6 San Antonio spots celebrating the Jewish High Holidays

SHANA TOVA

The Hayden/ San Antonio

Like most celebrations, the Jewish High Holidays sneak up on the calendar before anyone can notice the (slight) temperature drop. Rosh Hashanah starts September 15, with Yom Kippur following closely on September 24.

Each has its own food traditions, from the apples and honey meant to bring sweetness into the New Year, to the kreplach breaking the fast after the Day of Atonement. Unfortunately, some beloved dishes are easier to find than others. And not every celebrant has the luxury of living near family.

Fortunately, San Antonio offers a range of spots offering Jewish favorites — from a fine dining sensation innovating Sephardic cuisine to a stylish diner serving Ashkenazi comfort food. Not every place keeps Kosher, but all provide the comforting taste of home.

Chicago Bagel & Deli
Though not a true Jewish restaurant, this North Side shop still makes mean bagels and lox. Other deli standards include a stuffed tuna salad sandwich and an exemplary pastrami on rye. All the breads are made in-house. Visit on Fridays for the freshest challah.

The Hayden
The two locations of this diner riff on traditional Jewish fare throughout the year, serving waffle iron latkes topped with beet-cured lox and herby matzo ball soup. Rosh Hashanah, however, calls for more festivities. The Broadway location is pulling out all the stops on September 17 with a jubilant prix fixe. Guests will enjoy caramelized onion and potato pierogis and honey cakes topped with cinnamon crème anglaise. An optional wine package gives diners unlimited pours of house red or white.

Ladino
Though billed as a “modern Mediterranean grill house,” this pearl stunner is specifically rooted in the Jewish-Balkan cuisine of chef Berty Richter’s youth. Don’t miss the impossibly creamy hummus made with purple hulled peas or the featherlight karpuz y feta showcasing watermelon and sumac. Or, for a full feast, let the kitchen staff make all the decisions. The mezas de alegría, a shared dining experience for the table, showcases the greatest hits from the menu.

Max & Louie’s New York Diner
As close as San Antonio gets to a Brooklyn diner, this long-running favorite still echoes with the vision of its founders — one a Kosher butcher, and one, well, not so much. While an Asian chopped salad may not scream tradition, the outliers are mixed with Ashkenazi standards like Coney Island knishes, kugel, and crispy latkes served with apple sauce and sour cream.

Nibblits & Nosh
This 100-percent Kosher food truck travels about town, most frequently stopping at the Congregation Rodfei Sholom. The menu is an assortment of all-American classics like hot dogs, fried chicken sandwiches, and burgers. Try the loaded brisket fries with a pickle on the side.

Yummy Kosher Grill
A newish Kosher eatery inside the Israeli Chabad Center, Yummy specializes in Mediterranean specialties like shakshuka and falafel, with a few menu items like chicken nuggets thrown in for the kids. Closed weekly for Shabbat, it will dish out plenty of pita on September 1.

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Property Showcase

Famous furniture store Louis Shanks shutters last remaining San Antonio location

closing up shop

After nearly 80 years in business, family-owned Texas furniture store Louis Shanks is closing down its business.

As reported by Furniture Today, Louis Shanks will host a liquidation sale beginning Thursday, September 21, at the last remaining store in San Antonio, at 11035 IH-10 West, and its flagship store in Austin.

The furniture retailer first opened in 1945, led by its namesake Louis Shanks and John Stanford, Furniture Today said. The business had been operated by the Shanks family for four generations, with the San Antonio store opening in 1983. The company previously had a second Austin store, and more locations Houston and Sugar Land, which have all since been closed.

"An independent, regional retailer became nationally recognized by the industry and its customers for its fine furniture selection and impeccably vignetted showrooms," the industry website said.

Furniture Today reported that Planned Furniture Promotions will be spearheading the liquidation sale for Louis Shanks. Senior vice president Tom Liddell said in a statement that his company is "honored to be a part of [the] historic moment" with the long-established furniture retailer.

"This is a celebration of their decades of excellence and an extraordinary opportunity for consumers in the Austin and San Antonio areas to experience the legacy of Louis Shanks Furniture one last time," Liddell said. "This marks the end of an era, and we at PFP are thrilled they have entrusted us with this pivotal project."

A combined 200,000 square feet of merchandise will be liquidated, according to the report.

Horror film It Lives Inside sets itself apart with unique cultural details

Movie Review

Like most genres in film history, horror movies have tended to be relatively homogeneous, focusing mostly on white characters and, if it delved into religion, Christianity. As movies in general have become more diverse, so has the storytelling, something which benefits a film like It Lives Inside.

Photo courtesy of Neon

Megan Suri in It Lives Inside.

The story centers on Indian-American teenager Samidha (Megan Suri), who’s suffering to a degree with her cultural identity, indicated by the opening scene depicting her shaving the dark hair off her arms. Her self-esteem isn’t helped by her childhood best friend, Tamira (Mohana Krishnan), having turned herself into an outcast, eating lunch under bleachers and carrying a weird jar around everywhere.

Tamira claims that something lives inside the jar that has to be constantly fed, and a confrontation between the two unleashes the monster on Tamira and starts a series of scary dreams for Samidha. As the monster slowly insinuates itself into Samidha’s increasingly isolated life, she must turn to the one person with whom she’s having the most difficulty, her mother, Poorna (Neeru Bajwa).

The feature film debut for writer/director Bishal Dutta and co-writer Ashish Mehta, It Lives Inside has the familiarity of other previous mysterious force/monster movies, but sets itself apart by incorporating Indian and Hindu traditions. When Samidha confronts Tamira, she discovers a book filled with all manner of strange drawings and writing, but instead of being merely the scrawls of a possessed person, much of it is a reference to Hindu mythology.

For much of the film, Samidha shuns the traditions that her family, especially her mother, tries to keep alive. So it’s no small irony that it’s those same rituals and knowledge that may serve as the key to understanding and defeating the monster. It feels like the filmmakers are trying to tell a story about the costs of assimilation into a new country/culture as much as they’re to scare audiences.

Compared to other horror films, they do a pretty good job with the atmosphere and special effects. The monster is kept hidden in the shadows for most of the film, so there’s a solid creepy factor that keeps the tension level high. In fact, they might have done well not showing it at all; it’s only when it’s revealed that the spell is broken to a degree.

Suri is at the start of what’s shaping up to be a solid career, having co-starred in the recent Missing and on Netflix’s Never Have I Ever. She makes for a great lead character and horror protagonist. She’s aided by good supporting turns from Krishnan, Bajwa, and Betty Gabriel, who plays her teacher.

It Lives Inside more than holds its own in the scare department and ups the ante with its unique details. In a year that’s featured its fair share of intense movies, it brings a different perspective alongside its horrors.

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It Lives Inside opens in theaters on September 22.

Sudden shutters, buzzy burgers, and jam-packed events crowd San Antonio food news

NEWS YOU CAN EAT

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 weekly roundup of essential food news.

Openings and closings

A downtown pub won't be around to celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2024. Via a September 17 Instagram post, Maddy McMurphy's Irish Sports Bar announced its immediate closure after a five-year run. The watering hole teased the news a few days prior, promoting a "Last Hurrah" party on September 15. Neither bulletin offered any explanation for the move. Sibling concepts in owner Terry Corless' portfolio, including Mad Dogs British Pub and Prost Haus, will continue to operate.

Local fast-casual joint Biff Buzby's Burgers observed National Cheeseburger Day by announcing a second location. The outpost will be located at the former site of the short-lived Windmill Ice House on 2769 Nacogdoches Rd., confirming the latter's July temporary closure was permanent. Judging by Facebook photos, Biff Buzby's is nearing completion, though the owners weren't quite ready to declare an opening date. They did share that the original location's popular car shows would not be revving up at the new space.

Drive-thru coffee shop 7 Brew is also in expansion mode. A press release spilled the beans on an upcoming second San Antonio location at 6202 North I-35 Frontage Rd. The Arkansas-based company opened its first local outlet in July, introducing the Alamo City market to original creations like the Smooth 7, a white chocolate and Irish cream breve. The new location will host soft opening events September 22-29, leading up to the September 30 grand opening.

Other news and notes

While America's craft beer industry is struggling, Alamo Beer Co. is making a bold move. The Eastside brewery is merging with VIVA Beer, according to a release. The move will allow the latter to grow the brand in San Antonio and beyond.

Embracing the de facto return of fall, if not the return of crisp weather, the food scene is preparing for a flurry of events. The Big Red & Barbacoa Festival has announced the dates for its 11th year. Single-day tickets start at $10 and are available online.

Can't wait until October for festival season? The San Antonio Brunch Festival runs from 11am to 3 pm on September 23. More than a dozen local eateries will be participating, offering unlimited bites. Tickets, ranging from $85-$150, are no longer available online but will be available at the door. More details are available here.

The University of Texas San Antonio's popular Ven a Comercelebration returns on September 29. Several activities are planned to support UTSA's renowned Mexican cookbook collection, including a series of dinners at Mixtli, a DIY cookbook workshop, a community pachanga, and a party at Carriqui. As always, the event's showcase will be a fundraising dinner on September 29 featuring local chefs Alexana Cabrera and Sofia Tejeda, mezcalero Pedro Jimenez Gurria, and James Bears Award winner Iliana de la Vega of Austin's El Naranjo.

Ladino is marking its first anniversary with a grill-out party on October 1. The shindig will feature unlimited bites, a live DJ, and games for $40. Cocktails will be available for purchase.

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