By: Eve Chen | From: USA Today
I never liked refried beans. At least not until I visited San Antonio.
The beans there were a revelation. Hearty, smoky and savory, they tasted like they were made by a legion of grandmas, pouring tender loving care into every restaurant where the staple was served.
And beans were just the beginning. Every meal I had in the Alamo City proclaimed it as one of the best food cities in America, and it has the world-class recognition to boot.
World-class dining
San Antonio is one of only two U.S. cities recognized by the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as a Creative City of Gastronomy. The other is Tucson, Arizona.
"Gastronomy is the celebration of our local culinary heritage and culture, but also how we sustain, share and blend it with new influences,” the City of San Antonio says on its website.
San Antonio’s roots are Mexican, Spanish and German, but its vibrant food scene reflects the many other cultures and communities that have come to call the city home.
That mix of tradition and innovation has drawn the attention of Michelin, which chose San Antonio and four other cities to be featured in the inaugural Michelin Guide Texas, out Nov. 11. The other cities are Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston.
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Local flavors
The first thing I ate in San Antonio set the bar for the entire trip: breakfast tacos at Eddie’s Taco House, a family-run restaurant with colorful mural walls and a commitment to “quality food and great service … always at an affordable price,” according to its website.
These were nothing like the tacos I’d had for breakfast before. First, there were so many options, ranging from beans and rice to crispy chicharrónes and eggs to carne guisada, a stewed beef in gravy also offered in the breakfast buffet at my hotel, Hotel Gibbs. Second, the flour tortillas were thick and pillowy soft. I later discovered that like mind-blowing beans, homemade quality is standard in San Antonio. Third, the tacos were huge, affirming the adage everything is bigger in Texas. I couldn’t even finish mine. Lastly, they were tasty and cheap, ranging from $1.69 and to $5.99 each.
Over the course of three days, I ate my way through the city, trying everything from Texas barbecue at Pinkerton’s to modern Mexican cuisine at Rosario’s. I sampled every flavor of concha roll at La Panaderia and figured out why Rita’s on the River is known as “where we take our friends from out of town” − its menu will feel familiar to fans of Mexican restaurants wherever they call home.