Stop Calling SA the 'Next Austin.' ATX's Food & Drink Scene Can Learn From San Antonio.

The neighboring metropolis of San Antonio ( my hometown ) and Austin ( my current town ) are completely dissimilar animals ; even though they ’re 80 miles apart , it may as well be 8 million statute mile apart . Among the divisive emergence , there ’s the topic of breakfast tacos , or the claim that " SA is the next Austin . " But the trueness of the matter is San Antonio stands on its own as an ever - evolving badass townsfolk , particularly when it arrive to eating and drinking . Austin ’s food for thought and boozing vista could do well to take a Thomas Nelson Page from San Antonio ’s culturally rich Word of God . And by “ take a Sir Frederick Handley Page , ” I mean copy it , immediately .

Puffy tacos are a right, not a privilege

Anyone who has ever had an O.G. gusty taco in San Antonio ( Henry ’s Puffy Tacos , Ray ’s Drive Inn , Oscar ’s Taco House ) knows what I ’m let the cat out of the bag about – fry edible corn meal that puffs up as it hits the crude oil is then fill up with Cuminum cyminum - lace up picadillo or shredded crybaby with iceberg lettuce , chopped tomato , chopped cheese , and guacamole ( summate .50 centime ) . The result is a deliciously messy taco that should be done more often , and done well , at every Tex - Mex spot , let in our dear chains ( hem … Tacodeli ) .

Culinary mash-ups are always a good idea

New restaurantBotikalocated at the Pearl Brewery in SA combines " Chifa ” ( Chinese - Peruvian ) and “ Nikkei ” ( Japanese - Peruvian ) into one astonishing concept . dining compartment can require a sushi - ceviche ginmill and a variety of cocktail that admit rums , piscos , and cachaças . We all know New American cuisine rule in Austin , but it would n’t injure to see more colorful combination … Icelandic - Tex - Mex , anyone ?

Good customer service is the bomb

This is not to say that restaurants and bars in Austin have bad armed service – far from it – but there is a subtle difference . Many intellectual nourishment and beverage people in SA are lifers – I ’ve met great common people who have been serving for 35 + geezerhood – and the inspection and repair industry is their main ( and tenacious - term ) source of income , whereas Austin is a metropolis with a lot of transplanting and students , so naturally there ’s more industry turnover . So , what can we read here ? Well , we ca n’t eliminate Austin ’s turnstile - corresponding issue forth and going of people , but we can be in the gracious footsteps of SA ’s Boulevardier Group , which owns cocktail barsThe Last Good Book , The Brooklynite , Rumble , andStay Golden Social House . They extend a gratuitous shuttle on weekends so that frequenter can resile around between hotspots . Yesssssssss .

Preparing food like it’s 1800 is cool

Restaurant Gwendolyn , helmed by chef Michael Sohocki , is serious about using local ingredients , being 100 % sustainable , AND using only cookery methods and equipment that were usable pre-1850 , when the Industrial Revolution hit . This means no liquidiser , mixers , chopper , water ice cream machines , deep fryer , or anything else with a motor or a plug . While Austin ’s culinary prospect is pass on at light speed , it would be novel to take a look back to see how we engender here , and then wholeheartedly confide to a ripe - for - the - planet concept .

Micheladas > Moscow mules

Here , they are either unknown or referred to as a “ bloody beer . ” Get to sleep together the legitmichelada , a katzenjammer - curing , Bloody - Mary - like blend of tomato juice ( we prefer Clamato for texture purposes ) , lots of caustic lime juice seasoned with anything from Worcestershire sauce , lemon succus , Tabasco , Valentina hot sauce , cultivated celery table salt , Maggi seasoning , chili powder , and pepper . This savory commixture function on ice and top with a Dos Equis or Tecate can be discover at any streak in San Antonio ; each mixologist has his or her own unique prep … whereas in Austin , many phone it in with store - corrupt Bloody admixture and then prove to squeeze a sad , dried - out wedge of lime into it ( the exceptions being great micheladas atThe JackalopeandTakoba ) .

The ice cream man isn’t just for kids

In San Antonio , raspas , aka C. P. Snow conoid , are baron . But local artist Ana Fernandez and her truckChamoy City Limitshave taken the custom version many steps further . Adults and children alike line up for 60 minutes to get a piccadilly or mangonada – shaved ice topped with flavored syrups , pickled fruit , genuine pickles , Chinese confect , or chamoy … almost all made in - mansion . While there are plentifulness of Mexican fruterias making raspas , andCasey ’s New Orleans Snowballsmaking their own sirup , why not combine the construct ? We ’ll wait here .

Old bones add character to modern drinking & dining

Sadly , most of Austin is in snag - it - down - build - it - new mode due to the population influx and resulting increase place values . Many places in San Antonio engage older buildings mend with respect to their old bone , like Frank , Cured , andThe Esquire Tavern . However , San Antonio ’s newfangled crest jewel , Hotel Emma(home toSupper , Sternewirth , Larder , andSoutherleigh ) , has choose the concept of repurposing and made itself a hulk and shining case to follow . The formerly abandoned Pearl Brewery is now one of the most beautiful and outstanding architectural feats in late history . Austin come close with the late development of the Seaholm Power Plant and the gorgeousBoiler Nine Bar + Grill , but let us please continue this trend . No one wants to live in a urban center full of sterile , white boxes .

A cheeseburger isn’t a cheeseburger until it looks like it may come to life and eat you

Chris Madrid’sis a San Antonio institution ; there have been tenacious lines out the threshold since 1977 . Its signature burger , the Cheddar Cheezy , is not only a burger with melted American cheese , but an obscene landslip of liquified American cheese . It ’s easily ordered with the half - pound “ butch ” patty – because you ’re already going down that evil path . On the contrary , Austin ’s institution , Hut ’s Hamburgers , does n’t actually melt the shred high mallow that tops its burgers . We ’d like to see Hut ’s do a newfangled - schooltime variation with the gooey stuff . ( If unmelted chopped cheese is your penchant , I ’m super - happy for you , respect your opinion , and I ’m indisputable you are a great mortal who has a good heart and is kind to fauna . Please do n’t broadcast me hate mail … again . )

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Botika