Hotel Contessa announces special rates for teachers and educators during the month of May. Photo: Hotel Contessa, used with permission.
To celebrate teachers for all they do, Hotel Contessa is offering a special 10% discount to faculty and staff of all levels at educational institutions who book a stay at the hotel in the month of May. Educators can call the hotel at (210) 229-9222 or book online using the promo code: TEACH. Proof of faculty ID is required at check in to redeem the offer. (Hotel Contessa, 2022)
Hotel Contessa is also offering a special 25% discount for educators who book a stay in advance. The offer is valid from now until May 15, 2022 for stays between June 1 and September 30, 2022. Blackout dates apply. Educators can call the hotel at (210) 229-9222 or book online using the promo code: Educator. Proof of faculty ID is required at check in to redeem the offer.
Additionally, teachers will receive a free appetizer with purchase of an entrée at Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails during Teacher Appreciation Week (Monday, May 2 – Friday, May 6). Proof of faculty ID is required to receive the discount.
The 10% teacher appreciation rate is available throughout the month of May. The 25% early booking rate is available now through May 15, 2022. Specials at Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails are available during Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2-6).
Hotel Contessa 306 West Market Street San Antonio, TX 78205
Blue Star Contemporary presents Cosmic Couture open call on First Friday, May 6 and Readings on Loss and Grief on May 7. Photo: Blue Star Contemporary
Blue Star Contemporary (BSC) is pleased to offer two unique public programs which encourage reflection and honor personal history and identity. Cosmic Couture takes places on First Friday, May 6 from 6p.m. to9p.m., the public is invited to wear their best “cosmic couture” or a space-inspired suit to apply for galactic citizenship and receive a MASAporte. (Blue Star Contemporary, 2022)
In BSC’s current exhibitionThreads Bare, artist Luis Valderas presents cosmic couture as a part of his ongoing Project:MASA (MeChicano Alliance of Space Artists). His Alien Skins are articles of clothing that metaphorically represent the outside “skin” that people develop and wear to navigate social and cultural spaces. Cosmic couture is imaginative clothing that can be assembled or created out of anything. Artist Luis Valderas in collaboration with Jojo Dancer Photos will be onsite at BSC taking portraits and issuing MASAportes during First Friday.
On Saturday, May 7 at 3p.m., artist Megan Harrison presents Readings on Loss and Grief. During this intimate reading, Harrison will share her personal writings included in her current solo exhibition, From Your Brow Rise Leaf and Lyre, inviting a collective reflection on loss and grief and connection through these shared life experiences. The writings and exhibition center on Harrison’s loss of her son as an attempt to “find the right combination of words and images that can move matter, reverse time, to find that invisible door through which I must have tumbled.” Registration required. The Project:MASA series (MeChicano Alliance of Space Artists) was co-founded in 2005 by Luis Valderas and Paul Karam in San Antonio, Texas. This series of exhibitions featured latin@ artists from across the nation who use of cosmic and space iconography to comment on Mestizo issues, culture, and/or the Chicano consciousness.
In 2016 The Project:MASA exhibit series was featured in the award winning Chicano Futurist anthology “Altermundos Latin@ Speculative Literature, Film, and Popular Culture” by Cathryn Merla-Watson Ph.D. and Ben Olguin Ph.D. Soon after in 2017 a contingency of the group was featured In Mundos Alternos-Art and Science in the Americas that was part of the Pacific Standard Time LA/LA sponsored by the Getty Foundation. It was curated by Rob Hernández, Assistant Professor of English at UCR; Tyler Stallings, Artistic Director of the Culver Center of the Arts; and Joanna Szupinska-Myers, Senior Curator of Exhibitions at the California Museum of Photography. Kathryn Poindexter, CMP Assistant Curator, as part of the Pacific Standard Time LA/LA. Currently another contingency of the group is being featured in Mundos Alternos-Art and Science in the Americas at the Queens Museum and in Alien Skins-Mundos Alternos at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in SOHO until the end of 2019.
Cosmic Couture. Photo: Blue Star Contemporary, used with permission.
Ford’s 2022 F-150 Lightning. Ford’s team will be onsite with F-150 Lightning trucks and guests will have the opportunity to be driven around a test track. Photo: Ford, used with permission.
Pearl is excited to welcome Ford to the property as they debut their first electric pick-up truck, the 2022 F-150 Lightning®. The Ford team will be onsite at Pearl starting Wednesday, May 4 at 3p.m. for a limited time as they showcase the all-new electric truck, its features made possible by electrification and its smart digital technologies. On select dates, Ford will have professional drivers giving rides to individuals around a special circuit at Pearl. (Ford, 2022)
Ford will begin their activations onsite at Pearl beginning on Wednesday, May 4. Rides with professional drivers on the test track as follows: • Wednesday, May 4 from 3p.m. to 8p.m. • Thursday, May 5 from 3p.m. to 8p.m. • Friday, May 6 from 12p.m. to 6p.m. • Saturday, May 7 from 9a.m. to 8p.m. • Sunday, May 8 from 9a.m. to 6p.m.
Ford’s activations will take place throughout the property (312 Pearl Parkway, San Antonio, TX 78215), including the Cellars Pavilion, Pearl Park and Pearl Parkito. The rides will be located in the parking lot behind Best Quality Daughter (602 Avenue A, San Antonio, TX 78215).
Pearl is a dynamic neighborhood built around the historic Pearl Brewery, which operated from 1883 to 1999. Located just north of downtown San Antonio on the banks of the San Antonio River, it is home to architecturally significant buildings like the brewhouse and stable—both built in 1894—and numerous plazas. Today, Pearl is home to dozens of unique culinary concepts, one-of-a-kind retail, weekend markets, residential communities, innovative office tenants, the San Antonio campus of the Culinary Institute of America, and the award-winning Hotel Emma. Pearl is a vibrant district where community gathers to play, work, and live; it is a place where things are made and celebrated with purpose and sincerity.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Dirt Does Dylan will be released May 20, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Five-decades-running Americana pioneers Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have already played a major role in the preservation and popularity of folk music—their Will The Circle Be Unbroken album series introduced droves of new fans to folk, country, and bluegrass and earned the band multiple Grammy awards. Now, the long-running group has taken on another American institution near and dear to their hearts; the Bob Dylan songbook. On May 20, the band will be releasing Dirt Does Dylan, a ten-track album highlighting some of the gems from Dylan’s vast catalog with the help of three new band members: fiddle specialist Ross Holmes; singer-songwriter and bass player Jim Photoglo (who wrote one of the Dirt Band’s biggest hits “Fishin’ in the Dark”); and Dirt Band founder Jeff Hanna’s son, the absurdly talented singer and guitarist Jaime Hanna. Produced and recorded by Ray Kennedy at Room & Board Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, Dirt Does Dylan finds a generation-spanning Dirt Band paying an appropriately great tribute to arguably the greatest songwriter of the 20th century with the help of friends like Jason Isbell, The War & Treaty, Steve Earle, and Rosanne Cash, to name a few. (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 2022)
Billboard premiered the Dirt Band’s cover of “I Shall Be Released,” which Dylan originally recorded with The Band during their infamous Basement Tapes sessions. On this version of the tune, sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell—better known as accomplished blues-rock duo Larkin Poe—lend their perfectly-blended voices and Megan’s lap steel guitar skills to the mix. Carpenter takes the first verse vocals while the Hannas handle guitar duties. Aside from the fine songwriting itself, Jeff Hanna and Megan Lovell’s infectious guitar interplay carries the song from verse to verse, culminating in the song’s final solo section. Fans can watch the band record “I Shall Be Released” in its official music videoat this link, check out the previously-released single, “The Times, They Are A-Changin’,” and pre-orderor pre-save Dirt Does Dylan ahead of its May 20 release.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band formed in 1966 as a Long Beach, California jug band, scored its first charting single in 1967, and embarked on a self-propelled ride through folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, bluegrass, and the amalgam now known as “Americana.” The first major hit came in 1971 with the epic “Mr. Bojangles,” which, along with insistent support from banjo master Earl Scruggs, opened doors in Nashville. Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, and others collaborated on a multi-artist, multi-generational, three-disc 1972 masterpiece: Will the Circle Be Unbroken. In the 1980s, the Dirt Band reeled off 15 straight Top 10 country hits, including chart-toppers “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” “Modern Day Romance,” and “Fishin’ in the Dark (co-written by Jim Photoglo, who would join the band in the second decade of the new century). The year 1989 brought a second Circle album, this one featuring singer-songwriter talents including John Prine, Rosanne Cash, and John Hiatt and garnering two Grammy awards for the band. Circle II also won the Country Music Association’s Album of the Year prize. Circle III was released in 2003, featuring collaborations with Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, and more.
Track listing: 1. Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You 2. Girl from the North Country 3. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry 4. Country Pie 5. I Shall Be Released (ft. Larkin Poe) 6. She Belongs to Me 7. Forever Young 8. The Times They Are A-Changin’ (ft. Rosanne Cash, Jason Isbell, Steve Earle, and The War and Treaty) 9. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right 10. Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
Catch Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on tour: May 13 – Lancaster, PA – American Music Theatre May 14 – New York, NY – City Winery May 15 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery May 19 – Mankato, MN – Vetter Stone Amphitheatre May 20 – Papillion, NE – Sumtur Amphitheater May 21 – Chesterfield, MO – Chesterfield Amphitheatre May 22 – Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheater June 9 – Eureka Springs, AR – Eureka Springs City Auditorium June 10 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater June 11 – Salina, KS – Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts June 24 – Grand Junction, CO – Country Jam 2022 June 25 – North Platte, NE – Nebraskaland Days July 14 – Davenport, IA – Rhythm City Casino Resort July 15 – Decorah, IA – Winneshiek County Fair July 16 – Chicago, IL – City Winery July 21 – Marietta, OH – Peoples Bank Theatre July 22 – Shipshewana, IN – Blue Gate Performing Arts Center July 23 – Twin Lakes, WI – Country Thunder Wisconsin 2022 August 3 – McMinnville, OR – Yamhill County Fair & Rodeo August 4 – Boise, ID – The Egyptian Theatre August 6 – Bellvue, CO – Mishawaka Amphitheatre August 12 – Hinckley, MN – Grand Country Nights 2022 August 13 – South West Fargo, ND – Lights Amphitheater August 18 – Three Forks, MT – Headwaters Country Jam 2022 August 19 – Rexford, MT – Abayance Bay Marina August 27 – Gilbert, AZ – Higley Center For The Performing Arts August 28 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre September 2 – Orange Park, FL – Thrasher-Horne Center September 3 – Mill Spring, NC – The Earl Scruggs Music Festival 2022
The single Yellow Dawn is from the upcoming new album Garden Songs, out June 24, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Underneath the lush arrangements and spellbinding vocal melodies of Lydia Luce’s latest output lies a story of human persistence—the idea that we will carry on, letting hope and love guide us, in the face of an uncertain future. On June 24, Luce is set to release Garden Songs, a five-song EP sown from her time spent reconnecting with songwriting during an artist in residence on Orcas Island, just off the coast of Washington state; the first writing Luce had done since her 2021 album, Dark River. Luce shared “Yellow Dawn” from Garden Songs, a letter to herself that serves as a reminder to keep writing, creating, and believing. Most importantly, to keep going. (Lydia Luce, 2022)
“As an artist my job is to create, and it remains that even when I have no idea what I’ll do with the projects I make,” says Luce, giving listeners a rare glimpse into an all-too-common thought that passes through creative minds. “‘Yellow Dawn’ is the unknown that I must keep plunging into even when I’m unsure and afraid.” Luce’s beautiful metaphor is framed by an endearing refrain of “I will carry on, we will carry on, love will carry on.” “Yellow Dawn” is punctuated by a string quartet that includes Luce on viola, contributing a retro, unison arrangement vibe that furthers the song’s timelessness and complements Luce’s vocal delivery immaculately. Fans can hear “Yellow Dawn” now at this link and pre-order/pre-save Garden Songs ahead of its release right here.
Writing in such a picturesque setting helped her focus her attention on the world around her—quite literally in the case of the EP’s first song, “Matter of Time.” The summer before Luce landed on Orcas Island, the northwest suffered two brutal heat waves, and the extreme weather killed dozens. It got Luce thinking about the cognitive dissonance of wanting to be present in this remarkable place while grappling with how the same area was deadly to so many during a bout of extreme weather.
Luce turned to her impending wedding for “Vow,” which is the tale of the next step in a relationship that had been turbulent. The song lands on a moment of looking forward. Another love is at the heart of “Air Castle”—that of Luce’s great grandparents. Her father shared a book of their love letters, written between 1909 and 1920, while he was in California and she was in Georgia. The song captures how important it can be to feel like someone is in your corner, seeing the best of you and rooting for your triumph.
“Cosmic Flower” offers a series of similes, drawing a parallel between nature and love. It folds Luce’s passion and inspiration for the vastness of nature with those same feelings in her relationship. Written in a period of separation, Luce penned it on the side of a cliff—more literal than metaphorical. The EP ends with the aforementioned “Yellow Dawn,” summing up the feeling that propelled the writing and creation of Garden Songs. Persistence, in love and living, is a choice Luce continues to make, and the fruits of her carrying-on are on full display through this gorgeous musical window into her life.
In addition to her solo work, Luce created Lockeland Strings, a community arts organization that showcases local artists with a string quintet and performances of new contemporary classical pieces from local composers. They have been joined by Kacey Musgraves and Lucie Silvas, among others, and partners with nonprofits, including the ACLU of Tennessee, Girls Write Nashville and The Little Pantry That Could. She also plays viola as a session musician.
Garden Songs track list: Matter of Time Vow Air Castle Cosmic Flower Yellow Dawn
Catch Lydia Luce on tour: May 21 – Nashville, TN – The Blue Room: Lockeland Strings with Katy Kirby and most likely Devon Gilfillian and Liza Anne June 9 Nashville, TN – Jaans House: Lockeland Strings Nicki Bluhm, Volunteer Department and more June 26 – Fox Island, ME – Crab Tree June 26 – North Haven Island, ME – CrabTree Session June 30 – Plymouth, MA – The Spire July 1 – Cape Cod, MA – Cultural Arts Center July 2 – Portsmouth, NH – Music Hall July 6 – Bristol, CT – Acousticool
‘Sidhe’ by Aria Storm is on sale now on paperback and e-book. Photo: Aria Storm, used with permission.
Aria Storm is influenced by major authors from a wide range of genres and time periods. The earliest influences come in the form of Lord Dunsany, William Shakespeare, and H.P. Lovecraft. Modern influences include Gary S. Kadet, Chloe Neill, McKenzie Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton, Timothy Zahn, and K. F. Brenee. She avidly believes in representing LGBTQIA+ people with valid heroes/ heroines and plots which can be sizzling at times but also contain other aspects outside the queer sex. This author’s entire adult life has been devoted to becoming a better storyteller and to bringing LGBTQIA+ characters to everyone. Most of Aria Storm’s works have been Lesfic, but the author also publishes various other genres and is about to expand even further in the near future. In her new book ‘Sidhe,’ a woman discovers she is a rare breed of fairy. (Aria Storm, 2022)
‘Sidhe’– A college freshman discovers she is a rare breed of fairy as she is brought to the world of Fairey. Her life is threatened instantly when human assassins discover her in the forest of Fairey. Now, she will be forced to unravel a deeper plot with the help of a sexy female protector called The Hawthorn Knight. Sexual discovery and awakening of her true attractions manifest. Ella is made aware of who she is, not just as a being, but also as a maturing woman.
‘Be Your Own Medical Intuitive: Healing Your Body and Soul’ by Tina M. Zion. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Tina Zion is the globally acclaimed award-winning author of three medical intuitive books. “Become a Medical Intuitive” won 1st Place Gold from the Body Mind Spirit Book Awards in 2019 and “Advanced Medical Intuition” won the 2020 COVR Visionary Award along with 5 star ratings on Amazon. She is also the author of two Reiki books, “The Reiki Teacher’s Manual” and “Reiki and Your Intuition.” Tina’s books sell in over 40 countries and have been #1 in Canada and Australia. She teaches in Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and throughout the USA. She is also a contributing author in Michael Newton’s book, “Memories of the Afterlife.” Tina has taught self-development courses for 30 years and specifically has specialized in medical intuition for over 10 years, always with 100% stunning reviews by her students. Her new book, “Be You Own Medical Intuitive: Healing Your Body and Soul (Medical Intuition)” guides readers forward into their own personal healing.
After the Foreword by Shelly Frome, Professor of Dramatic Arts Emeritus, “Be Your Own Medical Intuitive: Healing Your Body and Soul” begins with Introducing This Book to You where Tina Zion explains the purpose of the book: “for your healing and transformation into a healthier body, healthier mind, and a cutting-edge intuitive awareness of the world around you.” It is meant to guide readers in their own journey towards personal healing through methods that have improved people’s lives for decades. A medical intuitive is a practitioner of alternative medicine who uses his/her intuitive abilities to find the cause of a physical or emotional condition through insight instead of modern medicine. According to the author, people are already wired to be intuitive but it is a learned skill and this book helps readers understand it in an effort to learn, heal, and master their life in exciting new levels. The book is divided into four parts: Part One: Become Powerfully Intuitive for Yourself, Part Two: Get In Charge of the Intuitive You, Part Three: Confidently Healing Yourself, and Part Four: Eight Primary Causes & Your Action Steps to Heal. The Appendix includes worksheets to print for self scans, suggested reading and resources list, and other books in the Medical Intuitive series.
Physical pain often has an underlying emotional tie. Where there is emotional trauma, there is bound to be our body’s physical reaction to it. Tina Zion’s “Be Your Own Medical Intuitive” is a practical guide to help people understand and deal with the signals that their bodies are sending in an effort to heal what is ailing them. Using examples from clients’ experiences and exercises meant to clear the mind and body of past trauma, she makes the entire process easy. The language is simple, down to earth and geared towards the everyday person. Each chapter covers a topic and at the end, there is a summary or recap of the essential points discussed. Highlights include Chapter 13: Twelve Keys to Constantly Do for Yourself (Save Yourself First, Do Not Absorb the Energy of Others) and Part Four – Eight Primary Causes & Your Action Steps to Heal which highlights main causes of physical discomfort and how to rise above them. With topics such as meditation, auras, energy fields, clairvoyance, and non-physical entities, “Be Your Own Medical Intuitive” is certainly not for everyone but readers interested in self-healing and self-awareness will find it resourceful and informative.
The Banderita Flight cocktail at FRIDA Mexican Restaurant & Bar is made with LALO blanco tequila, a Mexican-owned, Mexican-founded tequila brand. (Photo: LALO Spirits, used with permission.
In the United States, more people consume tequila on Cinco de Mayo than on any other day of the year. LALO (a Mexican-owned tequila brand founded by Don Julio’s grandson) is celebrating the day with specialty cocktails at several bars and restaurants throughout San Antonio on Thursday. (LALO Spirits, 2022)
On Thursday, May 5, FRIDA Mexican Restaurant & Bar (18740 Stone Oak Pkwy, San Antonio, TX 78258) will serve a Banderita Flight — three mini cocktails made with LALO blanco tequila and served in shades of green, white, and red to represent the Mexican flag. Flavors include a melon-lime margarita with citrus salt, ranch water with sea salt, and a strawberry hibiscus margarita with a tajin rim.
Screaming Goat Yard & Tap (4 Sun Valley Dr, Spring Branch, TX 78070) will be featuring LALO Ranch Waters, Palomas, and Perfect Margaritas. There will also be a LALO rep on site pouring taste of the popular blanco tequila from 6p.m. to 8p.m.
All three locations of La Fogata are featuring four special cocktails made with LALO throughout the month of May.
Chispa Margarita – LALO Blanco, Triple sec, Fresh lime juice
Paloma – LALO Blanco, Fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, topped with sparkling mineral water
Ranch Water – LALO Blanco, fresh lime juice, top with sparkling mineral water over ice with salted rim
Ácenar on the Riverwalk (146 E. Houston St. San Antonio, Texas 78205) will serve a special cocktail called La Flaca, a skinny margarita made with LALO.
LALO is available for purchase at liquor stores, bars, and restaurants throughout San Antonio. It is also available onlinewith direct shipping.
LALO is named after co-founder and maestro tequilero Eduardo “Lalo” Gonzalez, the grandson of Don Julio González of the iconic Don Julio tequila brand. Lalo continues the legacy of his father and grandfather with a bold new approach to perfecting blanco tequila. After nearly a decade in the industry seeing tequila follow many different trends, he and founding partner David R. Carballido sought to return tequila to its honest roots with a truly pure blanco tequila, without barrels or additives.
Each batch of LALO is 100% pure. It is made with wisdom passed down through generations of tequileros using the finest agave, handpicked from the Jalisco Highlands, cooked using a traditional process, and distilled only twice to maintain the agave’s integrity. The sole ingredients are fully-matured agave, a proprietary Champagne yeast, and deep well water, honoring the complex essence of the agave.
What began as a small, private batch for friends and family in Guadalajara turned into a tequila high in demand for its taste and purity. LALO is not intended as a special occasion tequila, it is intended to make any occasion special.
Celebrate Mother’s Day at JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa with Brunch, Bluebonnets, and more. Photo: JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa, used with permission.
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate mom than with a Texas Hill Country brunch at the stunning, 13,000-acre JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa in Sonora Texas? (JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa, 2022)
Families can treat mom to a delectable brunch on The Ranch on Sunday, May 8, with two exclusive seating options at 11:30a.m. and 1:30p.m. (locals and day visitors can book, too!). For $39.95 and $19.95 for children, guests will be treated by JL Bar’s expert culinary team with a special menu of signatures dishes including Balsamic Glazed Grilled Steak, Honey Garlic Glazed Pork Loin, Roasted Heirloom Carrots and Asparagus, and Chocolate Covered Strawberries. There will also be two action stations for guests to enjoy – a full Seafood Bar and Chef Attended Savory Crepe Station.
For those staying for the weekend, there is an activity for every type of mom. From a full equestrian program featuring horseback riding and a horse psychology experience to off-road ATV adventures, a Putting/Chipping Green, spa treatments, wine tasting, and clay and skeet shooting, families can make new memories at JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa. Additionally, for those moms following the annual Bluebonnet blooms in the stunning Texas Hill Country, JL Bar’s grounds also offer rolling acres of oak trees and wild grasses to spot local wildlife and bluebonnets in their prime.
Bakery Lorraine’s fruit tart. Photo: Bakery Lorraine, used with permission.
With Mother’s Day coming up on May 8, do not miss a chance to surprise and delight Mom this year with unique flavors and specials from favorite spots in San Antonio. Local businesses are offering several ways to help celebrate moms through delicious desserts, gorgeous bouquets and some much needed Spa treatments. See below for ways to celebrate Mother’s day with Bakery Lorraine and Hotel Contessa. (Bakery Lorraine, Hotel Contessa, 2022)
This Mother’s Day Bakery Lorraine will offer several specials that are sure to capture mom’s heart. From flower boxes to rose scented desserts, Bakery Lorraine and their partner, Emma Lily Flowers, are sure to have the perfect gift for Mom.
The Flower Box: The Flower Box includes an assortment of six Parisian macarons that include raspberry, pistachio, and triple vanilla ($35) and is decorated with fresh flowers. There are no substitutions for this package.
The Petite Bouquet: The Petite Bouquet is a fresh bouquet of flowers and includes twelve macarons, including raspberry, pistachio, blueberry violet, and triple vanilla flavors ($60). There are no substitutions for this package.
Quiches: Treat mom to a special breakfast in bed with Bakery Lorraine’s savory quiches. Quiche options include the traditional Quiche Lorraine filled with bacon, gruyere, and caramelized onions and the Veggie Quiche which includes leeks, Swiss chard, and gruyere. The large quiche is available for $40, serves up to eight people and is packed cold for a quick reheat at home for only 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees in the oven.
Special Desserts: For moms with a sweet tooth, shoppers can gift Bakery Lorraine’s special desserts. Their large fruit tart ($32) is filled with a creamy vanilla mascarpone and topped with fresh fruit. Fruit varies based on season and availability. Add a flower scent effect to the gift of dessert with Japonaise, a rose scented vanilla cream swirled with raspberry jam in between two macaron shells with fresh raspberries. Give mom a literal heart with Bakery Lorraine’s Strawberry Pop Hearts, a grownup version of the classic pop-tart treat shaped into a heart, or Heart Shaped Moon Pies, rich chocolate shortbreads with honey marshmallow and dipped in white coating chocolate.
Please note that the flower boxes and bouquet packages are limited and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. The last day to place an order will be Wednesday, May 4, by 12p.m. Order pickups will be available Saturday May 7 or Sunday May 8 between 9a.m. to 5p.m. at all locations.
The newly renovated Spa at Hotel Contessa, located at the rooftop level of the hotel, is offering luxurious deals to take advantage of this Mother’s Day for some much welcomed pampering.
Always on the Go Mom Package
$90.00 (gratuity included)
30 min Reflexology (applies different amounts of pressure to the feet, which has shown to help reduce stress, anxiety, pain and improve the general well-being)
Scalp Massage
Glass of Champagne
Pamper Mom Package
$200.00 (gratuity included)
50 min Custom Facial OR Massage
Lavender Scalp Massage
Aromatic Steam Towel Treatment
Glass of Champagne
Super Mom Package
$500.00 (gratuity included)
50 min Custom Massage
50 min Custom Facial
Complimentary enhancement included
Glass of Champagne and Individual Cheese Board tray following service
Guests can purchase the above packages by calling the spa at 210-298-8038 between now and end of day on Sunday, May 8.
While enjoying spa services at the hotel, some added perks include the spa’s various jewelry pop-ups from local and regional designers. The unique jewelry designs are sure to catch Mom’s eye for a complete Mother’s Day experience to have her feeling special. Select skincare products can also be purchased for a chance to turn any home bathroom into a hotel spa.
SA Examiner 