Yesterday we celebrated a birthday at Zinc Bistro and Wine Bar! I was very excited to finally get a chance to eat here. I’ve been meaning to go during Restaurant Week (or any other time) because I am Boudro’s Bistro‘s biggest fan and also because of a Yelp event which was catered by Boudro’s in the private Firewheel area! If you’re looking for the perfect backdrop for any private event, you would be hard pressed to find one better than those offered at Zinc! Check out their beautifully romantic courtyard area, their wine cellar for parties of 50 and their reception area with both an upstairs overlooking the floor.

We enjoyed all of our appetizers and lighter entrees! The hummus disappeared especially quickly, and I LOVED that the bread was backed around the dish. A big fan of escargot, the dish was well-prepared, full of garlic buttery goodness. Everyone agreed that they left feeling wonderfully full and satisfied.

We also had some fun drinks from their extensive cocktail and wine menu, some opting for a Chilean Malbec while others enjoyed a “perfect” Bloody Mary (that was served with crisp pickled green beans that everyone enjoyed!)

Although we were celebrating a birthday, we didn’t get a chance to enjoy anything from their dessert menu. I was a little surprised when none was offered but we had such a fabulous meal that it was an ignorable, minor detail.

Don’t forget to become a Facebook fan and follow their tweets! They’re great about updating both sites individually in response to customer comments and to post yummy food pictures and daily specials.

Facebook here and @zincbistro on Twitter!

ESCARGOT

I really don’t need to say much in this blog post as the pictures explain the incredible meal we enjoyed at the still relatively new Restaurant Gwendolyn.  We were a party of three sets of couples enjoying a celebratory birthday dinner next to a table of six celebrating something special as well. Very close to the Majestic Theater, we were able to valet at the Crown Plaza (111 Pecan Street East, 78205) across the street from the restaurant that sits above the river.  (Although they were doing construction on Pecan St., you normally can give your server the valet ticket to have your car brought to the restaurant.)

Of course we opted for the 5 course meal which was a fantastic culinary time travel to 150 years ago when food was not pre-processed, everything was made from scratch, and everything was homegrown good (everything served is created from ingredients found within an 150 mile radius.)

At the end of the meal, Chef Michael Sohocki made rounds to each of the dinner party tables (other smaller groups came and went while we were there) humbly curious if  everyone enjoyed their meal.  His dishes focused on individual ingredients, marrying them to bring out the best in each other.

I definitely recommend this special treat for any warranted (or unwarranted) occasion.  We went on a Thursday night and made reservations in advanced.  I’m sure it gets much dressier on the weekends (jackets appreciated, which we met in various degrees coming from a casual work environment.)

Find them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Restaurant-Gwendolyn/115635658516708

The menu changes daily highlighting the various local ingredients selected for that evening:

Homemade bread and butter covered with poppy seeds and topped with thyme and other various herbs growing in pots at the restaurant’s entrance:

Enjoyed homemade raspberry soda – soda water and raspberry syrup is brought to you with an accompanying miniature pitcher with additional syrup to add to your taste:

The ginger beer was also great!

Our amuse bouche included a fried potato (server still hot), topped with cod and red peppers:

Potage of zucchini was rich and creamy!

This fabulous course served an impressively tasty braised pork and savory crepe:

One of the people in our party was not able to enjoy the pork course for religious reasons and the kitchen instantly accommodated with a tasty salad:

Before our main entrees we enjoyed plum sorbet that was so ridiculously fresh, if you had closed your eyes you’d have thought you just bit into the ripest plum:

Entree choices were bangers and mash, the sausage made in-house of course:

and rabbit with polenta that the table agreed exuded the comforts of a Thanksgiving holiday meal:

For dessert we struggled between the choices of rum raisin and almonds with homemade ice cream:

and peach piece with honey ice cream:

We were also surprised with THREE more sweet treats!  Cookies shared around:

Bite-sized candies:

and a wrapped cookie for each of the ladies to take home.

Reading other reviews about Restaurant Gwendolyn suggested the freshness of siphon coffee for two, although I am not a java drinker (just Java writer…) thankfully someone in the group ordered it.  We all watched in wonder as the water was heated to eventual boil, the pressure eventually moving the water to the top container before filtering the brew down to the original jar.

Crave USA helped Luke San Antonio River Walk throw an incredible Grand Opening on December 9, 2010!  Chef John Besh and Executive Chef Steve McHugh will feature French and Old World German cuisine made from local grown ingredients!  Attached to the Embassy Suites Riverwalk, this brasserie offered incredible tasty treats.

Website: http://www.lukesanantonio.com

Facebook: Become a Fan

Chef John Besh: @ChefJohnBesh

Chef Steven McHugh (Executive Chef):  @chefstevemchugh

Join me in welcoming Z’Tejas, a favorite to many Austin-natives, to San Antonio, TX!  I had the honor of enjoying the complimentary cuisine during a VIP preview at Z’Tejas this past weekend and I was not disappointed!  This 275 seat restaurant at the newer section of the Shops at La Cantera includes an open kitchen, massive dining on the patio option, with plans to expand to other areas of San Antonio eventually.  I really liked h ow the restaurant was laid out, a larger section was definitely a more traditional dining area but there was also a sports bar section with big screen TVs playing the various college football games, and with the recent beautiful weekend weather, the patio was an airy delight!

We selected three enticing appetizers from the menu followed by 5 tasty entrees (well, 4 entrees and one well-portioned kids meal), and shared 2 sizzling skillets of peach cobbler.  Previous restaurant goers had beat us to the bread pudding with green chile punch, since everything is fresh and homemade, once they’re out, they’re OUT.

Happy Hour!

Right now, happy hour is slated from 3pm-7pm (LOVE the 7pm), Monday through Friday.  Appetizers are half off, sitting ANYWHERE in the restaurant.  They’re also considering a reverse happy hour once things get settled.  There are also great drink specials that sounded very competitive.

Mimosas, Bloody Marys and Marias COMING SOON!

A little bird also told me that starting in December, Z’Tejas San Antonio would also offer a brunch menu w/ incredible mimosas, bloody marys, and bloody marias!  There will be freshly stocked tomato juices, fine champagnes, top shelf vodkas, oh, and a lot of great food menu items too!

Z’Tejas Trivia:

The original Z’Tejas opened in a Victorian-style house on Austin’s infamous 6th Street, still popular with tourists and regulars.

Website: http://www.ztejas.com/sanantonio

• Brunch
• Lunch
• Dinner

Follow on Twitter:  @ztejas

Become a Fan on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/ZTejas