Esquire Bar owner Chris Hill looks on while guests sample a burger.

The tangy aromas of smoke and meat were in the air, as the sun shone brightly on Burgers, BBQ and Beer, Culinaria’s last event of a highly popular 2011 festival.

How popular? Many events sold out and, at Saturday night’s Grand Tasting the Culinaria store was bought out. “No more T-shirts, nothing left. That’s amazing,” said Suzanne Taranto Etheredge, president and CEO of the festival.

By noon Sunday, the parking lot at the back of the Pearl Brewery was filling up with people drawn in by the scents of smoke, bacon frying and just-opened bottles of beer. As part of the ticket price, hundreds of festival-goers were able to pick up some of the city’s most innovative, chef-cooked burgers and not-your-everyday ‘cue. The perfect weather was thrown in at no added cost.

You could even shop. Melissa Guerra’s stand offered a few items from her store, including $69 leather huaraches in a startling shade of purple.  Her Tienda de Cocina offers Mexican cooking supplies, ingredients, dishes, cookbooks and more.

Or, you could stop at Al’s Gourmet Nuts where author Travis Poling was signing his book on Texas brews, “Beer Across Texas.” The event also  marked the beginning of the first ever San Antonio Beer Week. Click here for information on this series of events.

Oyster barbecuer "Moose" offers bivalves in a spicy sauce on the half shell.

Stephen McHugh, chef at Lüke on East Houston Street, and his crew, served barbecued oysters on the half shell accompanied by an herb-buttered crouton. The bivalve, simmering in spicy juices, went down easily with sips of cold beer. The Two Bros. team of Jason Dady and Jake Dady offered their spicy pork deshabrada, or pulled pork. Ben E. Keith invited one and all to sample conventionally pit-smoked fajitas, bacon-wrapped jalapeños, beef tenderloin and chicken, with all the trimmings. Jesse Perez brought out his smoker and prepared meaty chicken drumsticks in what he called an “old school” barbecue with chipotle and a touch of habanero, another recipe that called for the clean, refreshing taste of an icy beer.

Patricia Wenckus, chef at Auden's Kitchen, with Perny Shea, catering and sales manager.

Patricia Wenckus, chef at Auden’s Kitchen in Stone Oak, and Perny Shea, catering and sales manager for chef Bruce Auden at Biga on the Bank, put up a good fight against smoke pouring off the grill. “It doesn’t matter where I go, it’s coming after me,” said Wenkus, laughing. Her offering of the day was a lamb burger with handmade potato chips on the side.  Chef John Brand from Las Canarias at La Mansion del Rio was grilling Wagyu beef sliders, with toppings that ranged from yellow cheese and pickles to black truffle mayo and foie gras mousse.

Jeff Balfour of Citrus created this pork boudin burger with pickled shrimp slaw.

Beef and lamb weren’t the red meats of choice for burgers at the event, however. Shrimp and pork burgers were passed out. Two of the most popular burgers were pork, including Jeff Balfour’s pork boudin sausage burger topped with pickled shrimp in a tangy coleslaw mix.  Another grilled pork burger was topped with brisket bacon, a smoky-beefy-chewy and delicious creation from the JW Marriott.

Brian West of Las Ramblas in the Hotel Contessa served up a mixed seafood burger with crispy salmon skin.

Timbo’s, located next to the Pearl Brewery complex, is known for its big burgers. But that wasn’t on its menu Sunday. The restaurant offered its delectable Shypoke Eggs with tomato melted under the cheese.

Max, a standard poodle, waits for a treat at the Pearl amphitheater.

Next to the parking lot, the amphitheater overlooking the Museum Extension of the River Walk was a comfortable resting place for weary moms and dads or anyone wanting to get out of the sun while sipping on an icy mix of locally made Dripping Springs vodka and cranberry juice. A few even got up to dance to the music of Ken Little and Rodeo Ho Ho, and even the pooches on leashes got a few tastes of some of the festival fare — if they were lucky.

Though the festival ended Sunday, more stand-alone Culinaria events will be happening later this year. For a look at what is coming up, go to www.culinariasa.com.

Photographs by Bonnie Walker

Jordan Asiimwe, a child helped by HeartGift San Antonio (center), is joined by Joseph Baker (from left), Deborah Miller, Rodrigo Ugartechea and Heather Nanez.

Five San Antonio chefs are getting together Thursday to prepare a multi-course dinner to benefit HeartGift San Antonio, a charity that helps children with heart defects.

Each of the chefs will be preparing a course with watermelon as an ingredient.

The chefs and their dishes include:

• Heather Nañez of Bohanan’s with Yucatan-style Seared Hamachi and an assorted melon salsa and sour orange vinaigrette
• Damien Watel of Bistro Vatel with Watermelon, Grape Tomato and Feta Salad.
• Rodrigo Ugartechea of Cabo Seafood + Bar with Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail plus watermelon tartare, passion fruit with cilantro sauce and crispy rice noodles
• Patricia Wenckus of Auden’s Kitchen with Watermelon and Prosciutto Salad with goat cheese and basil
• Joseph Baker of the RK Group with Watermelon Pavé, strawberry dice, cilantro caviar, black sesame micro-sponge cake.

Jordan Asiimwe, a 1-year-old heart surgery patient from Uganda, will be the special guest of the evening. He underwent heart surgery last week, thanks to HeartGift and will be on hand to receive a special cake from Baker.

HeartGift San Antonio brings children from around the world to San Antonio for free surgery to correct life-threatening heart defects.

Tickets for the event are $125 a person. The event is at the home of Deborah and Morris Miller, 777 East Olmos Drive.  For reservations, call Cathy at HeartGift, 210-299-7666.

Auden’s Kitchen, Bruce Auden’s haven of home cooking at 700 E. Sonterra Blvd., has been named one of the top 10 new restaurants in the county by gayot.com, a website that describes itself as “the guide to the good life.”

Auden and his team, including head chef Patricia Wenckus, offer diners a host of comfort foods from buttermilk fried chicken and fish of the day with chips to duck two ways and a bone-in pork chop with bubble and squeak.

The rest of the list include places in Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington, Los Angles, Philadephia, Boston and New York. Not another restaurant included was from Texas.

“Auden’s Kitchen, its wire shelf dividers lined with wines and crockery, is homey with more than a hint of haute,” the online review reads.

For another view of Auden’s Kitchen, from SavorSA’s Bonnie Walker, click here.

Wood Roasted Chicken

Auden’s Kitchen is just what chef Bruce Auden wanted it to be, a comfortable neighborhood drop-in kind of place. You’ll see your neighbors, or maybe your best friend in having lunch or coffee.

Right away, I fell for the visual elements that pulled together a subtle but well-done statement.  San Antonio designer Jill Giles did not have a whopping budget to make the place come alive, Auden told us, yet she pulled it off. The creative touches are decisive and coherent, taking the interior beyond homey yet still present a feeling of welcome.

I marveled at the paper table toppers stamped with a spare, blue-ink design; the deckle-edged, black and white photos of old table utensils framed in simple black.  ] I loved the table ‘napkins’ ─ simple white cotton dishtowels with blue lines.

Potted Chicken and Duck

The bar is comfortable and inviting, if small. The racks with wine bottles running the length of the restaurant are cool, but we hoped the original contents had been consumed, before the bottles were filled and set in the sun. One happy note to add: Auden’s corkage fee (bring your own bottle, they’ll open it and serve) is a relatively affordable $15.

At the window to the open kitchen, above a slim community table (we used to call it a counter in the olden days) is a long row of ultra-shiny, polished steel (or is it aluminum?) pans hanging by their handles. Great touch ─ one of those you want to work into your own kitchen decor.

Fish of the Day and Chips

I won’t be damning Auden’s Kitchen with faint praise for the food and great praise for design, however. I liked the food. Everyone I know who has eaten there likes the food.

Auden likes the food and gives much of the credit to his young female chef, Patricia Wenckus.  We give Auden huge credit, applause and kudos putting a female at the head of the kitchen.

I’m going to start with dessert in my discussion of the menu. Years ago (10 years ago, I believe) Auden’s pastry chef at Biga on the Banks, Katharine Tuason, introduced us to Sticky Toffee Pudding. It was one of his biggest hits, a revelation for us non-Brits, and now is on Auden’s Kitchen’s menu.

I’ll try it next time, because a similar dessert, a very sticky bread pudding was offered that day. It was a little like the toffee pudding, melting with gooey syrup-soaked bread and totally delicious. I think a little dish of crème Anglaise that came to the table was meant to be a topper, but I actually consider crème Anglaise a stand-alone dessert. Like dessert soup. I ate them separately.

We also loved another “crème,” the crème brulée ice cream. As a companion said, “I’ve had crème brulée ice cream before, but this one really does taste like crème brulée.”

Salami, asparagus and tomato pizza

Full disclosure: Auden and Perny Shea, his marketing director, were at our table off and on for one of the visits. That meant exquisite service, though we think the crew was up to snuff on the other visits as well.

The Guadalupe Peak Lemon Pie was another knock-’em-dead ─ or at least into sugar shock ─ dessert.

I’ll jump back to our appetizers now. We ordered the Potted Chicken and Duck, a mixture of chicken mousse and duck rillette, or meat and fat pounded to a mellow, paté-like consistency and used as a spread. It was flavorful, with an especially appealing presentation in a little glass crock. The allspice in the pickled vegetables, served with the spread, was a pleasant foil for the spread.

Auden's Kitchen's version of Mac-and-cheese

On another visit, the Scotch eggs were traditional, the hard-cooked egg wrapped in a well seasoned sausage (with plenty of parsley) and then fried. Some aioli on the side worked, too. Cooked pasta with cheese, baked with (heaven) buttered crumbs on top, was another impossible-to-resist treat.

Pizzas are a daily special as well as mainstay on the menu. We ordered one with salami and tomatoes. The crust was thin and chewy, browned on the bottom with a good, yeasty taste. The sliced salami was rolled into a small tube instead of spread flat over the cheese. Nice touch, that.

A Cheddar Burger on a flat, toasted bun, with fried onions, was good and cooked to medium. My friend’s chicken, baked to a toasty brown, seasoned with thyme and onion, was accompanied by roasted Brussels sprouts. These are a winter favorite of ours, especially when they are this tender and flavorful. (You may also order them as a side dish.)

Guadalupe Peak Lemon Pie

Auden is a classically trained chef, but in this casual corner up in the Stone Oak area, he shows his British roots as well. The fish-and-chips, served up big slabs of freshly battered fillets of fish, comes with fries in a paper cone. No complaints, especially with the bottle of malt vinegar handy.

On an earlier visit, a friend tried the kitchen’s best seller, the buttermilk fried chicken. Crackly on the outside, moist and tender on the inside – perfect.  Green beans on the side were cooked with just a bit of crunch.

As so many have already discovered, Auden’s Kitchen is worth the visit with an affordable, varied and appealing menu of well-executed dishes. The food isn’t fancy, but it’s a cut or two above your basic comfort food, and that’s just fine with us.

Photos: Nicholas Mistry

Bread Pudding

Cheddar Burger

Crème Brulée Ice Cream

Auden’s Kitchen
The Plaza at Concord
700 E. Sonterra Blvd
(210) 494-0070
www.audenskitchen.com
Mon. – Thurs. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Fri. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Sun. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. with special menu brunch items