Took a few days away from N. Texas to relax in San Antonio and try
some new restaurants along the Riverwalk.

Started our stay at the Omni La Mansion del Rio, which looked very
upscale on their web site. Unfortunately room was small, noisy and the
stench of disinfectant in the elevators made it a very unpleasant
experience. Good news was their partner hotel on the other side of the
river, the Watermark Resort & Spa was happy to move us in so we only
languished for one night. Beautiful Mobil Four Diamond rated place
with fantastic accomodations and service. Highly recommended.

First night we were looking for upscale Mexican--sort of Rick Bayless
"Topolobampo" kind of place. We found Acenar a short stroll down the
Riverwalk. My veal sweetbreads appetizer tasted like something hatched
in a Campbell's vegetable soup kitchen. Insipid. Main course of veal
shanks was over-cooked and under-flavored. Not worth a return.

Second night we went to Le Reve--on the river, but not accessible from
the Riverwalk. A small place, but very well run. They offer three,
four or five course prix fixe meals as well as a seven course tasting
menu ($95 or $145 with wine pairings). We went with three courses
(although you don't have to decide at start). I can't pass foie gras
and was rewarded with possibly the best I've ever tasted. Amazingly a
slight crust on the surface but delightfully smooth on creamy within.
SWMBO chose scallops with a curried lobster bisque and it was equally
impressive.

Main course for me was duck breast with thyme infused roast pears.
Wonderful! Wife had a lobster, served out of the shell with a dusting
of black caviar and beurre blanc sauce. She declared it the best
lobster she had ever tasted. Wine was a small producer California
Pinot Noir, which I promptly forget the name of, other than to note
that it was NOT from one of the major wine regions like Sonoma or RR
Valley, but from Monterey County.

Le Reve is an absolute must for anyone who visits San Antonio.

Third night was Biga's on the Banks--logically enough it is on the
River. Located in the old downtown library building, now called the
International Center, the restaurant is spacious and sort of art-deco.
She had the foie gras on this night and I went with some "chicken
fried" oysters. The foie gras was pronounced tolerable (Le Reve had
set an unmeetable standard of comparison), and the chicken fried
oysters were too much breading and not enough oyster. Main course was
Axis venison and quail, neither of which showed much to remark about.
Wine was Stag's Leap Vineyards "Artemis" Cabernet--either very musty
or corked. Should have turned it back, but hoped that the funk would
blow off with a bit of time. It didn't.

Biga's is a place with pretensions but they don't pull it off.
Apparently it was bring the kids to work night for the chef as well,
since there was a continual stream of youngsters running between the
legs of the wait-staff trying to negotiate the doorway between kitchen
and dining room. Skip this one.

Two visits to Pesca, the seafood oriented dining room of the Watermark
Hotel. One for a lunch after a breakfast-less shopping morning and the
other for a dinner. I reinforced, once and for all, the fact that I
don't like swordfish--although this was the best swordfish I've ever
eaten. Simply not my thing, I guess. Wife enjoyed the waiter's
recommendation of the creation du jour--an escolar done with a truly
magnificent butter reduction/lobster bisque. I got a lot of tastes as
I pushed my swordfish around the plate. Wine for the lunch was a Jos.
Drouhin Chablis (they had a great selection of fresh oysters!) and for
dinner a Drouhin Chassagne Montrachet '03. Both were excellent, but
the Montrachet was obviously the better of the two.

Loved the Watermark and Le Reve. Might have enjoyed the whole trip a
bit more if not for the fact that the downtown area was filled with
25,000 Lutheran Evangelical teen-agers on a religious convention.
Really laughed when I saw about 150 of them lined up in their
bible-verse quoting tee-shirts in front of Hooter's on the Riverwalk!


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

Ed Rasimus wrote:

First night we were looking for upscale Mexican--sort of Rick Bayless
"Topolobampo" kind of place. We found Acenar a short stroll down the
Riverwalk. My veal sweetbreads appetizer tasted like something hatched
in a Campbell's vegetable soup kitchen. Insipid. Main course of veal
shanks was over-cooked and under-flavored. Not worth a return.

Though more Tex-Mex than Mex, Hunt turned me on to La Fogata in SA, and
it's worth the visit: nice location, great salsa and interesting food.

Wine for the lunch was a Jos.
Drouhin Chablis (they had a great selection of fresh oysters!) and for
dinner a Drouhin Chassagne Montrachet '03. Both were excellent, but
the Montrachet was obviously the better of the two.

Why obviously? I generally prefer Chablis to Cote D'Or White Burgs, but
'03 wouldn't be my choice for either. Sounds like a fun time, regardless.

Mark Lipton