News and notes from the San Antonio food scene
Waiter, there's a movie in my soup
Good news for guys who are strapped for cash and stuck in a rut when it comes to planning dates. The Galaxy theater has been renovated into the Rialto Cinema Bistro, a dinner-and-a-movie theater. Following in the path of the Alamo Drafthouse and Bijou theaters, an adult-only audience can dine at any of the nine full food-service auditoriums while watching the latest blockbuster in high-back seating starting August 19. The Rialto will also house the largest commercial kitchen in town outside of the San Antonio Convention Center to accommodate movie diners and patrons at Bella Napoli, a freestanding Italian restaurant reminiscent of the '20s and '30s European motif. Mirroring the restaurant's décor, the theater's façade is an abstract rendition of the famous Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy. Other amenities include a full-service wait staff, a full bar, and Las Vegas-style gaming machines. Theater prices are still anyone's guess, but at least you'll save a few bucks in gas not having to drive to both a restaurant and a theater. For more information, call 483-4011.
"No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober, where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage." - Thomas Jefferson
Vintage Wine & Coffee Bar, 2295 Bulverde Rd., Bulverde, will serve a six-course wine dinner Sunday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m. English guest chef Nancy Meadours' menu features Jefferson Vineyards wines - made from grapevines planted by wine advocate Thomas Jefferson - and a selection of regional foods in belated celebration of the Fourth of July, including bruschetta on fresh herbed goat cheese and olive-toasted bread, corn chowder, sesame-encrusted salmon, and roast bison. Dinner is $50 a person and reservations are necessary; call 830-438-8684.
Your French quarter goes a little farther
It's a nine-hour drive to New Orleans, but 31 days of figuring out why the Big Easy is also the 'cool'-inary capital of the world are worth it. To celebrate the "Parade of Cuisine," New Orleans' first restaurant month (beginning August 1), about 40 restaurants throughout the city will feature three-course lunch and dinner specials. Meals can be purchased from a prefixed menu, $20.05 for lunch and $30.05 for dinner. Participating restaurants include Emeril's, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, and Commander's Palace. A sample menu from the restaurant Antoinette offered dishes such as crawfish beignets, coq au vin, and sorbet du jour. For more information and a full list of restaurants, visit neworleansrestaurant.com.
CAM with a side order
SILO Restaurant & Bar,1133 Austin Highway, hosts an artist reception for Contemporary Art Month on July 21 from 6:30-8 p.m. For more information, call 824-8686.
Compiled by Heather Holmes and Melissa Santos
