Category: Food and Drink events

Taco Fest at La Villita

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Taco Fest will take place on Saturday April 14 at La Villita.  Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Coming up on Saturday April 14 from 12p.m. to 11p.m., foodie and music fans will be able to enjoy the best of both worlds at Taco Fest. Taco Fest will celebrate San Antonio’s unofficial dish with tacos from over 30 restaurants, taquerias and food trucks. Every vendor will have at least one $2 taco option to give attendees a chance to sample the different taco varieties. Vendors will compete in a variety of categories from Breakfast to Puffy and there will be three music stages with national, regional and local acts. This event is for the entire family and children under 10 get in for free. VIP tickets are sold out but there are still advance General Admission tickets still available online for $20 plus fees. Advance General Admission tickets sale ends Friday April 13 after which the price will increase to $25 on the day of the event. Taco Fest will take place rain or shine. All ticket sales are final, and no refunds will be issued.

Tacos From:
Chisme, Pete’s Tako House, Mi Taquito Arandas Jalisco, Tapatio Vegan Tacos, Davila’s BBQ, Market on Houston, Little Woodrow’s, Taco Haven, The Culinary Institute of America, Soluna, Torchy’s Tacos, El Milagrito, Viva Villa, Sancho’s, Tomatillo’s, Tommy’s Restaurant, Don Pablo’s, Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant, Los Cocos Mexican Restaurant and Fruteria, La Casa de Barbacoa, Mr. Meximum, Chela’s Tacos and more.

Music By:
La Santa Cecilia, Brown Sabbath, Santiago Jimenez, Jr., Girl in a Coma, Money Chicha, Piñata Protest, Femina-X, Eddie & the Valiants, Los #3 Dinners and El Conjunto Nueva Ola.

El Conjunto Nueva Ola is a lucha libre masked cumbia group that has blown away audiences at rock festivals and music stages across the United States. With their unique brand of Cumbia Rock, they have performed at sold out crowds at The Honda Center in Anaheim and Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie in Dallas opening for Mexican Cumbia icons Los Angeles Azules. The group continues to build a cult following with supportive fans across the country and are set to release a new music video in May 2018 and a new studio album in the Fall. (ECNO, 2018)

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El Conjunto Nueva Ola will be performing at Taco Fest on Saturday April 14. Photo: ECNO, used with permission.

La Villita Historic Arts Village
S. Presa St.
San Antonio, TX 78205

Tickets to Culinaria Wine + Food Festival now on sale

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Culinaria Wine + Food Festival is coming up in May and early bird tickets are now on sale. Photo: La Cantera Resort & Spa, used with permission.

Culinaria Wine + Food Festival is coming up in May and tickets are now available for purchase. Scheduled for Thursday May 17 through Sunday May 20, Culinaria celebrates the best of food through events featuring gourmet creations paired with elegant wines for extravagant tastings prepared by San Antonio’s best chefs, guest chefs and global and local wineries.  Culinaria was created to highlight San Antonio’s passion for food and to spotlight the city as a premiere food and wine destination. In the beginning, it was just a weekend of food and wine on the Riverwalk. Now it has expanded to include events as diverse a food competition and a barbeque extravaganza. (Culinaria, 2018)

Individual tickets start at $75. Early bird ticket purchases are 25 percent off through April 1. Ticket packages feature special amenities and include:

Rising Star: $275
Single ticket package for one to all events: Bubbles, Texas Grand Tasting, Texas Taco Showdown and Burgers, BBQ & Beer.

Weekend Warrior: $210
One ticket to the Texas Grand Tasting, Texas Taco Showdown and Burgers, BBQ & Beer.

A-Lister: $340
VIP ticket package for one to attend all events with access to VIP areas. Bubbles, Texas Grand Tasting, Texas Taco Showdown; Burgers, BBQ & Beer.

Chop It Like It’s Hot: $125
Ticket Package to include one ticket to the Texas Taco Showdown and Burgers, BBQ & Beer.

La Cantera Resort & Spa, a part of Destination Luxury collection, will host Culinaria Festival and is offering guests special rates during the event using promo code: CULINARIA18. Rates start at $249 for standard rooms, $349 for SEVEN, a 46-room “adults only” guest floor experience and $399 for The Villas.

Scheduled events include:
Bubbles – 7p.m., Thursday, May 17, Topaz at La Cantera Resort & Spa
Becker Luncheon – 11:30 a.m., Friday, May 18, Becker Vineyards
Texas Grand Tasting – 7p.m., Friday, May 18, San Antonio Ballroom at La Cantera Resort & Spa
Texas Taco Showdown – 12p.m. to 6p.m., Saturday, May 19, La Cantera Resort & Spa
Burgers, BBQ & Beer – 12p.m.to 6 p.m., Sunday, May 20, La Cantera Resort & Spa

La Cantera Resort & Spa
16641 La Cantera Pkwy
San Antonio, TX 78256
(210) 558-6500

Garrison Brothers celebrates Texas Independence Day

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 Hotel Emma is a participating restaurant in the Garrison Brothers Distillery’s “The Bourbon Takeover of Texas” on Friday March 2.

Garrison Brothers Distillery™ is a small farm and ranch located in the Texas Hill Country which produces straight bourbon whiskey. Founded in 2006, Garrison Brothers is the first legal whiskey distillery in Texas history and is one of the first distilleries in America outside of Kentucky to produce authentic, handmade bourbon whiskey and only bourbon whiskey. At the American Craft Spirit Awards in 2016, they were awarded a gold medal for their Cowboy Bourbon™, silver medal for their 2016 Vintage Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey and another silver for their Texas Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The distillery and its barrel barns are open to the public for tours in Hye, Texas. (Garrison Brothers Distillery, 2018)

On Friday, March 2, Garrison Brothers Distillery is partnering with 21 chefs and mixologists across the sate to celebrate Texas Independence Day with bourbon-infused chef specials. These tastemakers have been hand-selected to showcase their culinary love for the Lone Star State by incorporating Garrison Brothers’ 2018 vintage of their Small Batch bourbon into a unique, limited-time culinary special. “The Bourbon Takeover of Texas,” a one-night-only event, will take place at choice restaurants in Texas’ largest cities: Austin, Dallas, Houston, El Paso and San Antonio. Each chef has been tasked with creating a dish, or cocktail, reflecting their restaurant concept and the bold, proud spirit of Texas.

Participating restaurants include:

Austin
Alma Alcocer — Executive Chef, El Alma
Jeff Martinez — Executive Chef, Alcomar
Maribel Rivero — Executive Chef, Yuyo
Ryan Foster — Restaurant & Bar Manager, Juniper
Amanda Rockman — Executive Pastry Chef, New Waterloo – Central Standard
Natalie Gazaui — Executive Pastry Chef, Eberly
Lance Posey — Bar Manager, Native Hostel
Tatsu Aikawa & Takuya “Tako” Matsumoto — Chefs/Owners, Kemuri Tatsu-Ya

Dallas
George Kaiho — Bar Manager, Jettison
Omar Yefoon  — Bar Manager, Shoal’s Sound & Service
Matt McCallister — Chef/Owner, FT33
Josh Sutcliff — Executive Chef, Mirador
Nick Hurry — Executive Chef, Proof & Pantry

El Paso
Aldo Mora — Executive Chef, Café Central

Houston
Westin Galleymore — Chef, Hay Merchant
David Keck — Chef, Goodnight Charlie’s
Ryan Lachaine — Executive Chef, Riel
Bobby Matos — Executive Chef, State of Grace

San Antonio
Tim Rattray — Executive Chef, The Granary
John Brand — Chef & Culinary Director, Hotel Emma – Supper
Jason Dady — Chef/Owner, Tre Trattoria

Boiler House and Witte Museum host ‘Dinner in the Wild’

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Boiler House and the Witte Museum are hosting ‘Dinner in the Wild’ on Wednesday March 21.  Photo: Boiler House, used with permission.

Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden has partnered with the Witte Museum for ‘Dinner in the Wild,’ a specialty charity event featuring renowned local chefs. This multi-coursed ticketed dinner will take place on Wednesday March 21 from 6:30p.m. to 9:30p.m. There are a limited number of tickets available online for $250 per person. Guests will be able to experience an exclusive evening of fine dining centered around the “Texas Wildlife” theme, combining ingredients from the state’s land, water and sky. (Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden, 2018)

The evening will begin with cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres in the newly transformed Witte galleries, followed by a multi-course twilight dinner created by top local chefs with al fresco style seating options in the Texas Wild Garden space. Participating chefs led by Boiler House Chef Jarrad Gwaltney include Jeff Balfour from Southerleigh, Jason Dady from Tre Trattoria, Tim McDiarmid from Tim the Girl Catering and Anne Ng and Jeremy Mandrell from Bakery Lorraine. Witte Museum curators Helen Holdsworth, Curator of Texas Wild and Dr. Bryan Bayles, Curator of Anthropology and Health, will work with the chefs and their courses to explore the significance of the South Texas region in the past, present and future of the state and how each person can have a profound impact on the stewardship of Texas’ land, water and sky. The event is co-chaired by Emily and Bo Conrad, as well as Carol and Fred Reyes.  Texas’ own singer-songwriter Luis Rey will be providing the evening’s entertainment.

All proceeds from the event go directly towards ensuring all K-12 students on field-trips to the Witte Museum get to experience San Antonio’s official Tricentennial exhibition, ‘Confluence and Culture: 300 Years of San Antonio History.’ This fundraiser covers all aspects of the field-trip costs including buses, gas, general admission and Tricentennial programming for students.

Witte Museum
3801 Broadway St
San Antonio, TX 78209
(210) 357-1900

Wine pairing dinner at Krause’s Café

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Krause’s Café is hosting a wine pairing dinner on Monday January 29, 2018. Photo: The Prisoner Wine Company, used with permission.

Krause’s Café & Biergarten is teaming up with California-based The Prisoner Wine Company to host a special wine paired dinner on Monday January 29 at 6:30p.m. The vino-centric event will highlight various dishes created by Chef “Boomer” Acuna which will be paired with specialty wine from The Prisoner Wine Company. (Krause’s Café & Biergarten, 2018)

The dinner will consist of a prix fixe four-course menu featuring German and South Texas inspired dishes. Menu items will include Braised Beef Cheek Ravioli, Smoked Beef Carpaccio, Whole Roasted Beef Loin and more. Each dish will be paired with a complimentary wine such as Cuttings Cabernet, Saldo Zinfandel, and The Prisoner Red Blend. Tickets are $70 per seat and do not include tax and gratuity. They can be reserved online or by calling Krause’s Café at (830) 625-2807.

Krause’s Café & Biergarten is a New Braunfels historic restaurant that opened in 1938 and ran successfully until 1995. Recently it reopened and while keeping true to the original traditions it now has a ‘biergarten,’ live music and more. The menu reflects its German heritage and South Texas flavors while offering over 70 beers that include local, regional and international options as well as cocktails and wines on tap.

Krause’s Café & Biergarten
148 S Castell Ave
New Braunfels, TX 78130

San Antonio Beer Week’s Mid Year Gala and Food Pairing

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Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery will be participating in the San Antonio Beer Week’s Mid-Year Gala and Food Pairing.  Photo:  Southerleigh, used with permission.

On Thursday December 7, Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery and nine other local breweries, will get together at Blue Star Art Complex for the San Antonio Beer Week Community’s Mid-Year Gala and Food Pairing. Ten of San Antonio’s best breweries will be showcasing unique, one-of-a-kind beers paired with four tickets for small plates from local chefs, including Southerleigh, Weathered Souls, Blue Star and Botika. This event will take place from 7p.m. to 10p.m. and at 8:30p.m. guests will be able to meet the brewers for a Q & A session. Tickets are available online and are $35 per person. Price includes a SA Beer Week commemorative taster glass. The San Antonio Food Bank will be taking donations to support continued efforts to aid those affected by Texas Hurricane Harvey. (Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, 2017)

Southerleigh is the first brewery at Pearl since 2001 and has a 15-barrel brew house, six serving tank and a firkin/wood barrel-aging program. It is a 7,900-square foot dining facility with multiple seating options including bar seating, patio seating and a private dining room that can seat up to twenty people. The private dining in the north dining room seats up to seventy-five people with the capacity to host parties of up to two hundred people.

Brick at Blue Star Arts Complex
108 Blue Star
San Antonio, TX 78204