Little Bites: Financial pains, new lunch menus and one-year celebrations

Mediterranean restaurant Ladino at the Pearl is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a grill-out party. The event will take place 4-8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, and feature unlimited bites, including an assortment of grilled meats and pita sandwiches. Attendees can also dance to music from DJ Zain and participate in games including cornhole. The party will also feature face painting for kids. Tickets run $40 per adult and $15 per child via Eventbrite. 200 E. Grayson St. #100, (210)-325-6007,
Downtown eatery Sojourn Trading Co. will offer new lunch items 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Those include Cubano sandwiches, steak salads, chicken salad sandwiches and more. 244 W. Houston St., (210)-455-0357, sojournsatx.com.

In celebration of its 45th anniversary, Taco Cabana is introducing Fritos Pie quesadillas and tacos on Monday, Sept. 25. The San Antonio-based drive-thru concept created the items in partnership with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay. The Fritos Pie quesadillas and tacos are made with jack and cheddar cheese, chile con carne, pico de gallo, jalapeños and Frito-Lay corn chips. The items are the first stemming from a new business partnership between Taco Cabana and Frito-Lay — and they come just in time for national quesadilla day. Multiple locations , tacocabana.com.

Coffee and vinyl record shop Vice Versa launched a GoFundMe campaign last Sunday to raise $8,500 to cover bills and operational costs. The shop's air conditioning malfunctioned due to the hot weather, forcing it to close multiple days. Due to the repairs and bills accumulated during closure, Vice Versa is struggling to stay afloat and asking customers to purchase coffee, attend weekly events or donate directly to the GoFundMe. 123 Heiman St.,(210) 977-0566, instagram.com/viceversa.sanantonio.

Carriqui at the Pearl will host the event Ven a Tomar Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. During the gathering, mezcal and tequila experts will sample top brands, and patrons can partake in bites from Carriqui's menu, including smoked crispy quail, Texas redfish ceviche, mini sopes and more. The event is part of UTSA's annual fundraiser for the Mexican Cookbook Collection at its library. The fundraiser is sponsored by the Pearl, Hotel Emma and the Consulate of Mexico in San Antonio.  Tickets for the event are available online for $65. 239 E. Grayson St., (210) 910-5547, carriquitx.com.