Clams with Spicy Ginger Sauce.

If you know someone who has not tried Vietnamese food because it seems too exotic, then take him or her to Le Bistro Saigon  on TPC Parkway.

Crispy Vietnamese Eggrolls

The ambience of the place is cool and inviting, with granite tabletops and chairs easy to relax in. The food is so visually attractive it will make your mouth water. With each succeeding dish that our waiter brought out of the kitchen, your appetite will grow because everything looks so good.

The flavors are all quite accessible, too, with garlic and chiles (serranos and jalapeños used most) mixing with citrus-y lemon grass and basil in dishes. Plus, who can resist the comfort of noodles mixed with anything?

But the folks at Le Bistro Saigon appear to be content with limiting themselves to be a Vietnamese 101 kind of place. And that timidity is not what we’ve come to expect from many of the other Vietnamese places in town. Nothing we sampled in seven dishes was bad, but nothing was all that bright, bold or, ultimately, memorable, either. Dishes marked with a red chile were rarely hotter than those not marked. Too many sauces were perfunctory, a little on the dull side even. And sugar was a little too prevalent.

Vietnamese Fried Calamari

We started our meal with Vietnamese Fried Calamari ($7.50), which did not have enough seafood flavor so the breading, light as it was, tended  to dominate. But an accompanying carrot sauce, with a good balance of sweet and tart, was so good we kept it to use with other dishes.

Crispy Vietnamese Eggrolls ($4.99) were not as greasy as you’ll find elsewhere, and that’s not a good thing. The pork, vegetables and even the rice paper were all wan, even after dousing them with a touch of fish sauce that we had to ask for (the accompanying dipping sauce was far too sweet and did little but make the eggrolls soggy).

A Thai-influenced Beef with Garlic Lime Sauce ($8.99) was not quite as it was advertised on the menu. The beef was raw, not rare, but it was tossed with a lively combination of basil, onion and serrano peppers. The texture of the meat was both mealy and slick from the oil in the dressing, and it almost seemed unnecessary when compared with the freshness of what surrounded it.

Lemongrass Baby Back Ribs

For our entrées, we shared an order of Lemon Grass Baby Back Ribs ($14.99) and all agreed that there was little lemon grass flavor to be had. The rib bites, breaded and deep-fried, had the right amount of salt, but that was about all they had to recommend.

Charbroiled pork ($8.99) with noodles, carrots, cucumber, peanuts, fried shallots and herbs held a lot of promise, until we tasted the pork. Candied might have been a better description than charbroiled, for sugar seems to have been the dominant characteristic of the marinade. Still, a little fish sauce, some sriracha and salt helped matters quite a bit.

We also ordered Buddha Delight ($8.99), one of the vegetarian entrées, so we would have plenty of vegetables to share. A stir-fry of broccoli, carrots, green bell pepper, snow peas, bamboo, water chestnuts, baby corn and not enough  mushrooms was well prepared, but a gloppy and not terribly flavorful brown sauce detracted rather  than added to the vegetables’ effectiveness.

Buddha Delight

The Clams with Spicy Ginger Sauce ($13.99) should have been the highlight of the meal. It arrived in a clay pot straight from the oven, and a cloud of steam arose dramatically when the lid was removed with a flourish. But the clams didn’t seem to cook with the sauce, which tasted more of garlic than ginger.  The little crustaceans appeared on top and, as a result, were on the dry side. Spooning up the sauce did not help.

There weren’t many patrons eating in while we were there, but takeout business was fairly brisk. The wine list was not worth pursuing, so we opted for a pair of refreshing Singha and Kirin Ichiban beers, which are made for both Asian food and days as hot as we get in Texas.

Le Bistro Saigon
3111 TPC Parkway
(210) 481-7400
Open daily for lunch and dinner
www.le-bistrosaigon.com

The roast beef sandwich and tortilla soup at Williams Confectionery Crafts.

Bonnie Walker and I stopped by Williams Confectionery Crafts for lunch on a recent Tuesday, when the special is always chicken and dumplings. Thick, doughy strips were covered in a chicken gravy that produced an appreciative smile on Bonnie’s face as spooned up each succulent morsel.

“These are just like my mom makes,”  she told Joyce Williams, a retired school teacher who has run the unassuming northeast side restaurant on Toepperwein Road for the past six years.

“That’s the nicest compliment anyone can give me,” was her response.

And it’s the same feeling you’ll have if you wander in for breakfast, lunch or an early dinner, for savory treats like chicken-fried steak or King Ranch chicken casserole or for any of the delectable desserts, which range from hummingbird cake to raspberry-white chocolate bars.

That day, I had breakfast on my mind, so I went with an omelet stuffed with a little bit of everything, including some diced orange pepper, almost raw spinach leaves, ham, bacon and sausage. The sheet of egg wrapped around the lively jumble of ingredients was beautifully cooked and just about all I could want.

The red velvet cake has pecans on top.

On a more recent visit, a friend and I decided to try the soups and sandwiches. She ordered the roast beef, while I settled for baked ham. The meat on both is cut from the bone, not from some deli. So, the roast beef was more akin to pot roast, with a colorful blend of bell peppers and red onion on top and some provolone cheese melted into the wheat bun. Days later, memories of the meat, so flavorful and tender, keep calling me back. The pan-fried bits of ham with lettuce and slices of a perfectly ripe tomato.

A tomato bisque with a touch of cheese on top was tangy and comforting — and a bit more welcome than the gelatinous tortilla soup, the lone misfire on several visits.

As good as the savory treats were, the sweets were the real reason people have flocked to Williams. The display case that runs the width of the dining room and the counter behind it were laden with old-fashioned treats highly reminiscent of the kind that my mom, now a retired baker, used to make. On one visit, several types of chocolate cakes, filled with whipped cream or topped with bits of chopped candy bar, sat next to 7-Up cake, hummingbird cake, lemon cake and pink or strawberry cake. Then there were cupcakes, cookies, bar cookies, and the puddings, including bread and banana, the latter of which drew sighs of delirious contentment from Bonnie. I opted that day for a slab of cherry strudel with a sticky glaze and airy dough wrapped around the fruit filling.

A baked ham sandwich with a golden tomato bisque.

And I haven’t even gotten to the pies, including coconut chess, buttermilk chess, sweet potato, sweet potato-cream cheese, apple and more.

On the second visit, the cake lineup had changed to include a caramel drizzled coconut cream cake and a towering red velvet cake, both of which were airy yet substantial, with the cake complemented by the luscious frostings.

Williams Confectionery Crafts has even more, including coffee drinks, ice cream treats, oversized cinnamon rolls and to-go orders, whether you want a few dozen cupcakes or a specialty cake decorated for a birthday, anniversary or even wedding. I’m ready for my next visit.

Banana pudding

Williams Confectionery Crafts
12107 Toepperwein Road
(210) 967-5200
Breakfast-lunch: Monday-Saturday
Dinner until 7 p.m.: Monday-Friday

Mark Bohanan (right) presents proceeds from the first San Antonio Cocktail Conference to members of HeartGift. (Shane Kyle/CE Group)

Mark Bohanan, owner of Bohanan’s Restaurant and Bar and creator of the first San Antonio Cocktail Conference, recently presented a check for $57,000 to HeartGift San Antonio to support two lifesaving surgeries for children from disadvantaged countries seeking heart surgeries at Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital.

Other businesses who helped sponsor the conference included SoHo Wine & Martini Bar, Ocho Lounge at Hotel Havana, The Esquire Tavern and Rio San Antonio Cruises.

HeartGift is a San Antonio-based charity that provides life-saving heart surgery to children from countries with unavailable or inaccessible health care. Every child chosen receives state of the art pediatric surgery from doctors Dr. John Calhoon and Dr. Adil Husain and their medical staff free of charge.

During the celebration, attendees celebrated HeartGift surgery recipient’s Wang Nan’s fourth birthday, a birthday she may not have seen had it not been for the funds raised through the first-annual cocktail conference, a four-day educational event about spirits that was held in downtown San Antonio in January.

Wang Nan lives in a remote Chinese village in the Gansu Province. Her family lives in a five-room mud house on two acres of land. Although they farm their land, Wang Nan’s father must go to the Xinjiang Province to do construction work for eight months each year to send home money for the family. Wang Nan suffers from Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect. She was operated on Feb. 3 and she returned home with her mother and their San Antonio host family on Feb. 7.

“The inaugural San Antonio Cocktail Conference was a bigger success than any of us could have imagined,” said Bohanan, whose restaurant is at 219 E Houston St. “This donation simply would not have been possible without the countless number of supporters, partners, presenters and attendees that made this a reality. We are thrilled to provide such a significant contribution to HeartGift on behalf of the conference, knowing that it will save the lives of two children in need.”

Boschetto pizza coming to Gallo

Starting Thursday, Gallo Pizzeria, 164 Castroville Road, will be making pizzas with boschetto, white truffles and portobello mushrooms blended with cheese. According to the pizzeria’s Facebook page, “It’s great for Lent.”

The cost is $19.99 for a large and $15.99 for a medium. Supplies are limited. Pre-orders are accepted.

Call (210) 264-0077 or click here.

Sip a sample of the Veneto at Luce

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca, 11255 Huebner Road, is showcasing the wines of the Veneto at a special dinner set for 5 p.m. March 10.

Executive chef Joe Buonincontri and Italian wine expert Jeremy Parzen are teaming up for the multi-course meal.

The cost is $50 a person. For reservations, call  (210) 561-9700.

Hoist a beer on Texas Independence Day

High Velocity, one of the dining areas at the JW Marriott resort, 23808 Resort Parkway, is having a  Saint Arnold beer dinner on Texas Independence Day, March 2.

The four-course meal will feature matching beers.

For price, time and reservations, call (210) 276-2500, ext. 5835.

Maggiano’s is giving away dinner for 20

Want to win dinner for 20 of your nearest and dearest?

Registration is now open for the Maggiano’s Little Italy “Who’s In Your 20?” sweepstakes. This is a chance for someone to land a private, Italian-style dinner party with 19 of his or her closest family, friends and co-workers. A dinner will be given out at each of the chain’s 44 restaurants.

Anyone who registers will also receive a coupon for a free flatbread at the restaurant. Registration is open through April 1.

To enter, click here. The San Antonio Maggiano’s is at the Rim, 17603 I-10 W. Call 210-451-6000.

A coalition of San Antonio chefs say they are determined to raise San Antonio’s profile on the national culinary scene, says chef Andrew Weissman.

Andrew Weissman, chef and restaurateur.

Weissman, chef and owner of the restaurant group that includes The Sandbar and Il Sogno, has met with other chefs, including chef/restaurateur Jason Dady and Steven McHugh, chef at Lüke, for the past several Fridays to begin putting the organization together.

“If we go about this the right way, we (SA chefs) can create a situation here that the national media can tap into,” said Weissman.

Austin, on the other hand, has had its share of the spotlight recently. Chef Paul Qui has been competing on Bravo’s Top Chef, while Barley Swine was named one of the top 10 best new restaurants in the country by GQ magazine.

“I am happy that Austin has burst on the scene nationally, but we can achieve the same thing for San Antonio. We all have (national) recognition and we all have a voice,” said Weissman.

“The story about Austin has been written. The story that hasn’t been written is San Antonio.  That can happen if we go about this the right way,” says Weissman.

The “right way” will start with the organizing – those culinary professionals who wish to be part of the coalition will have their chance to join.

In the meantime, be on the lookout for the group as they put together a newsletter and Facebook pages.

That coalition which you can follow on Twitter @SAChefcoalition said in a tweet this afternoon, “Spread the word: We are mobile.” Included in the tweet were Weissman, Dady and McHugh, in addition to @beyondthekit (David Gilbert, Sustenio chef), @chefjohnbrand, chef at Las Canarias and Ostra, and @TheMontereySA (chef Quealy Watson).

Il Sogno will host a CIA meeting Wednesday.

Il Sogno Osteria will be closed to the public because of a private dinner Wednesday.

Chef/owner Andrew Weissman says that the CIA Board of Trustees will be dining there that evening.

Expected to be among the 70 or so people at the contemporary Italian restaurant in the Pearl Brewery will be three nationally high-profile chef/restaurateurs: Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Per Se, Roy Yamaguchi of Roy’s and Charlie Palmer, who has a collection of eponymous restaurants.

“I’ve eaten at the French Laundry (Keller’s famous Napa, Calif. restaurant) five times,” Weissman said. “This is the first time I will get to cook for him.”

Weissman sent the news out on Twitter Friday afternoon:  “Just confirmed, will be cooking for Thomas Keller, Charlie Palmer and Roy Yamaguchi next week. #excitedashell”

Il Sogno is at the Pearl, at 200 E. Grayson St.

Stephan Pyles

Stephan Pyles is known as one of the progenitors of the Southwestern cuisine movement, which introduced all corners of the nation to a host of beloved dishes, including the cowboy rib-eye and a variation on the caesar salad that includes a welcome kick of chili powder and a jalapeño polenta crouton. Together with Bruce Auden of Biga on the Banks, Dean Fearing and Robert Del Grande, he made sure people came to love a new balance in their food, through the lively addition of heat and other regional ingredients, thereby broadening their palates.

Now, he’s bringing those flavors to San Antonio in Sustenio, a new restaurant that anchors the Éilan Hotel and development off I-10, near Fiesta Texas.

Sustenio isn’t about blazing new culinary trails in a city known for its Tex-Mex and Texas cuisine, Pyles insists.

“I would never say that I was bringing (Tex-Mex) to San Antonio,” he says. “Here you have a wonderfully rich Hispanic culture. I think, at Sustenio, the food I’ll be doing will have some unexpected twists, but it will be food San Antonio is comfortable with.”

That includes a parade of his greatest hits, including tamale tart with Gulf Coast crab and that Southwestern Caesar.

Diners will also get to sample various styles of ceviches from the raw bar that’s part of the restaurant’s big open kitchen.

Passion fruit margaritas at Sustenio

“I like to do ceviche with a lot of different flavors and colors, like a tasting tray of eight different ceviches that looks like a rainbow of color,” he says.

He starts each variation with sashimi-grade seafood. Then he takes a fish, such as Texas flounder, and pairs it with avocado and tomatillo for a soothing green color, while ahi tuna could be paired with chile and golden tomato for a sunburst yellow flecked with red and Ecuadorian rock shrimp are marinated with orange and popcorn.

Each is refreshing and welcome on a hot day, while sitting on the restaurant’s spacious patio or at the community table near the raw bar. Both  overlook the kitchen, with its brick oven, which is used for pizzas. The rest of the menu includes poblano-asiago soup with golden pepper foam, a tamal made with seared foie gras and corn pudding, coriander-cured rack of lamb with Ecuadorian potato cake, bacon-wrapped Devine wild boar loin and Texas beef tenderloin with modern chiles en nogada.

Meanwhile, there’s a colorful bar area where the staff will be creating a vast array of liquid favorites, including several of Pyles’ signature cocktails. One is the Piña Diablo, which mixes three types of rum, fresh pineapple, piloncillo, mint, serrano chile and vanilla; another is a passion fruit margarita with both sugar and a serrano pepper on the rim on the glass.

Pyles, known to many from his PBS series, “New Tastes from Texas,” was born in Big Spring, to the west of Dallas. He made his start in the restaurant business in the 1980s before opening Star Canyon in 1994. The restaurant put him on the nation’s culinary map and earned him accolades from many in the national media.

The wine tower at Sustenio

His focus these days has been on his eponymous restaurant in Dallas as well as Samar by Stephan Pyles. His food has also evolved, incorporating flavors from his global travels into its decidedly Texas base. Many of these dishes are, after all, taken from what he grew up and provide a level of comfort that can’t be beat.

Though he has a host of commitments from his other restaurants and his charity work, Pyles plans on spending every weekend in San Antonio at the beginning, then cutting back to every other weekend. The rest of the time, Sustenio will be under the operation of executive chef David Gilbert, who has been working at Pyles’ side for several years. Local favorite Philippe Placé is general manager.

When Pyles is not working, he’s often found working for charity, such as Share Our Strength and UNICEF, both of which were given generous checks raised at Saturday night’s grand opening. His efforts for these non-profits mean a great deal to him. That includes the annual awarding of the Stephan Pyles Scholarship, a $15,000 gift that is given to a top culinary school student. Mention the effort and his usually easy-going speech suddenly takes on a greater excitement at the thought of the number of chefs in the making he’s been able to help.

One of the big fundraisers benefiting the scholarship fund is a dinner in which the previous year’s winner joins a lineup of elite chefs, including San Antonio’s Jason Dady, to prepare a multi-course dinner. Last year’s winner was a student at the San Antonio campus of the Culinary Institute of America.

A chef at Sustenio makes shrimp ceviche.

In the meantime, Pyles’ attention is on launching Sustenio successfully. It’s been more demanding than creating a gorgeous restaurant, from the private dining room in the glassed-in wine cave to the tower of bottles that dominates one end of the dining area. Living up to the name has meant forging relationships with area farmers, ranchers and other food producers, so that the kitchen offers a high level of sustainable foods, from bison to honey.

The region has a greater wealth of foods to choose from when compared with Dallas, he says, which makes it especially attractive to food lovers, whether they chefs or merely eaters.

“I’m thrilled to be in San Antonio,” he says.

Sustenio at the Éilan Hotel, 17103 La Cantera Parkway is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For reservations, call (210) 598-2950.

Chefs work their food stations at the Sustenio grand opening.

Texas de Brazil's Picanha is available by the pound.

Get some meaty help for your next party

For many of us,  the key to any great Super Bowl party — or any party, for that matter — is the meat. And that’s where Texas de Brazil, 313 E. Houston St., is ready to help. Now, you can get the restaurant’s famous meats by the pound, delivered to your home.

The catering lineup includes Picanha or Garlic Picanha (sirloin), leg of lamb, flank steak, lamb chops, bacon-wrapped chicken breast and sausage as well as the lobster bisque, garlic mashed potatoes, cheese bread and numerous salads.

For more information, click here.

Gauchos and spears not included.

New at the Monterey

The Monterey, 1127 S. St. Mary’s St, has introduced an updated menu.

Don’t worry, the incredible grilled cheese, french fries and house-made pickles are still on the menu. But they are joined by the likes of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Ham with Hay Aïoli ($9.50), Melted Morbiér, Pighead Pastrami, Potato Confit and Cherry Preserves ($11.50), and Old Bay Fried Chicken with Chicken Fat Hush Puppies ($12.50).

Barbecued Shrimp with Smoked Butter and French Bread ($18.50), Pork Belly with Duck Fat White Beans, Mustard and Candied Tangerine ($14.50) and a Barbecued Lamb Sandwich with Kimchi, Cumin Aïoli and Cilantro ($13.50) are also being offered.

For those with deep pockets, there’s also a Wagyu Rib-eye with Animal Butter and French Fries ($60).

And don’t forget, as the menu reminds you, to “ask your server about non-menu offal specials!”

For more information, call (210) 745-2581.

A taste (or four) of Tuscany

Luce's Tuscan wine dinner will be served family style.

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca, 11255 Huebner Road, is hosting a wine dinner  featuring the wines of Sassetti (Montalcino), including Sassetti Brunello di Montalcino,  at 5 p.m. Jan. 28.

Chef and owner Joe Buonincontri is serving the meal family style while wine expert Jeremy Parzen describes the four Tuscan wines.

The cost is $50 per person. Call  210-561-9700 for reservations.

National Margarita Day at Z’Tejas

Every day around me is National Margarita Day, but there is actually such a celebration. Needless to say, it’s a good reason to raise a salted glass or two.

The folks at Z’Tejas,  15900 La Cantera Parkway, will be celebrating Feb. 22 with several specials.  Your first Little Larry Margarita is priced at $2.22. A tequila-marinated chicken pasta entrée special will also be offered. And you can take the taste home with you in a bottle of Z’Tejas Margarita Mix.

Kim pop rolls coming

The sign at 3830 N. Loop 1604 E. near the intersection of Bulverde Road says Tiger Pop Korean Roll n Go is coming  soon.

But what is it?

What was your favorite treat from 2011? A burger like this from Cullum's Attaboy?

According to a posting, “We are a completely new concept on Korean-inspired food. Our core items are Kim Pop, which are Korean-style rice rolls. Kim Pop rolls have never contained any type of raw proteins like Japanese style sushi, and we have blended them to include many iconic western ingredients. Our menu also includes Korean marinated steak tacos, sandwiches, rice bowls, salads and more! Only the highest quality non-processed ingredients are used, all prepared fresh daily for the fast-paced customer.”

The plan apparently was to have the eatery open over the holiday season, but work is still progressing.

The Luxury progresses

Work is also progressing on the Luxury, Andrew Weissman’s trailer park of mobile eateries. He hadn’t expected it to, because he told his contractors he’d be otherwise engaged with new baby Moishe Andres, but that seems to have spurred more work.

The Luxury, Mark Bliss’ Bliss and Stephan Pyles are among the eagerly awaited new dining venues for 2012.

Palenque Grill opens

Palenque Grill has opened at 389 N. Loop 1604 W. with an array of Mexican favorites. This is not related to Taco Palenque on Loop 410.

Foodie openings

• Boerne Epicure Gourmet Market, 210 S. Main St., Boerne, has opened. It promises “delicious surprises from around the world.” Call: 830-331-9355. www.boerneepicure.com.
• Spec’s Wine Spirits and Finer Foods has opened at 1305 Sidney Baker St., Kerrville. Call: 830-895-8757. www.specsonline.com.

The best of 2011

What were your favorite dining experiences of 2011? Was it a burger from Cullum’s Attaboy with bacon, egg and cheddar piled high on top? A trip to one of the Brazilian steakhouse? Maybe it was a meal on a barge floating down the San Antonio River. Or a favorite meal at the Lodge before its doors close. Or was it a meal you prepared at home? Share with us a few of your favorite food moments of 2011.

If you have restaurant news to share, email griffin@savorsa.com or walker@savorsa.com.

A bistec (beef steak) taquito, left, and bean and cheese.

Frigid weather or not, we took some trips around town this week and found a couple of gems out on the casual eating trail.

First, we headed over to Taqueria y Fruteria Los 3 Hermanos, 3206 West Ave., which we’d been hearing about for some time. This is not a fancy establishment, a little ways north of Basse Road, but the building has a history of housing some good taqueria/fruterias.

Los 3 Hermanos makes everything fresh, and we enjoyed a steak taquito topped with chopped onion and cilantro, served with fresh lime and a couple of bottles of red (kind of hot) and green (hotter) table salsas in clean, cool plastic bottles. The horchata (milky almond drink with sugar and cinnamon) was like having dessert in a glass; and we took it out to the car with us, cranked up the heater and enjoyed the horchata on the drive home.

Mexican queso fresca and a thin, warm chile sauce make a delicious difference in these enchiladas.

The real treat here, though, was the platter of Mexican style enchiladas. Thin corn tortilla (white, not red) dipped in a thin red chile sauce, was wrapped snugly around some creamy white queso fresco. More queso on top, with a side garnish of fried potatoes and carrots, tasting like they’d been fried witha bit of chorizo, made it filling and delicious. It’s what we’ll go back for.

There are other tacos, tortas, tostadas, breakfast plates and so forth on the menu.

Wednesday was just a bit warmer, so we headed further afield to check out the new Big Lou’s Burgers and BBQ. This restaurant is close to it’s big-sister establishment not far away.

Brisket from Big Lou's Burgers & Barbecue: smoky and tender.

Big Lou’s Pizza has a good reputation, so we had great expectations for the burger joint, which is at 2014 W.W. White Road. We weren’t disappointed. Even the quarter-pound burger seemed to have a little extra heft, and the Cheddar cheese melted on top was the real thing. We asked for a small taste of the brisket and almost changed our burger order. It was tender, smoky and good, a little fatty, but I prefer that to dry. And, it had a good pink smoke line and lovely, dark exterior.

Onion rings aren’t the traditional accompaniment to brisket, but this is exactly what I’ll order when I go back. Crisp, lightly battered onion rings, made with fresh onion and served very hot are certainly not an everyday treat. But, when you do order them, this is just what you want. We love DeWese’s Tip Top Cafe’s onion rings, but as a police officer said on his way out of  Big Lou’s as we were coming in, “Those onion rings give Tip Top’s a run for their money.”

Hot, crisp, tender onion rings and steak fries from Big Lou's Burgers & BBQ.

Workers finish up in the open kitchen at Perry's Steakhouse.

The Texas-based Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille has opened at the Shops at La Cantera, 15900 La Cantera Parkway.

It is the first San Antonio location for the chain, which also has restaurants in Austin, Dallas and Houston.

The restaurant is known for its freshly cut prime beef, which is dry-aged in house for 28 days. It also offers an array of seafood options and a massive pork chop that is dried, cured and roasted, then caramelized and topped with Perry’s signature herb-garlic butter. The cooking process of that chop a secret, corporate chef Sammy Holmes said. But he offered few hints that included slow smoking, a dry rub and a period of rest. All in all, it takes five days to get the chops ready to serve.

But Holmes did offer a couple of tips on if you want to make a great chop at home. First and foremost, he said, was don’t skimp on the quality of meat you buy. Also, make sure you create a rub that features “what flavors you like.” Then cook it at a very low temperature, about 170-175 degrees, until it done.

Holmes was part of a recent hard-hat tour of the new restaurant, which is in the arm of the shopping center with Barnes & Noble, Sur la Table and Z’Tejas. Owner Chris Perry was also on hand with members of his family to tour the second-story space, which overlooks the courtyard with its trees festooned with white lights.

Two of the martinis at Perry's Steakhouse.

The new Perry’s will employ almost 110 people. “That’s a lot more than I ever thought,” Perry said. Then he and his crew factored in that the space will seat up to 350 people, so that large a staff would be needed.

And that staff has been in training for more than a month leading up to tonight’s opening, Perry said.

They will be working under general manager Jeremiah Garcia, who has been with Perry’s for years. The staff, however, are all from San Antonio.

There will several new features at the San Antonio Perry’s, including a display case of aged beef and fresh seafood near the front door to help whet your appetite as soon as you enter, Perry said.

An island bar will be a first for Perry's.

Plus there’s a large island bar, another first. Around it, you can find banquettes where you listen to the live jazz offered Thursday-Saturday evenings. Among the happy hour specials are half-price appetizers and drink specials, including a Pick Three mini-martini trio, weekdays from 4 – 6:30 p.m.

The chef is Sisto Perez, who has worked for Perry’s in Austin and who helped Holmes open the Dallas location. Both are also part of product development for the chain and help in developing seasonal specials. Though the restaurant is part of a small chain, Sisto emphasized the fact that “everything is made from scratch and we cut all of our steaks” in house.

Perry’s opens at 4 p.m. nightly for dinner. Lunch is 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays. For reservations, call (210) 558-6161 or for a full menu, visit www.PerrysSteakhouse.com.