San Antonio Magazine November 2021

SAN ANTONIO MAGAZINE

A Guide to the City’s

Mexican Food

NOVE M B E R 202 1 M EXICAN FOOD / DIA D E LOS M U ERTOS

How the Alamo City developed its own South Tex-Mex flavor

8 tacos you must try and 5 drinks other than a margarita to sip

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November FEATURES

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ME X I CAN FOOD FLAVOR

Learn about the history behind the city’s Mexican food scene and get to know the restaurant leading the way right now. Plus, your foodie bucket list isn’t complete until you’ve tried these five drinks and eight tacos, from the iconic puffy to the crispy cheese costra first made popular in Mexico City.

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R ECOR DA ND O

Meet three artists who are working to preserve their heritage while using creativity to honor loved ones during Día de los Muertos.

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BE X AR COU NTY’S TOP AT TO R N EYS

These 440 lawyers are leading in their fields, from real estate, family and immigration law to medical malpractice defense and civil litigation.

PHOTO BY JOMANDO CRUZ

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Mi Tierra in Market Square

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November

IN THE LOOP

EAT + DRINK

1 1 CU LTU RE From conchas to raspas, local artists put a spotlight on some of the treats and eats that define the Alamo City in an exhibition at the McNay Art Museum.

59 DI S H Whether for sourdough bagels, wood-fired pizzas or housemade lagers, fermentation is the key to everything at Wild Barley Kitchen. Co.’s new brick-and-mortar outpost.

1 2 U RBAN EXPLAINER Calls to “defund the police” may have been loud, but San Antonio leaders say they don’t represent the majority.

Find out why the city is increasing its law enforcement budget while restructuring the way it responds to mental health calls.

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14 M ILITA RY CIT Y The veteran who founded At, Ease! Productions uses music as an outlet for expression and healing.

16 IN FLUEN CER The couple behind Uprooted Gardens want locals to feel confident in cultivating their own backyard vegetables.

6 0 FO O D N EWS Opting for plant-based dishes no longer means having to eat just tofu or raw veggies thanks to San Antonio’s growing vegan food scene.

6 2 T H E GU I DE Order in this Thanksgiving, sample your favorite sides in preparation for the holiday or make reservations to celebrate out on the town at one of these eight restaurants.

FINAL THOUGHT 7 2 CO LU M N In the Alamo City, artist and mother Daniela Oliver de Portillo says she’s found the perfect place to maintain and share her native Mexican culture while also embracing America.

ON THE COVER Photographer JoMando Cruz captured some of the classic Mexican dishes on Los Barrios’ menu with styling from Klare Perez.

WRAP: MARTY MORRIS; CONCHA PAINTING: COURTESY EVA MARENGO SANCHEZ/MCNAY ART MUSEUM

D EPART M E N TS

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UP FRONT / EDITOR' S NOTEBOOK

ONLINE THIS MONTH

rowing up, Friday nights often found my family gathered around a long table at Señor Manuel’s.

My mom and I usually split a tostada stuffed with shredded chicken, my stepdad always had the chile relleno and my grandpap often opted for the kids’ menu mac ‘n’ cheese—obviously there for the company rather than the food (the house margarita probably didn’t hurt, either).

A native Coloradan, I’ll be honest and admit that I never thought about the authenticity of the tortillas (I’ve since learned they were house made in the restaurant’s basement tortilla factory) or about whether the Señor Manuel depicted on the sign out front was behind the menu. (He was. Manuel and Lucy Hernandez opened the eatery in 1970, and it’s still run by their family.) For me, the experience was as much about celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and the arrival of another weekend as it was about the entrees.

In this month’s issue, San Antonio Magazine food writer Edmund Tijerina delves into the history behind San Antonio’s Mexican cuisine and details some of the best tacos and cocktails in town, while offering a seasoned appreciation for the full range of Mexican food that help define the city’s culinary identity, past and present.

A longtime writer and one-time Mexican food restaurateur, Tijerina shares how his own life has been shaped by the cuisine. He grew up with freshly made guacamole, flour tortillas and frijoles at home and went through a period in which he turned his nose up at Tex-Mex in favor of authentic recipes based on the traditions and flavors of Mexico’s interior, Southwestern and other regions.

Like many people, Tijerina’s eventual appreciation for Tex-Mex alongside those dishes that are inspired by truly Mexican recipes came, in part, because of his experience while enjoying it. Because while the quality and authenticity of a dish is important, it’s often most impactful when it’s eaten alongside special people.

Nowadays, San Antonio is home to my Mexican food favorites—from chicken fajitas and puffy tacos at Los Barrios to breakfast tacos at Ruthie's Mexican Restaurant—but I also still request a trip to Manuel’s when I’m in Colorado with my family.

My hometown has grown up around the restaurant, with Starbucks, Costco and Kohl’s building large outposts just down the street and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs expanding up the hill. Fifty-one years after it opened, though, Señor Manuel Mexican Cuisine sits largely unchanged, its unassuming flat-roofed building still topped with a red neon sign that leaves plenty of room behind it for views of Pikes Peak. It’s not fancy and I’m not sure if it’s authentic, Tex-Mex or something in between. But just like Tijerina’s tortillas next to frijoles in the Crockpot, to me, it tastes like a piece of home.

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Ahead of Veterans Day, I chatted with retired Lt. Gen. Leroy Sisco, founder of San Antonio–based Military Warriors Support Foundation. Since 2007, the nonprofit has given away over 900 homes to wounded veterans and Gold Star families. Sisco says that while watching families receive such a life-changing gift never gets old, there’s something much simpler that many veterans appreciate most: hearing “thank you.”

Read the full interview at sanantoniomag.com/ militarywarriorssupport.

E M B R AC I N G FA L L State parks often come to mind when we’re thinking of places to camp on a spring weekend or float the river during the height of summer. Fall, however, can be just as fun. Freelance writer Claire Winesett makes the case for adding three state parks to your November calendar at sanantoniomag.com/ exploringtheseason.

COMING UP NEXT MONTH Secret San Antonio Behind-the-scenes experiences, hidden menus and off-thebeaten path places to explore.

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PETTY: JOSH HUSKIN; ILLUSTRATION: VICENTE MARTI

Kathleen Petty Editor in Chief kpetty@sanantoniomag.com @kpettysamag

THANK A VETERAN

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NOVEMBER 2021 / VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 2 WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MEXICAN OR TEX-MEX DISH IN SAN ANTONIO?

EDITOR IAL EDITOR IN CHIEF

Kathleen Petty

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Emily Ditomasso, Daniela Oliver de Portillo, Bonny Osterhage, Katherine Stinson, Edmund Tijerina

OPEN S KY MEDI A CEO

Todd P. Paul PRESIDENT

Stewart Ramser VP OF SALES

Julie A. Kunkle EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

COPY EDITOR

Patsy Pelton “Mexican brisket and cheese torta from Naco Mexican Eatery.

Rebecca Fontenot Cord DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

FACT CHECKER

Katherine Stinson

Hollis Boice AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

INTERN

Tiffany Ha

Kerri Nolan ACCOUNTING

A RT ART DIRECTOR

David G. Loyola

ACCOUNTS MANAGER

Sabina Jukovic

“I love the shrimp tacos at La Fonda on Main.”

MANAGER

DIGITAL CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

JoMando Cruz, Anthony Francis, Josh Huskin, Marty Morris

DIGITAL

Abigail Stewart DIGITAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Rosie Ninesling

STYLIST

Klare Perez “Cheese enchiladas at El Jarro!”

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EV ENTS

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© Copyright: San Antonio Magazine is published by Open Sky Media, Inc. The entire document of San Antonio Magazine is © 2021 by Open Sky Media, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the publisher.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of ownership or management. Editorial or advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative.

San Antonio Magazine is locally operated.

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In the Loop I NSI D E / HOW SA PD IS CH AN GIN G p. 12 / VETERAN SOUN D p. 14 / BAC KYARD BOUN TY p. 16

Creative Palate he pink sprinkles painted in Eva Marengo Sanchez’s latest oil on canvas series created for the McNay Art Museum’s The Art of SA Eats/Sabor a San Antonio are so realistic that it’s tough not to leave the exhibition plotting out your next panaderia stop. Thankfully, on the side of Sanchez’s six concha paintings, she writes the name of the bakery where the treat can be found (hint: the pink sprinkled pan dulce comes from Mario’s). Her work, including two fruit cup portraits on loan from chef Johnny Hernandez, is part of a collection of food-inspired pieces by five San Antonio artists on display through Jan. 23.

“For those of us who grew up here, this is the chance to celebrate these little things that bring us joy,” says co-organizer Edward Hayes, exhibitions senior manager and registrar for the McNay. “As someone who left San Antonio and came back, food was the first thing I connected with.” Co-organizer Isabel “Al” Servantez, the 2020-21 Semmes Foundation intern in museum studies, says the exhibit serves as a local complement to the Wayne Thiebaud exhibition, on view Oct. 28 through Jan. 16, which features paintings, prints and drawings, some of which focus on food. He and Hayes scoured the local art scene to find just the right works for this exhibition, which they describe as a small sampling of local culinary and visual arts. Along with Sanchez, visitors will see Ana Fernandez’s first video installation plus miniatures of iconic San Antonio places (including the Malt House)

by Steven Cromwell, paintings of restaurant signs (look for the Bun-N-Barrel piece) by Ben Ortiz and four works by the late Chuck Ramirez, including one of a paleta. “We’re glad that it represents so many parts of San Antonio,” Servantez says.—KATHLEEN PETTY

"SIX YELLOW CONCHAS," OIL ON PANEL, EVA MARENGO SANCHEZ, PHOTO COURTESY THE ARTIST

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THE ART OF SA E ATS/ SABOR A SAN ANTONIO

Open through Jan. 23 Pat and Tom Frost Octagon in the McNay Art Museum

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IN THE LOOP / URBAN EXPLAINER

A New Approach to Policing?

San Antonio’s 2022 budget funds 15 new officers plus a pilot mental health program

BY KATHLEEN PETTY

alls to defund the police following the 2020 murder of George Floyd may have been loud, but María Villagómez, deputy city manager who oversees the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), says they didn’t represent the opinions of the majority of residents.

Through a robust series of community meetings and a scientific survey, Villagómez says they found that most San Antonians actually wanted greater visibility of police in their neighborhood. That doesn’t mean, though, that change wasn't needed. Instead of decreasing funding for SAPD, the city allocated $5.6 million to hire 15 new officers and to launch a series of new initiatives, including a pilot program that will pair officers with clinicians when responding to mental health calls. Here’s a look at what to expect.

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More Officers Villagómez and SAPD Chief William McManus say the overwhelming comment they heard from locals during virtual meetings and surveys was that they don’t see enough law enforcement in their neighborhood. To that end, 12 officers are being added to the SAFFE (San Antonio Fear Free Environment) unit, which is tasked with identifying and helping to fix crime issues in specific areas of town. Just over 100 SAFFE officers already are on the force. Three downtown bike patrol officers also will join the department as part of the 2022 budget plans.

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A Shift in Mental Health Response To address the changes that local residents said they wanted to see when it comes to mental health calls, SAPD is creating a multidisciplinary pilot program in which a team that includes a paramedic, a health clinician and a police officer will respond when an issue arises involving mental health. This pilot team, launched in partnership with the Meadows Policy Institute, will be based at the Central Substation so it can easily respond to the zip codes where mental health issues arise most often. While SAPD already had a mental health unit (and trains all of its officers in crisis intervention), this program aims to take it a step farther by using a team to slow down the response to mental health calls and, hopefully, decrease the likelihood that someone is injured during the call, McManus says. Villagómez adds that the clinician also will specialize in connecting individuals with the help they need rather than having them arrested and put into the criminal justice system. Resources for homelessness, domestic violence and other issues also will be made available with the hope that individuals and families can find longterm solutions instead of only receiving a response to their immediate need or threat. “It gives us greater ability to be proactive,” McManus says.

Setting Priorities To provide police officers with more time to respond to pressing matters, calls related to animals, fireworks and loud music or noise are being diverted to other departments. Animal Care Services already responds to many pet-related calls, but they will now take all animal calls so that SAPD isn’t dealing with strays, dog bites or other related matters. Complaints about fireworks will go to an arson unit at the San Antonio Fire Department and calls about neighbors with loud music or too much noise will now be handled by code enforcement. “It allows police to focus on higher priority calls,” Villagómez says.

Lights On The survey also revealed that some residents, particularly those living on the South Side, do not feel safe at night. As simple as it sounds, Villagómez says what respondents wanted to see most was more streetlights.

The budget allocates $5.8 million to address that desire. Funding also was included that will add and improve sidewalks and streets— another issue residents identified.

ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID G. LOYOLA

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I N T H E L O O P / M I L I TA RY C I T Y

The Sound of Service Veteran-owned At, Ease! Productions works to help military personnel find solace through the music industry

BY KATHLEEN PETTY

oey Berrios remembers well those first weeks on his own in San Antonio after he was medically retired following 16 years in the Air Force.

“The transition was insanely hard,” says Berrios, now owner of At, Ease! Productions and the director of operations for San Antonio Sound Garden. “It was tough because even though I was an upper mid-level manager in the Air Force, when I left there was no one around to tell me what to do. You have no deadlines or having to be up at a certain hour. It was liberating, but also I had to learn how to set my own schedule again.”

The Pearsall native retired in the Alamo City so he could attend the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he earned a bachelor’s degree with a minor in music and recently graduated with his master’s in business. In his newfound free time, he started to write and record music.

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He’d grown up playing the piano and trumpet and, while in the military, kept up his passion for music when he had time, but he never considered that it could be more than just a hobby. As he started thinking about what he wanted to do in his second career, Berrios realized there was no reason he couldn’t put his music at the forefront.

“If money wasn’t an issue, music was always what I wanted to do,” he says. “It was a coping mechanism. I used it to deal with a lot of things.”

He wanted his work to be about more than just himself, though. Having played in bands made up of mostly civilians, Berrios knew what it was like to be the one missing gigs or practices because of deployments or training. If he could help other veterans find some healing by making music a priority in their post-military life, he wanted to do it. “I know what it’s like to sort of have to give up those projects in lieu of your duty,” Berrios says. “Having that perspective is really important to understand how much these artists have given up their craft.”

He founded At, Ease! Productions just more than a year ago to produce music, photos and videos by veterans and veteran-friendly artists.

Scotti Fraser, a Marine Corps veteran who is among the company’s artists, is an example of what Berrios aims to do. Fraser had been a part of bands but never had the time to focus on himself. With Berrios and At, Ease!, he released his first solo album over the summer.

“He has the passion that we’re looking for,” Berrios says. “His lyrical content is very cathartic and therapeutic for him, and he uses it to reach other veterans.”

Berrios also has been producing his own music and has an album made under his musical persona, Skye Kyd, due out in January.

In the long run, Berrios hopes to turn At, Ease! Productions into a nonprofit so he can assist veterans with a passion for music at no cost. “It really comes from a heart of service,” he says. “We are in the business of veterans making music and maybe helping them find another career path or even just a cathartic release.”

PHOTO BY ANTHONY FRANCIS

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IN THE LOOP / INFLUENCERS

Home Grown Goodness Nick and Liz Campanella help locals cultivate their own backyard gardens

BY BONNY OSTERHAGE

ith a little help and good soil, anyone can grow their own food. That’s the motto of Uprooted Gardens owners Nick and Liz Campanella, a husband-and-wife team who took a passion for planting and grew it into a niche business.

The couple met while earning psychology degrees at UTSA and honed their green thumbs through a Bexar County Master Gardeners course before launching their own side venture five years ago. The company grew faster than weeds in a flower bed, and after just three months, the Campanellas quit their day jobs to focus on their new endeavor.

“There has been a huge home garden movement because people want to know where their food comes from in today’s world,” says Liz. “We are an edible landscape company and that distinction helped propel us faster than we could have imagined.”

Born and raised in San Antonio, Liz’s interest in gardening dates to childhood summers spent in Iowa on her grandparents’ corn farm, where her grandmother maintained a 2-acre vegetable garden. At home, Liz tended plants and small gardens while also participating in FFA at O’Connor High School. Her husband, Nick, hails from Montana but has established his roots in Texas, soaking up all the knowledge he can about the land, soil and climate. Together, they specialize in raised bed construction, seasonal planting, and weekly maintenance of vegetable gardens, a set of skills that sustained them during the pandemic.

“People were stuck at home and wanted to make their yard useful and learn something new,” says Liz, adding that many parents used the opportunity to teach their children about gardening. “We would do gardening activities as part of homeschooling programs for many of our weekly maintenance clients. It became more of a ‘garden coaching’ session.”

That coaching element is an integral part of the business for people who want to do the planting themselves but have questions about what to grow or when to plant fall veggies.

“Honestly, almost anything will grow well in San Antonio,” Liz says. “Our growing zone is more about timing than what you plant because you are running a race between extreme heat and the occasional freeze.”

The biggest mistake she sees when it comes to gardening is trying to grow plants in the ground when there is not enough soil depth, rather than investing in a raised bed and good potting soil.

Eventually, the couple hopes to open a hybrid “lumber yard and nursery” so customers can find everything they need to build and plant their own garden.

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Lafayette CVB Lafayette is a destination that’s worth a visit any time of year.

Plan your stay around the holidays to experience Cajun & Creole Christmas and warm up with a bowl of gumbo or other Cajun comfort foods. Check out our Wintertime Guide to start planning your winter getaway.

LafayetteTravel.com/Winter

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a n food guide

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san antonio How the city’s cuisine evolved from the Chili Queens and Mexican American home cooking to a scene that proudly includes regional Mexican dishes, Tex-Mex favorites, puffy tacos and more breakfast tacos than you could try in a year

BY EDMUND TIJERINA PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JOMANDO CRUZ

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Mi Tierra opened in 1941 with three tables meant to serve Mexican food to farmers up early. The restaurant has since grown into a 500-seat landmark in Market Square that serves Mexican, Tex-Mex and fresh-made pan dulce.

25,000

YEARS OF FLAVORS

A history of San Antonio’s Mexican food in under 1,000 words

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he eternal quest for the best Mexican food in San Antonio is futile and here’s why: There is no single “best Mexican” restaurant because there’s really no such thing as just “Mexican food” in San Antonio.

Instead, think of Mexican food in San Antonio as three different categories: Mexican food for non-Mexicans, Mexican American home cooking and regional Mexican cooking.

They overlap in homes and restaurants all over the city, and until people started paying attention to these distinctions, all three were usually just called “Mexican.” Let’s untangle them.

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F L AV O R S O F H O M E Mexican American home cooking, or comida casera, is simple, soul-satisfying and delicious.

Think of dishes like fideo, calabacita (sautéed squash with corn), picadillo and migas. They trace their roots to the indigenous cooking that goes back an estimated 25,000 years and lives on in techniques such as the pit cooking tradition of barbacoa and cabrito. In his book Truly Texas Mexican, author and chef Adán Medrano traces this history and notes how people combined their ingredients with those of newer arrivals to create the home cooking of this area.

One of the dishes that arose was carne con chile, made by adding white flour as a thickener to chile ancho plus dried spices and meat, writes Medrano. That dish became famous in the mid1800s in the open-air plazas where the famed Chili Queens served these bowls, along with enchiladas, tamales and frijoles. By the 1880s, the construction of a new City Hall coupled with a growing population and shifts in culture forced the Chili Queens across San Pedro Creek and eventually to the West Side before the chili vendors went out of business for good in 1943.

Meanwhile, the comida casera of the Tejanos and immigrants who fled the Mexican Revolution continued quietly, largely on the West and South Sides. In many ways, it still does.

“MADE BY WHITE PEOPLE” In 1900, a Chicago businessman named Otis Farnsworth opened The Original Mexican Restaurant near Alamo Plaza. He had visited bustling eateries serving comida casera on the West Side and saw an opportunity to sell similar food to a non-Mexican clientele. With jackets required for men, it was run “by Anglos for Anglos,” Medrano writes, and served enchiladas, chile rellenos, tamales, chili, rice and beans, plus chile con queso, all on individual fine china plates.

To give an idea of the times in which the restaurant thrived, the nearby Palace of Sweets in Alamo Plaza advertised around 1920 its “famous Mexican pecan candies made by white people only.”

Perhaps the most well-known versions of “Mexican” foods around the country during the early 20th century were the canned tamales and sauces from San Antonio–based Gebhardt, which were advertised as having “that real Mexican tang.”

There were also cookbooks with torta de carne enchilada recipes, which was a chili meatloaf featuring Gebhardt chili powder.

The restaurants that catered to Anglos simplified the time-consuming home recipes to use only a few chiles while focusing on frying and often incorporated lots of a then-new invention: processed melting yellow cheese.

After The Original Mexican Restaurant, other eateries—owned by both Anglos and Mexican Americans—followed and helped to popularize many of the foods that later became known as Tex-Mex. The cultural mix got interesting during the mid-20th century, as the children of immigrants who arrived during the Mexican Revolution came to enjoy many of these restaurant dishes and began creating their own versions of them at home. Now, in many San Antonio homes, a bubbling slow cooker of queso dip will often accompany a buffet spread that includes simply seasoned grilled meat—the industrial and ancient sitting side by side.

San Antonio’s Mexican Dining Milestones 1860s: The outdoor food stands, Chili Queens and the The Menger Hotel served as a destination for dining by travelers who came by stagecoach and later railroad.

1899: Otis Farn-

M E X- M E X

sworth’s The Original

In 1972, Diana Kennedy—a white, British-born woman who moved to Mexico in the 1950s— released The Cuisines of Mexico, in which she trashed the “mixed plates” in “so-called Mexican restaurants.” Although she never used the term “Tex-Mex,” other writers did, as a way of insulting what they saw as inferior, watered-down dishes.

Kennedy’s success and that of Rick Bayless (who is also white and grew up in Oklahoma City) more than a decade later, brought a wider awareness to the English speaking world that food in Mexico was different from the dishes available at most “Mexican” restaurants in this country.

In San Antonio, the combination of more Americans doing business in Mexico, more migration of business owners from Mexico, the growing awareness of regional Mexican dishes among dining aficionados and the ethnic awakening of third- and fourth-generation Mexican Americans, created a hunger for Sinaloa-style seafood dishes. Think moles from Oaxaca, cochinita pibil from the Yucatán Peninsula and others.

The success over the last decade of chef and restaurateur Johnny Hernandez, of La Gloria and The Frutería, showed that San Antonians (and visitors from elsewhere) would devour regional and regionally inspired dishes just as readily as they do Tex-Mex fare.

Mexican Restaurant showed how Americanized Mexican food could attract a non-Mexican clientele and offered the first popular example of what we now call TexMex cuisine.

1941: Mi Tierra, opened, taking the Tex-Mex dishes, adding Mexican and Mexican American culture, and growing into a dining empire.

2010: La Gloria opened at Pearl, showcasing Mexican street foods from a Culinary Institute of America–trained Mexican American chef, Johnny Hernandez.

2013: Mixtli debuted in a train car in Olmos

¡BUEN PROVECHO!

Park. Its chefs have

Still confused and hungry? Think of San Antonio Mexican food like this: Some of our dishes have been around for thousands of years, some came from different parts of Mexico, some were developed when San Antonio was a part of Mexico, and some came from the push and pull of cultures as San Antonio grew into the city it is today.

Don’t ask what’s most “authentic.” Instead, look for what’s delicious.

since been recognized by the James Beard Foundation and Food & Wine Magazine.

Read more about how it is adding an element of fine dining to Mexican food on page 27.

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TACOS

YOU MUST TRY

With a taquería seemingly on every corner, it can be easy to fall into a taco rut. Instead, try eating your way through these major styles

Breakfast

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVID G. LOYOLA

Think of these as San Antonio on a plate, abounding with Mexican and American influences. The thick and fluffy flour tortillas are pure South Texas, while the fillings range from all-American bacon and eggs to the very Mexican chorizo. These tacos are not Mexican; they’re Mexican American, and they embody the mix of cultures that make up the Alamo City. If New York is known for its iconic diners and Chicago its corner bars, San Antonio is the place of neighborhood taquerías.

GE T THE M AT Mendez Café El Milagrito Café The Original Donut Shop

Puffy These are as authentically San Antonio as it gets. Los Barrios’ Diana Barrios Treviño served them at the White House, and they are the namesake of one of the best mascots in all of professional sports (the San Antonio Missions’ Henry the Puffy Taco, of course). When made right, they’re flaky, delicate and unforgettable. A disc of raw masa goes into a deep fryer, puffs up and then an attentive cook places a spatula or big metal spoon in the middle to create the famous U-shape. Eat them as soon as the plate arrives to your table. Once the fillings go in, the delicate balance is evanescent and quickly collapses into a mess if they sit for more than a few minutes.

G ET TH EM AT Ray’s Drive Inn Los Barrios Henry’s Puffy Tacos

Al Pastor Chunks of shaved pork with bits of pineapple, raw onion and cilantro illustrate a part of Mexico’s history.

The vertical spit, or trompo, came to the Mexican state of Puebla from Lebanese and Iraqi immigrants, who brought their own grilling traditions.

Their lamb quickly became pork and shawarma became tacos árabes or Arab tacos. The pineapple and other accompaniments arrived later.

GE T THE M AT Guajillo’s Tlahco Mexican Kitchen Taquitos West Ave. Cascabel Mexican Patio El Pastor es Mi Señor

Brisket If plopping a hunk of brisket on white bread tastes delicious, then you know that nestling it in a flour tortilla will taste even better. Whether the brisket is sliced or chopped, this taco is a star in the new wave of Tex-Mex barbecue, but plenty of San Antonio families have been enjoying it at backyard cookouts for decades.

You can dress it up with guacamole, pico de gallo and salsa, or keep it super simple with just meat and a thick tortilla. Either way works brilliantly.

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GE T THE M AT 2M Smokehouse Garcia’s Mexican Food South BBQ & Kitchen

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Pork Chop A seared bone-in thin pork chop in a fluffy flour tortilla is sheer, simple perfection. Author and Texas Monthly taco editor José Ralat called this one-third of the holy trinity of San Antonio tacos (along with puffy and breakfast). Top the pork chop with some pico de gallo or a spicy chile piquín salsa. Now, do you eat around the bone or cut the meat before diving into the taco?

Decisions, decisions.

G ET TH EM AT Garcia’s Mexican Food Angel’s Mexican Haven The Haven Southtown

(formerly Taco Haven)

Fish Grilled fish make for good tacos, but the best fish tacos are lightly battered and fried, Baja style. These crunchy nuggets have a topping of cabbage slaw and a squirt of crema inside a soft corn tortilla. The juxtaposition of textures and temperatures makes them unforgettable. Legend has it that the tacos originated with Japanese fishermen who came to the Mexican coast in the years before World War II and introduced the locals to the joys of tempura. The story may be a fishing tale, but there’s no dispute over the value of the tacos.

G ET TH EM AT Fish Lonja Costa Pacifica El Siete Mares La Gloria

Carnitas When carnitas miss the mark they’re either too fatty, too dry or both. Made right, the chunks of pork have plenty of juice with crisp edges. The best come from the central Mexican state of Michoacán, but good carnitas have spread throughout Mexico and beyond.

G ET THE M AT Carnitas Lonja Taqueria Datapoint Adelita Tamales & Tortilla Factory (order by the pound)

Costra Two words: Crispy cheese. This genius creation highlights flattop-crisped cheese that sits inside the tortilla and surrounds the filling. It’s gilding the lily and then some, and you’ll wonder how you could have ever lived without it. Some versions even use the cheese as the tortilla. This taco has its origins in Mexico City nightlife from the early 2000s, and only a few places in town offer them even as a special. So, whenever you see it on a menu, snag it.

G ET THE M AT Chela’s Tacos

Taco Bucket List: Great, or at least good, tacos are available all over Texas and throughout the country.

For a thorough and fun look at different styles to try, snag a copy of José Ralat’s book American Tacos.

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BEYOND

THE MARGARITA

Sip on these more authentic Mexican drinks— because you’re not likely to find a margarita in Mexico unless you’re at a beach resort or a spot catering to tourists PHOTOS BY MARTY MORRIS

Café de olla AS MUCH AS THIS CITY LOVES MEXICAN CHOCOLATE, THE RUSTIC YET

complex flavors of café de olla would seem to be a natural fit.

But this cinnamon-infused coffee sweetened with piloncillo is only a star on a few coffee menus in town.

The name translates to “coffee from the pot” and comes from the traditional way of making it in a clay pot. The clay imparts a slightly earthy flavor, but excellent renditions can come from a saucepan or even a French press.

Its ingredients sing the glories of Mexico—the unrefined whole cane sugar (piloncillo), Mexican cinnamon and coffee from Chiapas, Oaxaca or Veracruz. Some versions add cloves or orange peel. The coffee doesn’t have to come from Mexico, but only piloncillo and the Mexican cinnamon will impart the right flavor.

Sip on a mug of café de olla in the morning to complement a plate of huevos rancheros (or any Mexican breakfast) or enjoy it after dinner as part of your dessert.

WHERE TO GET IT: Savor a mug at Tlahco Mexican Kitchen,

Carajillo

Olla Express Café and Cascabel Mexican Patio.

THE CARAJILLO ENDS A DINNER WITH A KICK BY COMBINING

espresso or strong coffee with Licor 43.

In its native Spain, a Carajillo evokes images of a spiked morning coffee. But ever-trendy Mexico City gave it a makeover, transforming it into a nighttime treat and serving it over ice. The combination of Licor 43 (Cuarenta y Tres), a little vanilla, a touch of cinnamon, orange and anise all added to coffee and served over ice delivers a creamy, custardy taste perfect for dessert.

Where did the name come from? Some stories trace it to Cuba, where either Spanish soldiers or Cuban workers added rum to their coffee to give them courage, or coraje.

But then the name also sounds very similar to carajo, a Spanish expletive that translates roughly to “f**k it!”

Whichever version is true, the drink deserves a try.

WHERE TO GET IT: Cuishe Cocina Mexicana serves a tra-

ditional version, while The Frutería makes one with coldbrewed coffee in place of the espresso.

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Sangrita/bandera YOU KNOW A GOOD TEQUILA SHOULD BE SAVORED, NOT DOWNED IN ONE

shot. But to truly enjoy a fine tequila, pair it with a bit of Sangrita.

Not sangria, Sangrita combines orange juice, lime juice, tomato juice and a few generous shakes of a hot sauce, like Valentina or Cholula. Usually, it arrives at the table in a tall shot glass of its own, along with the tequila served neat. Here’s how to enjoy the duo: take a sip of tequila and savor it. Then, sip on the Sangrita. The citrus and hot sauce cleanse the palate and give a bite of its own.

A variation on the tequila and Sangrita duo adds a shot glass of lime juice. It’s a trio of red, white and green—the colors of the Mexican flag—and the name of this combination indeed is called a Bandera.

Once there are three copitas to drink, it’s completely up to you on the order in which they’re enjoyed. Try different variations to find your favorite. Generally, you’d want to order a Bandera with a good silver tequila or a reposado. A finely aged añejo should stand on its own.

WHERE TO GET IT: Try la Bandera at Guajillo’s, a Banderita at Cuishe Cocina Mexicana, or a Viva México Banderita at Costa Pacifica.

Cantaritos THINK OF THE CANTARITOS AS A MORE SOPHISTICATED COUSIN OF THE PALOMA.

In addition to the tequila and grapefruit soda, this one offers a bit more complexity in the flavor thanks to added lemon juice and orange juice. The name comes from the cool-looking clay cups that the drink is served in. Usually, the clay cups are rimmed with a mixture of salt and chile. (If you’re making one at home, you can’t go wrong with Twang or Tajín.)

The clay mug is often huge, and it looks intimidating, but most of the volume comes from the juices and soda. It’s quite refreshing and a good taste that’s worth sipping on throughout a family get-together or a long, lingering dinner. Like its simpler cousin, it pairs great with cookout favorites and doesn’t feel like you’re drinking a cocktail.

WHERE TO GET IT: Order the Cantaritos at Cuishe Cocina Mexicana,

Costa Pacifica or Las Islas Marias.

Paloma IF YOU WANT A POPULAR TEQUILA COCKTAIL IN MEXICO,

look no further than the Paloma. It’s an underappreciated gem that few places advertise, but most self-respecting bars around town make a version of it. The classic—and best—version of this decidedly not fancy cocktail simply combines tequila with Squirt and a quick squeeze of lime juice.

Many San Antonians make sure their home pantries include plenty of each ingredient so guests can create their own. It’s fruity and refreshing and goes perfectly with burgers, fajitas, enchiladas, barbecue or whatever else you’re serving up. And since it’s nice and cold, a Paloma works great during South Texas’ hot summers—and often its warm winters.

Some places will make it with Jarritos, Fanta or some other kind of grapefruit soda. That’s fine, but there’s no improving on the original.

A lot of bars will also serve it with a salt rim, which brings out the flavor of both the grapefruit and the tequila.

WHERE TO GET IT: Although many places will make

a Paloma, you’ll find a truly classic version served in a plastic cup at Sanchos, where the rooftop view of downtown elevates the experience. Or enjoy the Paloma Rosado, a fancy version, at Pharm Table, which uses tequila, mezcal, fresh grapefruit juice, lime juice, mineral water and pink Himalayan salt with crushed rose petals.

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Mixtli’s Southtown location features a bar with small bites plus more seating and an open kitchen so guests can watch while dishes by chefs Diego Galicia and Rico Torres are created.

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THE CITY’S MOST IMPORTANT

RESTAURANT Mixtli has been lauded with best restaurant and best new chef awards plus a James Beard nomination. What’s next?

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f too many diners still believe that Mexican food is one mass of fried, cheap and heavy combo plates, Diego Galicia and Rico Torres at Mixtli dispel those misconceptions with creative interpretations of regional specialties that are as delicious as they are meticulously researched.

In a time when the food world is beginning to wrestle with issues of whose cuisine is worthy of elevation, the executive chefs and co-owners of this restaurant make strong arguments that Mexican food deserves the same reverence as French, Italian and Japanese cuisine.

Galicia and Torres met a decade ago as part of a group of young cooks who got together to host dinners. At the time, Galicia worked as a research and development chef for Taco Cabana after a stint at the former Lüke on the River Walk. Torres owned and ran his own catering company.

“Mixtli was a product of what I didn’t want to do with my life,” Galicia says. “I had been pushing plates, working conditions were horrible. I knew what I didn’t want to do.”

In 2013, the duo took $15,000 that Torres made from selling all of his catering equipment and maxed out their personal credit cards to get into a small train car in Olmos Park. They furnished it with affordable furniture and launched their 12-seat dream.

They announced their concept, which consisted of a single seating dinner each night for 12 people who would enjoy a set eight- to 10-course menu that focused on a single region in Mexico. The menu changed every 45 days.

From the start, they had to explain nearly everything—the name (Mixtli, pronounced meesh-lee, means cloud in the Aztec language of Nahuatl), the concept (really? Just one seating?), the price (back then, $85 per person) and why and how guests needed to buy tickets for a dinner in advance.

On their first night in business that October, they received a visit from a group of chefs that included Rick Bayless, Maricel Presilla and Roberto Santibañez, in town for a Latin cuisine conference at the Culinary Institute of America.

Galicia and Torres recount their service as filled with mistakes, but the famous chefs were gracious.

“I remember Rick Bayless posted a tweet, ‘Good luck to these guys, they have a lot of passion,’” Galicia says.

Those first few months brought a few curious guests and some rave reviews from local critics (including this author, then on staff at the San Antonio Express-News), but mostly lots of very slow evenings.

A year into the business, everything changed when the pair received an invitation to the Austin Food & Wine Festival. They created a spin on a quesadilla with a blue corn macaron served with a requesón (kind of like ricotta) and squash blossom puree filling plus a topping of jalapeño powder and micro cilantro.

“That showed people in Austin that there was something cool and special happening here in San Antonio,” Galicia says. “Sure enough, we started getting people buying (dinner) tickets from Houston, Dallas, Austin.”

The next thing they knew, their 12-seat table was booked up to a month in advance.

Then in 2017, Food & Wine Magazine named Torres and Galicia to its list of Best New Chefs, only the second time a San Antonio chef had made that list (Bruce Auden was the first in 1988).

“We lost it. I started bawling. Us? Here, in a train car?”

Galicia recalls. “They believed that we were some of the people pushing the industry forward.”

The following year, they received Best Chef nominations from the James Beard Foundation and began to make the rounds of different food festivals around the country, spreading the word of San Antonio creativity to Portland, Seattle, Montreal, Miami and New Orleans.

Over the summer, they moved from that small train car to Southtown and reopened in a new, much bigger space, adding staff and a bar. Now Galicia and Torres focus more on menu development, running the business and maintaining quality while entrusting the kitchen team to sous chef Alexana Cabrera and pastry chef Sofia Tejeda.

Meanwhile, a bar menu allows the staff to make what the chefs call “B-sides,” or more informal renditions of their recipes delivered in small bites.

Perhaps the biggest evolution in the dishes has been a shift in focus from high-tech culinary techniques like were prominent in the early days in favor of ancient cooking ideals. Dishes now are much more likely to showcase wellhoned knife skills than a rotary evaporator.

“I think it’s a matter of getting more mature,” Torres says. “Letting the food speak on its own. That came with developing confidence on our own, and our technique and our palates.”

But the end goal has never wavered. “We’re true to the mission we had when we opened: To rescue, preserve, promote and educate people in Mexican cuisine,” Galicia says.

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IN DEFENSE OF

TEX-MEX

AND SAN ANTONIO’S VERSION OF

“MEXICAN FOOD” Edmund Tijerina recounts his personal journey from a love of Mexican American home cooking to authentically Mexican cuisine to an appreciation of all styles—including Tex-Mex

E Food writer Edmund Tijerina knows puffy tacos, like those at Henry’s Puffy Tacos (pictured at left), are not authentic Mexican cuisine, but he’s come to appreciate their place in the city’s Mexican American food scene nonetheless.

ven though we regularly had freshly made guacamole, flour tortillas and frijoles in the Crockpot at home, there was always something special about a visit to Pancho’s Mexican Buffet when I was growing up. I could never decide if my favorite part was dousing the greasy sopapillas with honey or raising the little tricolor flag at the table.

Fast forward a few decades and I celebrated my most recent birthday with a multi-course modernist menu at Mixtli. Between those two memory-making restaurant experiences is a lifetime of learning and coming to terms with the range of different dishes called “Mexican.”

As far as I’m concerned, there’s a place for all of it.

In our house in Houston, I would wake up on weekends to the aroma of freshly made flour tortillas toasting on the comal. My parents grew up in San Antonio but left after they graduated from Fox Tech High School in the early 1950s, so I can confidently say I grew up in a San Antonio household, filled with lots of simple and delicious South Texas home cooking.

On the rare occasions when we would go out for Mexican food, we visited places like Pancho’s for their combo platters, tamales, flautas and queso. I knew it wasn’t like the food from home, but I didn’t give it any thought.

I took for granted the weekend treats of barbacoa and chorizo con huevos until I moved to the East Coast for college and found myself hungry for familiar flavors. That spurred me to begin cooking occasional treats, like a pot of chili from a packaged Wick Fowler mix or tacos

with ground beef and McCormick seasonings along with my own flour tortillas.

A few years into my career, my parents gave me a Diana Kennedy cookbook and it rocked my world.

Until I began exploring the regional dishes in that book, Mexican cooking was what my abuelita and my mom made. I didn’t know anything about cascabel, chipotle, chile de árbol and dozens of other chiles.

Three months in Central Mexico only solidified my love of the foods of my ancestors. But it also gave me an arrogance toward the foods of my own youth. Now I was eating “real” Mexican food, not restaurant dishes nor even the home cooking I grew up on.

When I opened my own restaurant in 1998, I proclaimed that I would serve “interior Mexican and Southwestern” cuisine. No combo plates came out of my kitchen, and it took several months before I even added tacos to my menu.

The restaurant only lasted about a year.

I didn’t hear the phrase “breakfast tacos” until I moved to San Antonio in 1999. Of course, we stuffed flour tortillas with bacon and eggs growing up, but we just called it breakfast.

Then I saw how the neighborhood taquería brought together the banker and laborer as simply San Antonians. One city, under a taco.

As I began to crave the occasional puffy taco or crispy dog and came to love breakfast tacos, I knew that these combinations were not native to Mexico. Instead, they reflected the history and influences of generations of South Texans.

They’re not Mexican; they’re Mexican American and they are a part of the heritage of this city—and of mine, too.

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d e L A OS Í D UERTOS M TRADICIONES ARTISTS AND EDUCATORS TAP INTO THEIR CREATIVITY TO HONOR DECEASED LOVED ONES WHILE ENSURING THE NEXT GENERATION UNDERSTANDS THE MEANING OF DAY OF THE DEAD ALTARS

BY EMILY DITOMASSO

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COURTESY PEARL/MATT BUIKEMA

T

here’s no right way to celebrate Día de los Muertos.

“It’s all about individualistic perspective,” says Alegra Lozano, an artist and the director of counseling at UTSA, where she teaches an upper-division seminar on Día de los Muertos. “It’s what you bring to it and what you want to do as part of your offering and celebration.”

The Mexican celebration that is recognized Nov. 1 and 2 gets its origins from the Aztecs thousands of years ago but has since become a combination of those pre-Hispanic traditions and the Christian celebrations of All Saints and All Souls days (also Nov. 1 and 2). Día de los Muertos is now recognized in many parts of the world, Lozano says, including in San Antonio.

Centro Cultural Aztlan, the Chicano/Latino arts and culture center on the city’s West Side, has hosted a Día de los Muertos event since its founding 44 years ago, and SAY Sí has been educating youth about the celebration for over 25 years. In the past decade, an increasing number of art displays and community events at places like Pearl, Hemisfair and La Villita have brought Day of the Dead to even greater prominence locally, while nationally, Disney’s 2017 film Coco introduced Día de los Muertos to a broader audience.

For many families, the central activity is creating ofrendas, or altars, meant to guide the souls of relatives, friends, celebrities and even pets back to earth. To make them feel welcome, the altars often include marigolds, photos and favorite items, such as cans of Coke, fresh pan dulce or jewelry.

Lozano says light, color and smell are all important in guiding souls back to earth, which is why candles and food are often used.

Art, she adds, is integral to the celebration and is meaningful both for the person being honored and those still living. “It’s kind of a form of processing grief and wellness through an artistic form,” Lozano says.

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Two Culture Tribute

ALTARS: COURTESY CENTRO CULTURAL AZTLAN; HEADSHOT: COURTESY HECTOR GARZA

HECTOR GARZA PULLS FROM HIS EXPERIENCE LIVING ON THE TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER TO CREATE HIS ALTARS

G

rowing up in Del Rio along the Mexico border, Hector Garza remembers seeing other families celebrate Day of the Dead at the cemetery. At home, his family had shrines for loved ones up year-round, just like the altars created for Día de los Muertos.

“Our loved ones are always with us in spirit,” says Garza, an artist and teacher at Incarnate Word High School. “Death is not the end. It’s another phase; a transformation.”

Still, it was not until he responded to a call for artists at Centro Cultural Aztlan in 2011 that Garza got into creating ofrendas of his own. He has since made several throughout the years, including for social justice figures, Mexican comedians and the French fashion designer Coco Chanel. He often inserts pop culture references and contemporary twists in his work, such as a Princess Leia sugar skull or

a Shakespearean skeleton, and says his work is influenced by his experience growing up around both Mexican and American cultures.

“My artwork is centered around the notion of being proud of my heritage, being proud of the traditions that I have been taught by my mother, my grandmother and other artists locally here in San Antonio,” he says.

When he decided to create an altar for his mom, Garza says his tone became a bit more serious as it forced him to address his own thoughts of mortality.

“The way I approached the Day of the Dead was very much celebrating the men and women who have contributed to our culture, but when my mother passed, the way I thought about it changed,” Garza says.

“You can really feel the sacredness. It becomes more than just an altar or work of art, it’s something living.”

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Miniature Design TEACHER ALEJANDRO FLORES INTRODUCES HIS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO OFRENDAS USING SHOEBOXES

O

people they recognize in their peers’ ofrendas.

“High school students normally would not take the time to reflect, especially through an altar—that is mostly our grandmother’s generation,” Flores says.

For the students who have never experienced a family death, Flores asks them to think about someone who has inspired them, even if it is a celebrity, and to create an altar for them.

The shoebox altars typically are displayed at Centro Cultural Aztlan. (In 2020, they presented them virtually with the students speaking about them in Spanish and English.)

Some students include their grandparent’s favorite candy—Almond Joy or Hershey’s chocolate bars—while others add photos, candles, flowers, drawings and calaveras.

Whether they’re honoring their abuela or Selena, Flores says his students’ creations always have elements that are delightfully unexpected and inspiring.

Day of the Dead River Parade, Oct. 29 Reserve tickets to catch the parade in-person from La Villita or watch it from home on KSAT 12.

Día de los Muertos at Pearl, Oct. 30-Nov. 7 Lavaca Studios’ Manola and Maria Ramirez are creating a community altar featuring a tinsel heart and papel picado plus a virtual component.

Muertitos Fest at SAY Sí, Nov. 2 The nonprofit is hosting a community event outside of its new West Side headquarters featuring art, ofrendas and more.

Día de los Muertos at Centro Cultural Aztlan, Nov. 2-5 The nonprofit will host live and virtual options for its Altares y Ofrendas art exhibition.

COURTESY ALEJANDRO FLORES

frendas can often be grand in size and scope, but St. Anthony High School Spanish teacher Alejandro Flores decided miniature shoebox altars were the best way for his students to learn about their families’ legacies.

The now 11-year tradition came about after Flores’ grandmother died and he made a small altar for her, incorporating kitchen utensils because she loved to cook.

“I decided to take a shoebox and make a makeshift diorama of her whole life,” Flores says. “I always tell my students, ‘You want to make something to tell a story.’”

Most students honor a deceased family member, often a grandparent. By taking the time to talk with their family about their loved one and then to make an ofrenda, Flores says he notices students not only discover a newfound respect for their families but also for their classmates. He has even seen students’ families connect because of

4 Día de los Muertos Events

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Upholding Tradition AT HOME AND AT WORK, ARTIST JON HINOJOSA WANTS ALTARS TO HELP YOUTH UNDERSTAND MEXICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE

COURTESY JON HINOJOSA

W

hile his art always centered around his cultural roots, Jon Hinojosa did not start celebrating Day of the Dead until his first daughter was born.

“We wanted to honor our loved ones,” says Hinojosa, whose mother died when he was 6 and his father when he was 15. “But we also wanted (our children) to learn about their history and culture.”

That same desire to help Mexican American youth learn more about their family’s culture led Hinojosa, the president and director of innovation at SAY Sí, to create an annual Day of the Dead exhibit and event at the arts and education nonprofit over 25 years ago.

“As I began working with young people in San Antonio, it occurred to me—and I recognized it very quickly—that they were not understanding their roots and their background,” Hinojosa says, adding that many youth believed themselves to only be American because they were third-, fourth- or fifth-generation Mexican Americans. “They did not know about the past and the rich cultural history, in particular, of Día de los Muertos.”

The organization now hosts classes, workshops and an annual public event, Muertitos Fest, that are meant to provide context to the celebration’s history and traditions.

Along with viewing altars, the yearly festival and classes also give people the chance to create their own altar. This year’s event, scheduled Nov. 2, takes place outside of the organization's new West Side headquarters.

Hinojosa has also created his own altars for SAY Sí’s Day of the Dead exhibitions with ofrendas in tribute to

family, famous Mexican artists and others who impacted Mexican culture.

Last year, Hinojosa was asked to create an altar for Pearl’s Day of the Dead festivities. Because of COVID19, his piece had to involve the community while also being touch-free.

“I wanted to create an altar that reminded us of the importance of life and those we lost in the pandemic,” Hinojosa says.

To that end, he selected San Antonians who passed away due to the virus and included people who were in different stages in their lives, including the first local woman who died from COVID-19, a middle-aged teacher from Chicago, the first child who died, a male jazz musician and many more.

Alongside the traditional altar, Hinojosa worked with a developer to create a QR code that guided people to a website where they could enter a loved one’s name and light a virtual candle for them. At the time, he did not know if the virtual element would work, but he wanted to try it since the lighting of candles for people is such an important element. To his amazement, thousands of people lit virtual candles for relatives and friends.

While Halloween is a largely commercial holiday, Hinojosa wants people to remember that Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead on the following days is not that. “It originated in Mexico and it is about celebrating your ancestors, but also having fun,” he says. “And remembering their love, their stories and pieces of them that made them so special.”

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Put your trust in one of these 440 legal leaders when looking for guidance in family law, mediation, civil litigation, wills and more

How the List is Made / Using an online survey, San Antonio Magazine solicited peer nominations from attorneys in Bexar and surrounding counties, asking them to nominate up to three attorneys per practice area who they would trust with the legal care of themselves or their family. To ensure the nomination process is peer-based, full contact information was requested before nominating and attorneys were asked to limit their nominations to lawyers whose work they’ve personally witnessed. San Antonio Magazine then tallied the results, selecting the top percentage of vote recipients in each practice area before submitting the final list to our fact-checking process, which includes a review of good standing with the state bar association. Attorneys do not and cannot pay to be a part of the list. We recognize that many good attorneys are not included on the list; this is only a sampling of a huge array of talented professionals within the region. We encourage all consumers to do their own research before selecting a lawyer. San Antonio Magazine uses best practices and exercises great care in assembling content for this list. It does not warrant that the data contained within the list are complete or accurate. San Antonio Magazine does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All rights reserved. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without written permission from San Antonio Magazine. If you see an error in the information listed, please contact editor@sanantoniomag.com.

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ADOPTION LAW

Justine M. Daily Law Offices of Justine M. Daly 210-475-9306

Dan Pozza Pozza & Whyte, PLLC 210-287-9068

Victor H. Negron Jr. Ford Murray, PLLC 210-731-6327

Bruce E. Toppin III Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600

Robinson C. Ramsey Langley & Banack Inc 210-736-6600

Don Philbin Donald R Philbin Jr., PC 210-212-7100

BANKRUPTCY AND

Catherine M. Stone Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600

Roberto R. Rios The Rios Law Firm 210-734-0034

Robert L. Barrows Warren Drugan & Barrows, PC 210-226-4131

Vaughan Waters Thornton Biechlin Reynolds & Guerra, LC 210-581-0295

Richard Sparr Sparr Mediation 210-828-6500

Michael G. Colvard Martin & Drought, PC 210-227-7591

John J. Specia Jr. Plunkett Griesenbeck & Mimari Inc. 210-734-7092

William R. Davis Jr. Langley & Banack Inc. 210-253-7135

APPELLATE LAW

Laura A. Cavaretta Cavaretta Katona & Leighner, PLLC 210-588-2901 Nissa Dunn Houston Dunn, PLLC 210-775-0881 Hayley Ellison Davis & Santos, PC 210-446-4717

Lorien Whyte Pozza & Whyte, PLLC 210-226-8888 ARBITRATION AND

Melanie L. Fry Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5546 Sam Houston Houston Dunn, PLLC 210-775-0882 Leslie Hyman Pulman Cappuccio & Pullen, LLP 210-222-9494 Dayna L. Jones Law Office of Dayna L. Jones 210-255-8525 Rose Kanusky McCall Parkhurst & Horton, LLP 210-225-2800 Kimberly S. Keller Keller Stolarczyk, PLLC 830-981-5000 Karen L. Landinger Cokinos | Young 210-293-8743 Matthew McGowan Santoyo Wehmeyer PC 210-998-4194 Sara Murray Langley & Banack Inc 210-253-7116

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MEDIATION

Randall L. Alwais Alwais Mediation 210-421-4414 Hilary A. Bell Bell Ripper, PLLC 210-892-8532 R. Barry Brin Brin & Brin, LLC 210-341-9711

Aimee Vidaurri Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7136 David L. Willis David L. Willis, PC 210-245-8292 BANKING AND FINANCIAL

Joseph Casseb Goode Casseb Jones Riklin Choate & Watson 210-733-6030

Kerry T. Benedict Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5398

Sol Casseb III Higdon Hardy & Zuflacht, LLP 210-349-9933

Steven R. "Steve" Brook Langley & Banack Inc. 210-253-7115

Michael W. Jackson Michael W. Jackson Mediation 210-348-7600

Scott A. Farrimond Farrimond Castillo & Bresnahan, PC 210-231-0919

Ernest Karam Ernest Karam Mediation 210-735-9911

Robert A. Rosenthal Rosenthal Pauerstein Sandoloski Agather, LLP 210-244-8860

Kevin F. Mickits Upton Mickits & Heymann, LLP 210-881-3080

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Phylis J. Speedlin Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5594

Brett W. Schouest Dykema Gossett PLLC 210-554-5269

WORKOUT

Allen M. Debard Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 David S. Gragg Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 Patrick L. Huffstickler Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5273 Heidi McLeod Heidi McLeod Law Office, PLLC 210-853-0092 Michael M. Parker Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7162

Shann M. Chaudhry Shann M Chaudhry Esq Attorney at Law, PLLC 210-646-9400 R. Christopher Clark Caldwell East & Finlayson, PLLC 210-225-1655 Tiffanie S. Clausewitz Clausewitz Law Firm 210-762-6422 Steve Elder Elder Bray & Bankler, PC 210-424-4530 Drew R. Fuller Jr. Hornberger Fuller Garza & Cohen Inc. 210-271-1727 Jean Hegeler Hegeler Law Firm, PLLC 210-749-7315 Byron L. LeFlore Jr. Pulman Cappuccio & Pullen, LLP 210-933-0606 James K. Lowry Jr. Langley & Banack Inc 210-736-6600 Janet L. King King & Sommer, PLLC 210-547-7400 Molly E. Neck Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-562-2900

Danielle N. Rushing Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5528

CIVIL LAW

Deborah D. Williamson Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5275

David S. Angulo Gonzalez Chiscano Angulo & Kasson, PC 210-569-8500

Natalie Friend Wilson Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600

Mark J. Barrera The Barrera Firm 210-224-5811

BUSINESS LAW

Kelli M. Borbón King & Sommer, PLLC 210-547-7400

Scott Bankler Elder Bray & Bankler, PC 210-424-4525

LITIGATION

Sylvia Cardona Jefferson Cano 210-988-1806 Emma Cano Jefferson Cano 210-988-1801 Karina C. Cantu Sheehy Ware Pappas Grubbs, PC 210-446-3232 Steve Alfonso Chiscano Gonzalez Chiscano Angulo & Kasson, PC 210-569-8500 Fernando Cruz Cruz Injury Lawyers, PC 210-224-4474 Richard G. Foster Porter Rogers Dahlman & Gordon, PC 210-736-3900 Andres R. Gonzalez Cokinos | Young 210-293-8752 Henry B. Gonzalez Gonzalez Chiscano Angulo & Kasson, PC 210-569-8500 Michael B. Hiddemen Cokinos | Young 210-293-8749 Alex Katzman Katzman & Katzman, PLLC 210-979-7300 Peter Lee Kilpatrick Langley & Banack Inc. 210-253-7181 C. David Kinder Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5421 Bonnie K. Kirkland Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5545 Roger D. Kirstein Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600

NOVEMBER 2021

10/1/21 10:26 AM

Christopher C. Layne Naman Howell Smith & Lee, PLLC 210-731-6300 Art Martinez de Vara The Martinez de Vara Law Firm, PLLC 210-622-0323 Nik A. Mimari Plunkett Griesenbeck & Mimari Inc. 210-734-7092 Joyce W. Moore Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 Elena Serna Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-562-2900 Philip C. Snyder Royston Rayzor 210-524-9696 Adrian A. Spears II Sierra & Spears, PLLC 210-271-3040 David B. West Caldwell East & Finlayson, PLLC 210-225-1655 COMMERCIAL LITIGATION

Ricardo G. Cedillo Davis Cedillo & Mendoza Inc. 210-822-6666 Paul T. Curl Curl Stahl Geis, PC 210-226-2182 Ashley Senary Dahlberg Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7150 Zachary J. Fanucchi Caldwell East & Finlayson, PLLC 210-225-1655

Sydnee Garcia Pulman Cappuccio & Pullen, LLP 210-222-9494 Aric J. Garza Aric J. Garza Law PLLC 210-225-2961

Blake Stribling Chasnoff Mungia Valkenaar Pepping & Stribling, PLLC 210-469-3225

Diana M. Geis Curl Stahl Geis, PC 210-226-2182

Steven Bruce Treu Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600

Marc Gravely Gravely Attorneys & Counselors 210-833-3160

Lauren A. Valkenaar Chasnoff Mungia Valkenaar Pepping & Stribling, PLLC 210-469-3310

Herbert S. Hill Curl Stahl Geis, PC 210-226-2182

Dan Vana Benjamin Vana Martinez & Cano, LLP 210-881-0667

Joe R. Hinojosa Barkhurst & Hinojosa PC 210-226-7800 Lamont A. Jefferson Jefferson Cano 210-988-1811

CONSTRUCTION

CORPORATE

Patricia M. Oviatt Clark Hill, PLC 210-250-6000

Jeffrey C. Gifford Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5560

Shawn C. Brown Law Office of Shawn C. Brown, PC 210-224-8200

Jana Richard Benjamin Vana Martinez & Cano, LLP 210-881-0667

Jon Greiner Greiner & Associates, PLLC 210-824-6529

Chase W. Butler Calfas Law Group, PLLC 210-405-8315

Katrina Greiner Greiner & Associates, PLLC 210-824-6529

Neil Calfas Calfas Law Group, PLLC 210-405-8315

Annalyn G. Smith Schmoyer Reinhard, LLP 210-447-8033

Daryl L. Lansdale Jr. Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-9367

Adam J. Crawshaw The Crawshaw Law Firm, PLLC 210-595-1553

William W. Sommers Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600

Wilhelm E. Liebmann Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5414

Brent de la Paz Law Office of Brent de la Paz 210-229-1322

David A. Vanderhider Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5484

James M. McDonough Jackson Walker, LLP 210-978-7754

CONSUMER DEBT

Nicholas J. Monaghan Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5292

Melanie Sanders Kustoff & Sanders, LLP 210-614-9444

Marcella A. Della Casa Thornton Biechlin Reynolds & Guerra, LC 210-581-0288

Michael W. O'Donnell Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7145

Michael Gavito Gravely Attorneys & Counselors 210-961-8000

J. D. Pauerstein Rosenthal Pauerstein Sandoloski Agather, LLP 210-244-8830

Cody R. Graham Cokinos | Young 210-293-8757

CORPORATE

Gabriel S. Head Cokinos | Young 210-293-8734

Jerome B. Cohen Barton Benson Jones, PLLC 210-610-5335

Randall A. Pulman Pulman Cappuccio & Pullen, LLP 210-222-9494 Jennifer Beldon Rosenblatt Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-592-4603 Thomas E. Sanders Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5420

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Matthew Wymer Germer, PLLC 830-346-1380

Stephanie L. O'Rourke Cokinos | Young 210-293-8714

Jeffrie Boysen Lewis Gonzalez Chiscano Angulo & Kasson, PC 210-569-8500

Richard H. Sommer King & Sommer, PLLC 210-547-7400

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Bennett L. Stahl Curl Stahl Geis, PC 210-226-2182

Bill Clanton Clanton Law Office 210-226-0800 Ben Trotter Benjamin T. Trotter, Attorney at Law, PC 210-468-1008

COUNSEL

Gary W. Javore Johnson Christopher Javore & Cochran, Inc. 210-733-6235

Cynthia S. Escamilla University Of The Incarnate Word 210-829-6000

Daniel O. Kustoff Kustoff & Sanders, LLP 210-614-9444

Debra L. Innocenti USAA

Sylvan S. Lang Jr. Lang Law Firm, PC 866-846-1660

FINANCE MERGERS AND

Roy R. Barrera Jr. The Barrera Firm 210-693-0910

ACQUISITIONS

Benjamin A. Montanez Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7188 Nancy A. Norman Sheehy Ware Pappas, PC 210-257-8075 CRIMINAL

Andrew Del Cueto Ramos & Del Cueto, PLLC 210-761-6004 Marina Thais Douenat Office of the Federal Public Defender 210-472-6700 Adrian Flores The Law Office of Shawn C. Brown, PC 210-224-8200 Andrew Froelich Law Office of Andrew Froelich 210-725-4658

DEFENSE

Matthew Allen Law Office of Matthew Allen 210-413-0195 Chris Arce The Law Office of Chris Arce, PLLC 210-882-0220 Robert J. Barrera The Law Offices of Nicholas & Barrera 210-227-7372

Robert F. "Bobby" Gebbia Hoelscher Gebbia Cepeda, PLLC 210-222-9132 Erica Benites Giese Jackson Walker, LLP 210-978-7791 John S. Gilmore III Goldstein & Orr 210-226-1463

NOVEMBER 2021

10/1/21 10:26 AM

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GEORGE SALINAS Personal Injury

Our personal injury firm, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, remains committed to helping victims exercise their right to a jury trial. While we have grown through the years, our firm continues to believe that every client in every case should have an advocate ready to devote their time, energy, and focus to giving them their day in court. Our passion to tell our clients’ stories translated into the following: 2019 Top 100 Texas jury verdict (TopVerdict), 2020 Top 10 Texas jury verdict (TopVerdict), 2020 Top 100 U.S. jury verdict (VerdictSearch), Texas Lawyer's Southwest Top Verdicts & Settlements for 2020. George was also recently named to the Texas Super Lawyers List again for 2021, which recognizes no more than the top 5 percent of attorneys in the state. We thank our colleagues who have trusted us and given us the opportunity to partner in these cases through these years.

GEORGE SALINAS INJURY LAWYERS 6243 I-10 W., STE. 955, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78201 210-225-0909 GEORGESALINAS.COM

NOVEMBER 2021

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Charles Gold Kyle Simpson & Charles Gold 210-224-4242 Gerald "Gerry" H. Goldstein Goldstein & Orr 210-226-1463 Stephen H. Gordon The Gordon Law Firm PC 210-531-9700 Jessica Gonzalez Law Office of Jessica Gonzalez 210-787-3719 Michael C. Gross Gross & Esparza, PLLC 210-354-1919 Valerie Hedlund Law Office of Valerie Hedlund, PLLC 210-424-4268

Ashley Morgan Soyars & Morgan Law, PC 210-390-0000 Miguel E. Najera Law Offices of Miguel Najera 210-212-8200 Cynthia E. Hujar Orr Goldstein & Orr 210-226-1463 Adam J. Paltz The Law Office of Munoz & Paltz, PLLC 210-587-5170 Kelly F. Pittl The Law Office of Kelly F. Pittl, PLLC 210-798-1453 Zoe Russell Law Office of Zoe Russell, PLLC 210-501-0458

Sean Henricksen Sean Henricksen Law Firm 210-900-2806

Tylden Shaeffer Tylden Shaeffer Attorney at Law 210-227-1500

B. Colin Hobbs Gireud | Hobbs, PLLC 210-864-8519 Robert A. Jimenez De Mott McChesney Curtright & Armendáriz, LLP 210-590-1844

Joseph E. Hoffer Schulman Lopez Hoffer & Adelstein, LLP 210-538-5385

Rebecca J. Carrillo Law Office of Rebecca J. Carrillo 210-468-1581

Charles E. Hardy Higdon Hardy & Zuflacht, LLP 210-349-9933

Tracy E. Ross Jamie Graham & Associates, PLLC 210-308-6448

ELDER LAW

Danielle Chester Law Office of Rebecca J. Carrillo 210-468-1581

Sara A. Herrmann Sara A Herrmann Law 210-271-3040

Heather Clement Tessmer Tessmer Law Firm, PLLC 210-368-9708

Carol Bertsch Law Offices of Carol Bertsch, PC 210-892-4555 EMINENT DOMAIN

Paul D. Barkhurst Jr. Barkhurst & Hinojosa, PC 210-226-7800 Paul A. Fletcher Langley & Banack Inc. 210-253-7128 Jim Spivey Spivey Valenciano, PLLC 210-787-4653 Soledad Valenciano Spivey Valenciano, PLLC 210-787-4654

James G. Cramp Cramp Law Firm, PLLC 210-762-4502 Bryan Crone The Law Office of Bryan Crone, PLLC 210-570-6016 Charla D. Davies Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 Moulton S. Dowler Jr. Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600

FAMILY LAW

David T. Emory Higdon Hardy & Zuflacht, LLP 210-349-9933

Sean R. Simpson The Simpson Law Office, PC 210-595-1553

Marisa Aragon Huron Law Firm, PLLC 210-212-7661

Jennifer Espronceda Espronceda Law 210-504-1514

Mark Stevens Law Office of Mark Stevens 210-226-1433

Stephanie Bandoske Bandoske & Butler, PLLC 210-953-8415

William H. Ford Ford Murray, PLLC 210-731-6306

Jonathan Watkins The Law Office of Jonathan Watkins 210-761-6459

Steven C. Benke Law Offices of Steven C. Benke 210-308-0004

Savannah G. Garcia Law Office of Rebecca J. Carrillo 210-468-1581

Marc LaHood LaHood Law, PLLC 210-405-1000

Will Williams Dunham & Jones Attorneys At Law, PC 210-777-7777

Jeffrey S. Bernstein Bernstein & Bernstein Attorneys At Law 210-737-3222

Matthew A. Grimshaw Grable Grimshaw Mora, PLLC 210-761-5687

Veronica I. Legarreta Legarreta Law Firm, PLLC 210-532-5321

Sergio Ybarra Calfas Law Group, PLLC 210-405-8315

Crista Marichalar Branch Branch Law Firm 210-761-6390

Erin L. Groce Jamie Graham & Associates, PLLC 210-510-1420

Michael McCrum McCrum Law Office 210-225-2285

EDUCATION

Ashley Butler Bandoske & Butler, PLLC 210-953-8415

Bertha Gutierrez Law Office of Bertha Gutierrez, PC 210-212-5442

John Kuntz John Kuntz Law Firm 210-881-7509

Thomas J. McHugh The Law Offices of Thomas J McHugh, PLLC 210-227-4662

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Matthew L. Finch Law Offices of Matthew L Finch, PC 210-223-1123

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Ana Laura Hessbrook Hessbrook Law Firm 210-706-9466 Artessia House Tess House Law, PLLC 210-249-2985 Patricia Ann Jay Patricia Jay Attorney at Law 817-261-4333 Jo Chris Lopez Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 Denise Martinez Law Offices of Denise Martinez, PLLC 210-888-9819 Karen L. Marvel Marvel & Wong, PLLC 210-201-1630 Marissa Barrera Morales The Morales Firm, PC 210-761-5356 Chris H. Negem Law Office of Chris H. Negem PLLC 210-226-1200 Tess Dunn Osborn Reuter Law Group, PC 210-761-6184 Amy Perkins The Law Office of Perkins & Janis, PC 210-226-4200 Rachel Reuter Reuter Law Group, PC 210-761-6184 Jaclyn Y. Roberson Roberson Duran Law, PLLC 210-761-6282

Mark C. Thompson The Law Office of Mark C. Thompson 210-775-1140 Kristal Cordova Thomson Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 Stephanie Tschirhart Reuter Law Group, PC 210-761-6184 Lisa A. Vance The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, PC 210-265-6277 Harold C. Zuflacht Higdon Hardy & Zuflacht, LLP 210-349-9933 GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE

Ruben R. Barrera Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 Lowell F. Denton Denton Navarro Rocha Bernal & Zech, PC 210-227-3243 Frank J. Garza DTR&G PC 210-349-6484 Baltazar R. Serna Jr. Serna & Serna, PLLC 210-225-6700 HEALTH CARE LAW

Charles A. Deacon Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7133

NOVEMBER 2021

10/1/21 10:26 AM

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*

TINSMAN & SCIANO, INC. Personal Injury Law

*Four Tinsman & Sciano attorneys have been selected by their peers in San Antonio Magazine's 2021 survey as Top San Antonio Attorneys: Daniel J.T. Sciano, Grant T. McFarland and Lawrence J. Webb in Personal Injury and Stephen F. Lazor in Medical Malpractice Plaintiff.

Tinsman & Sciano, Inc. has been representing clients in San Antonio and throughout the state of Texas for the last 50 years. Founded on the premise that each client’s case is of the utmost importance, our dedicated team of attorneys and support staff is committed to providing clients with the best possible legal representation. The firm’s attorneys have the experience, training and resources to handle serious and complex litigation including claims involving bodily injuries, wrongful death, trucking and vehicular collisions, medical malpractice, federal tort, defective products, unsafe premises, trust disputes, will contests, and disputes regarding oil and gas royalties.

Tinsman & Sciano, Inc. is rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell® and has been ranked as one of the Best Law Firms in every edition of the U.S. News & World Report/Woodward-White’s Best Lawyers® issue since they first started their rankings in 2010.

Left to right: Alva Marquez, Stephen F. Lazor, Aaron Valadez, Daniel J.T. Sciano, Grant McFarland, Jeffrey C. Anderson, Lawrence J. Webb

TINSMAN & SCIANO, INC. 10107 MCALLISTER FWY. SAN ANTONIO, TX 78216 (210) 225-3121, TOLL FREE 800-292-9999 TSSLAWYERS.COM NOVEMBER 2021

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Bruce M. Mitchell Kreager Mitchell 210-829-7722

Monica N. Saenz De Mott McChesney Curtright & Armendáriz, LLP 210-590-1844

IMMIGRATION LAW

Eric Miguel Bernal Eric M Bernal & Associates, LLC 210-438-8370 Lance Curtright De Mott McChesney Curtright & Armendáriz, LLP 210-590-1844 Victoria M. Garcia Bracewell, LLP 210-299-3546 Fernando D. Gireud Gireud Hobbs, PLLC 210-787-3916 Claudia Hernandez De Mott McChesney Curtright & Armendáriz, LLP 210-354-1844 Guillermo M. Hernandez III Vidaurri Lyde Rodriguez & Haynes, LLP 210-922-8541

ROBERT F. (BOBBY) GEBBIA Criminal Law

Mayra Jimenez RAICES 210-222-0964 Melanie M. Lira Lira | Cazares Defense Firm, PLLC 210-378-8684

Nancy Taylor Shivers Shivers & Shivers Law 210-226-9725 Robert A. Shivers Shivers & Shivers Law 210-226-9725 INSURANCE

Brittany Box Curney, Farmer, House, Osuna & Jackson, PC 210-377-1990 Neel Lane Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7170 Mark E. Macias Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 Manuel Mungia Chasnoff Mungia Valkenaar Pepping & Stribling, LLP 210-469-8366 Matthew Pepping Chasnoff Mungia Valkenaar Pepping & Stribling, LLP 210-469-8499 Thomas H. Veitch Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 INTELLECTUAL

Robert F. Gebbia is HGC’s lead criminal trial counsel and vice president of community relations.

He is a passionate and experienced criminal defense attorney with a style all his own. Bobby has tried dozens of high-profile major felony cases. He has been recognized repeatedly by his peers as one of the best criminal defense lawyers in San Antonio. Bobby is an adjunct professor of law at Schreiner University and is pursuing a Ph.D. at Our Lady of the Lake University, where he completed a partial dissertation literature review on the leadership attributes in attorneys who perform indigent criminal defense work. He was the Distinguished Honor Graduate of the United States Army Intelligence School in Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. In his leisure time, Bobby enjoys stargazing through his Dobsonian telescope or listening to his collection of classic vinyl records. He is married to the wonderful Kealohalani Gebbia, and, together, they have five children.

HOELSCHER GEBBIA CEPEDA PLLC 3030 NACOGDOCHES ROAD, STE. 222G, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78217 210-222-9132 HGCLAW.COM

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Alfredo Lozano The Lozano Law Firm, PLLC 210-879-4428 Ruth Lozano McChesney De Mott McChesney Curtright & Armendáriz, LLP 210-590-1844 Marisol L. Perez De Mott McChesney Curtright & Armendáriz, LLP 210-590-1844

PROPERTY RIGHTS

Court B. Allen Pizarro Allen, PC 210-634-4113 David E. Armendariz Pirkey Barber, PLLC 512-482-5237 Nick Guinn Gunn Lee & Cave, PC 210-886-9500 J. Daniel Harkins Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5285

NOVEMBER 2021

9/30/21 2:30 PM

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THORNTON, BIECHLIN, REYNOLDS & GUERRA Civil Defense Litigation

Thornton, Biechlin, Reynolds & Guerra—providing civil litigation defense services throughout Central and South Texas for over 50 years. Congratulations to our San Antonio Magazine Top Lawyers: Marcella Della Casa (Construction); Jeff Finley (Civil Defense); Laura Macom (Medical Malpractice Defense); Richard Reynolds (Professional Liability Defense); Mary Strauss (Civil Defense); Michael Wallis (Labor & Employment Law), and Vaughan Waters (Appellate).

As San Antonio’s premier choice for civil defense litigation, Thornton, Biechlin, Reynolds & Guerra prides itself on providing a wide variety of legal services across different legal specialties and disciplines. The firm enjoys tremendous success both in and outside the courtroom, from counseling on pre-suit matters through the intricacies of specialized litigation and the complexities of the appellate process. The firm’s clients range from individual professionals to local and regional businesses to Fortune 500 companies across many industries.

Thank you, San Antonio, for your continued confidence in Thornton, Biechlin, Reynolds & Guerra. Along with our Top Lawyers, we are committed to serving you for all your civil defense litigation needs. Real problems. Real results.

Left to right: Mary Strauss, Michael Wallis, Richard Reynolds, Jeff Finley, Marcella Della Casa, Laura Macom, and Vaughan Waters

THORNTON, BIECHLIN, REYNOLDS & GUERRA 100 N.E. LOOP 410, STE. 500 SAN ANTONIO, TX 78216 (210) 342-5555 THORNTONFIRM.COM NOVEMBER 2021

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Ed Marvin Gunn,Lee & Cave, PC 210-886-9500

Delilah Lorenz Evans Schmoyer Reinhard, LLP 210-447-8033

Daniel L. Moffett Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP 210-281-7155

Dylan A. Farmer Schmoyer Reinhard, LLP 210-447-8033

Mike Stimson Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7177 INTERNATIONAL LAW

BETH S.JANICEK PHILLIP G. BERNAL ANDREW J. SKEMP Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice Janicek Law Firm’s award-winning team includes three attorneys Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and also recognized as Super Lawyers. Janicek Law has been ranked as one of the Best Law Firms by US News & World Report since 2016. With over 20 years in medical malpractice and personal injury litigation, our female-led firm maintains excellence with a client-first mentality.

Our attorneys and staff are dedicated to securing the best settlement for our clients.

Robert M. Barnett Cacheaux Cavazos & Newton, LLP 210-244-0207 Joseph B. Newton Cacheaux Cavazos & Newton, LLP 210-244-0217 LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

John A. Ferguson Jr. Schmoyer Reinhard, LLP 210-447-8033 Melissa Morales Fletcher The Morales Firm, PC 210-225-0811 Michael V. Galo Jr. Galo Law Firm, PC 210-764-6135

Jeffrey A. Goldberg Law Office of Jeffrey A. Goldberg 210-690-2200 Judy K. Jetelina Schmoyer Reinhard, LLP 210-447-8033

Mark Anthony Sanchez Sr. Sanchez & Wilson, PLLC 210-222-8899 Shannon B. Schmoyer Schmoyer Reinhard, LLP 210-447-8033 Lawrence D. Smith Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart, PC 210-354-1300 Daniel R. Stern Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5591 Erica Valladares Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 Michael H. Wallis Thornton Biechlin Reynolds & Guerra, LC 210-581-0294 LAND USE ENVIRONMENT

Lisa Poole Alcantar Porter Rogers Dahlman & Gordon, PC 210-736-3900 Mario A. Barrera Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7125 Ramon D. Bissmeyer Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5589 Leslie Selig Byrd Bracewell, LLP 210-299-3460 Thomas N. Cammack III Schmoyer Reinhard, LLP 210-447-8033

Donna K. McElroy Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5272 Christopher McKinney The Mckinney Law Firm, PC 210-832-0932 Karen A. Monsen Caldwell East & Finlayson, PLLC 210-225-1655 Lawrence Morales II The Morales Firm, PC 210-761-5356 Raquel G. Perez Notzon Law 210-821-5366

Devin Benson Barton Benson Jones, PLLC 210-610-5335 Kenneth W. Brown Brown & Ortiz, PC 210-299-3704 Caroline McDonald Brown & Ortiz, PC 210-299-3704 James McKnight Brown & Ortiz, PC 210-299-3704 Daniel Ortiz Brown & Ortiz, PC 210-299-3704

Peter Cario Wagner Cario, LLP 210-979-7555 Matthew M. Edwards Evans Rowe & Holbrook, PC 210-340-6555 Blaine A. Holbrook Evans Rowe & Holbrook, PC 210-340-6555 Beth S. Janicek Janicek Law 210-366-4949 Richard J. Kasson Gonzalez Chiscano Angulo & Kasson, PC 210-569-8487 Thomas G. Kemmy Kemmy Law Firm, PC 210-735-2233 Stephen F. Lazor Tinsman & Sciano Inc. 210-225-3121 Sean Michael Lyons Lyons & Lyons, PC 210-225-5251 Laura Flores Macom Thornton Biechlin Reynolds & Guerra, LC 210-342-5555 Janice Maloney Law Offices of Janice Maloney 210-735-2233 Lucretia R. Marmor Langley & Banack Inc. 210-253-7188 George W. Mauze II Mauze Law Firm 210-225-6262

MEDICAL

Richard Clifton Schmoyer Reinhard, LLP 210-447-8033

JANICEK LAW 1100 N.E. LOOP 410, STE. 600, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78209 210-366-4949 JANICEKLAW.COM

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David M. Evans David M. Evans Attorney & Counselor at Law 210-880-4606

Robert Rapp Rosenthal Pauerstein Sandoloski Agather, LLP 210-244-8824 Christine E. Reinhard Schmoyer Reinhard, LLP 210-447-8033

MALPRACTICE DEFENSE

Philip G. Bernal Janicek Law 210-988-9856

Richard A. Mcnitzky Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 Lisa Rocheleau Boone Rocheleau & Rodriguez, PLLC 210-761-2040

NOVEMBER 2021

9/30/21 2:30 PM

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REBECCA J. CARRILLO Family Law

Rebecca J. Carrillo is a Texas Board Certified Family Law Attorney. Only 10 percent of Texas attorneys can claim this accomplishment. She is an alumnus of Texas A&M University where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology. Rebecca attended St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, where she ultimately decided to root her business and home. Through the years, she has built upon her accomplishments and has won numerous awards while growing her business. Her office is a top family law firm in San Antonio and we encourage you to call with any family law needs!

LAW OFFICE OF REBECCA J. CARRILLO 12915 JONES MALTSBERGER ROAD, STE. 524, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78247 (210) 468-1581 RJC-LAWFIRM.COM

NOVEMBER 2021

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Brett B. Rowe Evans Rowe & Holbrook, PC 210-340-6555

Robert F. Seiler Caldwell East & Finlayson, PLLC 210-225-1655

S. Tyler Scheuerman Scheuerman Law Firm, PLLC 210-735-2233

Marty Truss Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5240

Andrew Skemp Janicek Law 210-988-9856

Jeffrey A. Webb Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7109

W. Richard Wagner Wagner Cario, LLP 210-979-7555

Corey F. Wehmeyer Santoyo Wehmeyer, PC 210-998-4190

OIL AND GAS

Katy Wehmeyer Santoyo Wehmeyer, PC 210-998-4188

Stephen J. Ahl Langley & Banack Inc. 830-876-2431 Stephen B. Brearley Ashley Brearley, LLP 210-774-3910

Ronald Armstrong II The Armstrong Firm, PLLC 210-277-0542

G. Wade Caldwell Caldwell East & Finlayson, PLLC 210-225-1655

Lara Brock Espinoza Law Firm, PLLC 877-229-3232

Christopher Hugg Shann M. Chaudhry Esq. Attorney at Law, PLLC 210-646-9400 Michael L. McReynolds McReynolds & Tye, PC 210-227-8800

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PERSONAL INJURY

Clinton M. Butler Langley & Banack Inc 830-780-2700

Sean Caporaletti Drought Drought & Bobbitt, LLP 210-225-4031

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Christopher M. West Santoyo Wehmeyer, PC 210-998-4187

Thomas A. Crosley Crosley Law Firm, PC 210-529-3000 Jon Ellis Sadovsky & Ellis, PLLC 210-832-9090 Javier Espinoza Espinoza Law Firm, PLLC 210-229-1300 Jeff Finley Thornton Biechlin Reynolds & Guerra, LC 210-581-0286

M. Eduardo Ramirez Caldwell East & Finlayson, PLLC 210-225-1655

Otto Stoler Good Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600

Paul P. Santoyo Santoyo Wehmeyer, PC 210-998-4185

Francisco Guerra IV Watts Guerra, LLP 210-447-0500

NOVEMBER 2021

10/1/21 10:26 AM

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Taylor W. Harper Ketterman Rowland & Westlund 210-361-7299

S. Tyler Rutherford The Rutherford Law Firm, PLLC 210-704-7884

Steven D. Jansma Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-9366

Thomas J. Henry Thomas J. Henry 210-874-2615

George Salinas George Salinas Injury Lawyers 210-225-0909

John W. Weber Jr. Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7122

Daniel J. T. Sciano Tinsman & Sciano Inc. 210-225-3121

PROFESSIONAL

Javier L. Herrera The Herrera Law Firm 210-224-1054 Justin Hill Hill Law Firm 210-960-3939 Derek B. Hilley Hilley-Solis Law 210-446-5000 Ray Lopez Law Office of Ray Lopez 210-585-2233 Pat Maloney Jr. Law Offices of Pat Maloney, PC 210-934-6609 Manuel Maltos Maltos Law Firm, PLLC 210-598-8474 Chris Mazzola Patterson Law Group 210-874-2424 Grant McFarland Tinsman & Sciano Inc. 210-225-3121 Ryan Orsatti Ryan Orsatti Law 210-525-1200

MALPRACTICE

Mary M. Strauss Thornton Biechlin Reynolds & Guerra, LC 210-447-8033 Jason Thompson The Thompson Law Firm 210-900-0400 Ruben Valadez Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 David A. Volk Volk & McElroy, LLP 210-377-1414

Nicole E. Jackson Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-562-2900 Robert G. Newman Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7138 Richard J. Reynolds III Thornton Biechlin Reynolds & Guerra, LC 210-581-0276 George H. Spencer Jr. Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600 REAL ESTATE

Mikal C. Watts Watts Guerra, LLP 210-447-0500

Chessa L. Akins Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-562-2900

Lawrence J. Webb Tinsman & Sciano Inc. 210-225-3121

Matthew Badders Drought Drought & Bobbitt, LLP 210-225-4031

Craig White Craig White Law Office 210-829-7183

Daniel W. Packard Packard Law Firm 210-679-1930

PRODUCT

Michael Palasciano Gireud Hobbs, PLLC 210-787-3916

Jane E. Bockus Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5549

Fidel Rodriguez Jr. Rodriguez Trial Law 210-610-8545

Joseph M. Dunn Wigington Rumley Dunn & Blair, LLP 210-487-7500

Shanna Castro Barton Benson Jones, PLLC 210-610-5335 Kacy Cigarroa Kruger Carson, PLLC 210-319-4490

NON MEDICAL DEFENSE

Brian Christopher Steward The Law Office of Brian C. Steward, PLLC 210-640-9589

Brad Carson Kruger Carson, PLLC 210-319-4490

Adrian Coronado Barton Benson Jones, PLLC 210-610-5335 William Crist Crist Law Firm, PLLC 210-340-3277 Stephen L. Golden Golden Steves & Gordon, LLP 210-745-3777 Paul J. Hunt Barton Benson Jones, PLLC 210-610-5335 John P. Jennings Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7140 Shelly C. Jewett Uhl Fitzsimons Jewett Burton Wolff & Rangel, PLLC 210-829-1660 Kelly Depew Metz Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5880

Thomas G. Bassler Law Offices of Thomas G. Bassler, PC 210-826-8885

Mary Lisa Mireles Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-562-2900

Don Baucum Baucum Law Firm, PLLC 210-349-5311

James C. Norman Norman & Oliver, PC 210-822-8972

Peter R. Broderick Jackson Walker, LLP 210-978-7705

Carl R. Oliver Norman & Oliver, PC 210-822-8972

Christopher P. Carlin Norman & Oliver, PC 210-822-8972

Ashley Randol Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-562-2900

RACHEL REUTER TESS OSBORN AND STEPHANIE TSCHIRHART Family Law

Our founding attorney, Rachel Reuter, is board certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

She has built a team that remains committed to helping those who need it most. Family law cases are never easy. At Reuter Law Group, PC we give each client the individualized attention they deserve. We strive to find solutions that are unique to each client. Our commitment is to our clients, so when someone works with us, they can expect to be heard and we fight for what our clients want.

LIABILITY

REUTER LAW GROUP, PC 112 E. PECAN ST., STE. 2920, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78205 210-812-4239 REUTERLAW.COM NOVEMBER 2021

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James D. Rosenblatt Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-562-2900

WILLS

Stanley L. Blend Clark Hill, PLC 210-250-6116

James J. Aycock Langley & Banack Inc. 210-731-8300

Andrew G. Sherwood Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5466

Charles M. "Boxy" Hornberger Hornberger Fuller Garza & Cohen Inc 210-271-1700

David G. Balmer Balmer Law Firm, PC 210-990-6242

Hella Scheuerman Scheuerman Law Firm, PLLC 210-735-2233

Eileen E. Sommer King & Sommer, PLLC 210-547-7400

Asel M. Lindsey Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5298

Amanda Batsche Batsche Law ,PLLC 210-736-8300

Maurine "Mo" Shipp Clark Hill, PLC 210-250-6083

Alejandro Sostre-Odio Uhl Fitzsimons Jewett Burton Wolff & Rangel, PLLC 210-829-1660

Robert W. Nelson Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5266

Arthur H. Bayern Langley & Banack Inc. 210-731-8300

David Stanush Clark Hill, PLC 210-250-6164

William T. Bayern Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-8300

Patty Rouse Vargas Davis & Santos, PC 210-858-6282

Jeffrey W. Bryson Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-562-2900

Ben A. Wallis III Wallis Law, P.C 210-525-1500

George W. Scofield Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7189

Amelia M. Edelman Porter Rogers Dahlman & Gordon, PC 210-736-3900

Carl Werner Carl Werner & Associates 210-377-4242

Joshua A. Sutin Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry 210-278-5810

Tanya E. Feinleib Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-8300

Marc J. Schnall Langley & Banack Inc. 210-736-6600

John B. Stewart Dykema Gossett, PLLC 210-554-5513 Katherine A. Tapley Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7191 Michael B. Thurman Thurman & Phillips, PC 210-341-2020 Allison Tipton Tipton Law Firm, PLLC 210-963-5288 Alejandra Rendon Valdez Rosenblatt Law Firm 210-562-2900 Jeffrey A. Walsh Barton Benson Jones, PLLC 210-610-5335

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Katherine Patton Noll Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry 210-278-5804

WORKER'S

Leo Unzeitig Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry 210-278-5814 Jaime Vasquez Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry 210-507-6508 TECHNOLOGY VIRTUAL

SECURITIES LAW

Mark I. Unger The Unger Law Firm 210-323-2341

Erin Camp Jackson Walker, LLP 210-978-7746

TRAFFIC LAW

Gary Hugh McDaniel Norton Rose Fulbright US, LLP 210-270-7172

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Ryan C. Reed Pulman Cappuccio & Pullen, LLP 210-892-0425

TAX LAW

Justin A. Coquat The Coquat Law Firm, PC 210-745-2000 Gordon Slade Jr. The Slade Law Firm, PC 210-820-3033

Elizabeth H. Fry Hornberger Fuller Garza & Cohen Inc. 210-271-1704 Kevin P. Kennedy Law Office of Kevin P. Kennedy 210-824-0771 Burke C. Marold Marold Law Firm, PLLC 210-701-0829 Ivan Ramirez Law Office of Ivan Ramirez & Associates 210-448-7755 Jessica Ramirez Hailey-Petty Law Firm, PLLC 210-436-6345

COMPENSATION

Travis R. Anderson Spencer Anderson, PLLC 210-699-0004 Tim K. Singley Thornton Biechlin Reynolds & Guerra, LC 210-581-0293 Amanda J. Spencer Espinoza Law Firm, PLLC 210-229-1300 Jason C. Spencer Spencer Anderson, PLLC 210-699-0004 Alan Tysinger Law Office of Alan Tysinger 210-446-0713 Attorneys: Congratulations! If you’d like to display this accomplishment with a plaque, please visit our official store at sanantoniomag.com/ plaques.

NOVEMBER 2021

10/1/21 10:26 AM

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Congratulations to the Winners of the Texas Travel Awards!

Brought to you by the publishers of Austin Monthly, San Antonio Magazine, and Texas Music, the inaugural Texas Travel Awards recognizes and celebrates top travel destinations and attractions across the Lone Star State. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the travel industry in Texas, but convention and visitors bureaus and tourism-related businesses got creative to continue engaging with the community.

The winners of these awards reflect that innovation as well as tried and true favorites from every region of the state.

Visit texastravelawards.com to learn more about the 2021 winners in a special digital publication and video presentation.

STATEWIDE CATEGORIES Destination of The Year San Angelo Agritourism Texas Hill Country Peaches, Fredericksburg Bar Hippies, Gypsies and Hops, Concan Coffee Shop Black Sugar Caffe, Georgetown Distillery Oak & Eden Flagship, Bridgeport Events Center / Public Event Space Reunion Tower, Dallas Fourth Of July Celebration Coolest 4th of July, Fort Davis

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Free Outdoor Activity Cattail Marsh Boardwalk and Wetlands Education Center, Beaumont Golf Course Black Jack’s Crossing at Lajitas Golf Resort Green Initiative Camping Season Supply’s Outdoor Gear Rentals for a Sustainable Texas, Austin Guided/Self-Guided Tour Texas Hill Country Wineries Hiking/Biking Trail Enchanted Rock Historical Site Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, San Angelo Instagrammable Spot Austin Street Art

Live Music Venue Gruene Hall, New Braunfels

BY POPULATION CATEGORIES

New Year’s Celebration Reunion Tower, Dallas

Art Festival | Small Market Paint the Town/Streetfest 2021, Marble Falls

Place To Dance Luckenbach

Resort La Cantera Resort & Spa, San Antonio Revitalization Baytown Nature Center

Boutique Hotel | Small Market Walden Retreats Hill Country, Johnson City Boutique Hotel | Big Market Archer Hotel Austin

Shopping District Downtown Fredericksburg

Brewery | Small Market Save the World Brewing Co, Marble Falls

Tacos Fresh Caught Mahi Tacos on the Beach, South Padre Island

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Travel Promoter/Influencer Javier Wallace, Austin

Destination Marketing Campaign | Small Market Marble Falls Visitor Guide

Winery Pedernales Cellars, Stonewall

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Enchanted Rock, Fredericksburg

Destination Social Media Account | Big Market Visit Austin @visitaustintx Event | Small Market Paint the Town/Streetfest 2021, Marble Falls Event | Mid Market II Texas Wine Month, Texas Hill Country Wineries Event | Big Market Visit Austin’s ChefsFeed Farmers Market | Mid Market II New Braunfels Farmers Market Food City | Small Market Granbury Food Festival or Series | Small Market Taste of Rockport-Fulton Restaurant Weeks

Food Festival or Series | Big Market Visit Austin’s Best Seat in the House Holiday Event | Small Market Holiday Sandcastle Village & Light Show, South Padre Island Holiday Event | Mid Market II A Tuna Christmas, Boerne Hotel | Big Market Thompson Dallas Museum/Cultural Institution | Small Market Museum of the Big Bend, Alpine Museum/Cultural Institution | Mid Market II

Admiral Nimitz Museum at the National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredericksburg

Museum/Cultural Institution | Big Market Blanton Museum of Art, Austin Music Festival | Small Market Viva Big Bend, Alpine Music Festival | Mid Market II Bob Wills Fiddle Festival and Contest, Greenville Music Series | Mid Market II Americana Music Jam, New Braunfels

Public Art Display | Big Market The George Hotel, College Station Public Art Display | Small Market Alpine Downtown Murals Public Park | Small Market Johnson Park, Marble Falls Public Park | Mid Market II Jenkins Park, Baytown

Music Series | Big Market Visit Austin’s Best Seat in the House Live Music Edition

Restaurant | Small Market Neighbor’s Kitchen & Yard, Bastrop

Public Art Display | Mid Market II Georgetown Public Arts Program

Restaurant | Mid Market I Hippie Chic’s River Shack, Concan

Restaurant | Big Market Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, San Antonio Visitor Center | Small Market The Marble Falls Visitor Center Visitor Center | Mid Market I Fredericksburg Visitor Information Center Visitor Center | Big Market Austin Visitor Center Wedding Venue | Big Market Thompson Dallas

Restaurant | Mid Market II The Golden Rule, Georgetown

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

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Eat + Drink I NSI D E / PL A NT- BASE D GROW TH p. 60 / H OLIDAY D IN IN G p. 62 / POLVORON ES p. 62

From Bagels to Beer olland Lawrence and Marc Fogelsong never intended to be known for wood-fired bagels. When the owners of Wild Barley Kitchen Co. started talking about opening a business together more than 10 years ago, they envisioned a brewpub with craft beer.

In their new brick-and-mortar location in the former Taco Garage on Broadway, the pair now specializes in both bagels and beer, plus wood-fired pizzas that are baked on the same hand-built oven as the bagels. “We wanted to have the capability to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner—that’s where the sourdough came in,” Fogelsong says. “The beer, bagels and pizza all have a common thread. It’s all tied together through fermentation.”

The friends, who met at Texas A&M University in College Station, admit there was a steep learning curve when they started making pizza and bagels in their food trailer two years ago. “We had never baked mass numbers of bagels, and we were doing it wrong for a while,” Fogelsong says. They’ve since learned the art of wood-fired dough, fermenting it for 48 hours while paying close attention to the oven’s ultra-hot temps. “My experience in the brewing world meant that I understood yeast, which helped and propelled us because yeast acts in a similar way no matter what you do,” says Lawrence, former head brewer at Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling.

The restaurant serves a rotating list of other company’s beers for now, but they plan to launch the brewing arm of their business by the end of the year. Lawrence says they’ll likely always have a lager and a hoppy American IPA available, and he expects to also brew a few seasonal beers each month. The food trailer helped the pair survive the pandemic, but they’re hopeful the restaurant will offer food, drinks and an experience. “We just hope people know that we are passionate about what we do,” Lawrence says.—KP

COURTESY WILD BARLEY KITCHEN CO.

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E AT + D R I N K / F O O D N EW S

Clockwise from top left: Mixed berry waffles with chikn at Hash Vegan Eats; a grilled chik'n Caesar wrap from Project Pollo; Glamaris Cakes’ vegan apple spice cake with vanilla buttercream, caramel drip and fresh figs; jackfruit barbacoa tacos by Plantaqueria

Vegan Boom The growing San Antonio plant-based food scene is becoming just as diverse as the city itself

BY KATHERINE STINSON

ogelio and Michael Sanchez started Hash (Heal and Spread Healing) Vegan Eats out of a own desire to live healthier. Rogelio says he’d decided to get sober alongside his brother after battling addiction, and veganism was a next step.

“I started to ride bikes and while riding I realized that I was more sluggish if I ate a big ol’ burger,” he says.

Like Sanchez, some eat vegan for health reasons, others in support of the environment and animals, and still others out of curiosity about whether things like vegan fried “chikn” can taste like the real thing. Whatever the reason, an increasing number of locals looking for plantbased options has led to an explosion of vegan menus.

San Antonio is not alone. Nationwide, the plant-based food market grew almost twice as fast as the total U.S. retail food market in 2020, according to data from the Plant Based Foods Association.

At Hash, the menu is 100 percent plant-based and alcohol-free, featuring buffalo chikn hash, “phish” tacos, mixed berry waffles, CBD-infused teas and more. “We don’t want you to come in thinking you’re going to eat a boring salad or block of tofu,” Sanchez says. “We want to give you something better than you ever expected.”

Chef Sofia Maria Renteria has the same goal at her Plantaqueria pop-up, which launched in 2020, selling

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vegan tamales, carne asada and jackfruit barbacoa tacos meant to taste just as good as traditional Mexican dishes.

Even Thanksgiving can be enjoyed vegan-style, says Urban Soul owner Tia Rodriguez, who offers vegan holiday feasts. Many of her customers tell her they, like her, are seeking plant-based foods for health reasons.

Project Pollo founder Lucas Bradbury says while health and sustainability drive some to fully vegan eating, a survey they conducted found that 79 percent of customers aren’t vegan or vegetarian, they simply want to eat some plant-based food. The San Antonio–based vegan chicken eatery opened just over a year ago and has since grown to include nine restaurants in Texas. Bradbury hopes to have 100 Project Pollos by 2024, offering a vegan alternative to Chick-fil-A. “The future of consumption in fast food is plant-based. Period,” he says.

Still, Adrian Messina and Gene Liguori know there are plenty of vegan skeptics. It’s the reason they hired a nonvegan chef to help them curate the menu at their new Verve Pie in Cibolo. They say they’re “rescuing animals one slice at a time,” but also just serving really good pizza.

Glamaris Cakes founder Amaris Garcia admits even she had doubts about making delicious vegan baked goods, but she found with some creativity, the vegan alternative can taste just as good—or better.

PHOTOS BY MARTY MORRIS

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E AT + D R I N K / T H E G U I D E

Thanksgiving. We promise you’ll be glad you planned ahead. 6002 Broadway, 210-8203838, coopersmeatmarket.com

BIGA ON THE BANKS (Downtown) Thanks-

giving brunch has been a tradition at this River Walk institution for two decades. Past menus have included starters like deviled eggs with caviar and smoked salmon nachos plus more traditional dishes, including prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, bacon sourdough stuffing and fall desserts, such as butternut squash cheesecake. Reservations are required and are open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the holiday. 203 S. St. Mary’s St., 210-225-0722, biga.com BOILER HOUSE (Pearl) Cracklin’ green beans, corn casserole and whipped potatoes—there are few better places for comforting sides than this Pearl restaurant. Order a family meal to-go and savor it at home or make reservations to dine in on Thanksgiving, or any day. Walk off some of the calories afterward on the Museum Reach of the River Walk nearby. 312 Pearl Pkwy., Bldg. 3, 210354-4644, boilerhousesa.com BOUDRO’S (Downtown) Make reservations

for Thanksgiving or visit on another day to enjoy classics done well by executive chef Danny Ibarra. The daily menu features prime rib with garlic mashers and veggies, beef tenderloin with grilled lobster tail and bread pudding with whiskey sauce. During past holidays, Boudro’s has offered a prix fixe menu with choices like achiote butter-basted turkey with sage, sausage and apple dressing plus sweet potato pecan pie. 421 E. Commerce St., 210-224-8484, boudros.com COOPER’S MEAT MARKET (Alamo Heights)

Holiday meals are available for pick up and include the choice of roasted, fried or smoked turkey, prime beef, hickory ham or pork. Don’t forget sides of sweet potato mashers, green beans with bacon or chorizo and red pepper stuffing, plus desserts like bourbon pecan, apple crumb or pumpkin pie. Orders must be picked up the day before

THE COUNTY LINE BAR-B-Q (Downtown, Northwest) Order peppered turkey breast in bulk to complement your own sides at home or opt for the full meal and make reservations to dine in or pick up turkey, garlic mashed red skin potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans and more. 111 W. Crocket St., Ste. 104, 210-229-1941; 4334 Hyatt Place Drive, 210-641-1998, countyline.com EARL ABEL’S (Pearl) Skip the cooking while

still celebrating the holiday at home thanks to this eatery’s family meal packages. Its turkey meal for four includes roasted turkey breast, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberry relish. There’s also a full slate of single entrée options available to enjoy on-site or to-go this Thanksgiving, plus a plethora of pies that are worth the trip in their own right. 1639 Broadway, 210-4449424, earlabelssa.com MAX & LOUIE’S NEW YORK DINER (Central) Traditional roasted turkey dinners with mashed potatoes, vegetables and cranberry sauce are available any day but can also be ordered ahead of time to take home for Thanksgiving. Want a twist on the traditional? Consider an open-faced roast turkey sandwich or corned beef and cabbage with all of the classic sides. 226 W. Bitters Road, Ste. 126, 210-483-7600, maxandlouiesdiner.com MI TIERRA CAFÉ & BAKERY (Downtown)

Skip the traditional turkey for a Mexican-style feast at this Market Square staple. Whether you order a holiday special (past offerings have included a turkey entrée with mole) or a Mexican dinner with a cheese enchilada and beef taco, a meal is always cause for celebration at Mi Tierra. 218 Produce Row, 210-2251262, mitierracafe.com Restaurants' service and menus can change. Please call ahead to confirm. For our full directory of San Antonio restaurants, visit sanantoniomag.com/restaurants-bars.

OFF MENU News from the restaurant scene

Chris Cullum is opening Cullum’s Attaboy in the former home of Golden Wat Noodle House. / The couple behind Local Coffee Founders opened Kineapple, a health-focused restaurant, in the Pearl Bottling Dept. / Amaretti Coffee, which specializes in authentic Indian Masala chai and coffee, opened on Broadway in the former home of Brown Coffee. / Burger Boy has a new restaurant in Live Oak near Ikea. / The veteran behind @SATX Rated is opening a franchise of San Antonio–based Big Hops in New Braunfels. / Austin’s Carnitas El Guero opened a location on Culebra Road. / Second Pitch Beer Co. won a gold medal for its Hometown Lager at the U.S. Open Beer Championship while Roadmap Brewing Co. earned a bronze for its Craven Cottage Scottish Ale.

Is there a Mexican pastry that you crave and where do you go to find it?

Only one? I love dipping conchas in café de olla or hot Mexican chocolate, and I rarely say no to flaky orejas (ears) and churros. But my go-to treats are crumbly polvorones, usually known as Mexican wedding cookies. Where do I get these goodies? I usually run to Bedoy’s Bakery because it’s good and there’s a location near my house. When I have time to plan a visit, it’s La Panadería because they’re amazing. Have a question for our resident foodie?

Email asked@sanantoniomag.com.

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8 Restaurants for Thanksgiving Fare

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FINAL THOUGHT

¡Ay San Antonio, Como te Amo Caray!

Artist Daniela Oliver de Portillo loves San Antonio, a place that has been home for nearly 20 years, and says there is no more perfect city for a native Mexican to truly settle into the United States

rom the moment I arrived with my family in San Antonio from Mexico City in 2003, I was surrounded by familiar sights and sounds. I remember the comfort and ease I felt as I explored American life. The city’s large Hispanic community meant there was always someone to provide recommendations for food, goods and entertainment, which made me feel like I was back home in Mexico.

In the years since, I’ve discovered San Antonio’s connection to Mexico and to Latin America is represented throughout the city.

The Central Library was designed by famed Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, the Antorcha de la Amistad (Torch of Friendship) sculpture is by Mexican artist Sebastián and the McNay Art Museum (where I worked for nearly a decade) has a vast collection of Mexican modernist prints and drawings. Not to mention the countless performances by Mexican and Latin American artists at our various musical venues. The fact that most cultural institutions have wall texts and brochures in both English and Spanish is recognition that

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Spanish speakers are a part of our community and that we are welcomed and appreciated.

I love that in San Antonio, I don’t feel like I need to give up who I was to become who I am.

I met my husband, who is also from CDMX (Mexico City), here. We are such a fit that I joke it’s like I put an ad in the paper that read: “San Antonio resident seeks a Spanish speaking husband, because I don’t fight in English.”

Now a mother of two young boys, I could not be more delighted that my children are growing up with a fantastic duality of cultures.

We can go to Casa Dulce Dulcería and pick out piñatas and candy for their birthdays, see a mariachi show at a local music venue, get chiles en nogada from Marioli Catering, find ingredients at La Michoacana Meat Market and eat authentic pan dulce at La Panadería.

I am excited knowing my children will have the ability to code-switch back and forth from their culture of origin to the one of their country of birth, and I am hopeful they will be proud of it. Here, I am delighted that I can say to my children, “Te amo” or “I love you,” and they’ll always know it’s the same.

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NOVEMBER 2021

ART BY DANIELA OLIVER DE PORTILLO

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SAN ANTONIO MAGAZINE NOVE M B E R 202 1

M EXICAN FOOD / DIA D E LOS M U ERTOS

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