1. Raffles Restaurant and Bar
1039 NE Loop 410,
(210) 826-7118,
rafflesrestaurantandbar.com
2. Esquire Tavern
155 E Commerce,
(210) 222-2521,
esquiretavern-sa.com
3. Bar America
723 S Alamo
Previous Winners
1. Alex Rubio
R Gallery, 101 E Lachapelle, (210) 793-8899, facebook.com/RGallerytx
2. David Rubin
Brown Foundation Curator of Contemporary Art, San Antonio Museum of Art,
200 W Jones, (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org
3. Chris Davila
Independent curator, facebook.com/theChrisDavila
1. R Gallery
110 E Lachapelle, (210) 793-8899, rgallerytx.net
Run by artist and art mentor extraordinaire Alex Rubio and longtime promoter Roland “Nightrocker” Fuentes, R Gallery specializes in highlighting up-and-coming talent with more than a nod toward female and Latina/o artists. Just across the tracks from the fabled 1906 building, and its ever-evolving gallery scene within, R Gallery is itself a major attractor to the burgeoning Lone Star Art District on South Flores and Lone Star Boulevard, inhabitants of which populate Best Art Gallery spots 2 and 3 as well. Viva R Gallery! Viva Lone Star!
2. Gravelmouth
1906 S Flores, (210) 367-2528, gravelmouthgallery.com
3. Gallista Gallery
1913 S Flores, (210) 212-8606, gallistagallery.com
1. Tim Duncan
San Antonio Spurs
Nba.com/spurs
2. Drew Bignall
Mission CrossFit San Antonio
827 E Rector, (210) 865-9348,
missioncrossfitsa.com
3. Manu Ginobili
San Antonio Spurs
Nba.com/spurs
1. Bar America
723 S Alamo
2. Mary Ann’s Pig Stand
1508 Broadway, (210) 222-9923
1. Rick Riordan
Rickriordan.com
Born and bred in the Alamo City, Rick Riordan is the author/alchemist of The New York Times’ best-selling young adult series Percy Jackson and the Olympians (the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief, was made into a feature film), the Heroes of Olympus, and the Kane Chronicles. In 2011, he received the Children’s Choice Book Award for Author of the Year. In addition to creating books of fiction for YA readers, Riordan has written an award-winning mystery series about English Ph.D-martial arts master-private eye Tres Navarre for the grown-ups. Those tales combine the sleuth with prickly conundrums and casualties in South Texas. This fall Riordan will release The Titan’s Curse, a graphic novel adaptation by Robert Vendetti and art by Attila Futaki, along with The House of Hades, part four of the Heroes of Olympus series.
2. Scott McDowell
3. Sandra Cisneros
sandracisneros.com
1. Bakery Lorraine
511 E Grayson, (210) 862-5582, bakerylorraine.com
They met at Thomas Keller’s famed Bouchon Bakery in Napa Valley, and Anne Ng and Jeremy Mandrell have been baking together ever since — a sweet story that is reflected in the delights at Bakery Lorraine that have made them the darlings of the SA culinary scene. The croissants and pain au chocolate are golden flakes of goodness, but try the selection of sweet and savory tarts, too. And for a special friend, take home a box of their macarons (not to be confused with coconut macaroons), a meringue confection quickly approaching local legend.
2. Broadway Daily Bread
5001 Broadway, (210) 822-1621, broadwaydailybread.net
3. Mi Tierra Restaurant & Bakery
218 Produce Row, (210) 225-1262, mitierracafe.com
1. The Lion and Rose
5148 Broadway (for smoking, multiple locations elsewhere in SA)
(210) 822-7673, thelionandrose.com
Home to British comfort food like bangers and mash, fish and chips, and a hearty selection of international beers to wash ‘em down, the Lion and Rose is a local exemplar of Britain’s best export — the neighborhood pub. A recent visit proved the point, when a stogie-chomping geezer (yes, you can still smoke in Alamo Heights) demanded royalty fees for our photos. “Just tryin’ to help out my friends, the management,” he said. “I come here all the time.” A true local, indeed. For a more sociable crowd, join in the Geeks Who Drink pub quiz, dates and time vary by location.
2. Freetail Brewing Company
4035 N Loop 1604 W, Ste. 105,
(210) 395-4974, freetailbrewing.com
3. Southtown 101
101 Perieda, (210) 263-9880, southtown101sa.com
1. The Lion and Rose
5148 Broadway (for smoking, multiple locations elsewhere in SA)
(210) 822-7673, thelionandrose.com
Home to British comfort food like bangers and mash, fish and chips, and a hearty selection of international beers to wash ‘em down, the Lion and Rose is a local exemplar of Britain’s best export — the neighborhood pub. A recent visit proved the point, when a stogie-chomping geezer (yes, you can still smoke in Alamo Heights) demanded royalty fees for our photos. “Just tryin’ to help out my friends, the management,” he said. “I come here all the time.” A true local, indeed. For a more sociable crowd, join in the Geeks Who Drink pub quiz, dates and time vary by location.
2. Broadway 5050
5050 Broadway, (210) 826-0069, broadway5050.com
3. Hooligan’s
13920 I-35 N, Live Oak, (210) 654-4444,
hooligansbarandgrill.com
1. Taco Taco
145 E Hildebrand, (210) 822-9533, tacotacosa.com
2. Rios
Multiple locations,
Visit their Facebook page for locations and contact information
3. Tellez Tamales and Barbacoa
Multiple locations,
Visit their Facebook page for locations and contact information
1. Kathy Hedgepeth
Randolph AFB Parr Club Barber Shop
For the past five years, Kathy Hedgepeth has run Randolph Air Force Base’s shear shop. A red, white, and blue barber pole marks the outside of her shop, located in the basement of Randolph’s on-base Parr Club, what was once called the Officer’s Club. A decades-long barber, Hedgepeth says she’s not tired of giving, well, the exact same hair cut numerous times a week, and looks forward to keeping it high and tight for the base’s military families for years to come.
2. Chris the Barber
Clippers, 6991 Blanco, (210) 789-3928
