Dishin' With SA Gold

Dishin' With

SAGOLD

WELCOME

By Alan Williams

Welcome to our inaugural edition of SA Gold! This is a project we have been wanting to create for a long time and we are thrilled with the results. We hope that SA Gold will be helpful in learning about San Antonio's incredible local restaurant scene and being a foodie in general.

Beverly and I teamed up with Jim and Susie LaFredo in the summer of 2021 to create WillFredo Enterprises and through this new business we have tons of new and exciting opportunities to explore.

In addition to this monthly publication and the SA Gold Club app., which allows members to get incredible savings at local restaurants, we also have started a new podcast called 'The More You Know, The Better It Tastes'.

The first few episodes have already been recorded including the first episode where Susie and I interview none other than Chef Andrew Weissman! Several episodes will be released soon. Keep an 'ear' out for them! We think they are really interesting, informative and fun!

We hope you will enjoy the information provided in this publication. Do not hesitate to let us know what you think.

Also, be sure to join the biggest restaurant foodie group in Texas! https://www.facebook.com/groups/sanantoniorestaurants

CONTACT US

ATTN: SA GOLD

awilliams@sa restaurants.com

slafredo@sa restaurants com

CONTRIBUTORS

Smashin' Crab, Mexico

Lindo Restaurants, RobertBrews, Rex Formal Wear, Alamo Biscuit Co , Las Guitarras Cocina

Mexicana and In Contrada Vineyard & Kitchen, Special Thank you to Gold Club Member Tracy Smith

SUBSCRIPTIONS

SUBSCRIBE ONLINE

www.sa restaurants.com

FOLLOW SA GOLD https://issuu.com/sanan toniorestaurants

Alan & Beverly Williams Restaurant Enthusiasts & Creators of San Antonio Restaurants FB Group

I recently returned from a week-long trip to Washington, DC. While there, I ate at some really good restaurants including two with Michelin awards! There are 24 Washington, DC restaurants with Michelin stars. San Antonio has tons of great restaurants plus some amazing chefs, so why don’t we have any restaurants with Michelin stars? Come to think of it, there aren’t any restaurants in the State of Texas with a Michelin star! Before getting angry about it, I did some quick research, and I learned that there really is no conspiracy to dishonor Texas -- but what I did learn was quite interesting.

Michelin stars are awarded through The Michelin Guide, which is part of the Michelin Tire Company. And the Michelin Tire Company has been publishing the Michelin Guide since 1900. Two French brothers, Andre and Edouard Michelin, founded the tire company in 1889, and later began publishing a free guide to encourage more people to hit the road.

Why Are There No Michelin Star Restaurants in Texas?

The more you drive, the more often you need new tires! The guide included maps, and listed gas stations, tire shops, hotels, and restaurants along the way.

According to the Michelin Guide website, the guidebook changed around 1920. For two decades, all that information came at no cost. Then a fateful encounter occurred that remains a favorite anecdote of the company that that is still told today. The story goes that one day, Andre Michelin stopped at a tire shop. To his horror, he saw his beloved guide book being used to prop up a workbench! Based on the principle that, “man only truly respects what he pays for,” a brand-new MICHELIN Guide was launched in 1920, and sold for seven francs." https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/about-us

The restaurant portion of the new guidebook became extremely popular, so the brothers began separating restaurants by category and then recruited a group of “secret diners” to rate each restaurant. Michelin still uses these mystery diners, or restaurant inspectors (as they are known today) to rate restaurants.

The ratings system they use is as follows:

1 Star - Worth a stop along the way

2 Star - Worth a detour

3 Star - So good it is worthy of being named a destination.

When a restaurant inspector visits a restaurant, they author a comprehensive report about the full dining experience. The focus is on the quality of the food served; however they also take note of the presentation, plating, quality of service, and the proficiency of culinary techniques.

In 1997, the Michelin Guide added one more level of achievement -- the Bib Gourmand. Bib Gourmand is named after the friendly Michelin Tire mascot, also known as the Michelin Man, Bibendum. The Bib Gourmand is awarded to restaurants that provide excellent quality, and substantial value. Though it is not a star, it is just as esteemed a rating.

Michelin currently publishes guidebooks for cities in 28 countries around the world. In the United States, a guidebook is published for New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, and the State of California. There are almost 200 restaurants in the United States with at least one Michelin Star. While it is true that no Michelin star restaurant exists in Texas, the reason is simple. Michelin does not publish a guidebook in Texas!

So after researching the subject, I feel better and I feel certain there is no conspiracy against the Lone Star State. In fact, I did some additional research, and I found that even though San Antonio doesn’t have any Michelin star restaurants -- neither New York, Chicago, Washington DC nor the entire State of California has any San Antonio Restaurants Gold Approved restaurants! So there!

Reasons to Eat Local

There are many reasons to support our great local restaurants. We at San Antonio Restaurants encourage you to break the chain. Eat healthier, fresher, and usually better by supporting communityfoodpurveyors!

By Alan Williams

Chain restaurants certainly have their place. In 2011, we spent almost two weeks exploring Spain. While we absolutely loved the local food, after being gone that long, we craved good ol’ American comfort food! On the way home we had a layover in Chicago, and we were so excited to see a Chili’s in the airport. That greasy cheeseburger never tasted so good!

However, for the most part I prefer local, independent restaurants, and here is a short list of reasons:

1.The Chef Artist - Local restaurants are not held to corporate menus or recipes of some faraway executive team. Local Chefs are free to create new dishes based on what is seasonally available, fresh, and at its best price – but most of all, it’s what they feel like making that day. I consider a good Chef an artist, and the art they create is begging to be consumed. A cook in a chain restaurant can seldom, if ever, do that.

2. Local Jobs –

While it’s true that chain restaurants usually hire the internal staff locally, the produce, proteins, bakery items and many other things can be sourced from anywhere. Much of the foods we eat in America are massproduced and/or imported from other countries. A local restaurant is much more likely able to support a local farmer, rancher or gardener, and many other area entrepreneurs.

3.Taxes - The money you spend in a restaurant is taxed the same as most other goods or services, whether you consume your food at a chain or at a Mom & Pop. But think about the other parts of the supply process – if a restaurant is buying ingredients locally, the tax stays local. From delivery drivers, farmers, printshops that print menus, to artists that provide the décor- all that tax money stays local, and therefore continues to benefit the community.

4.Eating at Local Restaurants is Usually Heathier – There is no doubt that eating fresh food is healthier than prepackaged, frozen goods. Plus, fresh means more flavor. Try asking the cook at a large chain restaurant where any of his vegetables come from. I seriously doubt one could tell you. Alternatively, ask someone like Chef Steven McHugh of Cured and Landrace – and he most certainly can tell you. In most cases, he probably spent time at the farms, gardens, and ranches where his food is sourced from. Even smaller Mom & Pop places like Bobbie’s Café use local resources whenever possible. The reason their chicken fried steak is so tender is

because Owner/Chef Greg Ferris buys the meat from a nearby ranch. He knows the rancher personally and knows how and where the meat is processed. It’s details like that these make a difference!

5.The Environment – Since local ingredients travel shorter distances, less fuel is used, and less exhaust is released into the atmosphere. The shorter delivery distance often means less food waste/spoilage from being shipped long distances. Additionally, less packaging is required to move the food short distances, thus there is less plastic waste.

So, you see there are many reasons to support our great local restaurants. We at San Antonio Restaurants encourage you to break the chain. Eat healthier, fresher, and usually better by supporting community food purveyors!

Susie LaFredo Restaurant Enthusiast & San Antonio Restaurants Marketing Partner

As many of you know, San Antonio Restaurants has the largest community of restaurant lovers on Facebook with 120,000+ members & followers across our social platforms and this number is growing daily.

We recently chose 45+ restaurants and awarded them with the title of Gold Approved.

The criteria for this title were based on being a locally owned restaurant, popularity in the restaurant group, food quality and great service. Many of the restaurants chosen boast scratch kitchens and are chef owned. The great things is, we are adding new local restaurants every month.

We know that people are going out to eat so we wanted to create something that would save people money and would support the great local restaurants in San Antonio.

San Antonio Restaurants Launches the SA Restaurants Gold Club!

SA Restaurants Gold Club Members have access to over 150 exclusive savings, deals and free perks at the Gold Approved restaurants across San Antonio. These savings can be used anytime throughout the year and new savings are being added to the Club every month.

Many of the savings are worth anywhere between $8.00 to $15.00 a visit, with some restaurants offering $25.00+ savings when Gold Club members eat at their restaurants. The extremely popular Max and Louie’s New York Diner is even offering a Speed Pass to use when there is a long wait to move to the front of their waitlist!

The Gold Club is only $8.88 per month and typically pays for itself the very first time it is used.

The culinary scene in San Antonio is exploding with talent and so many amazing cuisines. If we can incentivize people to try out new local restaurants that they may not have tried otherwise by offering them exclusive savings, free appetizers, free desserts, buy one get one free, etc. then we are doing something great for everyone!

Join the club and start saving just for going out to eat! www.sa-restaurants.com

Chris Ruble

August 30, 2022

“Gold Club Membership already paid for itself!! Went to Las Guitarras Cocina Mexicana and we ordered 2 meals worth $18 ea and used my BOGO! Def worth it!!”

Ruthie Dy Wu

Sept. 2, 2022

“@brazabrava is part of the Gold Diner's Program and with the scratch and win, we got the free salad buying 2 entrées. A $12 freebie!......Everything was delightful!”

Matt Accardi August 9, 2022

“Buy 2 rolls, get 2 rolls free at Godai Sushi Bar and Restaurant. We saved over $30 with the perk AND got to chat with one of the coolest singing sushi chefs in town, Goro.”

Frances Jones August 28, 2022

“Another win for being a San Antonio Restaurant Gold Member! We ate at Panfila Cantina and Restaurant last night. Through the membership, we found a deal of, spend at least $50, get $20 off your bill!”

Torri Ellingwood

August 11, 2022

I signed up to be a San Antonio Gold Member, and since Alamo Biscuit Co is a Gold Approved restaurant, I was able to use the program there. I ended up with a scratch off game and won a free concha!

Nancy Davidson

September 6, 2022

“Sunday we went to Max and Louie's New York Diner. I used my San Antonio Restaurants Gold pass to go to the front of the line. It saved us 1 hour and 45 minutes!!....This alone was worthy of my membership!!!”

We love our Gold Members!

C L U B C O R N E R

H I G H L I G H T S M E M B E R

T R A C Y S M I T H !

I never wanted to put down roots in San Antonio. I went away to college in Austin, lived in Austin and Georgetown for a few years. Loved those places, but I always ended up drifting back, finally settling down here. So glad I did. Twenty-four years here and no plans to ever leave! I am blessed with a loving husband, two talented daughters, a vivacious grandson, and a fabulous job as an educator that all keep me movin' and groovin'!!

San Antonio is overflowing with so many cultures, beautiful people, and wonderful locally-owned places to eat. My husband, Wayne, and I always joke that we plan our vacations around the food we want to eat....but it's true! We decide what delicious tasties we want to explore, then plan all of our other ventures to fit around that food experience. Since becoming a member of the San Antonio Restaurants Group on Facebook, now we are doing the same thing here at home!!

We had our favorites, but through reading articles and about the experiences of others here in town, I had no idea what variety there was with the locally owned food establishments.

I L O V E M Y G O L D C L U B M E M B E R S H I P ! I ' V E

It's like traveling, but with the gift of getting to sleep in your own comfy bed at night.

The new Gold Diner's Club, with all of its discounts and perks, is like gold for local foodies. Some amazing places we have tried: Sari-Sari Supper Club, a modern flair on Filipino cuisine; Las Guitarras in Boerne, New Mexican delectibles with live classical guitar music; Sangria on the Burg, tasty gourmet bites with hand-crafted sangrias.

We love our city, we love supporting local restaurants. Come join the fun!!

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A L R E A D Y B E E N T O S O M E G R E A T L O C A L R E S T A U R A N T S A N D N O T O N L Y S A V E D M O N E Y B U T P A I D F O R M Y M E M B E R S H I P I N O N E R E S T A U R A N T V I S I T ! "

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