Nao Latin Gastro Bar is a student-staffed restaurant at The Culinary Institute of America located at the Pearl. Students do the cooking to get real life restaurant experience while under the supervision of instructors. The Culinary Institute is now offering a new summer lunch menu with Chef-Instructor Justin Ward Monday through Friday from 11a.m to 1:30p.m. It includes new dishes, popular items from the last menu and a few old favorites. The dinner menu will still be professionally staffed and led by Executive Chef Zach Garza.(Nao – Latin Gastro Bar, 2016)

The lunch menu includes small plates like the Chicken Tortilla Soup with avocado, queso fresco and lime and Grilled Octopus with Botija olives, baby arugula, purple potatoes, smoked lemon vinaigrette and roasted garlic mayo. The Jicama Tacos with green mango slaw, avocado and chamoy sauce is also on the menu. The larger plates include Sauteed Fish with sweet spicy vegetable relish, crisp plantains and avocado puree and Choripan with grilled chorizo sauce, grilled red onions, chimichurri and toasted baguette. It also includes the seasonal Salad Bowl with mixed greens, almonds, snow peas, apple, strawberries, cucumber, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, charred beets, queso fresco and orange-cumin vinaigrette.

Starting this month Nao will also have Tuesday dinner specials from 5:30p.m. to 9p.m. that will pay homage to different Latin American regions. The ‘Martes Es Fiesta’ specials will consist of one to two rustic, iconic dishes served family style to provide the true experience of Latin cuisine and service. The featured regions for the next four months include: July – The Caribbean; August – Andes Region, including Ecuador and Colombia; September – Mexico; October – El Sur, including Uruguay, Argentina and Chile and November – Central America.

Nao Latin Gastro Bar is located at 312  Pearl Parkway at the Pearl grounds.

 

 

There is now a new restaurant at Pearl headed by Chef Geronimo Lopez. Botika is a Peruvian-Asian restaurant and it officially opened on Tuesday July 5, 2016. It features “Chifa,” Chinese-Peruvian and “Nikkei,” Japanese-Peruvian cuisines as well as new takes on traditional dishes from across Asia and Latin America. The bar offers classic cocktails and a wide variety of sakes, rums, piscos and cachaças. The layout includes a sushi-ceviche bar, a cocktail lounge and an outdoor dining space. Business hours are Monday through Saturday from 5p.m. to 11p.m. Extended hours, lunch service and late night dining options will be announced in the upcoming months. (Botika, 2016)

The food menu includes picaderas like Tuna Tartare & Chifles, PorkJowl Steamed Buns and Duck Confit & Potato Salteñas. Guests can also enjoy ceviches and tiraditos, like the Al Tumbo, deep-fried ceviche with tamarillo lechede tigre. Sushi rolls include the Costa Roll with shrimp, crispy rice noodles and sweet ají sauce and the Sweet Plantain Uramaki Roll with green onion, Neufchatel cheese and spicy ‘crispies.’ Wok selections are led by the savory beef Lomo Saltado and the crispy pork belly Chaufa rice dish. The cocktail menu includes a variety of sakes, rums, piscos, and cachaças. Cocktail selections include the Batucada made with cachaça, lime, sugar and angostura, Güenazo Cooler made with sake, canton, yuzu, lime and mint, and Piscolero 101 made with pisco, chicha morada, lemon and tonic.

According to his biography, Chef Geronimo Lopez is a native of Venezuela and has more than twenty years experience as a chef in six countries. Throughout his career he has worked as a sous chef, executive chef and has had management positions in restaurants and hotels in France and Venezuela. Most recently he was the Executive chef and Instructor of Culinary Arts at The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio. He was also the opening executive chef in the college’s Nao restaurant.

Botika
303 Pearl Pkwy #111
San Antonio, TX 78215
(210) 951-9393

First Thursday at Pearl was created to give guests an evening of family fun and shopping deals. The next First Thursday is tomorrow, July 7, 2016 from 5p.m. to 7p.m. This month the Independence Day celebration continues as guests celebrate all things red, white and blue with exclusive specials and at Pearl’s boutiques and restaurants. Bike World is taking 10% off any regular priced lights or locks in stock from 5p.m. to 7p.m. and giving guests a chance to test ride a bike. Cured’s own Chef William Rivera will be doing an Apple Pie making demonstration and manager Robert Rodriguez will offer an apple cider tasting to compliment the demonstration. Roo & Me will have a 50% off sale from select items only. There will also be cookies from Tiffs Treats and champagne for guests. Live music will be courtesy of Lucas Jack. (Pearl, 2016)

Pearl Brewery
303 Pearl Parkway
San Antonio, TX 78215
(210) 212-7260