Filed under: tour de broadway

REVIEW: SoLuna

You know that scene in Evita where Madonna -er- Evita goes to the polo club, I felt like that a little bit tonight when I went to Soluna on Broadway. Everyone but us seemed to be wearing their fine summer linen. I guess you get that when the restaurant is in Alamo Heights.  I felt like I should have walked in the back door with the kitchen help.  This feeling was all my Sh*t because the wait staff were very friendly and made us feel right at home and the diners could have cared less how casual we were dressed.  Hey, it was a Sunday after all. 

Last time I was at this joint it was a Chuy's.  Yeah I know that was ages ago but to be honest I knew this place was a sister restaurant to a place I have never really enjoyed:  El MiraSol so I never cared to find out about the cuisine.

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REVIEW: 410 Diner

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#5 on the Tour de Broadway 

I am now the Mayor of 410 Diner.  I could find no website.

Although I am now middle-aged, when we entered this restaurant tonight we brought down the age quotient by about 15 years.  The joint was hopping with blue-haired great-grandmothers and cranky old grandfathers and was a Durable Medical Equipment Providers wet dream.  Yes there were scooters and walkers galore. 

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REVIEW: HEB Central Market Sandwich Counter.

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#4 on the Tour de Broadway

I am falling way behind on my little project. Late lunch today fixed all of that.

Stopped into HEB Central Market for a cake.  Tomorrow is S BDay and I'm not much in the mood for baking. 

Stopped by the sandwich counter and had the Broadway Roast Beef. 

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Preperation took longer than I cared for but when I sunk my teeth into this panini, it was an explosion of flavor.

 

The roast beef was fresh.  Onions grilled just right.  Horseradish, OMG.  Every ingredient was layered just perfectly with the next ingredient.  I ate it all up, and quickly too.

4.5 Stars out of 5

PS:  I will return for more soon.

 

 

 

REVIEW: Capparelli's Pizza & Italian Food

#2 on the TOUR DE BROADWAY

I think this place was closed for almost a year?  It was closed a long time.  But it is open again.

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This location @ 410 & Broadway is 'kinda hidden behind a gas station but it was always a good place to grab a quick, good lunch. Tonight we tried supper.

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The salad was first.  It was fresh and tasty albeit just a bit too much dressing.  I imagine it had been stewing in the dressing most of the day.

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I had the lasagna.  Slices of meatball make up the uppermost layer. My lasagna was salty.  I couldn't tell if it was the sauce or the pasta or the fillings.

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The garlic bread was also fresh and tasty. We ate two baskets worth.

Waitress was new and a bit green.  I don't think she will make it very far.

3.1 Stars out of 5

PS:  The pizza used to be really good here.  I will try that on my next trip.

REVIEW: MK Davis Restaurant & Bar

As S was already bored with my TOUR DE BROADWAY project, we ventured off Broadway onto North Flores and found MK DAVIS (sorry, no website).  We both thought this was a Soul Food place for some reason.  We were both wrong.

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Tucked away in an unassuming part of downtown at 1302 N Flores St,  looking more like a bar than a restaurant, we were unprepared when we entered the joint.  For one thing there was a line and it didn’t look that busy from the outside.  It didn’t take long to be seated and we soon discovered this place was no Soul Food restaurant.

Dark and crowded and completely packed,  the décor right out of a 1970s rec-room, it was obvious this place was not your typical San Antonio tourist trap.  This place was full of locals and they were all having a good time.

Asked the waitress what most people order and she suggested the Chicken Fried Steak.  The Chicken Fried Steak it was then.  I also ordered a schooner of beer.  48 oz of cold, draft beer and I was good to go.

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The CFS was big and tender.  The gravy had a real good, homemade flavor.  The CFS was served with fries and a salad that were instantly forgotten.  And really?  The French  Dressing was pink?

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@RayDog59 recommended the Sea Food Combo thru Twitter.  Maybe I’ll try that next time I find myself in that part of the city.

3.4 Stars out of 5

PS:  The prices were very reasonable.  This meal for two was less expensive than most breakfast meals for two.

PPS:  Definitely for the locals.  Leave your tourist family on the riverwalk.

PPPS:  There were three separate parking lots.  This place must get super packed.

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REVIEW: Timbo's

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Timbos

 

#1 on the TOUR DE BROADWAY

This place is hard to find.  Located at the Broadway entrance to Pearl Brewery, one would never know this place even exists. And apparently I didn't know it was there these six long years.  Seriously, I had no Idea.

This place is from the people who brought you Little Hipps.  That place was in a shed of a building near Porter Loring Downtown and was always packed with people eating some darn good burgers. Tonight when I ate at Timbo's, I was transported back to that magical place.

I wanted to try the Yellow Submarine: $9.95 Jalapeno, onions, & cheese stuffed inside 2/3 lb of meat, sinfully delicious but instead opted for the Cheeseburger $6.50 for now that I am trying to more healthy, I am not as hungry as often.

I sunk into the giant burger and really, I had instant memories of the burgers at Little Hipps.  That place closed down when Mr. Hipp passed away in 2002. Timbo continues that tradition today by honoring the great burgers produced by the late Mr. Hipp.

The burger was oh so super delicious.  Cooked just right. Seasoned just right. Just enough greasy to remind you that you are not eating healthy.

I will return to this place now that I now it exists.  Look for this place too and I personally guarantee you will enjoy a quick trip back to the glory that was Little Hipps.

4.5 Stars out of 5.

PS:  Tator tots, they had tator tots.

THE BLUE PLATE LIST: Tour de Broadway

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I have a bad habit of counting things.  I blame Count Von Count from Sesame Street.  I have to count ceiling tiles in a room to determine the square footage.  I have to count, on my hands, a verbal list as recited by others.  And now apparently I have another counting issue.  I found myself counting restaurants as I traversed down Broadway the other day. But enough about my obsessive-compulsive disorder and on to my newest project.

I counted 32 restaurants that day and discovered that there were actually many, many more.  I also discovered that even as often as I eat out, I have not been to many of these establishments.  Thus began my new quest: Tour de Broadway.

Broadway is an eight mile stretch of road that traverses through North Central San Antonio from just East of the Airport to downtown. Along the way it winds it way through a land-locked blue-blood 'burb called Alamo Heights. There are also industrial parks and stretches of recently abandoned downtown.  There are a lot of diverse spots along the way to discover including:

1.       Cholula’s

2.       Eeho’s

3.       Papa’s Restaurant & Bar

4.       Zito’s Italian Deli

5.       McDonald’s

6.       Chili’s

7.       Jim’s Restaurant

8.       Whataburger

9.       Quizno’s

10.   Taco Garage

11.   Hsiu Yu Chinese

12.   410 Diner

13.   Taqueira Vallarta

14.   Little Cesar’s

15.   Beto’s Comida Latina

16.   SoLuna

17.   Frederick’s

18.   Honeybaked Ham

19.   Thurmunz Seafood

20.   Double Dave’s Pizzaworks

21.   Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches

22.   Paloma Blanca Mexican Cuisine

23.   Quizno’s

24.   Broadway Daily Bread

25.   Sorrento Pizza & Restaurant

26.   Lion & the Rose

27.   Volare italian Restaurant

28.   Broadway 50/50

29.   Cappy’s Restaurant

30.   Mon Thai Bistro & Sushi Bar

31.   Osaka Japanese Steak & Sushi

32.   La Madeline

33.   Central Market Café

34.   McDonald’s

35.   Bill Miller’s BBQ

36.   Cheesy Jane’s

38.   Jim’s Restaurant

39.   Koi Kawa Japanese

40.   Boardwalk Bistro

41.   Tre Trattoria

42.   Chipotle Mexican Grill

43.   IHOP

44.   Picante Grill

45.   Cachito de Mexico

46.   Beijing Broadway Express

47.   Hung Fong Chinese Restaurant

48.   Sonic Drive-In

49.   King’s Palace

50.   Viet Nam Restaurant

51.   Van’s Chinese Seafood Restaurant

52.   Tomatillo’s Café y Cantina

53.   W D Deli

54.   Whataburger

55.   Church’s Chicken

56.   Jack in the Box

57.   Good Time Charlie’s Bar & Café

58.   Taco Cabana

59.   Carmelita’s Mexican Restaurant

60.   Pizza Classics

61.   Los Pino’s Mexican Restaurant

62.   Timbo’s

63.   Mary Anne’s Pig Stand

64.   Pizza Sub Shop

65.   Taste of Soul

66.   Twin Sisters Bakery & Café

67.   Tong’s Restaurant

68.   Crazy Sam’s Seafood

This list may be incomplete.  This list may be inaccurate but my goal is to patronize these restaurants on the road I seem to drive on the most.  The restaurants in bold on the list are the one's where I have already dined.  I will try to go all of the restaurants I have not been to first.  Most of these restaurants will not be blue plate quality but I start tonight in trying to make it to every restaurant on this list. Let the countdown begin.

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