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Eater
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
How to Spend 24 Hours Dining and Drinking in San Antonio
Blessed with revered landmarks like the Alamo and theme parks like Six Flags, San Antonio has long been one of Texas's favorite day trip destinations. In recent years, however, the visitor experience has changed vastly. Stumbling around the chain restaurants in the River Walk is out; lingering over an aged bavette is in. A new generation of restaurants like Ladino and Best Quality Daughter centered around Downtown has enhanced the city's surfeit of Tex-Mex. And now, the buzz comes from elegant cocktail bars and new-school ice houses. Whether in town for a quick overnight stay or lingering over an entire weekend, here's the ultimate guide on how to spend at least 24 hours dining and drinking in San Antonio. 8 a.m. Coffee at Gravves Coffee Less for early risers than those who stayed up all night, this coffee shop offers a hangover-friendly black interior and a welcoming, unchipper staff. Along with the usual espresso drinks and cold brews, the funereal parlor pours appropriately goth specialty drinks. The ghostly black sesame latte blends activated charcoal and milk, and the swampy Forest Dweller adds pandan. Food is usually limited to a few spooky pastries, but the business frequently hosts morning pop-ups. 10:30 a.m. Breakfast/Brunch at Con Huevos Taco It's impossible to drive through San Antonio without passing by incredible taquerias, but this Dignowity Hill staple merits a slight detour East. The pillowy flour tortillas wrap up fillings like buttery scrambled eggs, thick bacon, carne guisada, and creamy avocados. Those who don't have room for an afternoon nap window can go for the lighter Lupe — calabazas, black beans, and queso fresco on a spinach and nopales tortilla. Either way, greet the morning with a peppery Michelada or refreshing Topo Chico preparado on the brightly painted picnic tables. 2 p.m. Lunch at the Newstand Sandwiches are lunch classics for a reason, but it is challenging to settle for a fast food log while this Broadway shop ups the ante. Chef Page Pressley starts with house-baked focaccia, then loads the halves with imaginative toppings. There's the Parisian, which is stuffed with white asparagus, truffle honey, Parmesan, arugula, and a black pepper custard, and the Chronicle, whipped roasted beet root creme cheese, sheeted and dressed beet root, hazelnuts, sprouts, fine herbs. The wildest ride is the Gazzette, an improbable mix of stracciatella, mortadella, seasonal fruit, pistachio butter, and arugula. The interior has a contemporary edge, too, with sleek marble and blond wood. An attached vintage store gives diners something to do while waiting for their order. 5 p.m. Happy Hour at Little Death Located in a former service station and graffitied with psychedelic murals, this tiny bottle shop and bar is one of San Antonio's few spots to buy low-intervention wine. Amateur oenophiles shouldn't worry about snobbery: The counter staff can advise based on a favored grape or a vague vibe. Expected wine bar snacks like nuts and cheese make up the permanent window, but the Airstream trailer on site partners with local chefs to offer everything from raw oysters to Palestinian fare. This cozy New American restaurant is the centerpiece of Pullman Market, the Pearl District's food hall and grocer from Austin's acclaimed Emmer and Rye Hospitality Group. The wood-fired menu focuses on Texas ingredients like reserve Akaushi steaks and heritage breed chickens. Expect to find more mischief in the snacks section, where the kitchen features two-bite wonders like buttermilk pie with mustard greens and fennel. If ending the evening early, stop by the wood-paneled lounge for a nightcap like the Midnight Mass, a riff on an espresso martini infused with raspberry miso and yogurt whey. For comforting cuisine that gives a snapshot of San Antonio's culture, consider Best Quality Daughter. As much of an art project as a restaurant, BQD began as a series of pop-ups exploring Chinese American identity. The food, however, never feels academic. Chef and owner Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin turns out witty pan-Asian surprises such as Korean corn cheese egg rolls, mochi cheddar hush puppies, dan dan noodles tossed with wagyu guisada, and a drunken noodle dripping in red curry mole. Even the drinks get inventive, with boozy boba and cleverly named cocktails, like the Over My Dad Body, a combination of Toki Japanese whisky, gentian liqueur, lemongrass syrup, and Thai spice bitters. The Victorian veranda has plenty of outdoor seats for lolling away sunny days, but the four Chinoiserie wallpaper-wrapped dining rooms glow brighter. San Antonio has two days of winter and a thousand days of summer, making chilly desserts a lifeline when the thermometer glows an angry red. This Austin-based mini-chain is a fitting coda to any summertime dinner. The most balmy days call for the pucker of a grapefruit paloma cone made with tequila and a hint of sea salt. Should San Antonio's nightlife scene beckon, power up with an affogato made with local honey and a Madagascar vanilla scoop. 11 p.m. Late Night: Decisions, Decisions Rave into the wee hours at 1912 Nightclub, housed in a historic train station that once served as Selena's 'No Me Queda Mas' video set. Stick to St. Mary's Strip for bar-hopping, where visitors can stumble into honky tonk Lonesome Rose, tiki favorite Holy Diver, and raucous bar Midnight Swim. Should hunger pangs strike, cheeky Downtown smash burger joint Pumpers keeps the party going until midnight. Stroll through the Japanese Tea Garden: This historic park is one of San Antonio's most breathtaking selfie spots. The grounds, converted from a limestone quarry in the early 20th century, include charming stone bridges, a 60-foot waterfall, and spacious ponds filled with hundreds of koi. Those with limited mobility can take advantage of the upper garden by ramp, but the lower garden requires stairs. Shop at Pearl: Adapted from the former site of the Pearl Brewing Company, this mixed-use development nestles some of the city's most unique boutiques among its restaurants and bars. Pick up a bespoke guayabera at Dos Carolinas, stock up on artisan home goods at Rancho Diaz, or browse literary fiction at the Twig Book Shop. On the weekend, take advantage of the farmers' market. Catch a show at Paper Tiger: This mostly outdoor venue books some of the most well-known indie acts in the city, but the weekly lineups are a chance to discover emerging artists. The eclectic schedule pays little mind to genre, making room for country, metal, hip-hop, dream pop, and goth rock. Get a chill up your spine with Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours: Over its more than 300-year history, San Antonio has collected more than a few things that go bump in the night. Visit some of its more notable former citizens during this theatrical tour. Ghost hunters can pick from two experiences: a walking tour downtown or a bus tour venturing through a historic cemetery. Cheer on the San Antonio Spurs: Win or lose, the San Antonio Spurs have one of the most loyal fan bases of any NBA team. When the season ends, the Frost Bank Center also hosts the San Antonio FC and the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. If staying more than 24 hours, these hotels are near San Antonio's cultural, dining, and nightlife hubs. For a truly luxe experience, book an evening at this Pearl District anchor, renovated from Pearl's former brewhouse. The well-appointed rooms are steps away from San Antonio standard-bearers like Brasserie Mon Chou Chou, Ladino, Full Goods Diner, and dessert tasting menu restaurant Nicosi. The hotel itself includes an upscale restaurant, Supper; the chic and bustling bar, Sternewirth; and a library lounge just for guests. Named for its Mediterranean Revival architectural style popular in Cuba in the 1910s, this River Walk boutique hotel is from the Bunkhouse team, who are also behind Marfa's El Cosmico and Mexico City's Hotel San Fernando. Amenities include Ocho, a stunning glasshouse conservatory restaurant overlooking the River Walk; a speakeasy-style bar; and serape robes. Squeezed between Downtown and artsy Southtown, this new kid on the block offers contemporary amenities like a fitness room, complimentary city bikes, and a heated rooftop pool. The onsite Dean's Steaks and Seafood impresses with a 19th-century schoolhouse atmosphere and decadent raw bar. The largest pool Downtown is serviced by Anaqua, its adjacent bar that delivers tropical cocktails and bites with Japanese and Latin influences. The wellness concierge at the spa can recommend services such as dark chocolate wraps, radiofrequency stimulation, or holistic manicures. See More:
San Francisco Chronicle
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Wes Anderson created a ‘Phoenician Scheme' immersive experience at S.F.'s Alamo Drafthouse
If you ever wondered what it's like to be inside a Wes Anderson movie, well, you likely will still be wondering after exploring 'The Phoenician Scheme Immersive Experience.' The new installation at the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission unveiled Wednesday, June 4, as part of a promotion for the new film ' The Phoenician Scheme ' is more of a vibe than an immersion. But it's admittedly ambitious and kinda fun. The display at the San Francisco movie house comes just two days before Anderson's latest star-studded project opens in theaters on Friday, June 6, and will be up through June 20. Developed by Alamo and Focus Features, the distributor of the film, the installation was created with input from the director himself along with the film's production designer, Adam Stockhausen, and set decorator, Anna Pinnock. The movie, which stars Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and many others, is set in the 1950s and is among Anderson and co-writer Roman Coppola's sweetest films. Mike Sampson, Alamo Drafthouse's director of field marketing, noted that an installation based on Anderson's last movie, ' Asteroid City ' (2023), was created for the Alamo Drafthouse in New York, but the production design of 'The Phoenician Scheme' demanded an older theater. The New Mission at 2550 Mission St. was built in 1916 and was renovated into an Alamo Drafthouse cinema in 2015. 'We realized that the aesthetics of the film really matched the ornate architecture here in New Mission, and we knew it might be a tougher ask to say that we wanted it to be exclusive here,' Sampson said. 'But once we showed (Focus) the space and did a video walk-through with them, they immediately bought into the vision, and they were on board with having it here and having an exclusive.' Spanning two floors, 'The Phoenician Scheme Immersive Experience' includes recreations of a train used by characters played by Hanks and Bryan Cranston, and part of the plane used by the billionaire played by del Toro. The New Mission also is featuring a cocktail menu inspired by the film, with concoctions such as Espresso Human Rights (Casamigos Reposado Tequila, Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur, almond orgeat, Averna Amaro and cold brew coffee) and the Hemingway Daiquiri (Don Q Cristal rum, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, pressed lime and grapefruit juices, and a cherry).
San Francisco Chronicle
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Alamo Drafthouse to open its two largest theaters in the Bay Area
Monsters and robots are invading the South Bay. But don't be alarmed — it's part of the largest expansion in the 28-year history of the Alamo Drafthouse. The Austin-based dine-in movie theater chain, acquired last year by Sony Pictures, is scheduled to open venues at San Antonio Center in Mountain View on Monday, June 16, and at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara on June 23. Each will debut with three 'training days' to get staff acclimated. The soft opening features 25% off food and nonalcoholic beverages. The first week's lineup at each theater includes big summer movies such as ' How to Train Your Dragon, 'Elio,' '28 Years Later,' ' Materialists,' 'F1' and 'M3gan 2.0,' as well as special programming. Tickets are on sale now at (Pro tip: To find your desired theater location, you must first select which movie you want to see — the easiest way is to click on the calendar.) Opening day at Mountain View includes a sing-along movie party of ' Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping ' (2016), which features Berkeley natives Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, aka the Lonely Island. Alamo, which now has three Bay Area locations after opening San Francisco's New Mission location a decade ago, is taking over theaters previously operated by ShowPlace Icon, which closed both venues last summer after its parent company, Kerasotes Theatres, shut down after 115 years in business. The new theaters will become the largest in the chain's history. The Valley Fair location (2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 2160) occupies 62,228 square feet on two levels, while its Mountain View space (2575 California St., Suite 99), takes up 50,700 square feet on two levels. Each has 10 screens, with the biggest three featuring Barco 4K laser projection with Dolby Atmos audio. 'We see a ton of potential in these spaces,' said John Smith, Alamo's West Coast marketing director during a preview at the Mountain View location last month. 'We know we've got a mix that works, and we know that we understand this market from our experience in San Francisco, and that we can really elevate the bones of what was set up here into something pretty special.' About those monsters and robots. Alamo Drafthouse is famed for decorating its theater lobbies with specially themed displays attached to special programming — the New Mission currently has ' The Phoenician Scheme Immersive Experience,' in celebration of Wes Anderson's latest movie, through June 20. Mountain View will be decked out in a robotics-themed design, complete with a specialty bar called Dumbots, and include programming such as James Cameron's ' Terminator ' films, Stanley Kubrick's ' 2001: A Space Odyssey ' and 'Dr. Strangelove,' as well as other classics such as ' Blade Runner,' ' Alphaville ' and ' WarGames.' Meanwhile, Japanese kaiju monsters will greet moviegoers at Valley Fair, which is scheduled to feature four weeks of Toho classics that include 'Destroy All Monsters,' 'Godzilla vs. Hedorah,' 'Gamera: Super Monster' and 'Mothra.' 'We definitely want to just throw some stuff on the wall and see what sticks and see if the audience is responsive,' said Jake Isgar, Alamo's head of alternative and specialty programming. 'We also want to explore what's worked in this market, like South Asian cinema — Telugu, Hindi and Bollywood cinema.' Scott Dunaway, who helped set up Valley Fair and ran Mountain View while with ShowPlace ICON, returns as Mountain View general manager for Alamo. He expects the South Bay locations to be popular for private events as well. 'We do events all the time in San Francisco,' said Dunaway, who has been in the industry for 33 years. 'Even in a slow month, we might do eight to 10 events ranging from a $3,000 event up to a $70,000 event, depending on what the client needs. That's all going to be available here and we're gonna be able to do it on a large scale.' To handle all this, the two theaters combined will provide up to 350 jobs. Hiring for both theaters continues at The staff buildout comes after Alamo announced layoffs across the chain in January. At last month's preview event, it was stressed that Alamo was determined to get both theaters open for what could be a bounce-back box office summer, and that while both are scheduled to open at venue capacity and with a full kitchen and bar — including 24 beers on tap — there will be ongoing remodeling and tweaking through the end of the year. 'We want people to come in and feel like it's more than just watching a movie,' said Mike Sampson, Alamo's director of field marketing. 'Obviously we have our bar and we have a full menu but then also we get to do really fun new and different things.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alamo Theater's Pride Month lineup includes David Bowie, Robin Williams, and Chucky
Alamo Theater's Pride Month lineup includes David Bowie, Robin Williams, and Chucky originally appeared on Bring Me The News. "High-femme" monsters, David Bowie, a queer neo-giallo, Nathan Lane, and... Chucky? It's Pride Month, and the Alamo Drafthouse in Woodbury is celebrating. The theater chain's lone Minnesota outpost says it's offering "essential LGBTQ+ cinema" throughout the month. While we can quibble about whether or not that "essential" label truly applies to all of the movies — ahem, Bride of Chucky — the theater is unquestionably celebrating with a series of films with LGBTQ+ stories at their heart. Here's what it's got on tap. June 11: Bride of Chucky (1998) June 15: The Birdcage (1996) June 16: Showgirls (1995) June 16: Knife + Heart (2018) June 23: The Hunger (1983) June 25 and 30: Frankenhooker (1990) Outside of the Pride series, the Alamo, like many other Twin Cities area theaters, is offering 20th anniversary screenings of Ang Lee's groundbreaking Brokeback Mountain (2005). At the Alamo, it'll play on June 20 and 22. On various dates, it'll also play at Marcus Cinema theaters and the Mann Edina Theatres. The Birdcage is getting some screen time around the Twin Cities this summer. It'll also play on June 17 at The Parkway Theater and again on July 17 at the Heights Theater. Additionally, the Alamo is bringing the very goofy B-movie Frankenhooker back later in the summer. That'll play on Aug. 2 and 3 at the Woodbury story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
Charleston immigrant community decries police, ICE raid of SC nightclub
Alejandra De La Vega, pictured on Friday, June 6, 2025, outside the Lonnie Hamilton Public Services Building in North Charleston. De La Vega was among those present but not arrested during a June 1 law enforcement raid of Alamo nightclub in Charleston County. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) NORTH CHARLESTON — After law enforcement arrested 80 people during a weekend sting operation at a nightclub in Charleston County, federal immigration officials claimed 'the community at large knew that there was nothing good going on at that establishment.' But for some people present during the 3 a.m. June 1 raid at the Alamo, that simply was not the case. For Alejandra De La Vega, the venue located just outside the town of Summerville, right along the Charleston and Dorchester county line, was a place to dance with friends. 'I went to Alamo to enjoy the night, just like many others,' she told reporters Friday. 'But instead of fun, it turned into fear and humiliation.' De La Vega had just stepped out of the restroom when she said police stormed in, guns drawn. Patrons were running and screaming, she said, as more officers streamed in and ordered people to the ground. 'It was chaos,' she said at the news conference outside the Lonnie Hamilton Public Services Building in North Charleston. County, state and federal law enforcement held and questioned the more than 200 people present at the club during the raid, dubbed 'Operation Last Stand,' for two hours, De La Vega said. The S.C. State Law Enforcement Division began investigating Alamo in November 2024 after receiving a tip about potential human trafficking at the venue, agency spokeswoman Renée Wunderlich told the SC Daily Gazette Friday. The Department of Homeland Security also got involved in the investigation at that time, she said. Later Friday, SLED announced criminal charges against two people, the club's 59-year-old owner, Benjamin Reyna-Flores of Hanahan, and a 44-year-old security guard at the club, Terone Lavince Lawson of North Charleston. Reyna-Flores faces multiple charges related to unlawful sale of alcohol. The club had no alcohol license. Lawson faces illegal gun and drug possession charges. According to warrants from SLED, Lawson had 2 grams of meth, an eight ball of cocaine, and less than a gram of psychedelic mushrooms in his van. Police also found a pair of handguns in the van, which Lawson cannot legally possess due to past convictions for burglary in 2008 and assault in 2003. Those arrested include two unidentified 'high-level cartel members' associated with the Mexico-based Los Zetas cartel and the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua gang and one person wanted by Interpol for murder in Honduras, said U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent Cardell Morant. Ten juveniles as young as 13 — including one reported as missing — as well as an unidentified number of potential human trafficking victims were at the club at the time of the raid. Law enforcement also reported seizing guns, cocaine and cash. In her retelling of events, De La Vega said police separated anyone with visible tattoos and photographed them. De La Vega, a transgender Latina woman who has lived in the United States since 2001, said officers questioned the validity of her state-issued I.D. card, as well as that of the transgender woman she was there with. De La Vega has legal residency status in the U.S. She was not arrested. But 80% of those arrested Sunday did not have legal status to be in the country. The vast majority were arrested on civil immigration charges, not criminal violations. Five people were arrested for criminal offenses, Morant said. Homeland Security confirmed to The Post & Courier that Sergio Joel Galo-Baca is the Honduran man wanted for international homicide. Beyond SLED's announcement Friday, no other names or list of charges have been released. Homeland Security officials have not responded to emails sent by the SC Daily Gazette. 'The narrative that's been put out by the sheriff, by the governor, by the attorney general, is that they are just trying to stop violent criminals, stop trafficking,' said Will McCorkle, a member of the Charleston Immigrant Coalition. 'But what they quickly overlook are the many innocent people that were detained and are now in the process of deportation for no real purpose.' Now, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, several families do not know where their family members are. They have searched their names online using Immigration and Customs Enforcement's database that people can use to locate the state and center where detainees are being held. But their family members' names have not shown up in the search, said Dulce Lopez, immigrant rights advocacy strategist for the ACLU. They can only assume, based on news reports, that their family members are at an ICE holding facility in Folkston, Georgia. 'That made me realize, how easily everything can be taken away,' De La Vega said. 'I keep thinking, what if I didn't have a legal status? What if I were detained and ripped away from my family?' 'My mom is my hero,' De La Vega continued. 'She came to this country and gave me and my siblings a better life. She raised us with love and sacrifice and with so much strength. We're really close, and I don't know what I would do if I was taken from her. No one should have lived with that fear.' Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie, during a news conference Monday, cited noise complaints at the club and reports of assaults in the parking lot. Outside of Sunday's raid, the sheriff's department responded to the club 13 other times since 2020 for calls including 'suspicious circumstances,' vandalism and one armed robbery, according to a call log provided by the department. Area business owners said their biggest issue in the last several months had been club goers parking on the side of the highway and in their parking lots after the club's lot filled up, leaving behind excessive trash and beer bottles after nearly every weekend. The nightclub did not have a license to sell alcohol. A group of faith and immigrant community leaders stressed that they do not condone criminal activity. 'But no one deserves to be treated as guilty by association,' said Lopez, of the ACLU. People have reason to be afraid, McCorckle said, citing the recent case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported in March to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Living in Maryland, Garcia had been protected from deportation by a 2019 judge's ruling that he likely faced gang persecution in his home country. The Trump administration has insisted Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, which Garcia denied. On Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Garcia was back in U.S. custody to face criminal charges in Tennessee related to human smuggling.
