People from the spirits/brew world will descend upon Alamo City this weekend to discuss, serve, and celebrate a myriad of boozy beverages at the 2^nd Annual San Antonio Cocktail Conference. TEXAS MONTHLY’s own Pat Sharpe will be judging the conference’s Original Cocktail Competition from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the St. Anthony Hotel today.

Image courtesy of the San Antonio Cocktail Conference

According to the Conference’s website, “each contestant [at the Original Cocktail Competition] will have ten minutes to make a cocktail for the guest judges from their own original recipe… using one or more of the following William Grant & Sons spirits: Hendrick’s Gin, Reyka Vodka, Gibson’s Canadian Whisky, Hudson Whiskey (Hudson Baby Bourbon), Milagro Tequila, Lillet (Blanc, Rouge and Rose), Sailor Jerry, Monkey Shoulder, Tullamore Dew and Solerno.”

Other individuals joining Sharpe on the judging panel include Dale DeGroff, author of The Craft of the Cocktail; Audrey Saunders, owner of Pegu Club in New York City; Michael Madrusan, owner and operator of The Everleigh in Melbourne, Australia; and Ron Bechtol, food, wine, and spirits writer at the San Antonio Current.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, and proceeds from the four-day event will benefit HeartGift, a group that provides life-saving heart surgery to children in developing countries around the world.

Tagged: cocktails, Layne Lynch, Original Cocktail Competition, pat sharpe, san antonio, San Antonio Cocktail Conference, Spirits, Texas Spirits

OpenTable, an online restaurant reservation and review system, recently announced the honorees of the 2012 Top 100 Restaurants with the Most Notable Wine Lists in the United States. The list was determined by the combined opinions of more than 5 million reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 15,000 restaurants. According to OpenTable’s press release, American fare restaurants dominated the majority of the list.

Wine wall at MAX’S Wine Dive in Austin.

Five Texas restaurants – Block 7 (Houston), MAX’S Wine Dive (Austin), MAX’S Wine Dive (San Antonio), Mercy Wine Bar (Dallas), and The Tasting Room (Houston) – were featured on the list.

“We were thrilled to learn that three of our locations were honored by OpenTable diners and recognized as having some of the top wine lists in the country. Our company vision statement is ‘To revolutionize the wine experience,’ and our teams work diligently to provide the best possible products from around the world at the lowest prices in the marketplace – both for on-premise consumption and for take-home retail sale,” Jonathan Horowitz, chief brand officer of Lasco Enterprises, LLC, told TEXAS MONTHLY. “We say ‘Thank you’ to all our guests and to OpenTable for this recognition.”

Lasco Enterprises, LLC is the parent company of MAX’S Wine Dive and The Tasting Room.

Tagged: austin, Block 7, Houston, Layne Lynch, MAX's Wine Dive, Mercy Wine Bar, san antonio, texas wine, The Tasting Room

Hey Texas chefs, do you like being told your cuisine is inedible? Do you like being chastised in your own kitchen every five seconds? Do you like being driven to the edge of tears? Well gas up and head to San Antonio this weekend: Hell’s Kitchen is hosting an open casting call for its new season.

This Saturday, June 2, Hell’s Kitchen is inviting chefs of all ages who want to compete to become the head chef at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants to attend a casting call in San Antonio. The tryout will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Wyndham Saint Anthony.

To get a head start on the process, visit this website to start your chef application. Just remember, don’t come to cryin’ to us if Gordon Ramsay starts throwing pots, pans, and insults your way.

Tagged: Gordon Ramsay, Hell's Kitchen, Layne Lynch, san antonio

There’s nothing like a bandwagon. No sooner did Food & Wine and Bon Appétit fall all over themselves to give Austin a whole lotta love than StarChefs.com (an online magazine for chefs and culinary insiders) decided to hold one of its four national awards ceremonies in Austin this year.  Their editorial board scoured the landscape for the top talent in Texas’ capital city (and in San Antonio, too) and recently announced more than a dozen winners in nine categories.

As a result, in February, a gaggle of the hottest chefs in Austin and San Antonio are going to be in one place at one time, offering samples of their best bites. And there will be some choice wine and cocktail sips too.

Here’s what you need to know: The tasting will be held on Tuesday, February 21, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Driskill Hotel. Tickets are $85 for regular admission, $125 for VIP, and can be purchased online at starchefs.com/tickets or by calling 212-966-7575.

So, is StarChefs.com on the mark as far as their choices go? In my humble opinion, absolutely. They considered around 60 candidates (which they found through talking to local media and doing their own research, followed up by in-person tastings and interviews).

OK, it’s time to cut to the chase. Who won?

In the chefs category, it’s David Bull, Congress; Ned Elliott, Foreign & Domestic; Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue; Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine; Rene Ortiz, La Condesa; Paul Qui, Uchiko; Quealy Watson, The Monterey, in San Antonio; Andrew Wiseheart, Contigo.

In the pastry chefs category, it’s Plinio Sandalio, Carillon; Philip Speer, Uchiko. In the sustainability chef category, it’s Michael Sohocki, Restaurant Gwendolyn, in San Antonio. In the hotel chef category, it’s Josh Watkins, Carillon. In the artisan category, it’s John Bates and Brandon Martinez, Noble Pig. In the restaurateurs category, Tyson Cole, the Uchi group; Jason Dady, Bin 555, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, all in San Antonio. In the sommelier category, it’s June Rodil, Congress. In the mixologist category, it’s Jeret Peña, The Esquire, in San Antonio.

The host chef is  Jonathan Gelman, Driskill Grill. (By the way, the photograph is from a StarChefs.com  gala held in New York last year.)

Tagged: Aaron Franklin, Andrew Wiseheart, austin, Barley Swine, Bin 555, Bon Appetit, Brandon Martinez, Bryce Gilmore, Carillon, Congress, Contigo, David Bull, driskill grill, Food & Wine, Foreign & Domestic, Franklin Barbecue, Jason Dady, Jeret Pena, John Bates, Johnathan Gelman, Josh Watkins, June Rodil, la condesa, Michael Sohocki, Ned Elliott, Noble Pig, Paul Qui, Philip Speer, Plinio Sandalio, Quealy Watson, Rene Ortiz, Restaurant Gwendolyn, san antonio, StarChefs.com, the Monterey, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, Tyson Cole, uchi, uchiko

Virginia Sherwood, Bravo

We heard the rumors that the show was coming (and that producers tried to shut down tweets about it). We’ve read about the state tax breaks and the lawsuit and the omission of our biggest (and completely food-rich) city, Houston.

Now the day is finally here: Top Chef: Texas, the ninth season of the cooking competition show, premieres tonight.

All the episodes will take place in Austin, Dallas or San Antonio; Paul Qui of Austin’s Uchiko and Andrew Curran of Austin’s 24 Diner are among the 29 “cheftestants.”

“Everything is bigger in Texas,” writes TV Guide. “And that includes Top Chef.” It also includes all the Texas cliches that we’ll be seeing on the show (“Saddle Up,” says one of Bravo.com‘s pop-up ads) and in the coverage of it.

The premiere (and eight of the season’s 14 episodes) takes place in San Antonio, which, as the Express-News‘ Jennifer McInnis notes, anted up $200,000 to the show’s producers via its Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (the state provided twice that).

Give the producers points for wit, however: the season will feature Pee Wee Herman, whose Pee Wee’s Big Adventure took him to the Alamo, as a guest judge. And that particular setting is probably appropriate given that the 29 competitors will shrink to 16 by the end of next week’s episode.

“It’s going to be quite a slaughter there,” says Eater Austin, while the Los Angeles Times compared the rapid cut-down to “[Rick] Perry and his state’s tough stance on final justice.” (more…)

Tagged: 24 Diner, Andrew Curran, austin, Bravo, dallas, Houston, Paul Qui, san antonio, texas, Tom Colicchio, Top Chef, uchiko

Most of the time, comfort food from a trailer translates to french fries. Forget mashed potatoes, chicken-fried steak, or anything else that requires a fork and a knife. Instead, your choices are hand-cut, frozen, Belgian, waffled, chili cheese. But once in a while, you come across a truck that has moved away from the tried-and-true fried things altogether and into more gourmet territory, as Bistro Six has. And that’s when the real comfort begins.

A family-run business parked at San Antonio’s new Boardwalk on Bulverde, Bistro Six serves French, Italian, and Mexican fare that’s surprisingly fork-intensive. You won’t find burgers here, but you will run across rich sandwiches, meat entrées, and light salads. The most exciting dish? An enormous crab cake (in this case, “jumbo lump” refers to more than the type of crab), perfectly crisp on the outside and silky smooth on the inside, served with a spicy sriracha lime aioli. In its to-go container, it may not be as pretty as the cakes at Silo Elevated Cuisine, but it’s certainly as good.

My favorite was the truffled grilled cheese, a decadent sandwich heaping with melted Swiss, goat cheese, and gorgonzola with a generous pour of truffle oil and sweet caramelized onions nestled between two pieces of crunchy, buttery sourdough. The side salad of arugula and red bell peppers balanced the heavy sandwich and was almost my favorite part. The chicken panini was also savory, if a little ordinary. It came preprepared in foil (never a good sign), but I liked the pulled, roasted chicken, caramelized onions, red bell peppers, goat cheese, spinach, and chipotle mayo piled into a flattened, grilled hoagie roll.

Their menu changes daily, and the ancho short rib (with mashed potatoes and a braised reduction sauce), smoked brisket fried rice (basmati rice with smoked brisket, white wine, and ponzu), and chocolate mousse (with champagne-glazed strawberries) weren’t available the day I cruised to the boardwalk. Next time, my friends. Next time.

Boardwalk on Bulverde, 14732 Bulverde Rd. San Antonio, TX 78247. Wed–Sat 12–3 & 6–close. Sun 11–3. Also check Twitter for hours.

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: Bistro Six, san antonio, Trailer Thursday

Last week we took a little road trip to a place called Bizarro Austin, otherwise known as Portland. While we’re out on the highway, let’s meander down to San Antonio and see what they’ve got going on in the world of trailers.

Word on the street is that the new Boardwalk on Bulverde hosts about eight trucks. Conceptualized by Cameron Davies, who owns the next-door business, Cruising Kitchens, the park offers Mexican food, sandwiches, burgers, barbecue, and sweets, among other things. I found so many delectables there and around town that I’d like to add the home of the Alamo to our list of trailer places. Over the next few months, you’ll see reviews from both Austin and San Antonio posted on Trailer Thursday.

And what better place to start than Saweet Cupcakes? These babies, served from a pink truck with a big, painted thumbs-up on the side, are pure gold. Now, now, Austinites, don’t get your wrappers in a twist. The truck doesn’t have a giant rotating cupcake on top of it, and I do believe that this state is big enough for two great cupcake trailers.

You’ll forget all about your childish competitiveness when you bite into a Saweet cake, anyway. My favorite was the chocolate peanut butter (I know—how predictable). With a moist, semisweet chocolate cake topped with soft, fluffy peanut butter icing dappled with peanut chunks, what’s not to love? The salted caramel, with the same chocolate base, buttercream icing, and a surprising, gooey caramel center, was also lovely. Though there are sometimes mixed results, I like that Saweet takes risks—for example, the salted caramel, the slightly bland mango cupcake with very-berry strawberry icing, or the way their spelling of “sweet” makes you want to squeal like a frat boy at a keg party.

The vanilla cake with buttercream frosting and rainbow sprinkles rescued the dreaded word “vanilla” from any association with “plain” or “boring.” And after trying the red velvet, a chocolatey cake with whipped cream cheese frosting, I was ready to roll out the red carpet and do a dance.

I don’t know if it was the sugar or Doug Sahm singing, but these goodies, and the others I have in store for you, tell me one thing: Pretty soon, everybody will be going to San Antone.

14732 Bulverde Blvd (210-215-0121). Wed–Sat 11–10. Sun 11–3. 

Posted by Megan Giller.

Tagged: cupcakes, san antonio, Saweet Cupcakes, Trailer Thursday

Sometimes the rumor mill works overtime. A tale has been floating around San Antonio that Silo Elevated Cuisine–a favorite restaurant of mine, by the way–is closing. No way! Things got so bad that the managers sent out an email in an effort to squelch the vicious gossip. Here’s what they said:  “The rumor is not true!!! We would normally brush this rumor off–but over the last 2 weeks we have been approached by hundreds of people concerning this issue. Please help us in ending this rumor by passing the truth.” Certainly. Glad to help.

Tagged: san antonio, silo elevated cuisine