By Edmond Ortiz
This new edition of Light Bites includes new culinary ventures in Stone Oak and New Braunfels, local charities receiving donations from a downtown brewery/coffee spot and a Pearl district eatery, and the temporary closure of a Castle Hills restaurant.
Additionally, a downtown hotel announces its upcoming culinary offerings, and a West Side coffeehouse has a new name and logo.
NOW OPEN/OPENING UP
Katerina Restaurant and Bar
Owners Katerina Akimova and Dick Jones softly opened this new upscale Stone Oak eatery in early February.
Housed in a retail center spot that has hosted multiple culinary businesses, with Frida Mexican Restaurant being the most recent occupant, Katerina’s kitchen is led by Justin Manzi, a Culinary Institute of America alum, and Greg Carter, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef.
Katerina’s menus boast soups, salads, pizzas, wood-grilled steak, dessert, and entrees, such as sauteed jumbo shrimp, coriander-crusted duck breast, 14-ounce double-cut pork chop, and black truffle burger.
A full bar offers draft beer, wine, classic cocktails and mocktails. Happy hour, held 4-7 p.m. daily in the main bar, features dishes such as potato croquettes, Bavarian soft pretzels, charcuterie, and short rib grilled cheese.
18740 Stone Oak Pkwy. Opens 4 p.m. daily. (210-972-9700)
SipIT
SipIT is celebrating the launch of an Alamo Heights location on Feb. 14 with a grand opening event, which begins at noon. The first 50 people in line will get a free drink.
SipIT offers a variety of beverages, including flavored sodas, margaritas, non-alcoholic options, Jello shots and more.
5308 Broadway St.
Old City Hall Restaurant and Bar
Wiggins Hospitality Group has revived New Braunfels’ historic former city hall building with plans to open this new eatery and bar Feb. 17.
According to a press release, Old City Hall Restaurant and Bar will offer contemporary American cuisine and pay tribute to the structure, which post-city hall has served as the police station, a training site for WWII Red Cross medics, and a home for the Sophienburg Museum archives.
The menu will feature steak, pasta, salads, wood-grilled artichokes, and appetizers, such as smoked trout dip, tuna tartare, and ancho glazed pork belly.
Entrees will include beef short ribs, chicken schnitzel, miso honey salmon, and The Mayor’s Cheeseburger, which contains two patties, American cheese, house pickles, caramelized onions, bearnaise aioli, and fries.
OId City Hall will serve up a range of martinis and signature cocktails, such as a bleu cheese martini, and Texas Linen, featuring Still Austin bourbon, St. Germain, lime, simple, and sparkling water.
Wiggins Hospitality partner Turner Wiggins described the restoration project as “a labor of love.”
“We are honored to be the newest stewards of this incredible building and we look forward to being able to share it with the New Braunfels community again soon,” Wiggins said in a statement.
202 N. Seguin St., New Braunfels. Hours are 4-9 p.m. Mon.-Thu. and Sun.,, and 4-10 p.m. Fri. and Sat.
CLOSED
Azro Afghan Cuisine
The popular Afghan restaurant based in Castle Hills quietly closed in early January, according to a posting on the eatery’s social media, but appears poised to reopen this spring.
The owners of Azro Afghan Cuisine posted on Jan. 11 that their eatery would temporarily be shuttered, but there are plans to reopen this April. However, the post did not indicate whether Azro would reopen in the same retail center site.
2211 NW Military Hwy., Suite 131, Castle Hills
OTHER NEWS
Fife and Farro gives back to the food bank
A pizzeria at Pullman Market is offering monthly pizza collaboration series involving local culinary talent to help give back to local charities.
Fife and Farro, a heritage grain wood-fired pizza and pasta restaurant, invites a different eatery each month to create a specialty pizza. A portion of sales proceeds from the pizza will go to the San Antonio Food Bank.
This month, the crew from neighboring Pearl restaurant Ladino has created a specialty pie with chef Berty Richter is scheduled to join the Fife and Farro team to cook dinner there Feb. 26.
The February pizza collaboration features Sujuk sausage layered with Kefolatyri cheese, roasted and marinated tomatoes, red onion and herbs, finished with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and Skhug vinaigrette.
Fife and Farro has Gigi’s Deli coming in March, followed by Pumpers, Best Quality Daughter, and Buddy’s Big Trouble.
Downtown brewery boosts animal group
Throughout February, Roadmap Brewing Co. will donate $1 from each sale of its house pilsner, drip coffee and non-alcoholic beer to Footbridge Foundation, a local nonprofit that helps at-risk animals. Roadmap donates a portion of proceeds from certain sales to a different local charity each month.
West Side coffeehouse undergoes rebrand
Shotgun House Coffee Roasters, located on the city’s West Side, recently announced a new name and logo to Mural Roasters on its social media channels.
Company representatives said the change reflects the many murals that adorn the walls of commercial buildings and other structures in the surrounding neighborhood.
“Inspired by its mural tradition, where public art lives as a part of everyday life, we honor a culture built on creativity, resilience and pride,” the announcement stated.
New downtown hotel unveils culinary program
The Monarch San Antonio, the newest luxury hotel in downtown San Antonio, is due to open March 3, but company officials have already provided a glimpse into what guests and visitors can expect in the way of food and beverage offerings there.
Executive Chef Jae H. Lee will oversee all food and beverage operations across the property’s three dining destinations: Oak & Amber, Aleteo, and The Nectarie Café, according to a press release. Lee has spent more than 20 years in the culinary/hospitality industry, including stints in recent years at Austin Proper Hotel, and The Joule Hotel in Dallas.
According to the release, the prevailing culinary philosophy at The Monarch will highlight premium meats and seafood, and market-driven sourcing with a French influence. Company representatives said the three venues will transition from morning to night, offering experiences that reflect the hotel’s style and the energy of activities occurring downtown.
“Each restaurant has its own identity, but they’re connected by a shared foundation,” Lee said in a statement. “Technique, consistency, and respect for the fundamentals and the ingredients are what allow creativity to happen. This program is about creating places people want to return to—whether they’re staying at the hotel or living down the street.”
