Luke: a Chef John Besh Restaurant

I love chef John Besh. Not only is he a James Beard winner, but he's a down to earth family man who also loves to help out the community . I had yet to try Luke (his first venture outside of Louisiana), so Italianini and I made our way to San Antonio's river walk.

Getting a table was no problem, the place was empty. There were maybe four tables in the huge dining room, and not a soul in the also large mezzanine or in the patio.

Service was formidable, didn't miss a beat. 
Here's the food:

Pâté of rabbit and quail livers
truffle-perfumed. And get this-- watermelon pickles, pickles, mustard, and nopalitos gelee. It was amazing.
I really enjoyed the sharp pickled bites mixed with the subtle and smooth flavors of the pate.

Jumbo Gulf shrimp “en cocotte”
McEwen and Sons creamy white corn grits. One of the more pricey items on the menu. Rich, soulful, filling, and delicious. Definitely feels like you're in Louisiana.

I had the Texas raised herb roasted chicken. It's served over whipped potatoes in its natural jus with bacon. Seriously? Do I even need to say anything else? 


The feel of the restaurant is not my favorite. The decor is really lacking, I just think the space is too big for what they are trying to accomplish... and, let's get real here, it connects to the Embassy Suites lobby. 

TRIBEZA Supper Club: Hotel Havana,San Antonio

It's not very often that I get a Sunday like this past Sunday:

The new Liz Lambert hotel on the San Antonio River Walk- Hotel Havana, a 5 course meal by Chef Jason Dady, a special Tribeza rate for dinner+hotel for 2, AND a seat next to George Elliman, a Lobbyist, his lovely wife, a make-up genius from RAE Cosmetics, and an entrepreneur helping the community with his elementary school side project (be on the look out for 'Little Green Thumbs'!).

We came down stairs to passed hors d'œuvres as big as my fist! That should have been my cue to pace myself...
And then...

Smoked trout with aioli,asparagus, and garlic chips

Coconut milk, curry, shrimp, shallots (I loved this because Chef said he never gets the chance to make it at his restaurants, but loves to make it at home...took Italianini back to his Thailand days)

Wonderfulness wrapped in pancetta with the most dreamy jus

Beautifully marbled beef with white vegetable and beet puree 

Nutella deconstructed (OH.MY.GOD. YUM!)

The great thing about this was that there were only about 20 or so of us, so the setting was intimate, personal, and cozy. Each round was paired with a wine to perfection, and a great intro from the Chef.

Kudos to Chef and his staff for making a kitchen out of a little break room in this adorable boutique hotel and busting out amazing dishes .

Tribeza is doing their Supper Club once a month...next stop, 34th Street Cafe.

http://www.tribeza.com/