Pearl Market, Tre Trattoria, Revolucion, and Rudy's

Today is the first day of the rest of our meals. Let me set some things straight: Kevin and I won't be posting every day about everything we eat, because frankly, we're in our mid-twenties and too broke to eat out that often. So, bear that in mind when you check in with us from time to time. However, we will do our best to offer up some foodie finds at least weekly. And today is the start! 

How cool is my candle?

If you can begin a lazy Saturday at a farmers market, don't hesitate: do it. Here in San Antonio, Pearl Farmers Market rocks out loud. Right now you can buy pastries made by someone's grandmother, jelly cooked up like crack in someone's kitchen, and a whole buttload of Swiss Chard and Oyster Mushrooms. All of this stuff is made locally and organically** (or so every sign said at every booth). Live music happens and everyone and their dogs (no, but seriously) come out to buy blueberry goat cheese. Today, we made out like bandits with some blueberry cream cheese danishes, Very Berry Jam, wildflower honey, a beeswax candle, and samples in our tummies. Kevin even tried something that looked like mustard pellets on toast. If you go, get there when it opens because crowds will converge pretty fast.   

**Quick side note, I literally think of that commercial where Gallagher goes bananas on some watermelons while the guy asks about the carbon footprint of cauliflower or whatever, and wanted nothing more than to take a mallet to some produce listening to people say sustainable every five minutes.  

Pearl Farmers Market, 200 E Grayson St, San Antonio, runs rain or shine, 9am-1pm.  Music and cooking demos typically start when the crowd grows. Check their website, pearlfarmersmarket.com for more info. 

After the excitement of a farmers market, we were dying to eat. Tre Trattoria Downtown (TTD) seemed like the perfect location to start this foodstraveganza. The brunch menu is limited in the number of entrees, but it seems like the chef puts some real love in each option. Drink orders first, we had Tropic Thunder Mimosas. Pineapple juice, orange juice and Tabasco tossed into a glass of champagne seemed like a great idea, however it's mostly champagne, and just a dash of everything else. Perfect for the pre-noon lushes, just not for us. I can't complain too much though, as the first two Mimosas per person are $1 each, then $3 after that. Not to give up on the first try and in the name of true effort, I swung again for the tried and true Bloody Mary. I mean this in the best possible way, it tasted like someone poured vodka into spicy gazpacho. This thing was way too thick to drink through those tiny cocktail straws, which led to unfortunate tomato mustaches and even more unfortunate "Why So Serious?!" jokes from my husband, but the flavor was definitely worth the cost. Salty, peppery, tomatoey, tabascoy, lemon-limey perfection, and at $5 a glass, not too expensive to enjoy. Breakfast next, Kevin had Green Eggs and Ham. Though Suessically monikered, this plate was anything but childish. Pesto eggs, fried potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes with bacon pieces covered with mozzarella, and two sausage patties on the side made up this dish. If it sounds a little busy, trust me, it was. According to Kevin, the Pesto eggs were awesome, but the overall dish was a little much with all the different flavors that didn't mesh. But getting to order a Suess-inspired dish made up for any shortcomings. Over on my side of the table, I indulged in Chicken and Waffles. Fried chicken is like God's gift to this earth, and in specific, the fried chicken at TTD. Under the chicken was a polenta waffle, all of which was generously covered in melted maple butter and warm Nutella. Take a moment and imagine. I'll wait. And before you ask, yes, it was as good as it sounds. 

Straight. From. Heaven. 

Bottom line: capping out at $40 with tip might seem steep for breakfast, so if you're a believer in the $5 plate, this place isn't for you. Most breakfast dishes range from $12-$20 depending on the dish. Kevin's was $12. Mine was $14. Save this one for a special occasion, or if you're like us and had some extra money on hand. 

Tre Trattoria Downtown, inside the Fairmont Hotel, 401 S Alamo St, San Antonio. 210-223-0401. tretrattoria.com

Watermelon-Pineapple-Ginger Juice

Now Rodeo week is around the corner here in San Antonio, so downtown is a happening place. Kevin and I felt so well-fed after our meal that we mosied on down to Houston St, where the parade was going on. Horses everywhere. No street safe to cross without some serious sole inspection afterwards for horse presents. But goodness, were there booths for stuff everywhere! Free cereal, free chocolate milk (though it being 75 degrees at that time, I think milk was a bad choice), free bags of stuff! Woohoo! We San Miguels are major fans of the freebies! After the fun of a stroll downtown, I was in dire need of iced coffee as a cool down. I guess you could call this stop lunch, since we didn't eat again til dinner. Revolucion Coffee + Juice is supposed to be the best for organic, cold-pressed beverages. These words are basically code for gross, as far as this coffee house is concerned. I love coffee as much as the next person. Trust me. I have a Keurig in my kitchen and a trashcan full of used K-cups to prove it. But yeesh. This wasn't coffee. It was punishment in the form of a mouth punch from every coffee bean ever harmed in the production of my prior cups enjoyed. Revolucion uses cold brew techniques on some beverages, and cuts the outcome with water. They just don't cut it enough. It's like coffee concentrate. And they don't warn you about the lack of sugar in typical sugary coffee beverages. Which means I have to find a good waxer who will remove the influx of hair on mine and my husband's chests from drinking these stout cups of coffee. Even with a ton of raw sugar and unprocessed Agave nectar, I had a rough go choking this thing down. Not to end on a negative note though, I took a frequenter's advice and ordered a bottle of watermelon-pineapple-ginger juice. And their juice is bomb. Better be for $7 plus the additional $1 they charge for the bottle (you get it back, assuming you wish to return the bottle, which means I ain't getting my dollar back). 

Bottom line: just go to Starbucks. Unless you enjoy the Guinness of stout coffees and ridiculously expensive juice, just go get your decaf-nonfat-soy-vanilla latte with two sweet&lows else where. Trust me. 

Revolucion Coffee+Juice, 7959 Broadway Ste. 507, San Antonio. 210-701-0725 revolucioncoffee.com 

And they really mean FREE!

Don't worry...no food was left behind.

Still with me? Good. I hope this post isn't too long. We may need to break it down in parts. But ain't nobody got time for that. However, we have reached the end of this awesome day with dinner. And what better way to cap off a great South Texas Saturday night, than by eating some bbq? I do feel it's a responsibility of mine to tell you this restaurant choice might be cheating, because this restaurant isn't exactly known for being just in Texas, but it's mostly in Texas, and it originated in San Antonio, so I feel good about it. And it was free. If you're outside of San Antonio, you can't appreciate this thing as much, but if you're here in SAT, invest in The Book of Free! This thing is l-e-g-i-t! Free movie tickets, free spa trips, free food. I'm a huuuuge fan. There are even freebies for the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. If you haven't been to one, go now. Seriously. This blog will be here when you get back. I think I paid $27 for this thing on Groupon and it's done paid for itself in being completely awesome. And you can trust us on this because we just started this blog, so no one is going to pay us to write about their stuff yet. Which means all these restaurants and folks should thank me now before I have a going rate. Anyway, tonight my coupon book got us a Complimentary Lunch or Dinner for Two, which included brisket, turkey, cream corn, bread, and bar-b-q "Sause" at Rudy's. Not entirely sure why this company chose to purposely misspell sauce, but far be it for me to criticize a bbq joint taking over the Southwest region of the country. Apparently Rudy's is huge in south Texas though, because Leon Valley, about 10ish miles outside of San Antonio on I-10, is the originator. We ate at a different location here in town and it was an interesting experience. Kevin and I disagreed too much, so let me break it down for you. Kevin basically loved most of the meal, but would have divorced me and married the cream corn if it were legal. I hate cream corn, but old dude finished off his boat of corn and mine. Which just makes my stomach hurt. The main problem I have with these types of restaurants are their constant efforts to make meats as smokey as possible. Even Kevin wasn't a big fan of the turkey, due in large part to the fact that it tasted like an ashtray. The brisket is good, the bread is just regular white slices, and the "sause" tastes like spicy ketchup. In addition to what our freebie got us, we spent about $11 on a beverage (which I don't even want to get into the whole they-only-carry-Pepsi-products-in-SAT issue I'm having right now), potato salad, and peach cobbler, the later two being things I believe can't be screwed up. Cobbler is like pizza: good, bad, it's still friggin' cobbler. And as for the potato salad, I never met a carb I didn't like. 

inside their gas station..trying too hard? 

Bottom line: There's probably a better mom-and-pop bbq joint in your hometown if you're from Texas. If you aren't, then Rudy's is probably heaven to you and this portion of the entry doesn't apply to you. If it's free, it's a good choice, otherwise, find a different, better quality place to contribute to. 

Rudy's BBQ and Country Store, 10623 Westover Hills, San Antonio. 210-520-5552 rudysbbq.com


Well, that's it for our day. Let us know what you think if you've been to any of these places, something good you had, or if you have a place in mind for us to try. Comment here or e-mail alicianna.sanmiguel@gmail.com or kevinsanmiguel@gmail.com.

Now go eat something good!