Taste of new orleans san antonio 2023

A taste of Bayou Country

If you’re looking forward to letting the good times roll with the celebratory arrival of Mardi Gras on March 1, there’s no need to leave town to partake in some of the best cuisine New Orleans has to offer. For a limited time, one favorite local chef is serving up the flavors of the Crescent City in San Antonio. Who dat? Celebrated culinary master chef Steve McHugh, of course.

Beginning Friday, January 14 and running through Friday, January 28, McHugh will jazz up the menu at Landrace — the signature restaurant at the Thompson San Antonio hotel helmed by the chef — transforming it from a Lone Star-focused bill of fare to one emphasizing authentic New Orleans cuisine.

The exclusive two-week taste of New Orleans is inspired by McHugh’s time in the Crescent City, where the James Beard Award finalist developed many of his culinary skills and worked in some of the city’s most notable restaurant kitchens and with legendary restaurateurs, including Dickie Brennan and Ralph Brennan.

Featuring a menu filled with “epicurean masterpieces,” McHugh’s NOLA-inspired menu aims to embody the cornerstones of haute New Orleans cuisine.

“It is easy to be inspired by the old guard of restaurants like Antoine’s, Arnaud’s, and Brennan’s, but I also look forward to sharing my own progressive approach here at Landrace,” McHugh says.

As part of the two-week stint, McHugh will showcase a Landrace menu of 14 unique dishes from his past repertoire in New Orleans.

His modern takes on NOLA classics will include turtle soup with a sherry gastrique; Trout Pontchartrain with wild mushrooms, crabmeat, hollandaise, and pecan rice; Boudin Balls with gribiche and bread-and-butter pickles; seafood gumbo with popcorn rice; Salad Maison with chicories, heirloom tomatoes, lardons, cornbread croutons, and a brown-butter vinaigrette; gnocchi with crawfish and tasso; and smoked honey-glazed duck confit with escarole, radicchio, pecan, and a red-wine vinaigrette.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a true New Orleans feast without dessert. Among McHugh’s sweet treats will be a decadent chocolate pecan rye pie.

The full Landrace menu will be available during the two-week NOLA extravaganza, in case your dinner party has some favorites. But we highly recommend you dine on some McHugh-crafted New Orleans cuisine while you can.

Visit the Landrace website for reservations.

Coming on the heels of San Antonio's recent ranking as the No. 21 market for new hotels in the U.S., Alamo City is celebrating the groundbreaking of an elevated new property coming in late 2024.

On Wednesday, October 12, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and White Lodging broke ground the first-ever Kimpton hotel in San Antonio.

Slated for late 2024, representatives from Kimpton and White Lodging, the hotel’s owner and operator, joined representatives from the City of San Antonio and Visit San Antonio to share remarks about the hotel’s future in the city.

“We’ve seen tremendous success in our sister properties in Texas - in Austin, Fort Worth and Dallas,” said Kimpton Area Director Jeremy Wilhide. “This state has a wonderful sense of hospitality so coming to San Antonio made all the sense in the world.”

Located at 423 South Alamo Street in downtown San Antonio, the new 10-story property will feature 347 rooms, a high-end restaurant, lobby bar, rooftop pool and lounge, and more. The hotel will feature luxury guest suites and more than 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.

Kimpton and White Lodging are working with HKS Architects and KTGY Simeone Deary Design Group to bring the hotel to life, combining new builds with the restoration of an 1850s historic schoolhouse that currently resides on the property, which also features 100-plus-year-old trees in the courtyard.

According to a release, the property's location also holds global significance: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed here in 1992. In contemporary terms, the location also provides easy access to downtown attractions like the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, River Walk, Alamo Plaza, Hemisfair, and more.

Theater arts, a culinary competition, and a sneaker show top our entertainment list for the next few days. See Cinderella performed by Ballet San Antonio or trade rare and fresh kicks at the LaceUp Sneaker Show. Check out the top five things to do in San Antonio this weekend. For a full listing of events, go to our calendar.

Thursday, October 13

Broadway in San Antonio: Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations
Witness The Temptations’ impactful rise to fame through music and performing arts with this moving Majestic Theatre production. Audiences can expect to see the group’s signature dance moves, groove to several of their 42 top 10 hits, and experience their journey from the Detroit streets to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Performances are scheduled through October 16.

Friday, October 14

San Antonio Museum of Art presents "Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche"
Explore and unpack the historical and cultural legacy of La Malinche, the enslaved Indigenous girl who served as a translator and cultural interpreter for Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, at the San Antonio Museum of Art. This new exhibition is a comprehensive visual exploration of Malinche’s impact from both Mexican and American perspectives. Following opening weekend, which also features a special immersive opera, the exhibition will be on display through January 8, 2023.

Homegrown Chef presents Burger Showdown 3.0
Chow down on some of the best beef burgers in the Alamo City in the spirit of charbroiled competition at Alamo Beer Company. Guests to this audience-voted competition will enjoy 10 one-of-a-kind burger creations along with french fries and cookies throughout the evening. Festivities will culminate with a vote for the best burger and a cash prize for the winning chef. Proceeds from the showdown will benefit the San Antonio Food Bank. For more information and tickets, check out the showdown website.

Ballet San Antonio presents Cinderella
The enchanting story of Cinderella is retold and brought to life by the talented members of Ballet San Antonio on Tobin Center for the Performing Arts stage. Audiences can embark on a journey with Cinderella as she searches for her true “Happily Ever After” in the face of adversity. For ticketing information, click here. Performances are scheduled through October 16.

Sunday, October 16

LaceUp Sneaker Show
San Antonio’s sneakerheads are invited to mix, mingle, and make rare footwear selections at San Antonio Shrine Auditorium. LaceUp Sneaker Show guests can discover and purchase more than 10,000 pairs of the latest sneakers and streetwear during this hypebeast-approved event. Highlights include a trade pit, giveaways, food vendors, live DJ sets, and tons of sneaker vendors onsite. The first 100 guests will be entered into a raffle to win a free pair of rare kicks. Get a full schedule of events and purchase tickets on the sneaker show website.