I recently had the good fortune to get away to San Antonio for a few days. Hubby had some continuing education there and I decided to join him. The best part of all was that we made a detour through Austin on the way there and picked up Daughter to join us. It was the first time we’d seen her since we moved her to UT and it had been a long five weeks.
Knowing that we would be arriving at our hotel late at night, we stopped and got a quick bite at Cracker Barrel en route. Once we checked into our room, unpacked and got comfortable, she told us all about her classes. She seems to have acclimated well, which has been comforting for us, and she loves her classes. What more could we ask for?
The next day for lunch, we ate at Fiume Pizzeria and Wine Bar which is located in the Hilton Palacio del Rio on the San Antonio RiverWalk. We inquired about the sizes of the pizzas and determined that two pizzas would be perfect for the three of us. She had her eyes on the “Classico Pepperoni” which comprised San Marzano tomatoes, pepperoni, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and parmigiano reggiano. I had read good things about the “Sweet Texas Heat” so we selected that one for our second one. It was made with a white sauce, applewood smoked bacon, hot Calabrian peppers, basil and local hot honey sourced from Texas Farms. Both pizzas were absolutely delicious and we will definitely go back on a future trip.
That evening, Hubby and I joined some of his colleagues for a delightful dinner at Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia. Daughter opted to relax in the hotel room and enjoyed supper that she DoorDashed from Wingstop.
We had a wonderful meal of fajitas, enchiladas, tamales, tacos, rice, refried beans and fresh guacamole – followed up with some wonderful churros that were drizzled with chocolate and strawberry sauces.
The following day, Hubby was attending classes so Daughter and I ran a few errands and enjoyed lunch at the historic Guenther House. Carl Hilmar Guenther, the founder of Pioneer Flour Mills, built an elegant home on the San Antonio River in 1859. Beautifully restored, it now welcomes visitors as a restaurant, gift shop, museum and special events venue.
It’s a fascinating place with much to see, but as I’m planning a feature on it for an upcoming issue of East Texan magazine, I’ll just stick to talking about our lunch for now. Having studied the menu prior, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted – until I saw a waitress walk by with the thickest, most beautiful slice of quiche I’d ever seen. I then pivoted and selected the quiche of the day which on that day was chorizo, potato, jalapeno and cilantro. It comes with a side of fresh fruit or roasted potatoes. I opted for the roasted potatoes.
Daughter ordered breakfast tacos. There were multiple choices of components, but she went with scrambled eggs, shredded cheddar and applewood smoked bacon on flour tortillas. They came with the choice of fresh fruit or roasted potatoes with house made salsa. She, too, opted for the roasted potatoes. What can I say? We girls like our carbs.
I wanted a cup of coffee and noticed on the menu that they offered something called “Founders Choice Coffee - uniquely roasted and blended just for us.” I asked the waitress about it and she said it had hints of cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla. I was intrigued and ordered a cup. It was so good that I purchased a bag of it from the nearby gift shop and museum to bring home.
Our last night there, we joined our friends Richard, Will, Scott, Jana and Dana for a wonderful meal at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. I selected the 8-oz. petite filet mignon, Hubby chose the dry-aged ribeye and Daughter opted for the North Atlantic lobster chipotle cheddar mac and cheese. As the sides are plenty large enough to share, we opted for an array of them for the table. Therefore, we were able to enjoy a little bit of everything – roasted asparagus, crispy Brussels sprouts and bacon, roasted sweet potatoes, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes and chipotle cheddar mac and cheese.
After all that delicious food, we certainly didn’t need dessert. However, sometimes we do things because we want to and not because we need to. While I would have loved the 1230-calorie chocolate lava cake, I opted instead for the 180-calorie fresh fruit and chantilly cream which was a mixture of strawberries, blueberries and pineapple topped with house-made chantilly whipped cream and a tuile which is a baked wafer, French in origin. Daughter enjoyed a beautiful slice of New York cheesecake, classically prepared, with strawberry red wine sauce and fresh mint. Hubby exercised restraint and forwent dessert.
The last morning after checking out of our hotel, we wanted a good brunch and we ended up at a place called Camp Outpost that Hubby found online. He really hit it out of the park with this one. It was an old converted warehouse with an industrial vibe and nostalgic camp-like theme. It was unpretentious, yet cool at the same time. The menu describes the offerings as elevated camp fare featuring high quality, wood-fired rotisserie meats and seasonally fresh grilled sides. As soon as we walked in, we all inhaled in unison, breathing in that glorious campfire aroma.
Hubby and Daughter – being the two peas in a pod that they are – both ordered two bacon and egg tacos which comprised scrambled eggs, hickory smoked bacon, pepper jack cheese, wood-grilled onions, tomatillo salsa and cilantro, served with griddled potatoes and camp hot sauce.
I had my eyes on one thing until I read about the breakfast sandwich and was intrigued. It was fried eggs, hickory smoked bacon, slow roasted pork, smoked gouda and strawberry jam on a toasted French roll, with camp breakfast potatoes and camp tomatillo sauce. Initially, I was perplexed by the idea of the strawberry jam, but then I looked at Hubby and said, “It must work or they wouldn’t put it on there. Sign me up.” The sandwich – which was huge – was absolutely amazing. The toasted French roll was soft and fluffy. The hickory smoked bacon and slow roasted pork were savory goodness and the thin layer of strawberry jam was the perfect foil to cut through the natural saltiness of the meats. And the potatoes were some of the best I’ve ever had. We’ll definitely go back to Camp Outpost.
While we have some favorite places to eat in San Antonio, it’s always fun to explore and discover new places that quickly become favorites as well. This trip didn’t disappoint.
