Tag Archives: San Antonio

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Camp Bow Wow…

ETA: I no longer recommend Camp Bow Wow.

Zane and Arran had their “test” at Camp Bow Wow in San Antonio yesterday.  This test involves a three hour trial, where staffers determine whether or not the dog will be suitable for “camp”.  Indeed, the dogs are referred to as “campers” and come home with a little certificate that shows they passed the test.  Zane and Arran are pretty easygoing dogs and they’ve been boarded a few times.  They did fine at Camp Bow Wow and are all set to stay there while we attempt our hop.

Hopefully, we’ll have good luck and get to go somewhere interesting.  But when Bill and I travel, interesting things usually happen.  The last time we took a hop, we ran into a flash mob in Luxembourg, as well as a high school band from Munich.  A drunk man was trying hard to “conduct” as the band played in the gazebo in Luxembourg City.  The funny thing is, we went to Luxembourg in 2009 and never expected to ever go back there.  We went back in 2012 just by chance.

We also went to Salzburg, Austria and got caught in the rain… and delighted a local restaurant owner when we stopped in for lunch and came back later to get out of the rain.  We passed the time by drinking lots of Austrian beer.

Anyway, I do feel better about leaving the dogs now.  When we lived in North Carolina, we had a great place for the dogs and I knew they took great care of them.  I think Camp Bow Wow, while a touch on the corporate side, has good folks working there.  The dogs obviously had a blast there yesterday and were pretty much knocked out for the night.

Knowing they are taken care of makes it easier to have a good time on our trip.

I still don’t know where we’ll go.  I have a feeling we’ll start our trip in Germany, though it’s still possible we’ll go to the Azores at least for a couple of days.  I’d be delighted if we ended up in Spain or Italy… though I am still a little Italy-ed out.  Half the fun and excitement of this upcoming trip is the prospect of where we might go.  For all I know, we could end up going to the West Coast or even Hawaii.

Here’s a word on Space A…  A couple of years ago, I joined Dirk Pepperd’s Web site for Space A.  It was free until very recently, when Pepperd moved his site to a new location.  Free memberships are still possible, though for either $29.95 or $39.95 for a year, you can get enhanced access to the site and you can use it as often as you need or want to.  If you have a free membership, you don’t get full access and are limited to a certain time limit per month.  I got a premium subscription because I think the site is worth it.  It’s full of very useful information and time and money saving tips.  Of course, it’s only for people who can use Space A travel.

Anyway, as the time draws nearer, I will post more… hard to believe I could be recovering from jet lag in a week.  Here’s hoping something interesting happens.

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Looking for a new dog kennel…

If we go on this military hop next month, we will need a new place for our dogs to stay while we’re gone.  When we lived in North Carolina, we used Sandhills Pet Resort, which was a great place for them.  The people who worked there took great care of our dogs.

Now that we’re in Texas, we have several places to choose from.  I have sort of narrowed it down to two places.  One is Four Paws Inn, which is near where we live and economical.  The other place is Camp Bow Wow, which is a franchised place.  It’s more expensive, but appears to be more comfortable.  It’s also near the airport, which may be a good thing if we stay here, because I don’t think we’re going to keep living where we live right now.  But we will always be going to the airport, right?

I’m actually feeling kind of nervous about leaving them, even though they usually do fine when we board them.  Mother-in-law has offered to take care of them, but I think that may be a tough thing for her to handle.  She has told us she plans to quit her job, since they have pretty much told her they want her to quit and she’s not making much money there anyway.

Really, all she would have to do is let them go out, feed them, clean up after them, and make sure they don’t run out the front door or counter surf something dangerous.  But she lives on the other side of the city and has her own cats to take care of.

I really want to take a trip, but I don’t feel ready to go anywhere yet.  I’d rather put the dogs in a kennel for a brief stay before I leave them in a new one for a couple of weeks.

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Belgian food at La Frite in San Antonio!

I love Beligum.  I went there for the first time in September 2008, when Bill sent me a pissy email after a particularly bad month at work.  The email read, “I think we should go see Mannekin Pis over Labor Day weekend.”  We went to Belgium by train and had a blast!

We had quite the drunken long weekend, traipsing from Brussels to Bruges and back…

When we lived in Germany, we visited Belgium a couple more times.  It’s really my kind of place.  Exquisite beer, excellent frites, chocolate, and smutty humor makes me want to go back again and again.  Unfortunately, San Antonio is not near Belgium…  or is it?

A few weeks ago, I found a review for a Belgian restaurant in the Southtown area of San Antonio called La Frite.  Remembering how much I love Belgium and its fantastic beers, I vowed that we would pay this place a visit.  Yesterday, I asked Bill if he was ready for some frites.  He said yes.  So we made a reservation for 6:30pm.

As it turned out, parking around La Frite is much more simple than we realized.  But we drove around looking for a legal place to park for about fifteen minutes before I finally went into the restaurant to ask. Apparently, on a Saturday night, it’s okay to park at the United Way, which is located next door.  I don’t know what one does at lunch time, but La Frite only offers lunch Tuesday through Friday (11:30-1:30).  Dinner is offered Tuesday through Friday (6:00-10:00).  On Saturdays (6:00-10:00), they only offer dinner and they are closed on Sundays and Mondays.  Dress is casual.

We were a little late for our reservation, which I strongly recommend making for a Saturday night visit.  It was getting busy as we were seated and by the time we left at about 8:30, it was positively packed!  The restaurant does have a small bar area, but it doesn’t look like there are many places to sit there and, in fact, there’s nowhere to congregate if you have to wait for a table.

This is also not the place to go for a romantic evening, though the interior of the obviously historic restaurant is very charming.  At one point during our meal, I commented to Bill that the noise level in the dining room reminded me of a school cafeteria!  There was a table full of teachers sitting next to us who seemed to be having a great time.  They seemed to represent teachers from elementary school to university.

The front of the restaurant…

Beer menu!

Bill started with a Kwak, while I tried the seasonal beer… a Wolf Christmas Ale.  These two brews packed quite an alcoholic wallop!  The Wolf was especially potent at about 9 percent alcohol by volume.  

 

We opted to skip starters because I knew I would want another beer and I had heard La Frite’s portions were large.  I went with the batter fried lobster tail, served with frites and seasonal vegetables that included carrots, zucchini, and broccoli.  This was a very nice dish at $26, but what I really enjoyed were the dipping sauces.  There was ketchup, of course, and what tasted like a cucumber dill sauce for the frites.  The lobster came with a lemon beurre sauce that really made it great!  We ate bread and butter as we waited for the entrees.  Click the link if you want to read about why Kwak is usually served in a special glass with a stand.

 
 

I had already eaten some of this lobster when this photo was taken.  The first one I took before I started eating  was blurry.

Bill had a hangar steak, which was really good.  It was very tender and flavorful.  He also had frites and veggies.  

I enjoyed a Kwak while we waited for dessert.

Bill enjoyed a lemon tart.  All desserts are $7 and they had several to choose from.

I had chocolate mousse.  It was just the right amount.

 

Cool bistro mural on the wall…

That painting reminded me of anchovies… or sperm.

 

The menu had quite a few tempting options.  I might have chosen the duck breast with berry glace over the lobster or maybe the fruits de mer, which was served with puff pastry and a creamy white wine sauce.  There is also a prix fixe menu that was attractive last night.  It includes three courses for $39.  I might have gone for that except none of the three appetizers really appealed to me and I really wanted to try the lobster tail.  The waiter did say we could order parts of the prix fixe menu too.  Several unique entree options were available, though, that were specials for last night.

At one point, a group of festive bikers passed on their bikes, all lit up with Christmas lights!

We left the restaurant nicely satisfied and with a bill under $100 before tip.  I would definitely go back again, though next time, I might brave the moules (mussels) instead!

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French food on Thanksgiving in San Antonio…

So, for our anniversary this year, we visited Saveurs 209, a fairly new French restaurant in San Antonio.  We enjoyed the food so much that we decided to visit again for Thanksgiving dinner.  My mother-in-law went with us for our 7:00 reservation last night.  We were the only ones there until the tail end of our meal, when a lone couple showed up.

I got all dolled up again…  I was high on cava and the fumes of my freshly colored hair…

 

My mother-in-law, Parker…  She and I started with a glass of Piper Hiesedeck champagne…

Bill peruses the menu… He chose a lovely Gigondas to pair with our Thanksgiving dinner.

A little amuse… chicken, shrimp, and cheese… I think.  It was hot and delicious.

Bill opted for the “Thanksgiving menu”, which was a corn and parmesan soup with a poached egg, turkey stuffed with mushrooms and fois gras, and a pecan and pear tart.  I also had the corn soup, though I had a filet mignon for dinner instead of turkey…

Parker had the same mushroom tart Bill had last time.  I don’t eat mushrooms, but they both said this was a delicious starter.  

Just before we began eating our main courses, a man walked into the restaurant and boldly noted that French people don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.  He started talked about “just getting out of the hole”, implying that he’d been at war or something.  One look at him told us he was no military guy.  Indeed, he appeared to be looking for a handout.  My guess is the hole he got out of was jail.  I will admit his performance was kind of impressive.  That kind of thing happens to Bill and me a lot when we go out.  The French owner very charmingly but firmly invited the interloper to leave.  I’d say that experience ranks right up there with the one we had in downtown San Antonio in July, when a bum dropped the n bomb on poor Bill…

My filet was perfectly cooked to medium and served with root vegetables and a celery puree.  This was a very interesting surprise for me.  At first, I thought one of the vegetables was potato, but it turned out to be rutabaga.  It was quite tasty.  I also enjoyed the celery puree, which reminded me of mashed potatoes but had a lot less fat and salt in it.

Bill’s turkey.  He said it was delicious.  Again, I don’t eat mushrooms or fois gras… Bill liked the way they did the turkey so much that he asked how it was prepared.  It was very moist.

Parker enjoyed the same sea scallop dish I had last time… 

For dessert, I had a strawberry tart with what tasted like strawberry sorbet.  This was really nice– not too heavy and I could finish it somewhat easily.  

Bill’s pecan and pear tart.

Parker had the hazelnut, coffee, and chocolate dacquois…

 

We finished with a round of espresso.  Service, once again, was casual yet impeccable as we were tended to by Sylvie and Sylvain, the married couple who, along with their daughter, the chef, own the restaurant.  It was a perfectly delightful meal!  We have no leftovers or clean up to do.  I hope to visit again soon!

 

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Wonderful French food in San Antonio!

Today is our 11th wedding anniversary; so Bill and I decided to go out to dinner.  We did the same thing last year on our anniversary.  Of course, last year, we were in Glasgow, Scotland!  This year, we are in San Antonio.

As is his custom, Bill had me find an appropriate restaurant.  First, I went to OpenTable.com, which is where I usually go when I want to find a good place to eat.  But none of the restaurants I was finding were really thrilling me.  Frustrated, I soon found myself on TripAdvisor.com, where I stumbled across a review for a relatively new French restaurant in downtown San Antonio called Saveurs 209.  The reviews I read were very compelling.  I looked up their Web site, which is currently offline.  Fortunately, Saveurs 209 is on Facebook.  I liked their page and Bill called for reservations, since they have no need for OpenTable.  It turns out this little French place, owned and run by French people, is an intimate venue.

We arrived at the restaurant at 7:00pm, just in time for our reservation.  

Bill was happy to be there.  He had just chosen a lovely Bordeaux to go with our meals.  The wine list at Saveurs 209 is exclusively French.  We did not notice liquor on offer, though there’s plenty of good wine and beer.

Saveurs 209’s menu is brief, with just a few starters and entrees to choose from.  I did not see much of anything on offer for vegetarians or vegans.  I saw no salads to speak of, either.  However, of the few selections on offer for each course, I had no trouble finding things I liked well enough to try.  I can be reluctant to eat things outside of my comfort zone, but I found two out of four starters I’d be comfortable trying and three out of five or six entrees that looked very appealing.

A tasty amuse of phyllo pastry with chicken, green onions, and red onions was offered just before the delightful bread.  

Bread seems to come out non-stop at Saveurs 209.  It was crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and served with insanely delicious butter (I am a freak for good butter).

Bill opted for a mushroom tart, which came on phyllo pastry.  He said the mushrooms were meaty and not earthy at all.  I do not eat mushrooms, so I don’t know.  I had the butternut squash soup served with hazelnut mousse and a quail’s egg.  The tiny, delicate, quail’s egg was *perfectly* soft boiled.  The soup came in a small pitcher, which one of the owners, dressed in a stylish wrap dress, poured into the set up.  Very classy and very delicious!

I had seared scallops for my entree.  It came with fantastic mashed potatoes, which were very well pureed and no doubt loaded with bad things.  But wow, they were so scrumptious.  The sea scallops were perfectly prepared– done just enough to be cooked but not at all dried out or rubbery– and topped with gremolata, an herb condiment.  The scallops were atop a poultry jus and three were plenty.

Bill had halibut with cannellini beans and a clam ragout and citrus emulsion.  The fish was covered in froth and tasted heavenly.  This was one of the dishes I had my eye on before I decided on the scallops.

We really enjoyed this red wine.  I told the waiter I wanted to snap a photo of this Bordeaux because we might want to buy some locally if we can find it.  He told us if we couldn’t get it, we could buy it for $20 a bottle from the restaurant (quite a break from their wine list price).  Later, he told us how to find it in San Antonio.

For dessert, I had a sinful chocolate soufflé served with orange sorbet.  It took about 15 minutes to make and was worth the wait.  Bill had a dacquoise with hazelnut cream, coffee and chocolate layers, and a side of coffee ice cream.  Bill could finish his dessert, but I cried “Uncle” about halfway through mine.  I noticed the lady near us had ordered the soufflé and also had to quit.  You could easily split this dessert and since it costs $12, that might be the smart thing to do.  Other options included a cheese plate and fruit inspired creations.

Bill and I enjoyed a nice round of espresso while we reflected on the delightful meal.  Our bill was about $181 before tip.  Service was excellent and there were only a few couples in the place, though a couple of folks stopped in to inquire.  Saveurs 209 seems to be relying on word of mouth to get themselves on the map.  Bill and I really enjoyed the low key atmosphere and lack of a huge crowd.

Saveurs 209 is run by a French couple and their daughter, who is a wonderful chef.  I read several accounts of the creative way she creates food.  Indeed, she was there tonight, in all her French chef glory, wearing the tall French chef’s hat and everything.  We could see her work from the small dining room.  Each item that came from the kitchen was exquisitely prepared, but what I loved about the experience was how European it was.  No one rushed us.  No one dropped the check as we were halfway through dessert.  Service was excellent and very professional, yet friendly and personable.  It was very civilized and, yes, reminded me very much of one of the bistros Bill and I enjoyed in Paris back when we visited in May 2009.

One thing to know is that parking near the restaurant is either on the street or in a public lot.  There is no valet parking.  But we thought it was well worth the $7 we spent on parking and the short walk, which helped us digest a splendid meal.  Also, portion sizes are not huge at Saveurs 209.  Personally, I found that refreshing.  We didn’t leave hungry, but we also didn’t leave feeling stuffed.  Prospective diners should be aware that they won’t be given a trough of food to eat that will last several meals at home.  The only leftovers we had were my chocolate soufflé, which we didn’t attempt to take with us.

We liked Saveurs 209 so much that we made reservations to return for Thanksgiving dinner.  They will be offering their regular menu and special Thanksgiving inspired options.  Lunch will be offered from 11:00 until 2:00, while dinner is from 6:00 until 9:30.  I can hardly wait to see what this charming French family does with the traditional dishes served on our very American holiday.  And when I inquired about Thanksgiving, they were delighted to know that we would be joining them!

Here’s is a link to another review written by a San Antonio based blogger.

I got all dolled up…

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Mexican…

I needed to get out of the house this afternoon, so I asked Bill if he’d like to go downtown and have some Mexican food at our favorite downtown Mexican restaurant.  This was our third time at this place, right on the Riverwalk, and once again it didn’t disappoint.  The first time we went to this restaurant, it was 2007 and my first time in San Antonio.  We went there for dinner and sat out on the terrace.  Then in July, we went back and chatted with the bartender, who served us again today.

There was a game in downtown San Antonio today, so that backed up traffic.  We had a heck of a time finding parking.  Once we did, we walked around the Riverwalk to the restaurant.

I had a couple of these… they were very potent and refreshing.

Bill had tostadas with chili while I had the quesadilla appetizer.  It was huge and we both had leftovers.  Then we had tres leches cake for dessert…

 

I was really enjoying our late lunch here.  The bartender is very personable and a great host.  The food is good.  And they were playing great 80s music.  It was like being in high school again with lots of New Wave and progressive songs from my teen days.  Better yet, the price is right.  We ate for about $15 each, including booze.  They have free parking, though we didn’t take advantage of it during this visit.

The weather today was kind of cool and overcast, but the Riverwalk was crowded and teeming with tourists.  It was nice to get out, though.  I think we’ll have to go back to our Mexican place again soon.

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Turkish food!

Last night, Bill and I met a couple of friends at Mediterranean Turkish Grill.  We happened to spot the restaurant’s location on Sunday, when we went to The Cheesecake Factory.  The Mediterranean Turkish Grill is in a strip mall right next to North Star Mall in San Antonio.  Our friends had eaten there before and had a Groupon, so we met them there.  We each brought bottles of wine, since the restaurant has no liquor license.  In Texas, you can bring your own wine to places that don’t serve alcohol.

I was kind of excited about the prospect of Turkish food, since I spent two years living in Armenia and while I was there, had the chance to go to Turkey for a couple of weeks.  Turkey is one of the neatest places to visit, even though I went with a female friend and we both got harassed a lot.  What can I say?  We were young, female, and from the West, and some of the men thought we were whores.  Aside from that, we had a great time.  It was a trip in which we really roughed it.

So we went into the restaurant and it looked like a quaint, unassuming place with plain tables and modest Turkish decor and Turkish pop played from the kitchen.  A very handsome young man, obviously a member of the family who owned the place, handed us menus.  There was lots of lamb, beef, and chicken on the menu.  No pork, obviously!  They brought out wonderful, fresh, hot bread, which we garnished with flavored oil… it tasted like garlic.

We ordered hummus and eggplant salad.  The waiter also brought out babaganoush, which is an eggplant dip.

I went vegetarian with falafel…  The falafel was very good and I had plenty leftover for today.

Bill had lamb kebab…

Our friends both had the same dish… which I can’t remember the name of just now.  They’d had it before and said it was outstanding.

I think we’ll be back. This place had a lot of character and charm and the food was very good.  I like to support restaurants that aren’t a part of chains.

The restaurant was pretty quiet last night.  There were only a couple of other parties in the place when we were in there.  One party appeared to be from Turkey.  I heard them speaking Turkish.

It was fun seeing our friends again.  I need more nights like last night to help me get into the Texas lifestyle.  Our friends had also seen the Book of Mormon Musical at the Majestic Theatre before we went and they loved it as much as we did.

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A trip to Chester’s Hamburger Company…

One of these days, we WILL go on another real trip.  For now, I have to be content with getting to know Texas, a state with which I previously had no experience.  I had been reading the San Antonio Burger Blog, which had a post on Chester’s Hamburger Company.  This chain restaurant is apparently a local favorite here in San Antonio.  Indeed, there’s a big sign out in front of the Universal City location that announces their burgers as the best in the state and in town…  Seems to me that if the burgers are the best in the state, that would automatically make them the best in town. Oddly, Chester’s doesn’t seem to have a Web site.  Their signage is pretty dated looking.  I see it and it sort of screams 1980s to me… but for me, that’s not a bad thing.  I love the 80s.

Right next door is a McDonald’s, complete with huge golden arches.

The inside is pretty much like all the other burger joints… lots of license plates, beer signs, and other bits of Americana.  The inside of this restaurant was also decorated for Halloween.  I liked the lighting, because it wasn’t very bright.  Large flatscreen TVs were on the walls showing football while rock music from the 60s played on the sound system.

Bill’s BIG iced tea.

There was a very impressive beer selection, including Belgian and German brews.  We were impressed because they were reasonably priced, though we chose to go non alcoholic on this trip.  Wine is also available.

The queue line was kind of full at one point…

Supposedly the shakes and malts are delicious… I think it would have been more than I could handle.

Another shot of the beer cooler.

Order up!  Bill got fries while I got onion rings.  I don’t usually get onion rings, but had heard Chester’s fries were “limp and greasy”.  They kind of were, but I don’t mind that so much.  The onion rings were sweet and crunchy.  We had leftovers.

Bill and I both got cheeseburgers.  The poppy seed buns are unique and tasty.  Prices are reasonable.  A regular cheeseburger costs $5.49 while a double costs $7.29.  We both got singles and they were plenty for us.

A shot of the inside…  It was very tasty.  Don’t know that it was the best I’ve ever had, but it was definitely good and hit the spot.  I would go back again.  Chester’s also has chili and a fish and chips basket.  The lady sitting nearest to me had chili.  It smelled good.  You can get it on your burger as well.

Another shot of that silly sign…

 

All in all, I think our visit to Chester’s Hamburger Company was a success.  It was a nice little outing on a beautiful Sunday.  Now, it’s time for beer.

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Sam’s Burger Joint and the quiet end of the Riverwalk…

Yesterday, Bill asked me what I wanted for dinner.  I said I wanted to go downtown.  So we went to Sam’s Burger Joint, which is near the Pearl Complex close to downtown San Antonio.  I had read about this place on a very entertaining blog written by a group of folks in search of the perfect burger joint in San Antonio.  The burger bloggers didn’t really give it high marks, but I was intrigued by it, especially since Sam’s Burger Joint is also a local music venue.

Bill and I got there at around 6:00, ordered our sandwiches and fries, and then got a couple of draft beers.  Shiner Oktoberfest was selling for $3 as was Bud.  I don’t drink Bud anymore, but was curious about the Shiner, which is a Texas brew.

The place has an interesting decor… lots of concert posters, license plates, and beer lights…  It looks a bit like a grungy, greasy spoon.  You can also eat outside where there was a live musician playing last night.

Waiting…

Obamacare, here I come!  The cheese on that burger was actually falling off when I picked up this sandwich, which I cut in quarters.

The beer list.

 

 

After we ate, we walked around the quieter end of the Riverwalk.  There was a free concert going on and the guy who was playing was pretty good…

An old beer relic…

Culinary Institute of America campus in San Antonio.

Ducks!

Nice shot near the Pearl Brewery Complex.

Waterfalls…

This was near where the guy was having his concert.  As we passed this area, a young guy ran past us.  He had a pudgy looking bulldog trailing him, the leash flopping along.  A few minutes later, we somehow passed this same duo, only they were now walking and panting.

A grotto…

We almost missed the face…

Fishes near the San Antonio Art Museum…

 

We had a nice time and got home by 8:30.  I took a very quick dip in the pool and then we listened to some music and went to bed…  It was a pleasant evening.

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A night on the town in San Antonio…

A few weeks ago, I wrote on The Overeducated Housewife about a guy I knew in high school who is a devout Mormon reprimanding me on Facebook because I expressed a desire to see The Book of Mormon Musical.  Bill is an ex Mormon convert who enjoys ribald humor as much as I do.  Seeing the show would also give us the chance to see San Antonio’s historic Majestic Theater.  So I bought us tickets to see the BOM Musical and booked us a reservation at Biga on the Banks, a swanky restaurant that overlooks San Antonio’s famed River Walk.  Our big “date” was last night.  It was the last night the show was going to be in town; I believe they’re heading to Austin next.

I got all dolled up and changed my Facebook photo, which is what I tend to do when I look pretty and put on makeup (it doesn’t happen that often).  I had a photo of Bill and me looking all lovey dovey and one of my friends lamented that I changed the photo.  So I had Bill join me for another one…

No, he didn’t give me a hickey…

 

But I changed the actual photo to one of just me.  I’m starting to look old now…

The top one is the one I used, but the bottom one seemed to be more popular among the masses.  I’m really glad I got these photos last night, because this morning I have a nasty cold sore.

So, after the obligatory selfies, Bill and I got to Biga on the Banks for our 5:30pm reservation.  But our trip out on the town wasn’t without some comedy.  Bill was trying to start the car and found that it was completely unresponsive.  I had been having some issues with the car starting.  I was slightly worried, until I noticed that Bill had forgotten to put the key in the key fob.  Oops.  Guess his middle aged mind is striking again.

We were a little confused at first, trying to find the entrance to the restaurant.  It turned out to be a pretty awesome dining experience, though.  We had a great waitress named Gigi who was very aware that we were going to a show and did a fantastic job describing the restaurant’s philosophy.  Biga on the Banks is owned by Chef Bruce Auden, who is also running the kitchen.  They’ve been in San Antonio for 23 years and the menu changes daily, based on whatever excellent food the chef gets his hands on.  Gigi told us that if it wasn’t amazing, the chef would not buy it…  The suppliers all know this, so they bring the chef their best.

In all honesty, I believe what Gigi told us.  We had an outstanding meal.

I started with a grapefruit martini, while Bill had an Old Fashioned.  He likes classic cocktails, while I like fun stuff…  I actually debated over the opening cocktail.  I considered having a Bellini or a blueberry martini, but the grapefruit martini seemed more refreshing.

I enjoyed a delightful scallop appetizer, paired with a sweet corn relish, pineapple chutney, and avocado.  It had a little zing, thanks to the habanero pepper.  These scallops were awesome.  I don’t usually go for spicy, but there was just enough habanero to give this dish a little kick.  

Bill had roasted cauliflower soup.  The bowl was brought out with the cauliflower in it; then Gigi poured the liquid in with a pitcher.  This was a very velvety, smokey soup.  I think I would enjoy it in the winter, even though I have never considered myself a cauliflower fan.

We decided on Frog’s Leap Zinfandel to go with our main courses.  As you can see, we got the “Ribbit” cork.  All Frog’s Leap wines have them.

While we waited for dinner, I took pictures of Bill…

Handsome guy…  We definitely need to take him suit shopping soon, though.  All those years in a green uniform have dated his jackets.  

I had an excellent rib-eye steak that was served on the sizzling griddle.  I asked for a plate, because I feared burning the shit out of myself on the griddle, as awesome as it is to hear sizzling meat.  The steak is topped with onion rings that were dipped in a batter made with Shiner Bock beer.  My entree came with simple mashed potatoes and green beans sauteed in garlic…

 

The two pictures above are of Bill’s entree, which was really amazing, especially for a guy who spent his formative years in Arkansas.  He loves game meats.  I guess it’s the redneck in him.  His dish consisted of quail, venison, and a goat cheese tart.  I don’t like goat cheese much, but I did enjoy tasting the quail and the venison.  Bill really enjoyed his entree, perhaps more than I enjoyed mine.  I really need to be more adventurous in places like Biga on the Banks…  But I think a certain monthly ritual had me craving beef, chocolate, and red wine last night…

This was my dessert… chocolate mousse.  It was absolutely sinful.  I wish I could have brought it home with me, but we went to the show, so…  It did a great job of soothing the chocolate loving beast in me.

Bill had bread pudding with vanilla ice cream, pears, and raisins.  It was very comforting and I probably would have loved it in winter.  He sure enjoyed it… though I preferred my chocolate mousse.

 

After Bill settled the check, which took some doing since the waitress initially gave us two wrong checks, Bill and I walked to the Majestic Theater, which was teeming with people there to see the last San Antonio performance of the Book of Mormon Musical.  We had pretty good seats in row T, though there was a lady sitting in front of me who was kind of tall and had big hair.  When you’re short like I am, this is a common issue.  I could have used a booster seat.  I spent most of the show peeking between her and her husband.

This is a picture of the stage…

And the Playbill…

 

I got a picture of the outside of the theater, too.  Unfortunately, I deleted the photos from my card before they were successfully imported.  The Majestic Theater is absolutely beautiful.  We are lucky to have such a fantastic venue so close to us right now.  I look forward to seeing more shows there before our next move… if we ever do leave San Antonio.

The Book of Mormon Musical comes from the people who brought us South Park and Avenue Q.  I am not familiar with Avenue Q… but I know that Trey Parker and Matt Stone collaborated with Robert Lopez, who is partially responsible for Avenue Q.  I love South Park and have spent my years with Bill learning more about Mormonism, so it was a given I’d want to see this show.  It is a very irreverent musical about Mormon missionaries who end up in Uganda, where they try to convert locals to the church.  The locals are rightfully more concerned with poverty, AIDS, and dealing with a warlord with an unprintable name obsessed with female circumcision.

The LDS church, for its part, doesn’t seem overly happy about the musical.  However, we did notice that the church seems to have a savvy PR person who recognized the potential value in the buzz the show is generating.  There were ads in the Playbill inviting theatergoers to read the book… because the book is always better, right?  Frankly, I don’t think that’s true in this case; but that’s just my opinion.  I do know of at least one person who joined the Mormon church after seeing this show and I am sure she wasn’t the only one.

Ad for the LDS church in Playbill.  Kudos to the marketing genius who saw the opportunity to sell the church to theater lovers…  Smart move!

 

Anyone who knows about Mormonism will recognize a lot of the jokes, though not everything is perfectly accurate.  For instance, Elder Price and Elder Cunningham talk about being companions for two years.  From what I understand, missionaries are usually rotated regularly.  One companion is usually more experienced so the newer missionary can learn the ropes.  But it would be difficult to explain that to an audience and it would also not be as funny, since Elder Cunningham (played brilliantly by the very funny Christopher John O’Neill last night) is very annoying and it’s fun to think of how the straight laced Elder Price (played by Mark Evans) would cope with such an obnoxious guy for that long.

I did see a lot of elements of South Park-esque humor… with the lead characters sounding a little like a mixture of Cartman, Kyle Brovlovski, and Stan Marsh at times.  Christopher John O’Neill’s turn as Elder Cunningham actually reminded me of my best friend from college, who remains my friend today.  He really stole the show with genius physical comedy!

I was also really impressed by Samantha Marie Ware, who played Nabulungi, the female lead.  The character is a good natured local girl whose father is concerned for her clitoris.  She befriends Elder Cunningham and becomes his first baptism, though he constantly gets her name wrong.  Ware played her role to the hilt and sang her socks off.

Needless to say, this show is not for those who are easily offended by language or sexual humor.  Frankly, I loved it… and it looked like just about everyone else in the theater did, too.  The theater was packed and there was a very prolonged standing ovation.  Everyone laughed in the right places.  I would happily see this show again and will definitely buy the soundtrack.  If it comes to your town, you should definitely see it if it’s your kind of comedy.  But I can’t stress it enough… the humor is very gross and profane.  If cuss words make you blush, pick another show.

Bill and I had a great night on the town.  If the government doesn’t shut down this week, we’ll have to do it again sometime soon!

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