entertainment takes the stage at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in homage to the rich cultural background of Texas. Festival programming includes several live performances from Grupo TanTan, Conjunto Heritage Taller, El Tallercito de Ballet Folklorico, and others. This event is suitable for guests of all ages. Go to tobincenter.org for more information.

AT&T Center presents Alejandro Fernández in concert
Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández brings his Amor y Patria U.S. Tour to San Antonio’s AT&T Center for a live show. The multi-Grammy-winning artist, widely known as “El Potrillo,” is the voice behind songs such as “Hoy Tengo Ganas De Ti” and “Caballero.” Find more information on Ticketmaster.

Sunday, October 1

Majestic Theatre presents "Russell Peters: Act Your Age World Tour"
Comedian Russell Peters performs live as part of his Act Your Age world tour at Majestic Theatre. He’s been recognized by Rolling Stone among the magazin'e's "50 Best Comics of All Time" and for his specials on Showtime and Comedy Central. Guests can expect a humorous evening of Peters’ musings and takes on the current state of the world fully uncensored. Get ticket details on majesticempire.com.

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium presents BeerFeast
Photo by Andrews Cope

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium presents BeerFeast on September 30.

Hot San Antonio hotel brings back popular live fire dinner series for fall

Straight fire

Fall is finally upon us, and while we welcome the end of 100 degree days, we're all for the heat at Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails, which is bringing back its popular live fire series.

The downtown restaurant, located inside the Hotel Contessa, is reprising a summer series, this time for the fall season. Led by executive chef Michael Collins, the Ambler live fire dinners are a fun, interactive dining experience out on the hotel patio. If you're looking for a way to eat well and stay warm as temperatures (hopefully) cool, the live fire dinner is a guaranteed way to get the best of both worlds.

Chef Collins and his team are essentially hosting a hotel cookout where every item on the plate is grilled. It kicks off with a complimentary welcome cocktail, alongside buttermilk biscuits made with Shiner Bock beer and honey, plus a romaine salad for starters.

Guests will then choose between starters like mesquite-smoked and grilled Texas Akaushi ribeye, cast iron-blackened Gulf mahi-mahi, or mesquite-smoked beer can chicken. These entrees have more than a touch of Texas in the tasty mesquite smoke — and the 22-ounce ribeye and the half-chicken are seriously big portions.

Ambler invited CultureMap to a previous live fire dinner, where the sides were a surprising star. The cast iron-griddled potatoes also caught some smoke from being on the grill, and each dish is only lightly seasoned, to enhance the natural flavors rather than create a new taste.

Reservations for the fall live fire series ($79-$129 per person depending on entree, beverages at additional cost) are available on OpenTable. The fall live fire dinners kick off on September 30, and occur every Saturday all the way through November.

Stylish Barbie merch truck cruises through San Antonio on 'Dreamhouse Living Tour'

This Barbie Sells Merch

Hot on the heels — or wheels — of the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck comes another timely pink rolling shop. Actually, this truck will beat the Sanrio version here on September 30.

The Barbie Truck will stop in San Antonio on its 2023 "Dreamhouse Living Tour," which celebrates the 60th anniversary of Barbie's ever more popular property, and will give visitors a chance to spice up their own homes.

Although this is all about the house, there are only a few homewares: things like coasters, glass tumblers, a glass mug, a throw blanket, and an "accessories cup." Visiting Barbies have more opportunities to take home wearable and on-the-go items like graphic tees, hoodies, and denim; a baseball cap; embroidered patches; and keychains.

Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living TourPhoto courtesy of the Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living Tour

Most people who have been awake and on social media in the past year have learned that Barbie's Dreamhouse has a more empowering history than many girls realized while orchestrating drama between the dolls.

A release announcing the arrival of the truck reminds fans (and detractors) that when the Dreamhouse came out, only a tenth of a percent of young women were independent homeowners, and states that someone buys a Dreamhouse every minute.

This is not the first time a Barbie truck has visited San Antonio, but for obvious reasons, it should be in very high demand this time around.

Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living Tour

Photo courtesy of the Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living Tour

Dreamhouse aside, this is a dream ride.

The Barbie Truck will be in San Antonio on Saturday, September 30th, from 10 am to 7 pm at North Star Mall. See it in the parking lot on the corner of the 410 access road and McCollough. Arrive early in case of long lines.

These Barbies will hit six other Texas cities on the tour:

  • October 7 — Austin
  • October 14 — Laredo
  • October 21 — Friendswood (Houston)
  • October 28 — The Woodlands (Houston)
  • November 4 — Plano (Dallas)
  • November 11 — Fort Worth

Follow along to see more stops on Instagram or Facebook.