San Antonio restaurants Biga on the Banks and Nineteen Hyaku racked up glowing reviews from Forbes in its second installment of a two-part series about the Alamo City’s culinary chops.
The Jan. 10 piece, a follow-up to the December article “San Antonio Is Proving Itself One Of Texas’ Most Progressive Cities In Growth, Culture And Terrific Food,” chronicles Forbes writer John Mariani’s recent visit to the Alamo City — his first in 15 years.
In part two, Mariani gushes over Biga’s London-born chef-owner Bruce Auden, calling him “one of the pioneers of New Texas Cuisine back on the 1980s,” noting Auden’s deft hand with local ingredients and timeless, traditional technique.
Mariani calls Auden’s red snapper served with buttery, serrano pepper-spiked coconut curry, the spiced South Texas antelope and the sticky toffee pudding must-try dishes.
Downtown’s Biga on the Banks, 203 S. St. Mary’s St., has been considered one of San Antonio’s premier fine dining experiences since 1991. It’s known for Auden’s focus on local ingredients as well as its hefty wine list and San Antonio River Walk views.
As for sushi-focused newcomer Nineteen Hyaku, Mariani writes positively of the eatery’s extensive array of nigiri sushi and makimono rolls. He also praises its chilled hiyashita dishes such as agave akami with red tuna, ginger, agave soy, lime zest and fish roe. Mariani also enjoyed hot apps and main dishes such as duck confit hand rolls and miso-glazed eggplant with shishito peppers.
Nineteen Hyaku, which opened in September, is the fifth full-service eatery from restauranteurs Houston and Emily Carpenter. Located inside the Jefferson Bank tower at 1900 Broadway, Nineteen Hyaku showcases a range of sushi offerings along with an omakase menu — that is, a menu of items selected by the chef making use of seasonal ingredients — from the mind behind longtime local chef Ruben Pantaleon.
In part one of Mariani’s Alamo City-focused exploration, he declared SA’s South Barbecue & Kitchen and Italian spot Tre Trattoria to be essential stops for foodies.
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This article appears in Jan 10-23, 2024.
