PETAL PUSHERS So many edible flowers covered our plates that we thought about requesting machetes to hack our way to the food. But, hey, we weren’t complaining; that’s what we had come for. Six days a week chef Edward Vervais of the Carriage House Kitchen at the San Antonio Botanical Garden turns out a short midday menu of soups, salads, and sandwiches. Under a mound of daisies and a pile of lettuce I found a nice breaded crab cake with honey mustard on the side. My friend’s seafood salad bristled with medium-sized shrimp in pesto buried in a blizzard of purple pansies. Like the entrees, the homemade desserts wore perky petal garnishes, all organic. The double-fudge chocolate cake was birthday quality, while the piece of lemon chiffon cake was enough to make two people very happy. After lunch we walked across the foyer to the excellent shop, where we foraged for cards, crafts, and garden-related gifts. Then, wanting a breath of fresh air, we anted up the modest entry fee ($4 for adults, $2 for senior citizens, $1 for children) to stroll through the 33 lush acres. The visit left us, predictably, green with envy.
