On Monday February 12, Bakery Lorraine, a local favorite and nationally recognized pastry shop famous for its colorful macarons and exquisite French pastries, opened its third location in San Antonio. Located at the RIM shopping center, Bakery Lorraine’s menu offers pastries, breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. This location also offers beer and wine service. (Bakery Lorraine, 2018)

Owned by chefs Anne Ng, Jeremy Mandrell and operator Charlie Biedenharn, Bakery Lorraine has quickly become a sensation in San Antonio. It was named one of the best new bakeries in the U.S. by Food & Wine and CNN’s Eatocracy blog, as well as one of the “13 Destination Bakeries” by Conde Nast Traveler.

Partners Jeremy Mandrell and Anne Ng met while baking at Thomas Keller’s world-famous Bouchon Bakery in Napa Valley and after perfecting their craft in California, they settled in San Antonio in 2010 and in 2011 they established Bakery Lorraine. Bakery Lorraine serves handmade French pastries and macarons using the finest ingredients. From the best flours and seasonal fruits to farm-raised eggs and dairy, Bakery Lorraine is elevating the way cookies and croissants are perceived in San Antonio. This new location features breakfast items, including the breakfast parfait, the quiche Lorraine and breakfast sandwiches and a variety of savory lunch dishes, including an assortment of salads and soups and artisan sandwiches. Business hours are 8a.m. to 9p.m. daily

Bakery Lorraine
17503 La Cantera Pkwy #108
San Antonio, TX 78253
(210) 415-4066

There is still a chance to enjoy the annual light show at Don Strange Ranch in Boerne. From now until December 31, visitors can enjoy Christmas Light Fest and its two million twinkling lights, hayrides and holiday fun. Opened nightly, this holiday extravaganza takes place on a picturesque ranchland and features tunnels of twinkling lights and holiday displays along a two-mile path and Santa’s Village, a rustic barn filled with holiday flavors and activities. Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 6p.m. to 9p.m. while Friday and Saturday nights, as well as holidays, feature an extra hour, from 6p.m. to 10p.m.

There are two ways to enjoy Christmas Light Fest: drive through the festive displays in a vehicle or ranch-style, catching a hayride to tour the lights. Tickets are $27 per vehicle to tour the ranch, or $15 per person for a hayride. To ensure availability, hayrides should be purchased in advance online. Onsite parking is free. Vehicle passes and hayride tickets are available online. Private hayrides are also available by reservation. This year, there are more displays and twinkling surprises, more family fun and a walk-through light displays. Visitors can support Christmas Light Fest’s food drive for the San Antonio Food Bank by donating non-perishable food and canned goods. For every donation, Christmas Light Fest will take $2 off a vehicle pass or $4 during the week, from Sunday through Thursday.

The best way to enjoy Christmas Light Fest is to make it onto the grounds early because the line begins to form ahead of the entrance gate. Once past the gate, visitors who want to take the hayride turn right to park and those who opt to drive through turn left. The first tunnel of lights sets the mood and gives way to a two mile stretch of magical holiday displays. These include angels, a nativity scene, a train, Santa and his reindeer and even a Hanukkah menorah and dreidel. Since this is far from the city lights and out in the open, the lights and displays shine bright. Together with Santa’s Village, this is the perfect family getaway to celebrate the holiday season.

Don Strange Ranch
103 Waring Welfare Rd
Boerne, TX 78006

There is still time to catch Chuck Ramirez: All This and Heaven Too at the McNay Art Museum. It runs until Sunday January 14. Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10a.m. to 4p.m., Thursday from 10a.m. to 9p.m., Saturday from 10a.m. to 5p.m. and Sunday from 12p.m. to 5p.m.

Chuck Ramirez was a San Antonio artist and graphic designer whose work includes prints and sculptural installations. His pieces revolve around everyday life and allude to ethnicity, gender, sexuality and religion. This month, the McNay Art Museum presents Chuck Ramirez: All This and Heaven Too to honor the life and career of the iconic San Antonio artist. His large-scale photographs of everyday objects offer a perspective on cultural consumption and waste and the reality of fleeting life and mortality. He was inspired by opposing themes like life and death and humor and despair. His art explores a personal narrative including his San Antonio upbringing, Mexican-American heritage and HIV status.

The exhibition consists of works like Santos, Trash Bag, Quarantine and Seven Days and all explore the human experience. It is co-organized by René Paul Barilleaux, the McNay’s Head of Curatorial Affairs and Hilary Schroeder, 2016-17 Semmes Foundation Intern in Museum Studies. The presentation includes photographs from approximately 20 of Ramirez’ series, Bean & Cheese, a recreation of one of the artist’s early exhibitions at Artpace San Antonio, examples of video and installation work, nine decorated Christmas trees the artist made for friend and patron Linda Pace and other unique artworks. The interactive portion of the exhibit include Christmas Tree trimming and sharing about first jobs, dream jobs and personal survival stories. Visitors can decorate a tree with Chuck Ramirez-inspired objects and identify their first job, current job and dream job as a way of drawing a line between artist and visitor.

Ways to take advantage of free admission:
Admission for teens aged 19 and under is free.
Admission for students, faculty and staff of Alamo Colleges, Trinity University and the University of the Incarnate Word is free with a school ID or business card.
This Thursday December 28 is the H-E-B Free General Admission day and guests can enjoy free admission from 4p.m. to 9p.m. Special exhibition access is $10 on Thursday nights.
Next weekend – Saturday January 6 and Sunday January 7, is the first full weekend of the month and as part of the Bank of America’s Museums on Us, guests who present their Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card and picture ID get one free general admission.
First Sundays of the month are free from 12p.m. to 5p.m.

McNay Art Museum
6000 N New Braunfels Ave
San Antonio, TX 78209
(210) 824-5368

Exciting things are happening at The Playhouse San Antonio and next month they are having the 2018-2019 Announcement Party. This event will take place at the Russell Hill Rogers Theater on Sunday January 7 and the evening will consist of a VIP social at 6p.m. and the announcement party at 7:30p.m.

Prices are $25 for the party or $50 to attend both the VIP social and the announcement party. The VIP Social will feature an open bar, catering, music and new exclusive VIP swag and afterwards at the announcement party, guests will get the inside scoop on the upcoming season, a free gift, a complimentary beverage and an exclusive opportunity to purchase a season subscription at a special discount. Tickets are available online, by calling the box office at (210) 733-7258 or in person. Box office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 1p.m. to 5p.m. (The Playhouse San Antonio, 2017)

The Playhouse San Antonio
800 W Ashby Pl
San Antonio, TX 78212
(210) 733-7258

Now playing at The Classic Theatre is ‘A Doll’s House’ by Henrik Ibsen.  It is a three-act play written in 1879 and is noted for the way it deals with the fate of a married woman and reflects the lack of opportunities women had for self-fulfillment in a male-dominated world. Directed by Kelly Roush, it stars Kacey Roye, Nick Lawson, Christina Casella, Zach Lewis and John Boyd.  The Classic Theatre’s production is set in 1950s America and has a Mad Men flair. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8p.m. and Sunday at 3p.m. and it runs until Sunday November 26, 2017. Tickets range from $17 to $32 and are available online or by calling the box office at (210) 589-8450.

The story in ‘A Doll’s House’ takes place in the span of three acts at the Helmer’s home on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas. It opens as Nora Helmer, the wife, comes home after a day of Christmas shopping. Her husband Torvald teases her about how much money she spent but she feels that since he is due for a big promotion at work, they can afford to splurge. When Kristine, an old friend of Nora’s shows up to ask for a favor, Nora confides in her that things have not been easy on them because Torvald had recently been sick and they had to travel to Italy for treatment. That treatment did not come cheap, so she secretly took out a loan and has had to scrounge money to repay it. This decision comes back to haunt her when Nils, the man who lent her the money, shows up to blackmail her since she forged her father’s name to secure the loan.

Even though Henrik Ibsen wrote this play in the late 1800s, the themes of gender roles and stereotypes make it a timeless classic. The 1950s is the perfect setting for a story about a woman’s journey from a compliant wife to a confident woman. Nick Lawson’s spot-on portrayal of the hardened Torvald occasionally hits a nerve while Kacey Roye, as Nora, expertly handles her character’s tumultuous relationship with Torvald. The combination of setting and costumes transport the audience to a long-ago era where gender roles were beginning to change. It is sure to have audiences talking long after the show ends.

The Classic Theatre of San Antonio
1924 Fredericksburg Rd
San Antonio, TX 78201
(210) 589-8450

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and for anyone looking for meal ideas, area restaurants are offering Thanksgiving themed specials. Some of these include Hotel Emma, Bakery Lorraine, Hotel Contessa, Esquire Tavern, Boiler House and Krause’s Café.

At Hotel Emma, Supper will be offering Special Roasted Turkey Breast dish special which includes stuffing, potatoes, beans sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy and pie for $35. It will be available for lunch from 11a.m. to 3p.m. and dinner from 5p.m. to 8p.m. and at Sternewith from 12p.m. to 12a.m. At Larder, from 6a.m. to 6p.m., guests can enjoy a special Turkey Sandwich, soup and salad for $9. Supper will be taking orders for Whole Roasted Turkey for $75 to be picked up and paid on site.

Bakery Lorraine will offer customers a chance to place pick up orders of specialty pies and seasonal macaroons from Wednesday, November 1st to Sunday, November 19th during normal operating hours. Pick-ups will be available the day before Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 22nd. After deadline, Bakery Lorraine pies will be available only on first come first serve basis. Pie flavors consist of house roasted pumpkin pie, pecan pie, Dutch apple pie, and apple cranberry pie. Macaroon flavor packs are $12 for a pack of six or $20 for a dozen and includes pumpkin spice, cranberry and caramel apple.

Hotel Contessa will be hosting a Thanksgiving brunch for all on Thursday, November 23rd from 11a.m. to 2:30p.m. Reservations are required and price is $55 per person, $20 for children ages 6-13 and free for children 5 and under.

Esquire Tavern will be closed on Thanksgiving Day but will be offering a special new item on their winter menu beginning November 14th. Guests can enjoy a Thanksgiving Sandwich, smoked turkey breast, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, aioli, provolone and marbled rye for only $17.

Boiler House will be closed on Thanksgiving day but will have Thanksgiving themed specials the week of Thanksgiving including a Turkey Scallopini with butternut squash gnocchi and sage brown butter for $25 and chocolate pecan pie with Brindles pumpkin ice cream for $8.

Krause’s Cafe will offer customers a chance to place and pick up orders of two style feasts: Krause’s Turkey Tom Dinner for $95 and Krause’s Turkey Hen Dinner for $65. Both include cornbread dressing, house made green beans, turkey gravy, fresh dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. All preordered meals can be picked up the day before Thanksgiving by 3pm. Placing orders will be available from Wednesday, November 1st to Monday, November 20th during Krause’s Cafe normal operating hours and by phone at (830) 625-2807.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday celebrated in Mexico mostly in the Central and Southern regions. During this multi-day holiday, family and friends gather to pray for and remember those who have died and to support their spiritual journey. It includes private altars that feature calaveras, Aztec marigolds and the favorite food and drinks of the deceased and visits to graves with these gifts. Children and infants on remembered on November 1 and adults on November 2.

This year the Pearl will be hold the first annual Día de los Muertos event on Wednesday November 1 and Thursday November 2. This two-day celebration will consist of a community altar, a community procession, altars created by local artists, traditional contemporary music, theatre performances, children’s crafts and programming and collaborations with traditional food vendors. Pearl will transform the grounds to reflect traditions of the Mexican holiday, which pays homage to deceased family and friends. Decorations will include customary flowers, installations and papel picado unique to Día de los Muertos as well as ofrendas, live mariachi music, a formal procession and sugar skull making. Guests are encouraged to bring a photo or memento and participate in the community altars on both days. (Pearl, 2017)

Planned events:
Wednesday, November 1 from 4p.m. to 7p.m.
There will be children’s workshops and performances where kids can enjoy calavera face painting by Hippy’s FX, crafts by Southwest School of Art and Magik Theatre and milkshakes from Honeysuckle Tea Time. On stage, literary artist Carmen Tafolla will read and serve as emcee followed by readings from Erica Prosper Nirenberg and Jonah Nirenberg. Mexican musical performers include Los Inocentes and Conjunto Taller. Bertha Sandoval, ‘La Catrina de Mexico,’ will speak about the rich Mexican tradition at Hotel Emma library.

Thursday, November 2 from 5p.m. to 9p.m.
Altar artists will be on site to discuss their work from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Kristin Forrester will kick off the performance program with a reading and will serve as emcee. At 6 p.m., the community is invited to join in on a formal procession around the Pearl campus. Live music will be by the all-female mariachi group Las Coronelas followed by San Antonio native and Latin roots rocker, Patricia Vonne. Complimentary paletas will be available courtesy of La Paleteria and Panifico, a favorite local Mexican bakery, will be selling pan de muerto.

Pearl
312 Pearl Pkwy
San Antonio, TX 78215
(210) 212-726