San Antonio tamales kitchen doubles its exports to Austin with new location

cold tamale, hot tamale

Delicious Tamales/Facebook

Delicious Tamales, a San Antonio restaurant, already has one Austin outposton East Oltorf street, but its first year in business has been so successful that another one is coming. The second Delicious Tamales will open at 1700 West Parmer Lane (near Metric Blvd) on March 2.

“Since we opened our first Austin location a little over a year ago at 1931 E. Oltorf, the response has been overwhelming, and customers have been asking us to open another location to the North,” said owner and president Valerie Gonzalez. ”After months of searching and several more months of construction, we are excited to begin providing families and businesses to the North [of Austin] with a more convenient location to buy fresh, authentic tamales all year round.”

Nothing can beat a simple pork tamale, but just to spice things up, this restaurant offers 13 permanent flavors. They're all wrapped in real corn husks in San Antonio, then shipped and cooked fresh at each location — that's 1,800 pounds of masa leaving the San Antonio kitchen each day. They can be purchased hot, or frozen to cook at home.

Best sellers include pork, chicken, and jalapeño-bean, while more adventurous and special diet-conscious options include a sweet blend with coconut, raisins, and pecans, or a Southwestern vegetarian blend with corn, black beans, and red bell peppers. Talk about being wrapped up in it — the entire menu is tamales.

Service starts at noon on opening day with a ribbon cutting by the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Although Delicious Tamales was born in San Antonio, Gonzalez and all six of her siblings went to the University of Texas at Austin. Her daughter, Herlinda Lopez, now serves as Vice President of the family business. The restaurant reaches out to the community with a veteran meal program, discounted tamales for reselling at school, church, or other group fundraisers, and a presence at local events.

More information about Delicious Tamales, including national shipping links, is available at delicioustamales.com.

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6 things to know in San Antonio food right now: Chicken spot roosts in Alta Vista

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 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.

Toro Kitchen + Bar/ Facebook

Bullish hospitality group charges ahead with 4 new San Antonio concepts

By the horns

One of San Antonio’s most successful hospitality groups is charging ahead with ambitious development plans. Gerardo de Anda of Gusto Group USA, the owners of Toro Kitchen + Bar, The Cellar Mixology, and Cuishe Cocina Méxicana, tells CultureMap that company has four new projects in the works and an expansion of one of its most popular concepts.

Toro Kitchen + Bar/ Facebook

Gusto Group is expanding its Toro Kitchen + Bar concept.

The first to arrive will be The Bunker Mixology, a subterranean bar located at 229 E. Houston St. #10, the former downtown site of The Last Word and Jet Setter. Arriving in mid-March, the clubby, brick-clad space will greet guests with an imposing blast door before opening to a lounge dotted with contemporary furniture and art.

Though it shares some similarities with the underground Cellar Mixology in St. Paul’s Square, de Anda says it will have a more refined feel.

“Bunker will be more refined with a focus on art and storytelling,” he explains.

Once Bunker gets off the ground, the group will then focus on growing its Toro brand. In late April, the location in Stone Oak will relocate to a new space with private rooms and a more expansive interior and exterior, more details to be announced.

Then, it’s off to 15900 La Cantera Pkwy #22130 in mid-May for a brand-new outpost of the tapas concept. De Anda assures that the new Toro will have the same, seasonally rotating menu as the previous locations.

But it will also arrive with a feather in its cap. While waiting to feast on boquerones and patatas bravas, guests will be able to be able to grab a cocktail at Lounge 43, an intimate upstairs speakeasy.

Still following along? Gusto Group has even more tricks up its sleeves. The hospitality juggernaut is targeting mid-June for two more establishments — this time returning to St. Paul’s Square, the home of the original Cuishe and Toro. De Anda says the group continues to be inspired by the historic district.

“We fell in love with St. Paul Square the first time we toured it, especially the basement,” he says. “We understood it was going to be a challenge, but we ... we believed in its potential and we continue to strive to ensure St. Paul Square is rediscovered by locals and tourists.”

Gusto’s latest foray into the neighborhood comes with retro glamour. Stylus Mixology will be a tribute to the glittery nightlife of the ‘70s. It’s companion concept, Boombox Pizza & Bar, borrows one of the most oft-repeated phrases of the ‘80s — “carpe diem” — as a guiding principle behind its eclectic model.

Naturally, the business will serve pizza by the pie and by the slice. De Anda says the eatery will also incorporate a shop selling vintage clothes, nostalgic merchandise, and vinyl. Its proximity to Vice Coffee should make it an essential spot for local crate diggers.

Once those sibling hangouts opens, one would not fault Gusto Group for collapsing in a heap. But perhaps the company has the indefatigable energy of another late-‘80s icon — Jessie Spano. De Anda hinted that even more news is yet to come.

“We are working low-key — in its very preliminary stages — [to bring] the streets of Japan to San Antonio,” he says.

Photo courtesy of Carpenter Carpenter Hospitality

Chic seafood market and eatery splashes into Pearl area

Today's Catch

For many business owners, January is a time to regroup before the busy year. For Houston and Emily Carpenter, it’s a chance to go full steam ahead. With the New Year’s haze still lingering in the air, the hospitality dynamos will soon add another concept to their budding restaurant empire.

Go Fish Market will open on January 12 in an unassuming warehouse space at 125 W. Grayson St. According to Houston, the eatery will be Carpenter Carpenter Hospitality’s take on the neighborhood fish market, melding a retail counter with a full dining room and a wine bar offering more than 60 bottles.

“As you can imagine,” Houston tells CultureMap, “the menu will be seafood — from fried medai and calamari [to] a kingfish burger, a variety of fish on in-house sourdough, and of course the on-ice favorites including oysters on the half shell, snow crab legs, and caviar.”

Helming the kitchen will be Ruben Pantaleon. An alum of acclaimed restaurant chains such as Nobu and Roka Akor, Pantaleon has been running the sushi bar at sibling restaurant Up Scale for the last year. Dina Simoneaux, most recently at Allora, will be charged with the front of house as general manager.

Photo courtesy of Carpenter Carpenter Hospitality

Go Fish will open in a warehouse near the Pearl on January 12.

As usual, the group put as much stock into the ambiance as restaurant operations. Go Fish has a more casual vibe than its cousins Little Em’s Oyster Bar and the recently opened Restaurant Claudine. The original building’s warm brick offsets a cool color scheme of mint, baby blue, and crisp white.

Now that Go Fish is up to snuff, Houston shares that the group will turn its attention to Nineteen Hyaku, a sleek sushi concept coming to the new Jefferson Tower in October. But before the ribbon is cut, locals shouldn’t be surprised to learn there is yet another restaurant on the horizon.

Houston spilled the beans on Mailroom Cafe, set to open in the summer in the same building as Go Fish.

“This will be a bakery and cafe offering your favorite pastries, gourmet sandwiches, and a coffee program geared towards the crowd that wants to come in for a meeting or sit at their laptop,” Houston elaborates on what will be the sixth concept for the group.

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10 San Antonio chefs go head-to-head in gourmet Burger Showdown

Burger Beasts

San Antonians can argue with friends all day about who has the best burger in town, but nothing lands quite like a head-to-head live victory.

This October, 10 San Antonio chefs are battling for those bragging rights at the Burger Showdown 4.0 — the numeral representing the competition's fourth year running. Hosted by cooking video series Homegrown Chef and Alamo Beer, the event will set all the chefs up under the Hays Street Bridge to serve up their best creations, so San Antonians can make the final call.

If eating 10 sliders seems excessive, think of it as a public service. Not only are visitors selecting the best burger (basically citizen science), but funds raised will benefit the San Antonio Food Bank.

This is the first year that the competition will be judged by a panel alongside the usual fan voters. There will be three judges: Great Day SA reporter Clark Finney; Edible San Antonio co-publisher Ralph Yznaga; and San Antonio Food Bank's director of food sustainability Mitch Hagney.

"The Burger Showdown is always such a great community event and a really fun way to celebrate our incredible chefs while getting out and trying something new and absolutely delicious," said Homegrown Chef founder and local food writer Kimberly Suta, who helped organize the event, in a release. "I like to challenge people to eat all the burgers because it's never been done!"

Chefs plan to bring the following burgers:

Chef Joseph Thadeus Martinez of Tributary (last year's 1st place winner) — "The French Onion Burger," featuring a Dean and Peeler smash patty, black pearl onion aioli, gruyere fonduta, and crispy shallots on a sourdough potato slider bun.
Chef James Richard Smith of toohotfortabc (last year's 2nd place winner) — "The Blue Mountain Smash Burger," featuring "sweet heat," bacon jam, and veggies on a Far West Texas Cattle Co. smashed beef patty with melted American cheese on a sourdough bun.
Chef Diana Anderson of JD's Chili Parlor (last year's 3rd place winner) — "The Italian Job," featuring tomato-basil pasta sauce, white wine and garlic-marinated beef, buffalo mozzarella, zucchini, red onion, and romaine hearts skewered with fried mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
Chef Justin Bluhm of STXBBQ — "The Oktoberfest Burger," inspired by beer, meat, cheese and pretzels. It features a beef patty with sliced brisket, house-pickled onions, and smoked beer queso on a soft pretzel bun.
Chef Joshua Calderon of Catering by JC — "The Backyard Barbecue Burger," featuring a beef patty, cheddar cheese, onion, cucumber, and iceberg lettuce on a potato roll.
Chef Stephen Chavez of FredericksBurgers — "The Bacon Huebner Burger," featuring bacon, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese on a beef patty.
Chef Francisco Estrada of Naco — "The Aztec God Burger," featuring black garlic-seasoned beef, epazote aioli, caramelized onions, and huitlacoche.
Chef Greg Ferris of Bobbie’s Cafe — "The Texas Tailgate Burger," featuring a beef patty, American cheese, barbecue chips, and a mysterious "'go big or go home' twist."
Chef Kaius of The Kaius Experience — "The Texan Black Gold Burger" featuring a beef patty seasoned with Texan spices, topped with aged cheddar cheese, black garlic aioli, roasted jalapeño bacon, and crispy truffle sweet potato sticks, served on a brioche bun.
Chef Braunda Smith of Lucy Cooper’s Ice House — The release says, "This Food Network star is known for her burgers and will tell you she can make a burger out of absolutely anything, which is why she wants to surprise you!"

All burgers except those made by last year's first and second-place winners will be made pasture-raised Akaushi beef from local rancher 529meats. Ben E. Keith & Food Related will provide some toppings.

Tickets ($55) to the Burger Showdown 4.0 are available via Eventbrite. Only 25 VIP tickets ($75) will be sold; these guests will be welcomed 30 minutes early and will receive one drink ticket. Email homegrownchefsa@gmail.com, or text or call (210) 725-2339 to order.

Country icon Willie Nelson returns to traditional 'hillbilly' inspiration in new album

The Red Headed Stranger goes Blue

Almost as much as Willie Nelson is known for Austin, he's known for Nashville — and for subverting it. The 90-year-old singer has made an iconic, and extremely long career of conforming to and bucking against musical expectations, and now he's circled back around to tradition — without losing his own sound.

Nelson's new LP, Bluegrass, is his first album-length tribute to the traditional country genre. Yet, released on September 15, it's not even his first album of 2023. It follows I Don't Know A Thing About Love: The Songs of Harlan Howard, a tribute to the Nashville songwriter who gave folks "I Fall to Pieces."

Bluegrass, in a way, is Nelson's genre-bent tribute to his own work. The setlist gathers a dozen of the songwriter and his fans' "favorite" songs he wrote, according to a press release, re-rendered with a bluegrass ensemble.

The focus on orchestration highlights that this is a collaborative effort by the amiable, but largely solo performer. One song, "Good Hearted Woman," is the only track on the album not just written by Nelson, thanks to the similar creative genius of outlaw country great Waylon Jennings. Willie's son, Micah Nelson, created the cover art: an appropriately blue portrait of the singer with warm undertones and a wreath of familiar recreational leaves. The album was produced by Willie's longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon.

Willie Nelson Bluegrass Nelson's son created the cover art — in blue, of course.Image courtesy of Willie Nelson; created by Micah Nelson

Even if a listener doesn't recognize each song on the album, Nelson's voice is as unmistakeable as ever. Against a bluegrass arrangement, it floats undisturbed and unhurried. At times, it even sounds like Nelson and the band are performing in different meters, the band bustling along cheerfully while the singer lounges around the beat — but never on it.

In fact, listeners who avoid Bluegrass may find their tune changes when listening to these laid-back renditions. "Still Is Still Moving To Me" brings the more frenetic tempo and multi-part harmonies that the genre is known for at its most ferocious; but iconic songs like "Sad Songs and Waltzes" and "Yesterday's Wine" may not even strike listeners as bluegrass if they're not listening for it — just very string-heavy traditional country tunes.

"On the Road Again," "Man With the Blues," and album-opener "No Love Around" are perhaps the tracks that benefit the most from the Bluegrass treatment. All three seem a little more cheerful, a little more upbeat, and a little more reassuring than their original forms. There's nothing warmer than hearing the iconic "On the Road Again" melody on gut strings — except perhaps listening to the country legend offer his "advice" over that plucky, self-assured backcountry orchestra.

Most important, the arrangements rework rather than rewriting the songs. None of the renditions give off an air of hokeyness or trying to shake things up; These are just great country songs that sound even better with a banjo. It makes sense that the change in instrumentation wouldn't shift much, since according to the release, Nelson decided to record the tribute because the style informed so much of his natural songwriting style.

"Using his own catalog as source material, in the spirit of traditional bluegrass sourcing hillbilly folk music, Willie chose songs combining the kind of strong melodies, memorable storylines and tight ensemble-interplay found in traditional bluegrass interpretations of the roots (from European melodies to African rhythms) of American folk songs," acknowledges the release.

By Texas Monthly'scount (shared in the release), this is Nelson's 151st album. Avid collectors can look forward to a 12-inch special edition pressed in blue vinyl, available for purchase on September 29. Preorder ($29.98) at willienelson.com.

This year the songwriter was honored with a five-part documentary series, a blowout 90th birthday concert, the naming of a prestigious arts endowment by the University of Texas at Austin, and two Grammy Awards. His book, Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs, comes out October 23. He will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame days later, on November 3.

Listen to Bluegrass on your favorite streaming platform. More information is available at willienelson.com.

Cassandro wrestles with lucha libre and homophobia in real-life story

Movie Review

The LGBTQ community and the sports world have long had an uneasy relationship, especially in the United States. There are exceedingly few out male athletes around the world compared to the number of players total, and even though the world has progressed in significant ways, that statistic doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.

Although some don’t view professional wrestling as a sport, the culture around it is certainly testosterone-heavy, an idea that’s challenged in the new film, Cassandro. Saúl (Gael Garcia Bernal) lives in El Paso, but regularly crosses the border into Juarez, Mexico to participate in lucha libre matches. On the small side, he’s regularly cast as the runt, who never stands a chance at winning.

Openly gay, Saúl decides to change his wrestling persona to be an “exótico,” allowing him to express himself in a flamboyant manner. With the new wrestling name of Cassandro, Saúl starts to gain the notice of promoters and fans. At the same time, he wrestles with personal issues, including the strained life of his single mother, Yocasta (Perla De La Rosa) and an affair he’s having with a fellow luchador, Gerardo (Raúl Castillo).

Written and directed by Roger Ross Williams and co-written by David Teague, the film has a solidly-told story featuring a mixture of good performances, even if it feels like there’s something missing. The movie has all the hallmarks of an underdog story, and while it hits some of expected signposts along the way, it also strangely seems to hold back in certain aspects.

If you’re not already familiar with the lucha libre culture, the film doesn’t make it easy to get a handle on it. As in all pro wrestling, the matches aren’t “real,” but how and when the wrestlers decide how to perform and who will “win” feels confusing in the context of the film. It’s clear that the confidence Saúl shows as Cassandro makes him more appealing, but the intricacies of lucha libre could have been expounded on a bit more.

This becomes even more evident when fans are shown yelling gay slurs at him and other exóticos. There seems to be a contradictory performativeness to the antagonism, as those same fans soon start supporting him. Oddly, any other explicit homophobia is kept hidden, which - given the time period (the 1980s and ‘90s) and the machismo prevalent in Mexican culture - seems like the filmmakers made a conscious choice to not go down that road.

That and other decisions leave the film a bit flat emotionally. Saúl/Cassandro goes through a lot of upheaval in the film, and while the majority of it is engaging, there isn't a point where the story fully captures your heart. As with other areas, if the filmmakers had pushed just 10 percent harder, it would’ve turned the film from good to great.

Bernal turns in a fantastic performance, despite the fact that, even though he looks younger than he is, he’s a little old to be playing this particular character. Still, he has a charm and athleticism that makes him believable throughout. Good in supporting roles are Castillo (playing a similar role he did in The Inspection) and Roberta Colindrez as Saúl’s trainer. Keep an eye out for Bad Bunny in a small but interesting role.

There’s a lot to like about Cassandro, the story that’s being told, and the performances it contains. But by choosing not to explore certain parts of the story as much as they could have, the filmmakers left a lot of emotion out of it.

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Cassandro is now playing in select theaters. It debuts on Prime Video on September 22.

Photo courtesy of Prime Video

Gael Garcia Bernal in Cassandro.

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