TRAVEL THERE: BUDRO’S TEXAS BISTRO IN SAN ANTONIO
Riverwalk Restaurant with Personality, Taste and Attitude
Desiring lunch on the Riverwalk after our chilly visit to San Antonio‘s Briscoe Western Art Museum, we made our way to Budro’s Texas Bistro. Of the options I’d researched, Hubby was most interested in one requiring very little time in the cold. Though I hadn’t previously considered that particular aspect, I knew enough to know Boudro’s was close.
Navigating the River
We’d endured a breezy street-side gauntlet from our hotel, La Mansion de Rio, to the museum, so we hoped the Riverwalk would provide quick access and keep us out of the wind. As we scurried along the banks of the River, I looked longingly at familiar sites, like the entrance to La Villita, but this was not the day for lingering.
We kept our eyes peeled for Boudro’s but realized we’d missed it when we reached the branch of the River heading to Rivercenter Mall. We ducked in to the next building and asked a nice gallery owner if he could point us in the right direction. Come to find out, we hadn’t missed Budro’s by much.
Our Delightful Destination
Not only was the gallery owner familiar with Budro’s, he called choosing it for lunch “brilliant” and mentioned the gallery provided some of the restaurant’s decor. In mere seconds, with the gallery owner’s clues, we were there. And guess what, if you wanted to sit on the patio, heaters and blankets were offered to accommodate your desire. Bill and I were already frozen, so there was no way we would sit outside, but a few folks decided to brave the arctic blast. I guess it takes all kinds.
Most of the time San Antonio has very mild winters, so the most valuable real estate is right on the patio. Like most restaurants, Boudro’s doesn’t have a lot of seating inside and we were lucky to nab the last table. It was toasty warm inside and the menu promised good things.
A Diet-Challenging Menu
When I say good things were on the menu, that doesn’t necessarily mean things good for people on the South Beach Diet. Pretty much everything offered looked as if it could throw me right off the Beach. Finally I found a Blue Crab Salad. It would stretch the Beach to its absolute last grain of sand, but there was talk of crabmeat, mixed greens and salsa. I figured I could have that.
OMG! Dr. Agatston, the South Beach Diet creator, would probably have a coronary, but I loved it. It was the richest, gooiest excuse for a salad I’ve run into for years. I did manage to avoid eating the tortilla bowl, but the rest of that sucker I slurped right up.
Hubby tries to eat healthy too and was challenged by the richness of the menu. He ended up with a shrimp cocktail. Now usually when you order shrimp cocktail, you get a parfait glass full of ice with a few shrimp on top and a side of red sauce. Obviously, that’s not what you get at Boudro’s. Bill cleaned his plate too, right down to the cucumber shrimp boat!
Overall, a Great Experience
Everything about our meal at Boudro’s was great, including the conversation of the people next to us. They were quite the travelers and listening to them select a wine was like a whirlwind round-the-world tour.
We lingered for as long as we thought we could get away with it, but knew we’d eventually have to brave the cold. We wrapped up and hot-footed it to La Mansion. The hotel was only a block and a half away, yet we still nearly froze off anything not under five layers of clothing. It was mid-day and things were getting colder rather than warmer. This did not bode well for our next adventure. I’ll tell you about that next week. In the meantime, put Boudro’s on your list for a meal whenever you’re in San Antonio. We loved it, even if Dr. Agatston didn’t.
jane sadek 