French in San Antonio

We are a traveling crêpe stand in business for over a year. Based out of San Antonio and surrounding areas. We pride ourselves in traditional crêpes made in the French "street style". Please come visit our stand for a real crêpe. We have a loyal following and make your crêpe in front of you with a smile. We also offer gluten free and vegetarian options.

; Lisa Astorga-Watel should not be worrying about standing in husband Damien’s shadow at her new Southtown boîte, Bite; though some dishes still need to find final form, her small-plate menu fills a void in Southtown’s ever-expanding restaurant pantheon. Starters such as octopus carpaccio and boquerones (Spanish anchovies) are fine; we expect to come to love bigger plates with lamb and duck as well.

;

Scott Cohen's eagerly awaited Northwest French fantasy land delivers with high style, traditional fare, and a full bar starring the green fairy of French cafe-society lore. -- Ron Bechtol (03/09)

Crumpet's set some new standards for San Antonio. I remember being thrilled by the exotic touch of tarragon in the whipped vinaigrette, seduced by the salade niçoise, and beguiled by the green peppercorn Cognac sauce that napped a filet of beef tenderloin. Croissants in the breadbasket were a novelty, too - at least then. Now, of course, the dressing has been copied by many a lesser light, the green peppercorns that were new to our palates have faded from favor, and fast food joints have co-opted the croissant. Or at least a version of it. Maybe it's revisionist history on my part, but your own niçoise seems to have faded a tad, too. Could be I'm misremembering real niçoise olives and crisp, brilliantly green haricots verts, but I was disappointed to find black, California olives (and no green beans) in the salad at lunch recently; as much as California would like to be Provence, these olives won't help their cause, and they especially don't belong here.;- Ron Bechtol

At high noon in Bandera, the Cowboy Capital of the world, not much happens, I'd reckon. But at 9 on a Friday evening, the joint is jumping. Well, twitching, at least. A quick walk down Main Street revealed a seemly crowd at the Old Spanish Trail restaurant, chowing down on salads from the chuckwagon bar and swiveling on genuine saddle seats at the counter. Some serious boot scootin' was going on at the Bandera Saloon up the street. And in the ultra-atmospheric basement that is Arkey Blue's Silver Dollar, Arkey and his band were warming up for a long evening of Shiner suds and folks shuffling around in sawdust on the dance floor.;Fool Moon Café, on the other hand, was just winding up its evening operations. Open at odd hours, the diminutive café/bakery/coffee house, with its artfully aged walls, scarred pine floors (we imagined spurs doing the scarring, of course), and tables topped with butcher paper, had filled maybe half of its 45 seats during the two hours it's open for Friday dinner. At the leisurely pace of service, it is hard to imagine that much more of a crowd could be accommodated by Jason Boone and his hard-working sidekick Cory Winfield. We didn't feel neglected, but we did spend the two entire hours at table. - Ron Bechtol

Traditional French with a little flavor of Vietnam cooking. Some of the best seafood according to some.

Romantic and elegant atmosphere with superb French cuisine.

L'Etoile closed its doors unexpectedly this year. You can still enjoy Thierry's cuisine at the Grill at Leon Springs.

Fine French cuisine served in a quiet, elegant atmosphere.

Fine French cuisine served in a quiet, elegant atmosphere.

Fine French cuisine served in a quiet, elegant atmosphere.

Fine French cuisine served in a quiet, elegant atmosphere.

; Chef Laurent Rea has put in his time at L’Etoile and Olmos Park Bistro; at his eponymous new place he can now shine on his own—and shine he does with a frequently changing menu informed by French technique but heavily influenced by local produce. Rea’s touch is subtle but sure. Desserts are bold and equally seductive.

;

There ought to be a statute of limitations for posting reviews in restaurants; unlike evaluations of movies or books, there is a relatively short shelf life for these transitory treatises. A good case in point is Mesón European Dining. Upon entering the restaurant recently, I noticed a review I had written years ago for the San Antonio Express-News still prominently posted in the window; on leaving, I paused to read it. The surprise was twofold: I was reminded that the menu hadn't changed much in the intervening seven or so years; and I had automatically ordered many of the same things the second time around. One of us has got to get a life. Here is where it gets sticky: Some of the comments - both pro and con - still apply. (So much for the transformative power of criticism.) But whereas I found Mesón to be charmingly retro in the mid-'90s, it now seems merely stodgy - with some exceptions, to be sure. - Ron Bechtol

Raspberry would be good. So would lime, creamy vanilla, orange sherbet, blueberry, even a dark and tarry licorice - but not chocolate or caramel. No, I'm not talking ice cream flavors. This is a list of the colors that you might consider wearing when you visit Saigon Express. The restaurant's interior is the most amazingly intense light blue I have ever encountered in a restaurant, and since there is nothing on the walls to compete, you are it. So don't clash. (To the woman with the raspberry blouse - who prevailed on the congenial owner to allow her to come back and pay later - you're the inspiration for all this.)- Ron Bechtol