A Tempo has opened at 4331 McCullough Ave., the former home of Valentino’s and Olmos Park Bistro.
Chef Tomme Johnson describes the restaurant as a neighborhood hangout with a regularly changing menu of seasonal items, ranging from pizzas and pastas to a rib-eye and seafood, all of it locally sourced when possible.
Johnson, who has worked at restaurants such as the Grill at Leon Springs and Polo’s at the Fairmount, visits farmers markets regularly for ingredients and is working with meat purveyors such as South Texas Heritage Pork.
The result is American cuisine based on fresh ingredients and at an affordable price, he says.
“I always wanted to be part of a place where I could source as local as possible,” Johnson says in his mission statement. “I’m passionate about people and fascinated with the art of farming and ranching, that nurturing gift has always driven me to develop relationships with my suppliers and as a result we have been blessed.
“So our name — A Tempo, a return to the start — is our philosophy, driven in that we purchase locally within a 200-mile radius of where it was harvested. (It) allows us to support our community; everything done in-house allows for the harmony of flavors and presentation all the while fueling our commitment to excellence that drives our culinary soul.”
At the present time, there’s a sign above the restaurant saying the name is Etcetera, but it is A Tempo, Johnson says.
A Tempo is currently waiting on its liquor license to be approved. Until then, people can bring their own with them, the chef says.
Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, while dinner is served from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Sunday brunch is from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (At the present time, the Sunday brunch is a la carte, but he hopes to have a small buffet in place by mid-July.) Call (210) 826-0222.
It’s hot. You know it, but what are you going to do about it?
One solution would be to cool off at Bohanan’s Bar, 221 E. Houston St., from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday where the folks are throwing a tiki party on the patio.
Fu Manchu at Bohanan’s
The torches will be lit for Tropical Classics in the Courtyard at Bohanan’s, where folks will able to sip the likes of a modern Mai Tai, a take on the fun Fu Manchu and such playful creations as Gee Punch, La Florida and Joe’s Volcano.
Tiki drinks, iced down in ceramic mugs with tropical cuttings, conjure an image of a simpler time, when the rec room was decorated in a Polynesian masks and prints, luau music played on the stereo, and dreams of island life floated over the pu pu platter on the snack table. Is it any wonder these kitschy cocktails are making a comeback?
Think of the paper umbrellas, the generous fresh fruit garnishes, orchids, ornate citrus peel twists and more than a little ice, all adding cooling splashes to the party. You’ll find them at all Sunday at Bohanan’s, where the party is the final event of Texas Tiki Week, sponsored by the Austin chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild.
Jake Corney, head bartender at Bohanan’s Bar, created the cocktail list after being introduced to the wonders of the rum-laced libations while on a urban tiki expedition in New York. It was led by Brian Miller, who hosts Tiki Mondays at Lani Kai there.
“The whole thing about tiki is that it should be fun,” Corney said, adding that while the drinks are certainly eye pleasing, the fresh flavors are what will captivate drinkers.
Jake Corney mixes a cocktail for a customer at Bohanan’s Bar.
There’s no reason you can’t throw your own tiki party at home, too. Corney has provided the recipesfor his latest creations. He also offered a few tips on what to do to throw a memorable cocktail party. He’s a firm believer in using freshly squeezed juices to maximum effect. If you don’t have time to squeeze your own, try the fresh juices available at specialty stores like Central Market, he said. Top quality ingredients across the board, from the liquor you use to the ice, make a noticeable difference in your cocktails.
So do little touches, such as the grating of nutmeg over the top of the Mai Tai or the dash of bitters to finish off a drink.
While doing his research on tiki drinks, Corney also discovered the world of rums, which come in a variety of styles. An analogy could be made to tequilas in that white rum and silver tequila are great for blending because of their simpler profiles. Yet aged rums, as well as añejo tequila, add a welcome complexity to cocktails.
They’re great to play with during the summer, Corney said, and you should be able to pick up a couple or more to sample side by side. “Rum is one of the cheaper spirits on the market,” he said.
Corney learned about bartending from internationally renowned mixologist Sasha Petraske and has worked behind the bar at Bohanan’s for the last two years. He’s put the information he’s gathered in that time not just for his customers but also in the planning of the first San Antonio Cocktail Conference, which the Houston Street restaurant and bar spearheaded. Plans are afoot for a second conference, which will be held in January and which Corney promised will be greater than the first.
But for now, it’s tiki time at Bohanan’s. If you can’t make the party on Sunday, you can still sample the drinks the next time you visit the bar. For more information, call (210) 472-2600.
Tiki drinks are a call to have fun. That’s what Jake Corney, head bartender at Bohanan’s Bar, 221 E. Houston St., had in mind when developing the following libations, including variations on a pair of tiki classics, the Mai Tai and Fu Manchu. So, get out the torches, the leis and the island music, and let the good times roll.
All of these drinks can be made as punches, if you’d like; just multiply the quantity by the amount you wish to make. Just remember that adding ice to the punch bowl can water down your drinks. Corney suggests getting a large block of ice for the punch bowl because it will melt more slowly; otherwise, leave the ice for the glasses. And don’t be afraid to play around with the recipes to suit your tastes.
La Florida
La Florida
1 ½ ounces lime juice
¾ ounce Italian vermouth
3/8 ounce white creme de cacao
3/8 ounce orange curaçao
3/8 ounce grenadine
1 ½ ounces white rum
Shake lime juice, vermouth, creme de cacao, orange curaçao, grenadine and rum with ice. Serve in tiki glass.
Makes 1 cocktail.
From Jake Corney/Bohanan’s Bar
Joe's Volcano
Joe’s Volcano
¾ ounce lemon juice
¾ ounce orgeat (see note)
2 ounces Goslings Rum
1 slice orange
1 egg white
Club soda
1 dash Angosturra bitters
Shake lemon juice, orgeat, run, orange and egg white in a dry shaker. Add ice and re-shake. Serve in tiki mug. Top with soda and a dash of Angostura.
Note: Orgeat is a sweet syrup made with almonds.
Makes 1 cocktail.
From Jake Corney/Bohanan’s Bar
Mai Tai
Mai Tai!
1 ounce lime juice
½ ounce orgeat (see note)
½ ounce orange curaçao
1 ounce aged rum
1 ounce white rum
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Peychauds bitters
Freshly ground nutmeg
Served over cracked ice in chilled double old fashioned glass. Dust with freshly ground nutmeg.
Note: Orgeat is a sweet syrup made with almonds.
Makes 1 cocktail.
From Jake Corney/Bohanan’s Bar
Gee Punch
Gee Punch
1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce grapefruit juice
½ ounce lime juice
½ ounce falernum (see note)
1 ounce dark aged rum
1 ounce white rum
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Peychaud bitters
Mix juices, falernum and rums. Pour into a chilled pilsner glass filled with crushed ice. Bitters go on top.
Note: Falernum is a sweet syrup used in tropical drinks. It has cloves, allspice, nutmeg and ginger among its flavors. Substitute a simple syrup and maybe add a splash more white rum if you can’t find it.
Makes 1 cocktail.
From Jake Corney/Bohanan’s Bar
Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu
1 ounce lime
3/8 ounce simple syrup
3/8 ounce creme de menthe
3/8 ounce orange curaçao
¼ ounce triple sec
2 ounces white rum
Acclaimed Peruvian chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino will come Culinary Institute of America’s San Antonio campus next week as the first visiting chef in the school’s Latin Cuisines Certificate Program.
He’ll work with the students, but the public will also get a chance to sample his cooking when he prepares two dinners July 6-7 at NAO, the school’s restaurant, which is at the Pearl Brewery, 200 E. Grayson St.
Schiaffino graduated from the CIA’s Hyde Park, N.Y., campus in 1997 and is the chef-owner of a group of restaurants in Lima, Peru. He has earned a name for himself as a researcher and innovator for his use of products from the Peruvian Amazon that have never before been used in haute cuisine. He is one of the representatives of “the new culinary revolution” coming out of the Amazon Jungle’s pantry.
While in residence, he will teach the San Antonio students about the cuisines of Peru and showcase many of the diverse ingredients and culinary techniques from the regions of the Amazon.
Those who want to sample Schiaffino’s cuisine at NAO will be able to order a five-course menu available July 6-7 for $56 a person.
The menu will feature the following:
Tuna Brûlé with Cocona—Lime Juice and Tobiko Wild Caigua with Scallops, Andean Seaweed, and Maca Root
Fish Ceviche with Tumbo
Paiche with Masato and Black Tapioca
Arroz con Pato
Pork Adobo with Sweet Potato
Copoazu and Green Melon
Lucuma and Deep Fried “Truffles”
Reservations can be made at OpenTable.com, or by calling (210) 554-6484.
In case you hadn’t noticed, it is hot outside. Big-time hot. Triple-digit hot. Gimme-another-cold-one hot. And it probably won’t get any cooler by the time the Fourth of July rolls around.
The American craft brew scene is also hot, and brewers in this country are creating some of the best beers in the world today. Some are complex, layered treats worthy of great contemplation. But more than a few just settle for simple excellence. The best thing to find out how exciting these bottlings are is to go out and pop a few caps.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started, five American beers that’ll make you feel all patriotic because of how good they are.
Fat Tire Amber Ale —Remember the aroma of Mom’s homemade biscuits when they were served with honey on the side? That memory will flash past when you smell this beaut. The finish lingers long in a gratifying way.
Real Ale Firemans #4 Blonde Ale— Brewed up the road in Blanco, this American blonde is a light treat with a great lemony edge that adds to its refreshing qualities in the summer heat. It goes down so easy. Who could want anything more?
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale — Treat your nose to an intoxicating bouquet of floral hops blended to perfection with sweet malt, an apple dipped in caramel and a touch of citrus. Then drink all that down in a well-rounded brew that finishes on a pleasantly hoppy note. Pure liquid joy.
Ranger Creek Mesquite Smoked Porter — The name lets you know to expect some smokiness, but that’s not all you’ll find when you pour this San Antonio brew. There’s a mellow quality with a sweet, smooth chocolate quality that adds a richness that’s perfect for barbecue or whatever you’re having at a picnic.
Dogfish 60 Minute IPA — When you see the IPA on a label, your first thought, of course, is of hops, all floral and bitter. They’re quite evident here, but that’s not all that makes this beer special. You get a good citrus quality as well as a piney note that just adds to the burn as it goes down.
Want to pick up some grilling tips before the Fourth of July?
Chefs Stephan Pyles and David Gilbert are hosting a summer smoking and grilling class from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at Sustenio, which is in the Eílan Resort Hotel & Spa, 17103 La Cantera Parkway.
The menu will include:
Passion Chile Margarita
Smoked Tomato Gazpacho with Goat Cheese-Horseradish Panna Cotta and Olive Oil Powder
Grilled Watermelon-Arugula Salad with Soft Shell Crab, Queso Fresca and Tomato-Ginger Jam
Watermelon Rind Pickles
Molasses Grilled Quail with Corn Pudding Tamales and Morita Salsita
Rosemary-Citrus Grilled Peaches with Jamon Serrano Ice Cream
Tickets cost $75 a person. For reservations, call (210) 598-2950.
Looking for a great way to fix okra this summer? This version goes together so easily and tastes so good, it’ll quickly become a staple. Have the ingredients together and ready to go until just before you’re ready to serve dinner. While the meat is resting, you can cook it up.
But okra? Really? “I get a lot of great comments about this okra, as it conquers the problem of sludgy okra that most of us dislike,” Hugh Acheson writes in “A New Turn in the South” (Clarkson Potter, $35). Use small pods, as the bigger they get the woodier they become. This recipe relies on high heat to cook the okra quickly and they need to be enjoyed right after you finish.”
Flash Cooked Okra with Almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
1 pound okra (stems removed and the pods cut into long pieces on the bias)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup sliced roasted almonds
Heat a 12-inch frying pan over high heat. Add the olive oil and butter and when the butter is melted add the okra. Sauté for 3 minutes and then season with salt and add the almonds. Toss well and remove to a platter. Serve immediately.
When I was in Italy recently with friends, we had duck on our first night at our home for the week. There was so much, that Cecil used the rest the following night with rigatoni. Then there was so much of that dish left over that he eventually turned it into a frittata for breakfast.
That’s the beauty of leftovers. They don’t have to appear or taste like leftovers. They can be special creations in their own right.
Here are a few leftovers from the trip that I haven’t written about yet, miscellaneous ideas on food that will work in your kitchen and hopefully set you out on your own food journeys.
Sandy spreads out dough for Focaccia Bianca.
Versatile bread
It’s great to have a versatile dough recipe that can work for just about whatever you need. It’s even better when the recipe is easy.
We learned one while taking a cooking class from chef Lorenzo Polegri of Zeppelin restaurant in Orvieto.
The dough served as the basis for a thick pizza that we topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil and garlic. We also made a focaccia with rosemary and anchovies, and snails rolls with guanciale, grana padana and more garlic inside.
When the pizza came out of the oven, all airy and hot with cheese melted all over the top, Lorenzo just ripped off slabs with his hands rather than using a knife. Though I generally prefer thin-crust pizza, that ragged slice, so fresh and steaming to the finger tips, was as good as it gets.
Pasta paradise
Rolling pasta through a machine.
The fresh, handmade pasta we had in Italy was the best I’ve ever eaten. It was a deep yellow color that appeared to have been painted in butter. Credit most certainly goes to the egg yolks, almost orange in color, and the flour used.
Twice at Zeppelin, I saw someone making the thin noodles by hand. One rolled the dough out by forcing it through a pasta maker. With speed that suggested plenty of practice, he pressed the dough through the machine over and over until it was almost paper thin.
We also got to watch a pasta maker who introduced only himself as Maurizio (video above). Armed with only a rolling pin, he took a clump of dough and rolled out his pasta also to a near-impossible thinness. He stretched the dough out on the pin without letting any of it tear.
We happened to be in Italy during fresh porcini season, and for my money, there was no better accompaniment for the pasta than those mushrooms with a texture so voluptuous that it was almost like eating foie gras.
The porcini were the size of softballs, and restaurants would proudly display how fresh and large their supply was. In the United States, we like to do that with steaks, thick and juicy, or lobsters fresh from the tank. In Germany, it’s the white asparagus that ripes in May. In Italy, it’s the porcini as well as the white truffles, which were not in season while we were there. That will have to be another trip.
Making do
Wild fennel grows alongside the road.
The kitchen of the house we stayed at offered a few items we weren’t expecting. Instead of drying the dishes, for example, you could arrange them in a cupboard over the sink that had a draining board instead of a bottom, so any moisture just dripped back into the sink.
I also discovered a blender, which proved to be a big help with a snack one day. We had some leftover chicken that we needed to eat, which led me to think of chicken salad. But we didn’t have any mayonnaise. Rather than buy a jar, the majority of which would be left in the house, Sandy and I made our own mayonnaise. Neither of us had done this successfully before. Yet we blended egg, lemon juice and salt with a steady of stream of olive oil, and it all came together.
Then we added wild fennel that Pam and I had foraged on our walk that morning as well as celery and a few other ingredients that also needed to be eaten. Large leafs of butter lettuce made great cups in which to serve the salad, and we managed to make a bit more room in the refrigerator.
Cherries everywhere
Rum-soaked cherries with raspberry whipped cream.
I’m a cherry fanatic. It doesn’t matter the level of sweetness, either. If it has a pit, it’s likely to end up in my mouth.
In the yard of the house where we stayed stood a tree was covered with tiny, tart berries while other trees in the neighborhood offered both tart pie cherries and sweet Bings. No one minded if passersby picked one or two from the branches that hung over the road. The markets were also filled with the fruit, glistening in the morning sun.
Perhaps that explains why I appreciated the simplicity of a recipe that Lorenzo taught us in our cooking class. He took more than a pound of those beautiful bing cherries and had us cut them in half to remove the stones (OK, so Steve pitted most of them). After that, they were marinated in rum and sugar for more than an hour. We then spooned those beautiful bites into nests of whipped cream that had been flavored with raspberry syrup before being piped into serving dishes. A little of the sweetened rum was drizzled over the top.
I’ve made this simple recipe once back home, now that cherries are in season here. But I’ve played around with the idea. I used sour cherry syrup with the whipped cream. I also plan on using almond extract, another flavor that goes great with cherries. I may also give it a whirl with peaches instead of cherries.
Amore for amaro
I’m not a big fan of sickly sweet cocktails, so the Italian love for amaro, Campari, Fernet and other bitters was a real treat. A Negroni made with Campari, vermouth (I prefer dry to the traditional sweet) and gin is a particular favorite, but I also enjoyed shots of herbal amaro by themselves.
If you look for amaro cocktail recipes online, you’ll find discussions about various types, light and dark, all made with family-held recipes. So, I asked Lorenzo if there were a way to figure out beforehand what type of amaro to buy; my question was dismissed without answer. Don’t be such a stickler that you can enjoy what’s in front of you, he seemed to say.
I discovered a new love in the kitchen cupboards: Cynar (CHI-nar), which is a bitter liqueur made from artichokes. It was great with a touch of peach soda mixed in or a little soda with a twist of lemon. You can find this at both Twin Liquors and Saglimbeni for about $27 a bottle. It’s yet another taste of Italy I’m glad to be able to enjoy back home.
If you need an easy recipe for focaccia, thick-crust pizza, rolls, you name it, give this vertaile dough a try. It comes from Lorenzo Polegri, who teaches cooking classes out of his restaurant, Zeppelin, in the town of Orvieto.
Polegri, who calls himself “ambassador of Orvietan cuisine to the world,” is one of those chefs who wants you to tailor your recipes to suit your tastes, while bearing in mind the tradition of what it is you are making. So, for the recipe below, add garlic, capers and anchovies to the top, if you like. Turn it into pizza with your favorite sauce spread over the top and then garnished with the likes of fresh mozzarella and basil. Or use them in snails rolls in which you add in chopped grana padano cheese, guanciale and garlic.
But all the while, bear in mind the dough’s place in the history of Italian cuisine. “In Tuscany and Liguria, cooks prefer to leave indentations on the dough by pressing it with their fingertips,” he says. “In Umbria it is more common to put very little salt in the dough and then sprinkle on top of the focaccia coarse salt that has been ground in a mortar but still is rather coarse.”
This recipe makes a lot of dough. Freeze any for later use.
Focaccia Bianca with Rosemary
10 cups all-purpose flour
Scant 1/2 cup active dry yeast
1 tablespoon fine salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups warm water
Additional flour, if needed
Rosemary sprigs
Sift the flour. Dissolve the yeast in a bowl with a small amount of water and add a heaping spoonful of flour. Mix until a smooth, thick mixture is obtained. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes. On a floured board, make a well with the remaining flour and place the fermented yeast mixture in the well and then add the remaining water, olive oil and salt. With floured hands knead the dough for about 10 minutes until a smooth and not sticky dough is obtained, which comes off easily from your hands. Form a ball, make a slash in the dough and cover with a cloth and let rise away from drafts for about 1 hour. Knead the dough again for about 10 minutes and then divide it into four equal parts. Use a rolling pin to roll out circles that are about 1/2-inch thick.
Once the desired shape and thickness have been obtained, sprinkle rosemary on top of the focaccio, then generously drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the surface and cook for about 10 minutes. It is ready when the surface is golden, although it tends to be white where the oil has protected the surface from the heat.
Makes 2 balls of dough large enough for each to a baking sheet.
W. Scott Grimmitt, the new chef at Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard, has some great things planned for visitors this summer, including a new series of lunches in July, which will be offered Wednesday-Saturday each week.
Working at Sandy Oaks has been good for the chef, who loves being able to use the wealth of ingredients grown and raised in the area in his cooking, including Sandy Oaks’ robust, aromatic olive oil.
In the video, he talks about his first Passport dinner, with an Australia theme, at Sandy Oaks, the setting and his plans for the future.
For the first dinner, he got some support from a chef-in-training, his son, Salem.
The next time you visit Sandy Oaks, 25195 Mathis Road, Elmendorf, you can check out the new gift shop as well as the array of olive plants for sale and the livestock, which include a new baby calf.
A young calf at Sandy Oak is curious about the camera, but not enough to stop drinking.
