We Forgot the Alamo
San Antonio, home of the downtown riverwalk1 and the Alamo. Of course, we forgot about the Alamo this time around. There will be no further mention of it in this post.
Day 1
This trip starts with us making our way to San Antonio for the purpose of attending a Dream Theater concert and sightseeing.
It’s a two-hour thirty-minute drive from Corpus Christi.
As is common in many parts of Texas, there’s not much to see on the way, just flat land with sparse vegetation.
It was quite foggy which gave the drive a cozy vibe.
We also saw a curious sign.
Kerbey Lane Cafe
Our first stop: brunch @ Kerbey Lane Cafe.
Being Saturday, there was a twenty-minute before we got seated.
I was craving Eggs Benedict and was pleasantly surprised to find different types of Benedicts in their menu (which has a very nice font btw).
I went for their Cuban-style one which boasts pulled pork and plantains2.
The Benedict was incredibly filling; the pulled pork was au naturel (no sauce) and the jalapeño sausage had a taste I can only describe as “pleasantly spicy”.
My only complaint is there was too much hollandaise sauce, so I was left with a very buttery aftertaste.
For my drink, I had a cinnamon swirl latte served in a large mug.
It was a very aesthetic experience; I will definitely come back if I have the chance.
The Shops at La Cantera
This is an open-air mall near Six Flags. Although the drive here was cold and foggy, at around noon the sun shone bright making it very pleasant to walk around. It had lots of luxury brand shops, making it ideal for window shopping. We weren’t very hungry (see Kerbey Lane Cafe), but there were various restaurants and dessert shops that seemed to be worth a try.
A highlight for me was finding this packet of ketchup resting atop a Swarovski store sign.
Hilton Garden Inn
We chose this hotel for its proximity to the Majestic Theatre (more on that later).
The hotel was OK, but I wouldn’t stay here again.
The shower was so strong, it felt like needles.
It had a sh*tty single-handle shower knob, which means weak water is cold and strong water is hot with absolutely no in between.
Also parking is $42 (forty-two) USD per night, although this is the norm for hotels in the area.
At least the coffee was good…
Another reason to consider not staying here (and this is not specific to this hotel) is the downtown traffic. It can get pretty bad/frustrating at times, sometimes taking five to ten minutes just to enter or leave the block around the hotel.
The Pita Chick
Disclaimer: this is not the first time we’ve had The Pita Chick. We had it once when we first visited San Antonio, and were eager to have it again. In other words, this is a must-eat.
The Pita Chick is a food truck serving Mediterranean food.
We ordered our favorite: the chicken bowl, plus some falafel.
I’m still not exactly sure what a falafel is, or what is in the chicken bowl, but I will do my best to explain.
The chicken bowl had Mediterraneously-seasoned chicken (obviously), hummus, garlic sauce, flour tortilla chips, something like cilantro, olives, and probably other stuff, all served on top of white rice.
This dish is edible ecstasy.
Falafel is like… spinach balls without spinach?
I washed this down with a Pepsi Zero Sugar™ on the side.
If you’re on a diet, I suggest not finishing the rice.
Day 2
San Antonio Museum of Art
Located in downtown San Antonio, it’s a twenty-minute walk from our hotel. In true American fashion, we took the car because there was a chill in the air and we felt cold.
To appreciate the art of this museum, one must pay $22 (twenty-two) USD per person. If you bring a car, there’s parking right in front, with a price of $6 (six) USD for four-hours. That’s plenty of time to enjoy every section comfortably. In my opinion, no museum should cost more than ten bucks, especially those you can finish in an hour or two.
I’ll give a brief overview of the layout of the museum. Feel free to skip to the next section if you do not want any spoilers.
There are two buildings, connected with a sky bridge.
Upon entering the museum, you pay, get your map and enter the left building.
You start with ancient civilizations (Egypt, Greece, Rome) on the first floor.
Then you work your way up to the second floor (Korea, Japan, China) and third floor (Oceania).
You then cross the bridge to the third floor of the building on the right.
Now you work your way down through Europe, America, modern art and the gift shop.
Pelicana Chicken
Pelicana Chicken is a popular chicken chain from Korea. This San Antonio branch recently opened, and we decided to put it to the test. We ordered honey soy chicken and Milkis (mine was banana-flavored).
The chicken was lightly bathed in the sauce, with most of it pooling in the tray. This allowed for careful moderation of the sauciness of each individual piece. Overall, the taste was phenomenal; I think it’s worth trying at least once. Next time, I would order half-and-half: half sauce, half no sauce.
Premium Matcha Cafe Maiko
This Japan-inspired cafe serves many delicacies like matcha tea, matcha shaved ice, matcha ice cream and Korean corn dogs.
We just wanted to try their signature ube x matcha soft-serve ice cream.
We did and were not disappointed.
The Matcha part was strong and bitter, while the ube part was creamy and sweet.
Next time we’ll just get one and share.
It was a pretty hefty amount of ice cream.
Majestic Theatre
Dream Theater’s concert in downtown San Antonio was to be held two-hundred meters from our hotel in the aptly-named Majestic Theater, an atmospheric theatre built in 1929. I think the atmospheric part refers to the interior design of the theatre: it looks all grand, with arches, statues, bells, and a peacock? Anyway, it was very not boring to look at; I was expecting something akin to a school auditorium. Fun fact: it was the first building in Texas to be completely air-conditioned.3
The concert itself was amazing. Of course, I’m a bit biased since I love Dream Theater (mainly Petrucci4). I really enjoyed listening to “Octavarium” and “Stream of Consciousness” live for the first time. Being a bit more critical, I think LaBrie’s singing is not clear at times which makes it hard for me to sing along (I don’t know all the lyrics).
Protip: remember to always use ear plugs. I always underestimate how loud a concert can get, and was left with ringing ears for the rest of the night.
The quick walk back to the hotel at 10pm makes the expensive parking totally worth it.
Voodoo Doughnut
Our hotel happened to be right next to a quite popular pink establishment known as “Voodoo Doughnut”.
It is an aesthetic donut shop.
What kind of aesthetic are they going for?
Pink, purple, weird, evil?
I think their menu speaks for itself.
Taste-wise, they are kinda meh to me. We’ve tried The Dirt, Memphis Mafia, Grape Ape, Raised Glaze, The Homer. Other than the Raised Glaze (a simple glazed donut), I wouldn’t get any of these again. They have too much going on. If you are into abominations, make sure to check out Voodoo Doughnut.
Day 3
Quarry Village
We visited this part of San Antonio in search of Trader Joe’s, Panera and a gelato place5.
This is probably where upper-middle class people live.
There were many fancy looking stores, the streets looked pretty and there were Teslas everywhere.
Driving around here was very pleasant, and much less stressful than downtown.
Not pictured: Teslas everywhere.
Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s is a tiktok supermarket, at least that’s how I found out about it. Parking is annoying; every spot is taken so you have to circle the parking lot waiting for a spot to open up. Very un-American and very un-Texan. It looks like a lot (or maybe all) of the products they sell are their own brand. They had a few interesting spices, dried fruits and chips. Overall the store gave a whitey vibe. Go here when even an HEB plus! doesn’t feel nice enough.
Worthy of mention: their Salt & Pepper Ridge Cut chips. They should add pepper to more chips.
Best Quality Daughter
Food-wise, this was the highlight of the trip (in my opinion).
This quaint restaurant has a fittingly odd name and serves Asian fusion food.
We tried three dishes and all three were delicious.
On the left, Taiwanese popcorn chicken: juicy, with a little kick to it.
On the top right, creamy coconut tom yum noodles: taste of curry, coconut and lime, a flavor blast.
On the bottom right, Phat Khaprao pork fried rice: chunks of meat mixed in a sea of wonderfully seasoned rice.
I’m sure if I was born into an Asian family, this is what my mom’s cooking would taste like.
San Antonio International Airport (SAT)
Not much to say about the airport. The coolest part was the Airport Security Parking, a privately-owned parking lot near the airport. It costs around $7 (seven) USD per day and has a shuttle bus that takes you to and from the airport. It runs every ten minutes or so. Great service! The bus drivers are so kind.
Day 4
Sort of. We left San Antonio to visit Monterrey for a week or so then returned.
Immigration and Customs at SAT
Unlike big airports with hundreds of international connections, SAT only receives international flights from Mexico. This makes clearing immigration a super smooth process. Notably, you pick up your luggage before immigration; in my experience, it’s usually the other way around.
Jollibee
Jollibee is a Filipino fast food chain. Almost everyone in the restaurant is Filipino (or looks Filipino). I’ve always considered Filipinos to be the Mexicans of Asia; perhaps that’s why I love this chain so much.
Simply put, they serve the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever tasted.
And I’ve tasted a lot of chicken sandwiches.
It’s thick and juicy, the breading is as good as it gets.
And the fries, wow, they are not afraid of filling the French fry box/container.
So much so, they need to place the container in a paper bag to capture the overflowing sticks of bliss.
This is how every fast food restaurant should serve fries, period.
I know I said Best Quality Daughter was the highlight of the trip, but now I’m not so sure…
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In the USA. Other cities with a downtown riverwalk include Monterrey, Mexico and Venice, Italy. ↩
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I believe “plantain” is Fancy for “banana”. ↩
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According to the official website. ↩
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Or as my partner calls him, “Fetuccini”. ↩
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I did not consume anything from Panera nor the gelato place (called Paciugo Gelato Caffe). My partner’s account of the violet gelato she ordered: “it was flavorful, a lot. Would go there again.” My mom’s account of the Asiago cheese bread from Panera: “woah. It was delicious. It reminded me of my youth” (translated from Spanish). ↩