Ma Harper Changes Hours

Ma Harper’s Creole Kitchen, which recently moved to 1816 N. New Braunfels Ave., is changing its hours next week.

The New Orleans-style favorite, run by Alice “Ma” Harper, will be open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call 210-226-2200.

Lüke plans a Shiner Beer dinner

The River Walk brasserie Lüke, 125 E. Houston St., is hosting a Shiner Beer dinner at 7 p.m. Oct. 27.

Chef Steven McHugh is preparing  a multi-course meal that begins with  samplings of both Shiner Bock and Shiner Light, followed by  Crabby Madame featuring crab, ham, Emmanthaler Swiss and quail egg with Shiner Hefeweizen.  Gulf Coast Grouper with shrimp, parsley and shellfish reduction is paired with Shiner Oktoberfest while Choucroute Garni with ham hock, basque, belly and mustard will be served with Shiner Black Lager. Chocolate and Parsnip Cake closes out the evening with Shiner Holiday Cheer.

The cost is $50 a person. For reservations, call 210-227-LUKE (5853).

It’s reading and mezcal at Morton’s

Also on Oct. 27 is a special Wahaka Mezcal tasting at Morton’s the Steakhouse, 300 E. Crockett St., to benefit SA Reads, the city’s non-profit youth literacy initiative. It begins at 6:30 p.m.

Guests will sample several varieties of mezcal from the artisanal Oaxacan distillery, which will be paired with a heavy hors d’oeurves from Morton’s. Wahaka’s mescals are 100 percent agave and 100 percent organic.

Representatives from Wahaka will be there to present the history of mezcal and answer questions.

Nativa on Broadway will also be there with beautiful handmade, embroidered blouses and guayaberas by artisans of Mexico.

The cost is $45 a person or $75 a couple. Cash or checks made out to  Literacy San Antonio will be collected at the door.

For reservations, email leslie@kometcommunications.com.

Morton’s valet parking available for $6.

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

A seafood display greets diners.

We were eager to get a look at Lüke, the new River Walk restaurant ensconced at one end of the Embassy Suites. It’s the sister of the acclaimed brasserie run by chef John Besh in New Orleans. At the helm here is Besh’s former sous chef, Stephen McHugh.

So we dropped by for lunch Friday, a beautiful fall day that was warm enough to sit outside. But we chose inside to get a good look at the ambiance of this newly constructed restaurant.

The interior has a turn-of-the-century (that would be the 1899-1900) feel with plenty of polished wood, metal-trimmed lamps and lighting, and bistro tables and chairs. A huge, fresh seafood display welcomes guests who come in from the Houston Street entrance. It’s at the end of a long, glossy stretch of bar while a herringbone pattern of mixed woods decorates the floor.

Cochon de Lait at Lüke.

Service was snappy and pleasant, the view from our table to the foliage on the river was brilliant in the early afternoon sunshine.

The fries arrive standing in a paper-lined cup.

The food measured up to our expectations. Lüke’s burger (cooked to order and topped with smoky bacon) was delicious. The beef was dense with good, beefsteak flavor. We liked that it was served exactly as we wanted it, a perfect medium, and that it came on a cutting board with a very sharp Languiole knife so that we could quarter it and pass it around.

A Cochon de Lait (literally “pig in milk” or, more  loosely, “suckling pig”) sandwich was spectacular. The juicy, tender pork was laid over slices of ham with mustard and pickles. The New Orleans version of a Cuban sandwich, it was served with a thick mash of sauce on the side. It was a little sweet—our only criticism of the day.

Both came with excellent fries, not too soft and not too crunchy. Dipped in mayo, they were just right, though they might be even better in the evening when paired with one of the many beer choices from the brasserie’s well-chosen list.

Lüke's burger voted one of nation's best by Travel and Leisure magazine last year.

Stephen McHugh is chef and co-owner of Lüke on the San Antonio River Walk.

Award-winning chef John Besh’s new River Walk restaurant, Lüke, has opened for dinner.

His business partner and chef is Stephen McHugh, who worked with Besh as sous chef at Lüke in New Orleans. The casual restaurant specializes in  “Old World” style specialties, with a full menu as well as daily blackboard offerings.

Menu items include pâtés, Fried Oyster Salad, Berkshire Pork Cracklins, Mesquite Smoked Pork Ribs, Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo, Shrimp and Grits, Matzo Ball and Roasted Chicken Soup. Dinner items include fresh Gulf Coast fish, schnitzel and choucroute garnie: house-made sauerkraut and homemade bratwurst and slow-cooked pork.

The restaurant will be open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday for Thanksgiving. Lunch will follow in near future. Both lunch and dinner menus offer an “Express” entrée list for those on the run. Steaks, duck confit, burgers and sandwiches, as well as a collection of  wursts, served with skillet potatoes and mustard round out the menu.

The restaurant is at 125 W. Houston St. For reservations call 210-227-5853 (LUKE).