Several restaurants in town are celebrating Thanksgiving a day early with feasts set for Wednesday evening. The night before Thanksgiving is traditionally the biggest night for bar business across the city. It’s also a chance to avoid having to cook a big meal the night before the big meal. So enjoy any of the following offerings:

Bin 555 at the Alley on Bitters, 555 W. Bitters Road, (210) 496-0555 — The special is a three-course prix fixe for $25, or $40 with wine pairings. Menu items include a choice of Autumn Squash Chowder or Butterleaf Salad, followed by Pan-seared Salmon served with Pearl Farmers Market vegetable, Miso Buerre Blanc, Garlic Chip and Black Garlic Coulis; Holiday-spiced Porchetta with Sweet Potato Brussels Sprouts Hash and Orange Apple Chutney; or Vital Farms Chicken Breast with Apple Fennel Sage Sausage, Pecan, and Cornbread Dressing, Potato Galette. Dessert is either Jason Dady’s Nutella Trio or Cafe Bread Pudding.

Tost BistroBar, 14415 Blanco Road, (210) 408-2670  — Tost is offering a three-course special on Wednesday featuring a choice of Tost’s Signature Brussels Sprout Salad or Butternut Squash Bisque swirled with Maple Creme Fraiche, followed by a choice of Turkey Roulade with Cornbread Stuffing & Cranberry Gastrique or Lamb Shank with Baby Carrots, Mashed Potatoes, Horseradish Creme and Aus Jus. Dessert is Pumpkin Mousse topped with Candied Pecans. The cost of the meal is $35 plus tax and tip.

Tre Trattoria Alamo Heights, 4003 Broadway, (210) 805-0333 — The special dinner begins with antipasti served family style, followed by a choice of Slow-roasted Caprese, Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque or Snapper Crudo. Second course is Pumpkin Ale-braised Beef Short Rib Ragu, Roasted Local “Half” Chicken or Grilled Crispy Skin Rainbow Trout. Dessert is either Nutella x 3 or House-made Pumpkin Bread with pecan ice cream. The price is $34.50 per guest plus tax and 18 percent tip.

Tre Trattoria Downtown,401 S. Alamo St., (210) 223-0401 — The multi-course special includes choice of Frisse and Buffalo Burrata Salad or House-cured Salumi Plate, followed by choice of Pasta a la Amatriciana or Slow-roasted Cornish Hen. Dessert is either Nutella x 3 or house-made Walnut Torte with Pumpkin Chantilly. The price is $25 a person plus tax and 18 percent tip.

Chef John Brand and his son, Malachi, prepare amaranth-crusted avocado.

Fall announced its arrival Sunday with temperatures dropping to the 50s and a definite nip in the air.

Mela offers two types of Indian chicken.

Yet that didn’t stop hundreds of people from reaching the Pearl Brewery Sunday on bike, on foot and in their cars for the first Feastivál, a tribute to healthy eating that Culinaria presented with H-E-B.

While they sipped wine and sampled healthy snacks from area restaurants and food purveyors, they listened to Dan Evans, a country singer who lost 136 pounds on TV’s “The Biggest Loser” and worked up some warmth doing a few zumba steps. Cooking demonstrations and wine seminars were on the menu as well.

Some of the snacks included a lemon seafood salad from chef Jeffrey Balfour at Citrus in the Hotel Valencia, amaranth-crusted avocado from chef John Brand of Las Canarias and Ostra, chicken tikka and tandoori chicken from Mela, black beans and brown rice from EZ’s, and guacamole with mango salsa on a jicama base from Paloma Blanca. Mike Behrend’s Green Vegetarian Cuisine offered a mixed plate with a pea, baby lima, edamame and carrot salad tossed with a touch of truffle oil.

Citrus’ Jeffrey Balfour presents a lemony seafood salad.

Jesse Perez, whose Arcade is opening at the Pearl later this year, offered a warming cup of butternut squash soup with feta. Steven McHugh, whose restaurant at the Pearl will opening the spring, offered roasted beets with blood orange over an avocado-ricotta spread. The two bros., Jason and Jake Dady, were on hand with smoked turkey from their Two Bros. BBQ Market.

A group of students from the Culinary Institute of America lit the fire pit and drew diners with tea-smoked salmon over vegetable couscous.

H-E-B, Zeric’s, Brio Tuscan Grille, and Eoni, which makes Bazookie whole grain and fruit bars, also offered tasty treats.

“It was amazing and healthy,” said Culinaria CEO Suzanne Taranto Etheredge, adding that both sponsoring organizations were pleased with the turnout and the fact that word is getting out that healthful food can taste great.

A group of students from the CIA dishes up tea-smoked salmon at the fire pit.

Getting kids to garden their own vegetables is one goal of Culinaria’s proposed project.

Culinaria has announced plans for a community educational center and gardens.

The project is still in the early planning stages, and it doesn’t even have an official name yet. But among the ideas discussed so far are areas where people from the community could take part in learning how to grow food, how to know when it becomes ripe and how to prepare it. Everything from planting the seeds to cooking demonstrations of harvested foods would be included.

It’s a logical move for the organization, which is known for its food and spirits festival as well as its fundraising efforts on behalf of local charities. “We are expanding,” said Culinaria’s CEO, Suzanne Taranto Etheredge. “We wanted to create something meaningful, sustainable in San Antonio that is for everyone.”

On Saturday, chef Jason Dady of Bin 555, Tre Trattoria and Two Bros. BBQ Market earned the first donation to the project. He placed second in H-E-B’s first Food Truck Face Off, which carried with it $5,000.

“I’m excited about it,” Dady said of the project. “This can be tremendous. … I’m most excited by the great opportunity to partner with schools, so that students learn more about where their food comes from. They can see it, feel it and taste it.”

One plan is for students of all ages, from elementary schools on up, to get their hands in the soil, planting and tending fruits and vegetables. High school students might be able to take part in culinary programs led by any of the chefs who work with the organization.

But the gardens aren’t just for kids, Etheredge said. “We want adults to come out and plant, too.”

The food raised in the garden would also be used to help those in community in need, though the details of how that aspect would operate have not been worked out yet, she said.

“We are just in the planning stages,” she said. “Next would be the capital campaign” to raise money for the facility with a kitchen, pergolas and shaded areas in addition to the gardens. That way, the chefs involved would be able to offer everything from cooking demonstrations to dinner in the garden.

“There are hundreds of chefs in the city that we deal with,” she said. “And we want them to have ownership of this process.”

Already there has been such a surge of enthusiasm from board members, including Dady, that Culinaria is energized about proceeding with the plan, Etheredge said. When she presented the idea to the board recently, “they freaked out — they were so happy.”

No site has been chosen for the center and gardens, though members of Culinaria have already looked at five or six spots and are “continuously looking at others,” she said.

The next crucial step will be to develop partners within the community who will assist in getting the project launched. ”

The center and gardens will be the legacy of Culinaria’s commitment to the community, “something tangible that we could be a part of,” Etheredge said. But, she added. it won’t replace any of the current functions of the organization, including its many events, from the 5K run to the upcoming Feastivàl on Oct. 7. It will also still raise money for charities within the city.

“This will just enhance our mission,” she said. “We really want to change the culture of food in San Antonio.”

There has been a growing trend in eating local and sustainable foods, but Dady would like to see it go beyond the trend. He thinks the educational center and garden project can do that.

“We want it to be the way we eat,” he said.

Where Y’at serves up New Orleans barbecue shrimp.

Shoppers in the area of Loop 1604 and Blanco Road know the H-E-B Plus there as a dependable source of great food to cook with. On Saturday, the store proved it once again, only this time the food was free and it was ready to eat.

Jason Dady serves up his nachos while his daughter, Tessa, watches. Saturday was her birthday.

The parking lot of the supermarket was the site of the first H-E-B Food Truck Face Off, and it brought four of the city’s mobile kitchens together for a friendly competition.

The competitors all had to use H-E-B products in their dishes, which were served up to hungry lines of people until their supply ran out.

The crowds enjoy the free food.

By the time the judges’ had finished their work, Pieter Sypesteyn of Where Y’At had taken first place for his New Orleans barbecue shrimp, made with Chimay ale and baguette, both included among H-E-B’s Primo Products.

His victory meant that Gordon Pictures, a Christian movie production ministry, would take home $10,000 from H-E-B. Sypesteyn also won the people’s choice award, which brought another $500 to the charity.

Jason Dady and his DUK Truck took second place with Not’Cho Dady, nachos made entirely with H-E-B Primo Products. His $5,000 prize will be going to Culinaria’s new educational center and community gardens.

Johnny Hernandez brought his True Flavors catering wagon out and made pulled pork tacos, which earned $2,500 for the Culinary Institute of America’s San Antonio campus.

Michael Anthony Romo and his MARS Mobile Kitchen also served up an heirloom tomato and watermelon gazpacho.

This is the first of H-E-B’s Face Offs. The reaction from the crowds should guarantee it won’t be the last.

Johnny Hernandez (center) and his team make pork tacos.

MARS Mobile Kitchen offers heirloom tomato and watermelon gazpacho.

Pieter Sypesteyn of Where Y’At

This Saturday morning, you can do your grocery shopping, have a snack or two, and help a local charity.

The parking lot in front of the H-E-B Plus at the corner of Loop 1604 and Blanco Road will be the setting of a Food Truck Face Off, featuring four mobile kitchens competing against each other. The fun starts at 10 a.m.

Each of the chefs will be using H-E-B products in their food. After their efforts are judged, the winner will be able to designate a charity to receive a donation.

The participants include Jason Dady’s DUK Truck, Johnny Hernandez’s True Flavors, Michael Anthony Romo’s MARS Mobile Kitchen and Pieter Sypesteyn’s Where Y’At.

The public can enjoy food from the trucks until noon.

Clams and chorizo at Bliss.

Some high-end restaurants in New York city are so popular that they’ve begun charging patrons more if they want reservations during prime hours, notably 7 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and for preferred seating, the New York Times reported recently.

In a way, it’s a reserve of early bird specials that reward patrons for dining earlier in the evening by giving them a break on the price of their meal.

But would the idea go over in SA? Would people be willing to pay more because they wanted to dine at the most congested time? The question was put to several key players on the dining scene. Here’s what they had to say:

Mark Bliss
Chef/owner, Bliss
926 S. Presa St.

Hmm, a premium price for premium times … I think some clientele would not have an issue, but it does seem a bit exclusive and would not allow customers on a budget to dine at premium times, especially for special events like anniversaries, birthdays, etc. We always wanted Bliss to be accessible to everyone, and if they book a week out ahead of time, they are able to secure prime times, usually. It seems that with “preferred seating” one would be setting one up for no-show credit card charges, last-minute reservations and impatience in having to wait for a table on very busy nights. We already have that exclusivity in place with our chef’s table. -Mark

Stefan Bowers
Chef, Feast
1024 S. Alamo St.

At Feast we only do reservations for tables of six or more and that’s simply because we needed to be somewhat prepared for large groups. But I can answer this question with certainty because I answer the phones during the day (we don’t have a host during the day and I don’t like people going to voicemail). The fact is that 95 percent of everyone who calls and wants a table, especially on a Friday/Saturday night, wants it at 7:30. It’s a premium time, and everyone wants it. I’ll tell the guest on the phone that 7:30-8:30 is booked and lose their business because of the trillion other options available. I suppose in New York it’s a way of recovering some of the losses of “turnaway” tables. Though, my personal belief is that it’s not good business. The party calling far enough ahead to secure a table and then being penalized for it just doesn’t make sense to me. This is exactly, on a deep level, why we became an open seating restaurant, first come-first serve (almost — we’re just too small to deal with a walk-in 14, 16 or 20 top).

The Jack Cheese Mac at Feast.

What’s happening nowadays in the contemporary restaurant scene is fascinating to me. Restaurants are completely evolving. They’re becoming far more unconventional and much more confident in calling their own shots. Big name or just solid local chefs with a national reputation (Carlo Mirarchi, David Chang, for example) are rewriting the rule books. We’re ALL aware of the fatality rate of restaurants, so I think younger chefs are taking a more defensive and protective role and saying something to the effect of “Well, I could be out of business in less than five years, so I’m going to do things my way and I’m also not going to let the guests take advantage of me OR my restaurant.” Yet, I feel this is an unstopable measure in big cities. Though, I don’t see SA doing this for another 3-5 years at the minimum.

Altogether, I don’t agree with this trend. It doesn’t feel right poking someone with a reservation time “penalty ticket” (even though there’s a part of me that can see how it might possibly eliminate the entitled guest or it might cause the more frugal guest to slide up or down a time slot), but unfortunately I think what it’s going to do, most of all, is just irritate the guest from the begining and start a VERY dangerous process of stacking the deck against the restaurant that applies it.

To put it plainly, it’s going to cheapen the guest/restaurant relationship from the start. The romance immediately dies a little between the two parties because it becomes about the money before the two parties can even get to the sex, uh, food/experience. It’s important to never make the guest feel cheap. If the guest feels cheap then the restaurant is cheap.

Jason Dady
Chef/owner, Jason Dady Restaurants,
including Bin 555 and Tre Trattoria

Is Jason Dady’s outrageous Nutella x 3 even more precious if you can order it at the time you prefer?

In my dream world, that would be perfect. It makes sense in many other entertainment industries: premium tickets for premium pricing. Down time results in lower pricing in movie theaters, Broadway shows, etc.

I think if they “band” together, it could work, but it’s only as strong as its weakest link. Look at Next and Alinea (in Chicago) selling tickets, and it’s worked great for them.

It would never, ever go over in SA, because no one has a stronghold enough on the market to garner that type of demand. But as a diner, I would certainly not mind paying a premium price for a premium time, if that’s what I wanted. You get what you pay for.

Robert Rodriguez,
General Manager, NAO at the CIA
312 Pearl Parkway

Interesting. Seems like an effort to make the time less popular. Can’t imagine they would be making much money with it. Don’t think it would go over very well here. In San Antonio, everyone wants to come in between 6 and 8 … sometimes it’s difficult to fill reservations in advance for earlier or later than that, if they plan ahead at all.

Now, it’s your turn: Would you be willing to pay more for dinner at a special restaurant if you wanted to go at a heavily trafficked time? Post your answers below.

Golden beets, farro and white bean salad

Whenever I visit Tre Trattoria, I find myself incapable of saying no to three of chef Jason Dady’s antipasti. One is a farro salad with the crunchy whole grain tossed with sautéed onion, celery and carrot and coated in a simple, effective vinaigrette. Another is his white bean salad, which gets a lift from parsley and lemon in a gremolata. The third is the golden beet salad with slender bites of orange adding a sweet-tart edge.

So, you can imagine how pleased I was to find the three dishes making up one option as the first course Tre Trattoria in Alamo Heights is offering during Culinaria’s Restaurant Week. It was a winning antipasti selection and a great way to start the evening. Also good was the roasted Caprese salad in which creamy fresh mozzarella was paired with a roasted tomato and plenty of a rich green basil sauce on the plate.

Tagliatelle with oyster mushrooms

My friend chose the house-made spaghetti with garlic, peperoncino  and salty ricotta salata strips but without the anchovies for her pasta course. The garlic was intense, just as she liked it, and it proved a nice partner with the Italian Merlot that we were sharing.

I preferred my rustic tagliatelle , which had fairly good noodles, but, even though they were made in house, they couldn’t hold a candle to the oyster mushrooms in a thyme-flavored sauce sauce that flavored the whole plate.

We both shared the same entrée, grilled ahi tuna over eggplant caponata. When the dish was served, we both were fearful that the fish had been cooked longer than the rare we had ordered it, but the center of both servings was beautifully red and the flavor richly satisfying. The eggplant was the perfect complement with robust flavors of garlic and basil.

Grilled tuna with eggplant caponata

Basil is a flavor we associate with Italian cuisine, but how many of us would have thought of using it in a dessert? Yet there was a chiffonade of basil sprinkled over the top of the ricotta cake. And it worked beautifully. When I first read of the dessert on the menu, I thought it might be cheesecake, but the waitress explained that it was more like a sponge cake. That wasn’t quite right either. Maybe more like a polenta cake, but then again not really. All that mattered is that it was good, especially with a dollop of mascarpone on top and more of those slender slivers of orange.

Ricotta cake with mascarpone

Also offered was Dady’s signature Nutella x 3, which has always been one of the most seductive treats in town, and Thursday’s sample was no exception. The consistency achieved in dishes such as that confection as well as the antipasti have always made Tre so comfortably reliable and rewarding.

Time is running out on Culinaria’s Restaurant Week. Special lunches are priced at $15, while multi-course dinners cost $35. For a list of participants, from Biga on the Banks to Ruth’s Chris Steak House, click on the Culinaria ad above.

Tre Trattoria
4003 Broadway
(210) 805-0333
www.tretrattoria.com

Rosemary Kowalski

San Antonio knows Rosemary Kowalski for the catering that her company, the RK Group, has provided for the past 66 years. But now she has a new project on the front burner. She’s teamed up with SA Youth to launch Rosemary’s Kitchen, a culinary training program designed to help underprivileged youth ages 16-24.

“We want to help recover high school dropouts,” Cynthia Le Monds, CEO of SA Youth told a crowd that had braved the rains to pour into the Mission Verde Center, formerly Cooper Middle School.

The 27-year-old community group helps kids with educational programs that focus on their getting a diploma while they take part in workforce training programs that prepare them for jobs in construction and computer technology. The information has been put to use building energy-efficient homes in town.

Now Rosemary’s Kitchen will help people who have an interest in learning more about the culinary arts, restaurant work and catering. A community cafe will be part of the project.

Kowalski has been involved with the project from the beginning — and not just by lending her name, Le Monds said: “She was involved in the design, she helped select the equipment. … Rosemary put so much into the development of Rosemary’s Kitchen.”

John Brand’s open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches

“In my 66 years in the food business, I have always dreamed of helping someone have a place to teach culinary arts that would help our city,” Kowalski said. “I never dreamed that someone would offer to name a kitchen after me. I’ve always talked about wanting to help young people change their lives by becoming chefs and helping them realize their talents. Now we’re able to do this thanks to SA Youth.”

Her devotion to the cause was rewarded with the announcement of a $25,000 donation from H-E-B. Le Monds urged the gathering and the community at large to contribute as well to the non-profit program, “in whatever way is meaningful for you. … Any amount that you feel you can pledge will be appreciated.”

Jason Cardenas makes nitrogen Rice Krispie treats

Students in the program were on hand to serve treats that the RK Group had donated, including lobster corn dogs and tiny cones filled with chicken salad. In the meantime, a handful of RK’s chefs were joined by some of the city’s finest, including Johnny Hernandez from La Gloria,  to present playful takes on cafeteria favorites.

Jeff Balfour of Citrus served up chicken nuggets, John Brand of Las Canarias offered grilled cheese with pickled artichoke hearts and olives, and Jason Dady of Bin 555 and Tre Trattoria had square pizza. Eric Nelson of RK offered stuffed meatloaf in the form of meatballs and mac ‘n’ cheese gratin with a Goldfish crust and truffle shavings on top. Most of us never had anything nearly as good. And in a nod to chemistry class crossed with trendy molecular cooking, there were nitrogen Rice Krispie treats.

For more about SA Youth or for information on making a donation, visit www.sanantonioyouth.org or call (210) 223-3131.

Jason Dady’s square pizza

Say.She.Ate is one of the trucks to be filmed for “Eat St.”

“Eat St.,” the Cooking Channel show that celebrates the food truck business, is coming to San Antonio, and the folks at Boardwalk on Bulverde are celebrating with their second annual Food Truck Throw Down and Music Festival.

The show will be taping around town July 19-23, while the Throw Down is set for July 20-22. Last year’s Throw Down featured more than two dozen food trucks from the throughout the region serving up their finest while live music filled the air. Participants voted on their favorites.

“Eat St.”  won’t be at the Boardwalk during their entire filming. The crews will start at Jason Dady’s DUK Truck on July 19 for lunch at a spot yet to be determined.

On July 20, crews will be at Alamo St. Eat Bar, 609 S. Alamo St., to focus on Tapa Tapa.

Filming moves to the Point Park & Eats, 24188 Boerne Stage Road, on July 21, where footage of Say.She.Ate will predominate.

Tapa Tapa Shrimp Ceviche

On July 22, “Eat St.” meets Boardwalk on Bulverde, 14732 Bulverde Road, during the Thrown Down, while crews go to the Rickshaw Stop.

July 23 closes out the filming at Boardwalk on Bulverde for a spot on Society Bakery.

The public is invited to the filming, so this is a great chance for you to support the city’s burgeoning food truck scene, enjoy some fine eats and maybe get your face on TV.

For more information on the Thrown Down, click here.

Robert Fleming is opening a second Magnolia Pancake Haus this week.

NAO, the Latin restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America, will have its soft opening on May 23.

It will be in the Pearl Brewery, 200 E. Grayson St., and will feature dishes from throughout South America, Latin America and the islands.

NAO will be student-staffed and the menu will feature traditional dishes creatively reinterpreted for San Antonio diners.

Jesse Perez

In other Pearl Brewery news, chef Jesse Perez is opening his contemporary American restaurant, Arcade, this fall. It will be in the lab building near the stables on the property.

The streamlined industrial look of the space will be playful, Perez says.

We’re hoping the food will be as good as what we sampled from Perez during this year’s Culinaria.

In other restaurant news, Robert Fleming will be opening his second Magnolia Pancake Haus on Friday at 10333 Huebner Road.

Old favorites, such as the Apfelpfannekuchen and the pancakes as well as the house-made sausage and eggs to order, will be available. Call (210) 561-6117.

Robbie Nowlin, who left Jason Dady’s the Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills, to work at the prestigious French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., has returned to town. He will be working for Dady again, this time at Bin 555.

The Esquire Tavern

The Esquire Tavern, 155 E. Commerce St., has been named one of the top bars in America by Men’s Fitness magazine. The listing says that “Luckily despite its tourist-y location, this is a casual local favorite that just happens to boast the longest wooden bar in Texas. At 79 feet it’s the perfect spot to throw back a few Lone Stars (the “National Beer of Texas”), and hang with the locals. As for cocktails they’re fittingly big and boozy.”

The Grand Hyatt, 600 E. Market St., has a new executive chef. Lawrence Eells grew up moving around the world. As a young boy in a military family, he spent the majority of his childhood in places such as Okinawa, the Philippines, Shanghai, Hawaii, Albuquerque, San Diego, Minneapolis and Dallas.