Saturday 19 July 2014

Making plans for BBQ (pt4) - San Antonio and Beyond

[Auntie Skinners Riverboat Club, Jefferson, TX]
Someone pointed out recently that I'd left you all in suspense, that I hadn't said what happens in San Antonio - and beyond.

Well partly, that was because I didn't have any photos to illustrate the post - so now I'm just using a few personal favourites. And also, I hate to admit, I simply wasn't as well planned for the second leg of the trip.

The excitement of the triple lunch barbecue in Lockhart is a hard act to follow.

But I can't leave you hanging, dear reader, so here's the next stage of the plan. In San Antonio, I'm staying in the Hotel Havana just off the famous River Walk. Every Texan I've spoken to goes misty eyed when I mention the walk, so I do hope it lives up to its star billing.

Now, Don't Drive to Dinner rules apply here, so I'll spend one of my two evenings at Granary Cue and Brew, at the north end of the walk. I don't think this is a compromise by any means - they're highly rated, and they're also on the bill at Meatopia (think Glastonbury for Carnivores) this year, so I hope to be able to say hi.

[Neon sign, Risckys, Fort Worth, Texas]
I've only got one day in San Antonio, and this means just one lunchtime. I'd like to do the tourist trail, visit the Alamo and explore the river area, so I'd rather not travel too far out of town in search of lunch. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

Next day I'm driving out to Galveston, so I'm definitely detouring to Luling for the famous City Market. Often mentioned in the same breath as Taylor or Lockhart, and personally recommended to me by food blogger Simon Majumdar (swoon, starstruck name drop moment), it's a 'must visit'.

From there it all falls apart a bit. Galveston isn't exactly known for BBQ, but perhaps (blasphemy), after seven barbecue lunches in a row, a bit of fish might be good for me. As for Houston, my inner geek wins, and I'll be eating lunch at the NASA Space Center.

But before you give up on me, you need to know what happens next. Then I'm on the train to New Orleans, meeting my wife, and we're spending two weeks exploring all the food that city has to offer. Watch this space!


3 comments:

  1. Since you have mentioned that you like to have a drink with your meals, on the River Walk you might consider visiting The Esquire Tavern. The longest bar in Texas, a wide selection of drinks, and their food has gotten high marks from many people:

    http://www.esquiretavern-sa.com/

    I’m not much of a drinker, but I was enjoyed the the Blackberry Limeade that I ordered with my Bacon (Gouda) Cheeseburger. Be warned that the burger might look small, but it bigger that it appears and quite filling.

    Another option that I can recommend on the River Walk, (if you don’t have any lingering meat sweats from your trip to Lockhart,), is Fogo de Chão. It is a Brazilian style steak (bbq) restaurant, where you sit at your table and the roving Gaucho waiters bring swords of different types of meat to you for you to pick from:

    http://www.fogodechao.com/locations/san_antonio

    There are some other places in town that you might want to try out on a future visit, but they are away from the River Walk.

    Does it fall within your rules if someone else drives you to dinner? ;-)

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  2. Ooh, choices, choices! Thanks for the suggestions James! I'll keep you posted.

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  3. I ended up eating in the Esquite in the end - by luck more than planning, and can thoroughly recommend it. Thanks for the tip!

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