To judge by the number of publicity touts for new restaurants that scroll across my screen in any given week, you’d think San Antonio’s a culinary hotbed.
But in the immortal words of Aretha Franklin, “Chain, chain chain…”
The vast majority of those promotions are for serial outlets — some from within Texas, such as a barbecue joint soon to open in a Bass Pro Shops, and others hailing from as far away as South Korea, like a “Parisian” bakery with thousands of outlets around the world, no less.
There’s nothing wrong with that. It all contributes to diversity of choice. Personally, though, I prefer to stay closer to home. And while I’m as excited as the next guy at the prospect of something new, I also like to occasionally revisit the players that have created our city’s foundation for the bright and shiny.
Along with durable favorites such as Biga and Bistr09, Bliss is one such stalwart, and it’s as good as it ever was. Which is to say very. The top of the menu is as good a place to start as any.
The mini-Hamachi tostadas were a brilliant blending of both Mexican and Japanese influences. Though the exact composition may vary, expect impeccable fish with yin and yang supporting players such as avocado, yuzu, ginger and serrano chile. Take your time, appreciate the play of flavors — the tostada won’t shatter. Much.
The platter of six oysters — from eastern Canada in this case — were less adorned, but no less satisfying. They arrived with a classic mignonette and “cilantro water” for anointing, lemon for squeezing and dramatic shards of squid ink crackers for the hell of it. A sharp white wine such as sauvignon blanc would be a good match. We twisted the usual equation a tad with a Chenin Blanc from South Africa and a white Côtes du Rhône. No alarms sounded.
Still plumbing the menu’s Starters category, we switched from surf to turf with roasted bone marrow served in a halved bone and topped with beef-tenderloin tartare enlivened with Dijon, capers and minced shallots. This is a textbook example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Marrow on its own can be dauntingly rich, and tartare a little boring. But together they bring out the best in each other.
Can I now interest you in a salad? Hope that the endive with halved white grapes, sliced pear, candied pecans and blue cheese is available. Arranged in a stratified presentation and served with a fruity vinaigrette, it offered a beautiful combination of textures and sweet-to-mellow tastes.
Attention to presentation is a hallmark of Bliss’ cuisine — especially appropriate in what must surely be the classiest redo of a historic Humble Oil station anywhere.
The sautéed redfish, for example, provided an essay in simplicity — a little black dress equivalent with the golden-crisped fish sitting atop a pool of inky risotto, the whole complemented by a saffron-hued beurre blanc artfully placed off-center. Tiny beads of caviar added an onyx-like sparkle, while slivers of mushroom remained to be discovered in the risotto. Oh, and it tasted good too.
While we’re in fashion mode, consider this advice from legendary designer Coco Chanel: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” The grilled swordfish was beautiful on its own, but there seemed to be at least one too many elements in this composition: cauliflower, fennel, citrus supremes, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, quinoa “crunch” and tahini dressing. Enough!
The delicacy of seared sea scallops, bedded on mushroom risotto, was recognized in that plate’s simpler assembly with only a few accessory pearls of salmon roe, some crisped, shredded leek and a splash of deeply dark squid ink beurre blanc to complete the ensemble.
Putting together seared duck breast and foie gras on the same plate creates a dilemma: do the accessories play to the unctuous foie or to the rare and meaty duck? Both, according to Bliss’ preparation of the dish. Squash purée was probably best with the almost-rare duck, while blueberry gastrique sparred nicely with the silky-textured liver. However, the chili-spiced strawberries that also appeared on the plate might have been superfluous.
There was nothing extraneous in either dessert we tried at Bliss. The devil’s chocolate cake comes in the company of hazelnut ice cream, torched meringue, raspberry coulis, some toasted hazelnuts and a whisper of espresso powder. What’s not to like?
The same can be said for the less opulent, but equally accomplished and biscuit-like butter cake, complete with a crater to cradle vanilla ice cream and berry compote. A moat of crème anglaise and a caramel crown completed the composition — a beautiful (and unchained) note to go out on.
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