This weekend, at Alzafar Shrine, is the 16th Annual Festival of Flowers. Next weekend, June 1, comes the popular annual Basil Fest at the Pearl. Put away the gardening gloves for a little while and come see all the new plants, information and more out there for beautiful gardens this summer.

Basil Fest at Pearl Farmers Market is June 1!

Get Ready to Make Pesto (and so much more)

The 4th annual Basil Fest, courtesy of the San Antonio Herb Market Association, will be happening at the Pearl on Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is in conjunction with the Pearl Farmers Market, 312 Pearl Parkway. Admission is free and so is the parking.

This annual event’s mission is to foster the use of basil in everyday living and to provide nutritional information on this popular herb.

The program for this year’s Basil Fest will include a seminar on how to grow basil in this area, and the different types available. A cooking demo will showcase basil, and delve into the nutritional aspect of including herbs in your diet.

Children are encouraged to begin their gardening habit by potting up and adopting their own basil plant to take home – for free. Basil plants, recipes and books on the growing and uses of basil and other herbs will be available.

This year’s special feature is  The Chef’s Challenge – “Just Desserts.” It will highlight local chefs vying for the the first place title as they are challenged to develop the best-tasting basil-based dessert. They’ll be competing for monetary votes of audience members, and the money raised will benefit the Good Samaritan Community Shelters in San Antonio.

See recipe here for Thai Basil Lime Sorbet!

For more information on upcoming events and scheduling, visit the website .

16th Annual Festival of Flowers: It’s a big, bloomin’ deal!

The annual Festival of Flowers will happen Saturday (May 25) at the Alzafar Shrine, 901 NW Loop 1604 W., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Want some new yard, garden and flower techniques? This is one of the best events to attend for answers. As their website says, “There’s an expert in every booth.” The Native Plant Society of Texas will be there with information, Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard will be selling healthy and beautiful olive trees and the Bexar County Master Gardeners will be there with plants to buy as well as information.

Nature’s Herb Farm will also be there to help cooks and foodies with their kitchen herb gardens — as well as many other types of herbs.

There is also a city-wide herb and plant exchange, an organic roundtable, horticulture show and more. Admission is $6 for adults, and free parking is available.

Visit their website here.

Several years ago, Culinaria’s Grand Tasting was too grand. So many people showed up that lengthy lines were the order of the evening, and guests had to wait so long that they didn’t really get to sample all of the food and wine treasures of the evening. And they weren’t quiet about the frustrations they faced.

Sample some fine wines at Culinaria’s Grand Tasting.

So, the organizers of the event took a good look at the Grand Tasting and made some changes. Last year, the number of tickets was limited, so that there were be no more lines of more than a few minutes. A VIP section promised no lines at all within a secluded area.

The new approach worked so well that it’s the model for this Saturday’s Grand Tasting, set for the Grotto at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 200 E. Market St. The fun runs from 7 to 10 p.m.

Chefs from all over the city will be serving up samples of their latest and best creations, while wines from all over the world will be poured. And spirits will be featured as well.

Enjoy some finely crafted treats from the city’s top chefs.

Those who buy VIP tickets will be treated to a bubbles room with fine Champagnes and sparkling wines. Plus, one chef will be devoted to the limited access area, dubbed the Bubble Room for the evening, and he’ll provide small bites for made especially for these guests.

Tickets for the Grand Tasting are $100 apiece or $125 at the door, while tickets for the VIP area are priced at $150 and are sold only in advance.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the Grand Tasting or other events during Culinaria’s Festival Week, click here.

Learn more about Gewurztraminers, Rieslings and other white wines.

Seminar is such a dry word that it has you reaching for a glass of whatever’s handy in hopes of escaping the stuffiness of what’s around you.

Yet Culinaria is offering three seminars during its Festival Week that will have you reaching for your glasses in a refreshing new way.

All three are grouped under the heading Taste Test Education, which sounds like more fun than, say, Russian Theory or Introduction to Medieval Technology. All are set for Saturday at Arcade Midtown Kitchen, 303 Pearl Parkway, and will entertain you while taking you to new places in the wine world. The schedule includes:

“Gewurz – what?” at 1:30 p.m.

The sweet wines that are much easier to taste than to pronounce. Sweet wines do not always equal dessert wines. In this Taste Test, we’ll examine the Gewürztraminers, Rieslings and other tasty white wines that are gaining respect and a following all their own.

“Name That Price” at 3 p.m.

It’s a fun, interactive, educational way to taste wine – as if wine tasting isn’t already fun? Using the senses and knowledge of wine, the challenge is to see if attendees can taste the difference and pick the correct value of the presented wines. Quality wines can be found at many price points.

“Wine + Cocktails” at 4:30 p.m.

A glass (or two) of wine stands strong on its own, but, these days, a cocktail incorporating wine is a whole new game. This progressive and modern seminar will explore the various cocktails made even better with the addition of wine.

Each class is priced at $30 a person, but you can get a combo ticket to all three for $75. For tickets to any of Culinaria’s events, click here.

The popular Passport Adventure Series of dinners continues June 7 with a trip to the Andalusia southern coastal area of Spain — and it all happens a short drive south of San Antonio.

This is a celebration of dishes, olives, olive oils and wine from the region.  The last Passport Adventure dinner sold out a month ahead, so make your reservations now!

The five-course dinner includes wine to complement chef Scott Grimmett’s dishes from this wine- and olive-rich area.

There is also a brief tour of Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard and a discussion of how olive oil is made preceding the dinner.

Tour: 6:30 p.m.; Dinner: 7 p.m.; Tickets: $55 per person.  Call (210) 621-0044 for reservations.

Dining Under the Stars at Sandy Oaks

On Friday, May 24, Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard will present a mixture of fine dining and an international wine list. Chef Scott Grimmett will have a prix fixe dinner with options so you can decide your dishes and then pick wine to match!  Just in time to herald ‘National Wine Day.’

The dining will take place ‘Under the Stars’ — but in case of inclement weather, seating will be moved indoors. Dinner: 6 p.m. Cost:  $55 per person, plus tax.  Call (210) 621-0044 for more information and to make reservations. Visit Sandy Oaks online here.

Brave Combo entertains dancers and onlookers at Fiesta Arts Fair Saturday.

The Fiesta Arts Fair, for me, is the No. 1, not-to-miss event because it has it all: Handmade art and crafts you don’t find in stores, Fiesta food, live music, a charming and historic setting, tons of people to watch and places to sit and watch them.

In fact, the combination of cool breezes and sunny skies for this juried event at the Southwest School of Art’s Ursuline Campus, was just the therapy I (and hundreds of others) needed to put a terrible week behind us.

While shopping is my main focus, this year’s highlight on Saturday was Brave Combo, the band out of Denton. It’s purportedly a polka band, but at any moment they’re likely to change pace and suddenly belt out some salsa, 40s jazz or maybe Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5 combined with a popular Italian folk song. Or “Wooly Bully.” Brave Combo does not play here every year, so I gladly spent about an hour and a half sitting in the courtyard, listening to them and cheering the brave dancers. (See note below.)

Then, it was time for my finely honed Fiesta Arts Fair routine — and here it is: First, I go alone. That is because I have learned, after 24 years of experience, that it’s best for everyone that way. I move fast, erratically, and get very antsy (that’s the nice word for it) if companions are dawdling at booths I have no interest in. Sound selfish? Sure, it is, but I bet there are lots of others that have a similar approach!)

Cat bag from fiber artist Leslie Bowman-Friedlander.

After covering the fair at speed, I then work my way back to the beginning and hit the booths I’ve mentally marked as “prime.” That’s when the serious shopping begins. Slowly, this time.

Saturday, I also took time out for a sausage taco and a warm chocolate chip cookie from Guillermo’s booth after making a grand total of two purchases, both from the same fabric arts booth (Bowman Fiber Designs, Booth 88).  I found no earrings (my usual quest) or other temptations, mostly at the pottery stands.

When the “work” of the day was done, I sat on a bench and talked to a woman whose family had been in San Antonio for five generations. We discussed the virtues of the old-style bean burros to the new, super-stuffed burritos. We like the smaller ones of days past better. We also wondered together why there wasn’t a place to get free water at the fair. (Maybe there was, but we couldn’t find it.)

I also discovered, and mourned, the loss of the gift shop — a regular stop on my path– before heading back to the car. On the way, I stopped to bury my face in the deep bank of confederate jasmine in bloom along a fence on Augusta Street, and to breathe in its fine, spicy scent, surely one of the best in the world. It was a good reminder that yes, bad weeks, even very bad weeks, always come to an end.

– If you go to Brave Combo’s website, here, read about their connection with West, Texas and plans for helping fundraising efforts in upcoming weeks for the city that was torn apart in an explosion Wednesday.

– The Fiesta Arts Fair, at the Southwest School of Art’s Ursuline Campus, 300 Augusta St. at Navarro Street, is open again Sunday, April 21, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

– The 3D art on the front page of this article on SavorSA is from S.D. Meadows Folk Art Studio and Gallery  in Palestine, Il.

Jasmine blooming along sidewalk at Southwest School of Art

Bongo-k-Bobs is one item to not miss. They can be found in Froggy Bottom.

One of San Antonio’s favorite Fiesta events, A Night In Old San Antonio (NIOSA) is like royalty that needs no introduction.

But, in case you’re a newcomer to San Antonio, this colorful, noisy four-night festival on the grounds of the La Villita Historic District rises again next week, from Tuesday through Friday (April 23-26), 5:30-10:30 p.m. For all NIOSA ticket information, click here.

NIOSA is known for food, music, dancing and much more in 15 areas that sprawl throughout La Villita — and draw some 80,000 enthusiastic partygoers every year.

What is new this year is a second location for the Baja Fish Tacos, which were introduced last year at the International Walkway. Get this popular treat at Mission Trail this year as well. Also, look for some new craft beers in booths in International Walkway and South of the Border areas.  These beers include New Belgium Rampant IPA, Batch 19, Leinie Creamy Dark, Redd’s and Henry’s Amber Redwood Flats.

For fun, come by Horseshoe Sausage booth at the International Walkway and say hi to SavorSA’s John Griffin, who will be working in that booth on the opening night, Tuesday.

They look like eggs, but they’re really fancy nachos. Shypoke Eggs are in Frontier Town.

“Through the magic of 250-plus food, drink and atmosphere booths; more than 20 live musical acts; children’s games; decorations; souvenirs; and costumed volunteers, NIOSA brings the city’s heritage alive in 15 areas: Arneson Theatre (amphitheater built in 1941 into the natural curve of the city’s river bank), Chinatown, Clown Alley, French Quarter, Froggy Bottom (pays tribute to the cultural contributions of African-Americans), Frontier Town, Haymarket (celebrates the produce and livestock markets near San Fernando Cathedral during the city’s Spanish Colonial period), International Walkway (showcases different ethnic groups that developed San Antonio’s unique heritage), Irish Flat, Main Street USA, Mexican Market, Mission Trail (honors the early years of the city’s San Antonio Missions), Sauerkraut Bend, South of the Border (Northern Mexico influences), and Villa España (celebrates City’s Spanish and Canary Islanders heritage),” says information on the website. NIOSA is sponsored by and benefits the San Antonio Conservation Society.

For every bit of current information on NIOSA 2013, which is the event’s 65th anniversary, click here at NIOSA.

Brighton Center’s 14^th annual A Taste of the Northside (TONS), a favorite San Antonio Fiesta event, will be rolling out another night of savory bites, delicious drinks, high-energy entertainment and more for you and your closest friends. Co-presented by Lynd and  H-E-B, it happens Wednesday, April 24, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at The Club At Sonterra.

Fifty of  San Antonio’s most popular restaurants will be dishing up favorites: P.F. Chang’s China Bistro will be serving their famous chicken lettuce wraps;  Z’Tejas’ has fruit-inspired dishes including Ahi Chipotle Citrus Bites and Prickly Pear Meatballs; Rumi Lounge & Grill brings back their thirst-quenching cucumber martinis — a great way to beat the heat. Other well-known restaurants will join this year’s event including BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Freebirds World Burrito and Kirby’s Prime Steakhouse and Las Palapas.

Fine dining from restaurants such as Ounce Steakhouse, Sustenio, and Tejas Steakhouse will featuring pairing a variety of specialty wines for V.I.P guests. (Limited V.I.P. tickets are available for pre-purchase online here at for $200 pre-sale.)

Tastings of a variety of wines courtesy of Glaziers and Silver Eagle beers will be on tap to quench guests’ thirst. Music from Blue Finger Disco, Melina Band, and The Decibel Band will provide music in three distinct areas at an exclusive country club setting.

All-inclusive general admission tickets are $55 in advance and can be purchased at any San Antonio H.E.B. location or online here. Each ticket provides the holder with eight food tastings, five beer or wine tastings, entertainment, free parking and shuttle service. Additional food and drink tickets will be available for purchase on-site. Parking information and a complete list of restaurants are available on the website.

Brighton has been serving the community for over 40 years. Brighton Center serves over 2,700 children with developmental delays and disabilities and their families each year through four distinct initiatives – an inclusive child development center, early childhood intervention, parent education and advocacy training. Brighton Center continues to fulfill its vision to create a society where all children are valued and included.

There will be lots of treats for Sunday morning breakfast for mom at the Time Dollar Bake Sale

Time Dollar Community Connections’ second annual Mother’s Day Plant & Bake Sale is Saturday, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 2806 West Salinas St.

Food, baked goods, plants, yard art, collectibles as well as vintage items will be for sale.

Also, free bilingual workshops are offered. The first, at 10:30 a.m. is on making healthy tamales, presented by registered dietitian and diabetes educator Linda Triesch and chef Ana Maria Martinez, both of Les Dames d’Escoffier.

The second workshop is at 11:30 a.m. on traditional plants and healing, by Jane Madrigal, MEd., curative Herb and Plant expert.

Funds raised will go towards providing basic needs programs and life changing programs.  Basic needs programs are the Time Dollar Community Table food pantry, utility assistance, and basic case management.

Also, enjoy music, sweets from Earl Abel’s, the Guenther House, and pastries made by pastry chef Jenny Mattingsley to name a few.  Food and fresh aguas will be catered by Don Strange Catering.

In 2012, Time Dollar served over 7,947 Westside and Bexar County residents with a budget of about $35,000 that equates to $4.40 per guest. Thanks to our supporters, other community-minded donors, and volunteers, Time Dollar was able to provide basic needs and life changing services to all who expressed a need.

Life changing programs include Parent Child Math, one-on-one math education for underserved parents mutually benefiting parents and children, Summer Children’s Gardening Classes that ignites creative learning and thinking, and Square Foot Gardening and Sustainable Living Classes for adults.

Godai Sushi Bar and Restaurant, at 11203 West Ave., will host a book sale and signing as well as jewelry sale the night before Mother’s Day, this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and will last as long as it goes.

The jewelry is made by artist Priscilla Martinez of joyarte jewelry.

Godai owner, William “Goro” Pitchford says that if you haven’t yet purchased a gift for mom, either a copy of “Food Lovers’ Guide to San Antonio,” signed by authors John Griffin and Bonnie Walker, of SavorSA, or jewelry would make great gift choices.

We agree — and we hope to see you there!

“Food Lovers’ Guide to San Antonio” was published last fall and offers an in-depth guide to all areas of San Antonio, as well as history, tips for dining out here, places near San Antonio to go for a day trip, shop for culinary ingredients or wine, or even where to take cooking classes. The book is divided into sections of San Antonio, and the listings will tell you what to expect at each restaurant and offers suggestions from the authors.

Martinez creates distinctive, elegant jewelry that “transforms the lines of dance and movement into a statement piece,” says Martinez. Joyarte jewelry combines precious metals such as gold, gold fill, and silver with semiprecious stones.

While you’re there, enjoy some of Goro’s sushi, some of the very best in San Antonio, a glass of wine and a chat with the chef.

Recently, Whataburger announced the 21 restaurants that emerged as finalists in the company’s “WhataGames” competition, which tests the skills of Whataburger team members in three categories: operations, corporate history and customer service.

Now, Whataburger has added another twist to the competition — each finalist team has designated a nonprofit organization of their choice, and fans can vote on Whataburger’s WhataGames Facebook tab until Thursday, April 18 for that restaurant and its designated nonprofit organization. The organization with the most votes will receive a $5,000 donation.

Among the 21 restaurants are a San Antonio Whataburger and one from New Braunfels. The San Antonio Unit 790 store, at 5760 W. Loop 1604 N., has named the Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit & Medina Counties as its designated nonprofit organization.

The New Braunfels’ Unit 318 store, at 143 S. Interstate 35, has chosen to benefit the Alamo Area Parkinson’s Support Group.

“WhataGames is a really important part of our culture here at Whataburger, and equally important to us is giving back to the communities we serve,” said Clifton Rutledge, chief operating officer of Whataburger Restaurants LLC. “Our teams have so much fun with WhataGames, but this new element is so special because it means we’re providing a one-of-a-kind experience to our finalist teams and supporting a valuable nonprofit organization. I encourage everyone to get online and vote!”

The 21 finalist teams advanced from a pool of 100 semifinalists, who beat out their competitors among Whataburger’s more than 740 restaurants in 10 states. Semifinalists had to prove their skills through a series of elimination rounds to earn one of these 21 coveted spots at the WhataGames Finals in Dallas in April 2013. The finalists will compete in three days of high-intensity competition for the gold medal and title of WhataGames 2013 Champion, as well as $165,000 in cash prizes. Silver and bronze medals are also awarded.

WhataGames finals are the featured event during the Whataburger Family Convention, held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. The games were created in 1996 as a training exercise for operations to better serve customers and now occur every other year. The convention is a family occasion, hosting Whataburger corporate and regional representatives, franchisees and suppliers, along with the WhataGames national finalists.

To vote, visit http://www.facebook.com/whataburger and “like” your favorite restaurant and its designated nonprofit organization.