The Good and the Bad

San Antonio is a good place to eat out. Rumor has it that the very best Mexican food in Texas is in San Antonio. (I think it is in San Antonio, but it is NOT on the Riverwalk.) But in addition to Mexican food, there are steak houses, seafood houses, barbecue places, burger joints, Irish and English pubs, Italian restaurants, and pizza. (You have to get off the Riverwalk if you want Asian food.)

We've got our favorites - we absolutely must eat at Boudro's at least once per trip. Same for Landry's Seafood - and we typically try one or more places we've never been.

Zuni Grill is one of those places that we visit each trip, but always at breakfast for some reason. We typically share the smoked salmon and bagel. But this time Mark was not in the mood to share that. He wanted bacon and eggs. I don't do breakfast eggs. Hard-boiled eggs chopped up in salads are fine. Deviled eggs are fine. But scrambled, over-easy, or poached eggs are just things I don't eat. I opted for a side order of breakfast potatoes, a side order of toast and a side order of bacon. All in all, our little group of four had ordered BACON and eggs, sausage and eggs, BACON and breakfast potatoes, and BACON, breakfast potatoes and toast. Let's count the number of times someone said BACON. That would be three. When the food came out, the men got their bacon and eggs and sausage and eggs, Linda got her breakfast potatoes and I got my breakfast potatoes and toast. Linda and I looked at each other and then at our waitress, who said "Your bacon will be right out." Okay, that worked for me. Mark offered to loan me a piece of his bacon. I'm glad I took him up on his offer because it took five minutes for Linda's bacon to arrive and I never did get mine. When everyone else had finished their meals I informed the waitress that she could cancel my bacon because I rather wanted it while everyone else was eating, not after. Then she asked if an order of bacon had come out. (Yes, but only one.) Then she said she hadn't charged us for any. ("Excuse me, three of us ordered it and you only heard it once?") She proceeded to tell me that she was very good at her job and that she didn't make mistakes and that she hadn't charged us for any bacon even though she'd sent out an extra order. -- I was wondering what had prompted her to say, "Your bacon will be right out" if she was under the impression that no one had ordered any. But I was on vacation and not inclined to argue with a waitress about how well she does her job. I got to vote with the reduced tip. And when Mark suggested going back there another day, I got to vote again with an "I don't think so."

We also ate at Schilo's Deli. Our lunch was good and we went back for breakfast the next day. We also had dinner at Landry's Seafood. Food and service were both good and we decided to go back the next night for the happy hour food specials. ($5 peel and eat shrimp, fried calamari and bacon-wrapped shrimp. - More than one way to get bacon.) We also went to LaMargarita in Market Square. As always, great food - some of the best. And if you like Mariachi bands - one comes by your table several times to see if you'd like them to serenade you. (I almost never do.)

On New Year's Eve we had lunch at Waxy O'Connor's Irish pub. Mark and James had chicken wings - no noticeable difference between medium and super-hot. I think they only make one variety and serve it up regardless of whether the order is for mild, medium or hot. Linda and I had cups of potato leek soup. It was more bland than if it had come out of a can. I suspect they opened a can of potato soup and threw in a couple slices of over-cooked leek. But this lunch was worth every penny we paid. (Since the wait time had been well over 30 minutes, the waiter went to check on it and came back to report that the kitchen had delivered it. To someone else it seems. So they offered to prepare more for us at no charge. I'd say the price was right.

Then on New Year's Eve we ate at Boudro's. It is still absolutely the best food on the Riverwalk - maybe in all of San Antonio. The steaks are to die for. The sides are wonderful and the service is attentive. We enjoy sitting outside, but the next time we'll ask not to be seated too close to the edge of Boudro's space. The problem is that it butts up against a cheap Mexican restaurant that caters to families and has children running amok, which can be somewhat distracting when you don't have your back to them.

But the biggest rip-off on the entire Riverwalk has to be Durty Nelly's Irish Pub. There is absolutely no reason in the world for a salad to cost $15. There is also no excuse for serving drinks in plastic cups unless it's poolside, which it is not. The piano player is okay, but he's not so good that I want to take out a mortgage to spend an evening in there stepping on peanut shells. Give me Boudro's, or Landry's, or Ostra (we missed that one this trip) or even the Hard Rock Cafe, any day.