San Antonio Current - May 1, 2024

San Antonio chef

Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin isn't done blazing culinary trails

MORE THAN A JOB...

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SCAN TO LEARN MORE

Thursday, April 11, 2024 | 6pm–9pm

Exhibition on view through January 17, 2025

Featured Artists:

Margaret Craig, Manuel Davila, Celeste De Luna, Aminah Decé

Luna

Kwanzaa Edwards, Jose Esquivel, Audrya Flores, Jacob Garza

Aminah Decé, Kwanzaa Edwards, Jose Esquivel, Audrya Flores

Lindsey Hurd, Marcos Medellin, Ashley Mireles, Linda Monsivais

Jacob Garza, Lindsey Hurd, Marcos Medellin, Ashley Mireles

Doerte Weber, Andrea B. Willems

Linda Monsivais-Hernandez, Doerte Weber, Andrea B. Willems

Free and Open to the Public Culture Commons Gallery | 115 Plaza de Armas, San Antonio, TX 78205

Tuesday – Friday | 9am – 5pm

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SELLBUY TRADE

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Contributing

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in this issue

24-09 /// May 1 – 14, 2024

35 Music

Dancing in the Dark Night Club bringing its synth-heavy sounds to San Antonio’s Paper Tiger

Critics’ Picks

San Antonio chef Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin isn’t done blazing culinary trails

Did UTSA violate pro-Palestinian protesters’ First Amendment rights?

Takes Texas Republicans’ war on DEI is a war on public institutions

Auditor’s Certification:

Comic Book Hero

Indie-comics legend Steve Rude presenting free painting workshop in San Antonio 25

Screens

Epic Experience

SA filmmaker and StarWars fan Alejandro Cabrera discusses franchise for May the Fourth 26 Food

The Current’s San Antonio Flavor returns, featuring culinary creations from 30 restaurants Hot Dish

Maeve’s Many Faces Government Hill cocktail spot packs plenty of ambition into its small menu

On the Cover: This week’s cover story looks at the hardfought success of innovative San Antonio chef Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin. Cover photo: Jaime Monzon. Cover design: Samantha Serna.

Jaime Monzon

That Rocks/That Sucks

HIn a tweet last week, a Republican running to represent a congressional district that includes Uvalde appeared dismissive of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting. After an online critic questioned YouTuber Brandon “AK Guy” Herrera’s plans to auction off a military rifle to raise money for his runoff against U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, Herrera fired back that “a tragedy happening in a certain geographical area doesn’t affect my [constitutional] rights.”

A Bexar County judge last Thursday threw out a lawsuit filed by anti-abortion groups seeking to block San Antonio’s Reproductive Justice Fund from funding out-of-state travel for people seeking abortion care. Judge Cynthia Marie Chapa tossed the suit, which argued the use of taxpayer funds to fund abortion care is against state law, because the city hasn’t yet finalized how the fund’s money will be spent.

HDuring a speech to a group of young conservatives in Dallas, Gov. Greg Abbott suggested Texas should ban transgender and gender nonconforming people from becoming public school teachers. “This type of behavior is not OK,” Abbott said, referring to a North Texas teacher who wore a pink dress on a campus spirit day, “and this is the type of behavior that we want to make sure we end in the state of Texas.”

The San Antonio Zoo has once again been named Texas’ best zoo, winning the recognition from the Texas Travel Awards for the third consecutive year. The past 12 months have been momentous for the zoo, which redesigned its main entrance and announced plans to construct a new gorilla habitat featuring a 60-foot tall tower. The latter project is the first phase of a $65 million zoo expansion set to open next year. — Abe Asher

YOU SAID IT!

“Roughly 70% of prisons in the [Texas Department of Criminal Justice] system house inmates without air conditioning. As a result, TDCJ prisoners have died in the past, and current prisoners are confronted with ongoing, unacceptable risks to their health and well-being.”

—  Federal lawsuit recently joined by four nonprofit prisoner-rights groups asking a judge to force Texas to air condition its prisons.

Getting what you wish for with the Texas Republican Party

Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.

Although it’s a pain in the ass to be an incumbent dragged into a runoff, it’s a good bet U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales is feeling some serious schadenfreude as he watches top GOP elected officials line up behind him instead of his runoff opponent — a shambling mess of a candidate the Texas Republican Party helped create.

It’s also a good bet neither Gov. Greg Abbott nor Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick care much for Gonzales’ bipartisan voting record or willingness to attack the party’s right flank as a collection of “scumbags” and KKK members.

Yet the two are smart enough to know that Gonzales’ runoff challenger, gun nut and internet troll Brandon “AK Guy” Herrera is the kind of loose-cannon candidate likely to face defeat in a general election. Fearing another Marjorie Taylor Greene in the Capitol, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson even came to South Texas to stump for Gonzales.

Herrera’s surprisingly strong showing in the GOP primary — he took 25% in a four-way race — comes after the Texas Republican Party’s executive committee slapped Gonzales with a rare censure. At issue were his votes in favor of the first major gun-control package Congress has passed in decades and a bill codifying protections for same-sex marriage.

By targeting Gonzales, the Texas GOP elevated

Six-figure salaries look unlikely for members of San Antonio City Council. A subcommittee charged with dispensing advice on council salaries has changed a controversial initial recommendation that members earn as much as $125,000 annually. The revamped recommendation calls for salaries of $80,000 for council members and $95,000 for the mayor. Community members criticized the initial proposal, saying it would allow council members to earn double the city’s median household income.

Officials with DeLorean Motors Reimagined say the electric vehicle startup is still in business after shuttering its San Antonio headquarters and disconnecting the phone numbers on its website. In an email to customers last Tuesday, company brass said they relocated to downtown’s Phipps Building and are working to find a new NFT host after customers were unable to access online tokens they bought to place deposits on company’s electric sports cars, which have yet to roll off the assembly line.

Herrera’s long-shot campaign. In turn, he’s shown voters exactly what he’s made of thanks to a series of outlandish outbursts that lay bare a temperament not fit for public office.

After joking about veteran suicide and mocking Donald Trump’s teenage son, Herrera found time to issue a tweet downplaying the need to show sensitivity about the Robb Elementary massacre — even though Uvalde is in the district he’s running to represent.

And then there was the old YouTube clip where Herrera joked about a Nazi submachine gun being the “original ghetto blaster.”

What a card!

The Texas GOP may not have handpicked Herrera to run against Gonzales. However, in their eagerness to pander to the extremes of their base, these assclowns helped a turd of a candidacy float to the surface of the cesspool. —

Sanford Nowlin

Protesters at the University of Texas at San Antonio argue the university impinged on their free speech rights at a demonstration last week calling for a Gaza ceasefire. Protesters said organizers, acting on directives from university administrators, stopped chants in Arabic and chants that explicitly mentioned Israel. Campuses around the state erupted in demonstrations over the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza, and law enforcement arrested protesters at the University of Texas at Austin last Wednesday.

— Abe Asher

Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore

Michael Karlis

NOTICE OF PROPOSED ACTION ON APPLICATION FOR CONVERSION OF BASE IRRIGATION GROUNDWATER TO UNRESTRICTED IRRIGATION GROUNDWATER

The General Manager of the Edwards Aquifer Authority (“EAA”) proposes to grant an application to convert Base Irrigation Groundwater to Unrestricted Irrigation Groundwater under § 711.342(c) of the EAA’s Rules. A copy of the application, the technical summary, the General Manager’s proposed action, and the proposed amended regular permit are available for public inspection at the EAA’s offices at 900 E. Quincy Street, San Antonio, Texas Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Electronic copies may also be obtained by request to Jennifer Wong-Esparza at jesparza@edwardsaquifer.org or (210) 222-2204.

The General Manager proposes to approve the following application to convert Base Irrigation Groundwater to Unrestricted Irrigation Groundwater under § 711.342(c) of the EAA’s Rules:

KB Home Lone Star, Inc. – Filed application on February 12, 2024. The application seeks to convert 25.795 acre-feet of Base Irrigation Groundwater to Unrestricted Irrigation Groundwater based on the development of the Historically Irrigated Acres (HIA).

The applicant or any other Edwards Aquifer permit holder may file a written request for a contested case hearing on the proposed action with the EAA by no later than Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. in accordance with § 707.603 of the EAA’s Rules. The EAA’s Board of Directors will consider approval of the application and issuance of the proposed amended regular permit within 60 days of publication of this notice unless a request for contested case hearing is timely filed. If no timely requests for contested case hearing are filed, the application will be presented to the EAA’s Board on the date of the hearing for final action.

This notice is issued pursuant to § 707.525 of the EAA’s Rules.

ISSUED THIS 1st DAY OF MAY, 2024

War of Words

Did UTSA violate pro-Palestinian protesters’ First Amendment rights?

BY MICHAEL KARLIS

The University of Texas at San Antonio has been the site pro-Palestinian protests over recent weeks as student activists demand the administration divest from companies doing business with the Israeli government.

Although UTSA’s demonstrations have remained overwhelmingly peaceful, activists told the Current that an unidentified administrator warned students and organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation ahead of the campus’ Wednesday, April 24, protest that the school wouldn’t tolerate so-called “hate speech” under any circumstances.

Specifically, PLS member Tori Ramirez told the Current that the administrator told protesters any use of the words “Israel” or “Zionism,” the chant: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” and slogans in Arabic were banned. Using those words or phrases would result in the protest being disbanded by police, Ramirez said she was told.

The PSL’s San Antonio chapter made similar claims on social media, and organizers stopped student chants at least four times during the April 24 demonstration to ensure they didn’t include words on the alleged trigger list.

“UTSA told organizers that this was in compliance with racist Gov. Abbott’s May 27 [sic] executive order targeting pro-Palestine groups on campus for special disciplinary measures,” the statement said.

Joe Izbrand, UTSA’s Vice President for Strategic Communications and External Affairs, didn’t respond to the Current’s request for comment on whether anyone employed by the university spoke to protester organizers April 24 and what may have been said.

However, in a statement supplied to the San Antonio Report last week, Izbrand disputed the protesters’ allegations, instead referring to a statement UTSA President Taylor Eighmy posted to social media on April 23. In those remarks, Eighmy the school won’t “tolerate disruptive behavior, vandalism, or antisemitism” during campus

protests.

Zach Greenberg, a First Amendment attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), said an attempt by UTSA officials to constrain demonstrators’ speech — if such an exchange actually occurred — could open the door open for a legal challenge.

“If the university or the State of Texas intends to suspend students, kick them off campus or arrest them for their political viewpoints or offensive speech, that is a First Amendment violation that students can remedy in court,” Greenberg said.

Governor’s executive order

UTSA’s policy on campus demonstrations, which can be found online, doesn’t explicitly address antisemitism. It does, however, provide a link to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s March 27 executive order “addressing acts of antisemitism in institutions of higher education.”

Among other things, the order calls on all institutions of higher education in Texas — public and private — to “review and update free speech policies to address the sharp rise in antisemitic speech” and ensure groups, including the “Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine are disciplined for violating these policies.”

The order also demands that Texas universities include the definition of antisemitism in their university speech policies to guide school personnel and students on what constitutes a violation. The state’s definition, adopted in September 2021, almost exclusively refers to language calling for “genocide” of those who follow the Jewish faith.

UTSA President Eighmy told the Report that “antisemitic expression” was “not an issue” during the April 24 protest, and he denied that the university banned demonstrators from using certain words.

If UTSA had arrested or punished students for using language deemed “antisemitic” by the university, it could be deemed a violation of students’ freespeech rights and prompt litigation,

First Amendment expert Greenberg maintained.

“Public universities are bound by the First Amendment to be required to protect students’ free speech rights, and the right to speech is protected unless the words fall into one of the narrow categories of unprotected speech,” he added.

First Amendment protections

Beyond the oft-cited example of yelling “fire” in a crowded theater, Greenberg said kinds of speech not protected on public college campuses include so-called “true threats,” or threats to commit acts of violence, especially if the recipient views the statement as threatening.

Even so, when it comes to threats of violence, Greenberg notes “it’s a high bar.”

Harassment that “trumps a student’s educational experience” is another example of unprotected campus speech. However, Greenberg said speech must be repeated and directed at a specific student for it to qualify as harassment.

“Another category is campus safety and time restrictions, so the encampments we’re seeing on campus right now can be brought down by the university because there are these applied rules to preserve campus safety,” Greenberg said.

In other words, the encampments at New York City’s Columbia University, which have become a symbol among

pro-Palestinian college students across the nation, can absolutely be removed without violating students’ free speech, he added.

However, if a UTSA official, as alleged, told students certain words were off limits, and those students were later arrested or punished for using them, the school could face legal repercussions, Greenberg said.

The responses of Texas universities to campus protests are likely to come under even more scrutiny following the crackdown on demonstrators at the University of Texas at Austin. On the same day as UTSA’s April 24 protest, law enforcement personnel arrested at least 57 people on the Austin campus.

In a series of social media posts, Abbott has pledged to double down on efforts to target alleged instances of “antisemitism.”

What’s more, the Texas Department of Public Safety, which arrested an Austin Fox 7 cameraman during the UT protests added a new felony charge of assault on a peace officer Monday even though the Travis County DA dropped an earlier trespassing charge against the journalist.

“We’ve been very busy since the Ot. 7 attacks. It’s been a lot [of calls],” Greenberg said of First Amendment complaints filed with his organization by college students. “We’re processing all the case submissions, talking to the media, trying to defend students, continuously litigating — it’s all hands on deck.”

Michael Karlis

Texas Republicans’ war on DEI is a war on public institutions

BY KEVIN SANCHEZ

Editor’s Note: Bad Takes is a column of opinion and analysis.

Early last month, the University of Texas at Austin sent pink slips to roughly 50 staff employees who formerly worked

for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at the campus.

University President Jay Hartzell announced the firings in an April 2

email addressed to the UT community, including its “more than 50,000 incredible students.” He explained the move was part of his professed legal obligation to comply with Texas Senate Bill 17’s prohibition of DEI programs in higher education, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law last June. UT Dallas has since followed suit with 20 layoffs of its own.

Except, there’s a wrinkle.

“At the time when they were issued pink slips, all terminated employees were no longer in DEI-related positions,” the Texas Conference of American Association of University Profes-

sors and the state’s NAACP chapter pointed out in a joint press statement. Sure seems like, in their words, the firings were “intended to retaliate against employees because of their previous association with DEI,” as the groups also noted in the statement.

And this news comes after the shuttering of UT Austin’s vibrant Multicultural Engagement Center back in January. Seeing as Hartzell described the post-SB 17 restructuring as “a multiphase process,” students and educators are left to worry whether the final shoe has dropped.

Retaliation is one possible motive,

but abject fear is another. The bill’s coauthor, Texas Sen. Brandon Creighton, whose district comprises parts of Houston and Galveston, penned a letter to university administrators on March 26, threatening to freeze state funding if they were caught “merely renam[ing] offices or employee titles” to superficially genuflect to the law.

Hearings are set for May on that very matter.

Suspiciously, or as I prefer, fittingly, Creighton’s warning arrived one week after the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), a right-wing think tank, held its annual convention attended by GOP lawmakers galore, including Abbott himself. The event also featured mutliple panels decrying the so-called “woke” rot eating away at our institutes of higher learning.

The TPPF is chiefly funded by fossil fuel billionaires Timothy Dunn and Dan and Farris Wilks, whose fealty to Christian charity has inspired them to donate more than $100 million to a bevy of Republican campaigns, political action committees and propaganda dispensaries.

So the order of operations appears at least translucent: Christian nationalist plutocrats pour money into right-wing echo chambers, lighting a fire under the asses of GOP politicians, who then set about dismantling our public institutions.

Karma Chávez, the chair of the Mexican American Studies program at UT Austin, told NBC News that those caught up in the layoffs are “largely Black and brown, queer and trans folks.”

Looks like the arrow hit its intended mark.

“Overall, the campus morale is sad,” graduate student Zion James told NBC. “We don’t know where to go, or how to move forward. I feel like I’m being robbed of my family.”

Black Texans account for around 13% of our state’s population, and Latinos another 40%, according to census estimates, yet only around 4% of UT students are Black, and 24% Latino, according to a recent university fact sheet. Is this really the time to be scrapping minority outreach programs, however inadequate?

With gross racial disparities like that, it’s easy to understand why protesters hold signs reading “No DEI = Not Our Texas.” And the kids, to their everlasting credit, have refused to accept all this without a fight. Some 200 disrupted a virtual meeting with the university president on April 15, and Texas Students for DEI intends to gather at the UT Tower

soon and demand answers. However, the chaos surrounding the mass arrest of antiwar demonstrators has postponed those plans.

Regrettably, the targeting of DEI programs is a national problem. The Chronicle of Higher Education is tracking more than 80 anti-DEI bills across 28 states, and a dozen have already gained the force of law.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Creighton “say they want diversity,” Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Tomlinson wrote when the DEI ban was passed. “They simply oppose efforts to measure it, understand the barriers to it, or do something about it.”

Tomlinson continued: ”They argue that any attempt to improve diversity and deliver a student body and workforce reflective of the population discriminates against white people. Reactionaries uncomfortable with delivering an equitable society have made this argument since 1865.”

And who can argue with results? White grievance politics has a stunning track record of success.

Take one recent white South African émigré to the Lone Star State, that galactic dipshit named Elon Musk, who’s done quite well for himself. Somehow he’s found a way to blame DEI for every airplane door bursting open midflight and every botched surgery. But thanks to the civil rights movement and feminism, Musk can no longer openly attribute profit-driven mishaps to dumb racial minorities and women, so instead he hints at “lowered standards,” evidence notwithstanding.

In a March interview, former CNN host Don Lemon asked Musk, “Do you have any desire to understand how people of color and trans people are treated in this country? Why don’t you believe them?”

“You cannot have a situation where someone is a self-described victim and they just get to be that because that’s how they feel,” Musk replied.

But what if being conscious of disadvantage and stigma — staying “woke” in the parlance of our time — exemplifies the refusal to be a victim and the insistence on welcoming others into the conversation and our circle of concern?

Musk fired Lemon from the X platform hours after the interview, of course, indicative of his sincere commitment to free speech. Much like the students protesting Israeli atrocities in Gaza, we’re all getting an education in just how flimsy the allegiance of the powerful elite is to a great society.

COMEDY

RONNY CHIENG: THE LOVE TO HATE IT TOUR

Ronny Chieng’s Love to Hate It Tour gives the actor a chance to exercise the comedic skills that first put him on the show biz map. Best known for breakout acting roles in films such as Crazy Rich Asians and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Chieng has since maneuvered into other film projects including the wacky sci-fi horror movie M3GAN and the latest Kung Fu Panda installment. But before jumping to the big screen, Chieng got his start in 2015 as a correspondent for The Daily Show. With three Netflix-backed comedy specials under his belt in addition to the new tour, it’s clear Chieng has no intention of letting his standup skills get rusty. $39-$59, 7 p.m., H-E-B Performance Hall, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Place, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org — Amber Esparza

built a prolific career as both a painter and sculptor. Slonem’s work has appeared in more than 350 exhibitions including those at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. This exhibition — Slonem’s outdoor sculpture debut — showcases sprawling sculptural representations of his three Bs: bunnies, birds and butterflies. In addition to the sculptures, the exhibition will include Slonem works created from tens of thousands of hand-cut, hand-applied pieces of colored glass. Guided tours will be available weekly, along with occasional workshops in tie-dyeing, printmaking and cocktail mixing. A grand opening ceremony for San Antonio Botanical Garden members will take place Thursday, May 2, and the entire “Huntopia” exhibition is included in the price of garden admission. $13-$22, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday, May 4-Nov. 3, San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, (210) 5361400, sabot.org. — Caroline Wolff

and photographs from renowned artists, both contemporary and from earlier periods. The McNay Print Fair’s goal is to appeal to a variety of tastes and budgets, suggesting that both experienced collectors and newcomers are likely to find something appealing — without breaking the bank. On Saturday, the fair is included with museum admission, so guests can get inspired with a tour of the museum’s own collection before they begin building their own. On Sunday, admission to the event is free thanks to the support of the Dickson Allen Foundation. Free-$20, 10 a.m-5 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5638, mcnayart.org. — Macks Cook

THU | 05.09

The San Antonio Botanical Garden’s newest art exhibition, “Huntopia,” celebrates internationally acclaimed artist Hunt Slonem, who’s

SAT | 05.04SUN | 05.05

SPECIAL EVENT

MCNAY PRINT FAIR

The annual McNay Print Fair gives visitors to the museum the chance not just to view amazing works of art but to add them to their collections. Guests will meet and speak with a dozen experienced dealers coming from around the country to sell prints, drawings, watercolors

DRAG ANETRA, GALA VARO, MIRAGE

Drag queens Anetra and Mirage from Las Vegas and Gala Varo from Mexico will each bring their own brand of fierce energy to the Bonham stage. Spunky Anetra finished as runner-up on Season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race due in no small part to her viral talent show performance, which featured both duck walking and taekwondo. That spectacle even broke the record for most viewed Drag Race scene published on social media. Though Anetra took a break from drag last year for personal reasons, she’s back and bringing along hometown queen and Season 16 Drag Race participant Mirage. Though Mirage was eliminated early

Courtesy Image / San Antonio Botanical Garden

Shutterstock / Ovidiu Hrubaru

Courtesy Photo / McNay Art Museum

on in her season for a failed Cher lip sync, she aced the talent show, where she even referenced Anetra. For her part, Gala Varo is runner-up from the first season of Drag Race México. Originally from Morelia, Michoacán, the performer has 15 years of south-of-the-border drag experience, and she’s rumored to have a slot on the upcoming first season of Drag Race Global All Stars, which will pit contestants from international Drag Race franchises against each other. $25-$30, 10:30 p.m and midnight, Bonham Exchange, 411 Bonham, facebook. com/reylopezentertainment. — Dalia Gulca

FRI | 05.10SUN | 06.02

THEATER

WEST SIDE STORY

Having spurred two Academy Award-winning film adaptations since its Broadway premiere in 1957, West Side Story has emerged as a timeless concoction of love story and cautionary tale. A modern spin on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the musical takes place on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the crosshairs of a power struggle between two rival gangs — the white Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. When Tony (Nick DeGraw Glavac), a former member of the Jets, and Maria (Jillian Juliet Sianz), sister of Sharks leader Bernardo (Alonzo Corona), start seeing each other in secrecy, tensions rise and the threat of a tragic fate looms. Blending the soul-shaking musical stylings of Leonard Bernstein and the heartrending lyricism of Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story tackles relevant issues of racial and class stratification in the form of everything from tender kisses to brutal knife fights. Under the direction of Rick Sanchez, San Pedro Playhouse will bring the action up close in the Russell Hill Rogers Theater. $18-$48, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, May 10-June 2, San Pedro Playhouse, 800 W. Ashby Place, (210) 733-7258, thepublicsa.org. — CW

Bobby Foxx Photography

Courtesy Photo / Rey Lopez Entertainment

SAN ANTONIO ASIAN FESTIVAL

May marks the 33rd annual Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage month. Alamo City residents eager to celebrate need look no further than the San Antonio Asian Festival. For one day, the streets of La Villita will fill with a diverse tapestry of performers, merchants, food vendors and tables from participating organizations ranging from the San Antonio Orchid Society and Lozano’s Martial Arts studio to San Japan and Kawacon. Organized by the Asian Resource Center of San Antonio, this year’s festival highlights the fact that AAPI culture isn’t a monolith. For example, groups including the San Antonio Chinese Alliance Dragon Dance Team, the North Indian Rhythmics School of Kathak Dance and the Hawaiian group Hula Halau ohana Elikapeka will show off the diversity of AAPI dance forms. Dizzying variety also will be on display in the food offerings, which will range from Nepali-style dumplings from Momo House to Filipino cuisine from Kain Na. San Antonio’s Asian immigrant community has a long and rich history dating back to the 19th century, giving this gathering much to draw from. Kids under 12 get in free. $15, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., La Villita, 418 Villita St., asiancentersa.org/2024-asian-festival. — Dean Zach

Courtesy Photo / Asian Resource Center of San Antonio

thur. may 9, 2024 | 6-10pm

Comic Book Hero

Indie-comics legend Steve

Rude presenting free painting workshop in San Antonio

BY SANFORD NOWLIN

Comic book artist Steve Rude, a pivotal figure in the industry’s indie-book revolution of the early ’80s, will present a May 4-5 painting workshop in San Antonio.

The free event, held at Nelco Comics, 1134 N. Flores St., will feature painting demonstrations by Rude on both days along with Q&A sessions with the artist. In addition to discounts and giveaways for Free Comics Day, which happens to fall on Saturday, May 4, Rude will have signed prints and limited-edition merchandise for sale.

Rude exploded onto the scene with his groundbreaking self-published science fiction comic Nexus, which debuted in 1981. That success catapulted him to work for Marvel, DC and other industry stalwarts. Along the way, Rude has put his own spin on beloved characters ranging from Johnny Quest and Space Ghost to the X-Men and Spider-Man, picking up top industry awards including the Kirby, the Eisner, the Harvey and the Inkpot along the away.

Known for his skills as a penciler, inker and painter, Rude has drawn inspiration from well-known comic stylists Alex Toth and Jack Kirby as well as greats of American illustration including Norman Rockwell and Andrew Loomis. We caught up with Rude via phone from his home in Arizona for a preview of the workshop and insight into the ever-evolving comics industry. We also asked him about his return to indie publishing using Kickstarter as a crowdfunding source.

ready to entertain them and give them what they want.

You’re held in high regard as a painter, penciler and inker, but this workshop is specifically focused on the painting side of your work, correct?

That’s right. There are a lot of people, Sanford, in the comic book business that apparently have no interest in learning the art of illustration, which involves paint. I’m not one of them.

This workshop is open to anyone of any skill level. If somebody’s never painted before, never even picked up a pencil, could they still get something out of seeing you work?

It’s a thing that gets passed on to everybody who happens to be there. I happen to think the greatest thing you can ever say about your life, besides the fact that you worked hard to get where you are, is that you might pass it on to somebody who’s going to be there doing what you’re doing long after you’re gone.

You started breaking ground in independent comics with your book Nexus, which eventually spun into work for Marvel and all the big publishers. How did that happen?

As you know, with anyone who has any kind of success in life, there’s very often a bizarre, inexplicable confluence of events that comes together for them. I had that when I was a college student in Madison, Wisconsin, and [Nexus co-creator] Mike Baron was a real go-getter back then, and he would bother the people at this distribution outfit, Apple City Comics, to entertain the idea of putting out their own comic.

At this point in your career, you’re doing a fair number of illustration workshops. Have you had feedback that they’ve helped people explore their own creativity? Oh, there’s no doubt they’re helpful. Obviously, if people have some kind of regard for you, and someone’s paying money for you to come out and give a demonstration, you better be

The way I see it, every pair of eyes that walks into this store and happens to see this guy up there painting and drawing superheroes, that’s going to ignite a spark — and that’s what it’s all about for me. Just like you and I as kids saw something that drew us into the occupation that we currently have, that’s what will take place when I’m at the store doing my demos.

Everyone will see it a little differently. Some people will say, “Boy, that was fun and entertaining.” Others are going to say, “I want to be like that” — just like I wanted to be Jack Kirby and Andrew Loomis and Norman Rockwell.

And there was one book before that, which was called Justice Machine and came out of Chicago, and that was a leader in terms of giving everyone the spark of an idea that [independent comics] could be done. We didn’t have to be at the beck and call of the big companies in New York, and that was a very healthy thing to take place. It took place in the ’80s at the beginning of the decade, which you might have noticed tends to be the time when changes take place, as soon as a new decade hits.

And we were timed exactly right. I was a young guy, 24 at the time. Baron was like 29 or so. Baron was the writer. From that little team grew something larger. And people that worked at those big companies took note of the things going on in left field, and we

Courtesy Photo / Steve Rude

Courtesy Image / Steve Rude

happened to be in that distant left field with the book Nexus and the fact that we are being published in the Midwest. They took notice and eventually, these wonderful things happen — hopefully, anyway — for people that have paid their dues. You eventually get a call from the bigwigs, and they were curious about people like us — me and Baron — that were working out of Wisconsin. One thing leads to another, and eventually, if you have good fortune, you’ll be getting calls from those guys eventually. And it’s no

surprise that Marvel called, because I grew up with Marvel Comics in the ’60s, and people like Kirby were there to inspire me to no end, and to this day, he inspires me to no end.

After that jump to the big guys, you’re working independently again by crowdfunding projects. It seems like you — not to mention others in the industry — have come full circle.

Can you talk about that?

need to do what you feel is best for you and your work.

MSteve Rude Workshop

Yeah, sure can. That’s a great question, and it’s a very important one right now, Sanford. The big companies have changed so much that they’re almost unrecognizable. They have drilled themselves into the ground so far — according to me and what I’m trying to propagate, to use a big word — that I want to tell people if you don’t like what the big companies are doing right now, you

Free, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5 Nelco Comics, 1134 N. Flores St., Suite 2 (210) 863-0360 nelcocomics.com

Because you’re not going to have the freedom to pursue it under the … restrictions of these companies, which have their policies locked in place. That’s not a place where most creative people would want to be. And, besides, the rates they’re paying right now are so low it’s insulting. I think there’s going to be a huge freaking sea change going on in the business where people start looking at the big companies as albatrosses, and they’re going to rethink everything about their life. And think about it: what would you rather have? Working under a big company that’s going to have you under their thumb and actually squash your imagination more than encourage it? Or are you going to take the thing that’s in your head — the very per-

Steve Rude’s work draws inspiration from comic artists such as Jack Kirby along with American illustrators including Norman Rockwell and Andrew Loomis. While adept at penciling and inking, Rude is revered for his dynamic painting skills.

sonal thing that’s in your head — and develop that in a way that you prefer? Nexus, to me, is a Marvel comic, Sanford. It’s just not published by Marvel. But all the influences are there from the Marvel 1960s comics. But if I were to work for Marvel right now, it would be anything but a 1960s Marvel comic, so I want to stay away from them. And I think others might want to also.

Are Marvel and DC victims of their own success? I’m thinking of all the movies and the ubiquity of their brands. Does it make them riskaverse?

Yeah, it’s called corporate cowardice.

Courtesy Image / Steve Rude

Epic Experience

SA filmmaker and StarWars fan Alejandro Cabrera discusses franchise for May the Fourth

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

San Antonio filmmaker Alejandro Cabrera may have made the documentary In the Lone Star Wars State about Texas’ thriving Star Wars fandom, but how big of an admirer is he of the revolutionary space epic?

“On a scale of one to 10, I’m probably a 10 or 11,” Cabrera told the Current during a recent interview. “The movies remind me of a special time in my childhood. What makes me a Star Wars fan is that I love how innovative the movies are and how they changed the film industry.”

During an interview with the Current just in time for May the Fourth, we asked Cabrera about some of the most controversial topics in Star Wars lore and how he feels about the ubiquity of Star Wars content in recent years. A screening of Cabrera’s In the Lone Star Wars State will take place at 11: 30 a.m. Saturday, May 4, at the Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 Congress Ave. in Austin. Tickets run $8-$12. Cabrera will participate in a Q&A after the screening. More information is available at thestoryoftexas.com.

Before the studio re-edited StarWars: EpisodeIV–ANewHope, who did you think shot first, Han or Greedo?

No argument, Han shot first. Han is a cowboy. That’s what makes him who he is. He just has that unconventional element to him.

Do you like the fact that the original trilogy was re-edited when it was re-released?

I think films are historical. They’re staples of that time. I don’t think they should have been re-edited. I would definitely revert back to how it was originally intended.

Are you pro- or anti-Jar Jar Binks?

I am pro-Jar Jar Binks. I wouldn’t change anything about Episode I: [The Phantom Menace]. I was 10 years old when it came out in 1999. He was the film’s comedic relief, like Disney’s Goofy character. The technology is responsible for so much of what we watch now. I mean, he’s silly, he’s camp, but I enjoy him.

Do you like that The Phantom Menace gives a scientific explanation to The Force instead of keeping it as something mystical?

I was only 10 when the movie came out, so I was just looking at the explosions and all the

effects. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I saw all the undertones and the political stuff. I’m one of those people who likes things to be explained, so I had no problem with that. I know a lot of fans hated it though.

Do you think we’re getting too much Star Wars content these days?

Yes. I feel like Star Wars is a delicacy. It’s something you want to miss. You want it to be special. If you were to have caviar every night, it would lose that element. As much as I love Star Wars, I miss that era in the ’90s when Hollywood was always coming up with new concepts and new visions.

Does that mean you don’t watch new TV series like Ahsoka and Andor?

I watch them just to stay in the loop. There are things that I love about them. But … I feel like Star Wars shouldn’t be a show. It’s a film. It’s like saying, “Don’t go to Disney World

because we’re going to put the experience on YouTube.” Star Wars is an epic experience.

So, is it Baby Yoda or Grogu?

Whenever I’m having conversations with people who don’t know Star Wars, I’ll say Baby Yoda. It’s a good reference. But if I’m with my Star Wars friends, I say Grogu.

What’s your favorite StarWars reference in a non-StarWars movie?

The first one is Toy Story 2 when Zurg and Buzz Lightyear are in the elevator, and Zurg tells him that he is his father. I also loved the one in Raiders of the Lost Ark. When [Indiana Jones] is in one of the tombs, you can see R2D2 and C-3PO in the hieroglyphics. Also, I like the one in Poltergeist. One of the kids’ rooms is fully decorated with Star Wars bedsheets and merchandise. I thought that was pretty cool because it was a reflection of that time.

Find more film stories at sacurrent.com

Courtesy Photo / Alejandro Cabrera

Self-Sufficient Star

San Antonio chef Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin isn’t done blazing culinary trails

BY NINA RANGEL

In a sense, San Antonio chef and restauranteur Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin owes her rise to culinary fame to an early morning fight with her mother.

When she was 22 and a recent college grad, she stumbled through the front door of the family home at 4 a.m. following a night on the St. Mary’s Strip.

During the scolding that followed, Dobbertin decided it wasn’t just time to leave home but leave the country. The second-generation Chinese American saw Asia as a possible escape.

“Our relationship had always been tumultuous, and I’m pretty sure I was still half drunk, but I dragged myself over to my computer and literally typed, ‘Teaching job, Thailand’ in the search bar,” said Dobbertin, now 40. “Seven days later, I was on a plane to Bangkok.”

That move set the stage for the San Antonio native’s culinary journey, which includes not only the popular and well-reviewed Best Quality Daughter at the Pearl, but her recent addition to Taco Bell’s chef-centric collaboration program, TBX. The latter has catapulted her onto a national stage.

Dobbertin’s innovative takes on Asian cuisine and her dedication to lifting up female chefs of all ethnicities have become her trademarks. What’s more, the chef was named a 2023 and 2024 semifinalist in the James Beard Awards, essentially the Oscars of the food industry.

While Bangkok provided an escape for Dobbertin from her overbearing parents, it also provided the roots for her culinary career. The city offered vibrant street life, rich cultural heritage and majestic temples, but it also left the young traveler longing for foods from back home — Tex-Mex, specifically. She began hosting dinner parties with newfound friends, offering her take on American culinary staples.

What began as an effort to cure homesickness unleashed a true passion. She discovered that she thrived on creating in the kitchen.

After six years abroad, she returned to the States and began a career as a social worker. This time, though, the script had flipped. She found herself pining for the Asian flavors she’d

grown accustomed to in Thailand.

From pop-ups to the Pearl

In 2012, Dobbertin quit her job in social work to pursue cooking full time. Her first professional kitchen stint was at now-shuttered Southtown dining spot The Monterey. Pop-ups for the concept that would become Asian fusion hotspot Hot Joy followed.

In 2013, Dobbertin helped open a brick-and-mortar location of Hot Joy in the historic King William district, and by 2014, Bon Appétit had named the irreverent eatery one of nation’s 10 best new restaurants.

Dobbertin left Hot Joy and opened Tenko Ramen at Pearl’s Bottling Department Food Hall with former business partner Quealy Watson in 2018. It was the city’s first fast-casual ramen concept and eventually became the longest-running original tenant in the cafeteria-style space. Tenko closed in 2022.

Meanwhile, Dobbertin and fellow San Antonio chef Anne Ng teamed up to create a series of pop-up dinners to address the lack of Asian American women chefs in South Texas. Working with visual artist Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Dobbertin and Ng used the pop-ups to showcase their interpretations of authentic Asian cuisine inspired by the shared family meals of their upbringing.

While Dobbertin and Ng provided eats, Datchuk curated collections of art from Asian American women to display during the events. The pop-ups evolved into plans for Best Quality Daughter, which she opened inside the Pearl’s historic Mueller House in 2020.

“Jenn’s personality really shines through when it comes to her food, and that’s been an interesting evolution to watch,” Best Quality Daughter General Manager Daniel Perez said. “Her attention to detail and the flair she puts into everything shows how much she cares about providing a stellar, all-around experience. It’s gratifying to see that work get recognized in such a big way.”

Perez has worked with Dobbertin in some form at every one of her restaurants, including Hot Joy. Their collab-

oration has now spanned more than a decade.

The name for the restaurant was inspired by The Joy Luck Club, a 1993 film based on a book of the same name. In an emotional scene in the movie, a Chinese American daughter cries, “No matter what you hope for, I’ll never be more than I am.” To reassure her daughter, the movie mom reassures her that she has the “best quality heart.”

In movie magic fashion, the mother in The Joy Luck Club comes through for her daughter, but Dobbertin’s upbringing was considerably more complicated.

“I had a pretty traumatic childhood and teenage life, and that manifested in my 20s as impulsive decisions and running away. I just wanted to get out of here and as far away from San Antonio as possible, but really I was trying to get as far away from myself as possible,” Dobbertin said. “But guess what? Guess who showed up there? That old saying is so true, ‘Wherever you go, there you are.’”

Openness and generosity

Chefs’ journeys often trace back to memories of cooking with their parents or other family members.

Though Dobbertin’s folks operated a Chinese restaurant in San Antonio throughout most of her childhood, her memories aren’t so idyllic. She recalls being put to work at the business around the age of 4, peeling shrimp. Her father would pay her a penny a shrimp — around $5 to peel a whole case.

“I don’t have these wholesome memories of being with my grandmother and she was teaching me how to roll dumplings,” Dobbertin said. “It was more a little bit of an exploitive child-labor situation.”

The self-taught chef speaks openly about her years of therapy, something not particularly common in the hospitality industry.

Though she describes her father as a “gentle, nice guy,” Dobbertin laments that the relationship with her mother remains “tough.”

Mental illness affects one in five U.S. adults, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, but industry experts say hospitality workers can be especially susceptible. Factors such as late hours, low wages and a lack of benefits often make it hard for bar and restaurant staff to get the help they need.

By speaking of her own struggles, Dobbertin hopes to help the next

generation of hospitality workers feel less of a stigma about asking for and accepting help.

“Food excites me, food consoles me. Sometimes it makes me sad or makes me question everything. It really can be every emotion,” said Mary Lou Davis, an alum of the Hell’s Kitchen cooking competition show who started her culinary career in San Antonio. “What’s really great about Jenn is she considers food and gathering gateways to conversation and building others up, especially women.”

Davis, who now resides in California, is known for her cotton candy-hued coiffure and anime- and cosplay-inspired foodie Instagram account, Geeks & Grubs.

Davis returned to San Antonio for an April 23 Asian fusion pop-up at Best

food

Quality Daughter, where she and Dobbertin teamed up in the restaurant’s tiny kitchen to offer a small menu of Davis’ fare.

“I was worried about taking over the BQD kitchen, but [Dobbertin] never seemed to have a second of doubt about it,” Davis said. “I know the stress of handing your kitchen over to someone new, and she’s opening all kinds of doors with that generosity.”

‘Super Americana’

A door recently opened for Dobbertin herself in February. That’s when fast-food chain Taco Bell sought her out for its TBX program, which spotlights emerging chefs willing to put new twists on the iconic brand’s menu items.

Taco Bell tapped Dobbertin to reimagine the Crunchwrap Supreme, one of its most-popular bites. She was one of just three

chefs — not to mention the only woman and Texan — selected for the program. Philadelphia’s Reuben Asaram and Phoenix’s Lawrence Smith completed the inaugural cohort.

The chain selected Dobbertin for the way she blends classic American flavors with those from her Taiwanese roots, Taco Bell Global Chief Food Innovation Officer Liz Matthews said when unveiling the project earlier this year.

It probably didn’t hurt that Dobbertin describes herself as a “longtime lover of all things Taco Bell.”

“It has its place, and I have a nostalgia for it,” she said. “I actually ate the most Taco Bell when I lived abroad. There was one in Singapore, and I would get that when I was craving Mexican food. I think Taco Bell is like super Americana. It’s American culture, and anybody — any business owner — that isn’t connecting with that is really losing out.”

More TBX projects are on the horizon for 2024, and Dobbertin also is looking forward to continuing the Best Quality Daughter legacy. Those plans include hosting pop-ups that showcase other local talent as well as fundraising dinners for reproductive rights organizations.

At the same time, Dobbertin said she wants to foster her own emotional and mental growth in an industry that can be a source of continued challenges.

“Most chefs know that if you don’t almost obsessively have your finger on the pulse of everything, the wheels fall off,” Dobbertin said. “People in other industries might see that as unhealthy, or extreme, but my therapist would say that I have turned some pretty traumatic experiences into a superpower. That extreme self-sufficiency has manifested in a way that’s turned into a pretty beautiful existence.”

Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com

Jaime Monzon

The Current’s San Antonio Flavor returns, featuring culinary creations from 30 restaurants

BY NINA RANGEL

The Current’s annual San Antonio Flavor event will once again take over the San Antonio Museum of Art for a night showcasing bites and cocktails from more than 30 popular bars and restaurants.

As with past iterations, the Thursday, May 9 event will feature an onstage culinary showdown that pits San Antonio-area chefs and their celebrity sous chefs against each other in an epic battle for the coveted title of Flavor Champion.

Chris Cullum of Cullum’s Attaboy, José Gonzalez of Tu Asador and Missael Garcia of El Taco Cafe will lead the competing teams. River Walk Queen 2024 Jennifer Monserrat Hinojosa, social media influencer Chris Flores of Eatmigos fame and writer Maddy Skye will provide able assistance. The showdown challenges each team

to create a delectable dish using a secret main ingredient from Heartbrand Beef, which raises ultra-tender Certified Akaushi cattle. The chefs and their assistants will face a time limit and be cheered on by a live audience.

Denise Cabello of MyNetworkTV affiliate KCWX will host the competition, and a panel of local culinary experts will pick the winner.

Alongside the onstage culinary battle, Flavor offers free chef-prepared bites from an array of popular dining spots along with cocktails, wine and beer. DJs will provide music and local vendors will show off a variety of wares.

This year’s participating restaurants include Pete’s Hot Chicken, Los Azulejos, The Jerk Shack and Elsewhere Garden Bar & Kitchen, among others.

$65, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9, San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100, sacurrentflavor.com.

Jaime Monzon

NEWS

The revamped Fredericksburg Food and Wine Festival will take over the Texas Hill Country town’s sprawling Marktplatz Oct. 25-26. fbgfoodandwinefest.com.

Downtown’s Gunter Hotel will open an in-house franchise of South Korea-based bakery and cafe concept Paris Baguette later this year. It will be the city’s first Paris Baguette.

Lucy Cooper’s Texas Icehouse this month will open a comedy club inside its New Braunfels store. To start, the venue will present one show on Fridays and two on Saturdays. 1515 Kuehler Ave., (830) 837-5172, lucycoopers.com.

New event Whiskey Riot will bring more than 200 whiskies to San Antonio’s Freeman Expo Hall Saturday, May 18, for a festival dedicated to the spirit. Tickets are available online. tixr.com/ groups/whiskeyriot.

Popular mobile kitchen Birria Kings has closed. As its name suggests, the business drew praise for its birria — a rustic and chile-laden stew, usually of goat or lamb — which originated in the Mexican states of Jalisco and Michoacan.

OPENINGS

The much-anticipated Pullman Market has opened at the Pearl mixed-use complex. Pearl officials are touting the 40,000-square-foot

addition, which includes several restaurants, as the largest culinary market in the Southwest. 221 Newell Ave., pullmanmarket.com.

Basement nightspot Easy Baby has opened the Pearl area’s Creamery complex. Along with a dimly lit bar and an elevated DJ booth, the retro-style getaway includes sleek seating and classic records adorning the walls. 875 East Ashby Place, Suite 1030, easybabysatx.com.

Weathered Souls Brewing Co. and chef Nicola Blaque have partnered on a new culinary venture, called Barrel and Bloom, which will operate inside the brewery. The focus will be on Blaque’s Caribbean jerk-infused cuisine. 606 Embassy Oaks, Suite 500, (210) 274-6824, weatheredsouls.beer.

Pure Country BBQ will take over the space of Boerne’s recently shuttered Dog & Pony Grill on May 3. The new dining spot will offer smoked meats and backyard vibes. Dog & Pony closed after a disagreement with its landlord on a new lease. 1481 S. Main St., Boerne, purecountryboerne.com.

Austin nightclub Barbarella has opened a San Antonio location, which will offer the club’s popular and inclusive TuezGayz events and a variety of theme nights. 2211 San Pedro Ave., barbarellasa.com.

Shop, Explore, Grow!

Maeve’s Many Faces

Government Hill cocktail spot packs plenty of ambition into its small menu

BY RON BECHTOL

To access San Antonio cocktail spot Maeve, ignore the door facing the street at the top of some unwelcome stairs. Instead, take the crushed-stone path to the left of the historic cottage. At a small entrance patio you’ll now have two choices. Pick the unlabeled steel door. Although it looks heavy and impenetrable, it opens surprisingly smoothly and provides a portal between Maeve’s staid street-side impressions and a wide-open interior that gives way to a huge back yard.

Those wide-open spaces were unpopulated during a weekday-afternoon, Fiesta-week visit to the Government Hill cocktail oasis that opened last fall. Ceiling-strung papel picado suggested festivity, but for a while anyway, I was a party of one. Waiting for friends to appear allowed time to scan the space. Both indoors and out, it’s furnished in a scattershot style that’s not exactly thrilling for daytime viewing. However, online photos of dance nights with swarming crowds suggest an entirely different ambiance after dark — one in which colored lights and thumping music take center stage.

Maeve’s drinks menu, accessible via QR code, isn’t large, but it displays ambition. Among the nine “signature” cocktails and four “classics,” you’ll find neither a stirred martini nor Manhattan, though we assume the bar could rustle them up if needed.

Service & Engagement is a simple enough drink on its face: rye, pineapple gomme, lime and Angostura

bitters. Gomme, in case you haven’t come across it before, is a viscous syrup containing sugar and powdered gum arabic that adds sweetness, silky mouth feel and, in this case, subtle fruit flavor. The combination made S&E the best of show, a drink we all said we’d order again.

The Yerba-Motxo is a spin on Spanish summertime favorite the Kalimoxto, an equal-parts mixture of red wine and cola with an added splash of lemon juice. (It’s better than it sounds.) Maeve’s substitutes yerba mate tea for the cola and adds cucumber. At the very least, it sounds like a bold interpretation.

The menu also includes an espresso martini. In this case, it’s more of a transmogrification than a mere twist, employing vodka, coconut water, salted caramel and fermented honey. I couldn’t go there — and not just because of the vodka — but feel free.

Once my party arrived, one of them ordered the Under Pressure, the name a nod to the method of the cocktail’s delivery via tap. Pre-batched from gin, passion fruit purée, lime and sparkling wine, and featuring a floating bay leaf, the drink looked good on paper — or on a phone’s screen, actually. However, in real life, it was a tad too polite, perhaps missing its advertised guajillo “glaze,” which sparked much discussion about how such a thing might be applied and to what. The rim? The bay leaf?

Moving on to the classics on Maeve’s menu, the Oaxaca Old Fashioned is a modern one, having been

invented at New York’s famed Death & Co. in 2007. I had the drink — which substitutes reposado tequila, mezcal and agave nectar for the original’s bourbon and sugar — at that particular bar during its heyday, and I loved it.

At Maeve, the drink gets a new spin on the young classic — my, but they grow up fast these days — adding in Combier, a French orange liqueur, and subbing chocolate bitters for the Angostura. It also includes grapefruit oil that should have worked well — had it made its presence known. The end result was OK for unexamined sipping but not necessarily an improvement on the original.

If you’re ever in London with an afternoon or evening to kill creatively, let me recommend the American Bar of the Savoy Hotel. It’s both a swanky watering hole and the home of the Hanky Panky, a true classic invented by legendary bartender Ada Coleman in the early years of the 20th century. Her recipe was simple: equal parts gin and sweet vermouth with a couple of dashes of Fernet-Branca amaro for added depth.

I suspect Maeve amps up the Fernet-Branca in the version I ordered, since that’s pretty much all I got. It’s easy to overdo, because the popular bartender’s shift-change shot can be a bitter bully. That said, Fernetophiles are likely to find this a pleasing drink. Served in a diminutive Nick and Nora glass, it will also make you seem sophisticated as you contemplate in its depths the many faces of Maeve.

MAEVE

818 Austin St. maevesa.com | Hours: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, 12 pm-midnight Sunday. Price range: Signature and classic cocktails run $10-$15.

Ron Bechtol

Dancing in the Dark Night Club bringing its synth-heavy sounds to San Antonio’s Paper Tiger

BY MIKE MCMAHAN

Music duo Night Club’s aesthetic may be best summed up by a chorus from its 2020 LP Die Die Lullaby: “I want to die in the disco.”

The electronic goth-pop act’s blend of darkness and danceability isn’t just summed up pithily in its own work, it’s caught the ear of alt-rock icon Maynard Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer). Keenan appears on the track “Gone” from Night Club’s new LP, Masochist, and he’s tapped the duo open for both Puscifer and A Perfect Circle.

In 2022, Night Club wowed San Antonio fans during its opening slot for Puscifer at the Boeing Center. While the act may have been new to many in attendance, its high-energy stage presence, catchy vocal melodies and driving synth sounds won over plenty of new fans.

Now touring as a headliner, Night Club will fire up the Danse Macabre at San Antonio’s Paper Tiger on Tuesday, May 7. Rosegarden Funeral Party and JPEG will open.

We recently caught up with Night Club vocalist Emily Kavanaugh on Zoom. She checked in from Henderson, Nevada — just outside Las Vegas — where the band is now based. It was formed in LA in 2012.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Your music is often described as “darkwave” — you know the kids and their crazy microgenres. Would you agree with that characterization? And how do you define darkwave?

Honestly, I have no fucking clue what we are. I think people just like to put labels on things. We’ve been described as retrowave,’80s, ’90s, 2000s, dark pop, goth-pop. I don’t pay much attention to labels. Just listen and call it whatever you want. I don’t know what darkwave means, to be honest. I don’t know what any of it means. (Laughs.)

The music has an early ’80s vibe. I think that’s partly the directness of the riffs. It’s not busy, it’s not a lot of notes. Would you agree?

Definitely. Mark [Brooks] — the other half of the band — he’s older than me. He grew up primarily in the ’80s and ’90s, and that’s a lot of his influences. He’s the producer. We write

everything together, but he is ultimately the producer, and he’s responsible for a lot of the actual sounds on the record. He is definitely influenced by Gary Numan. That comes through.

You toured extensively with Puscifer, and Maynard Keenan is on the new record. Seems like he’s a big fan of Night Club. What does he like so much about you? You’d have to ask him. I have no idea! (Laughs.)

What a dodge.

I honestly don’t know. I think maybe there’s a part of him that likes that it’s so unlike his bands that he’s in. I know he loves the ’80s. Devo is one of his favorite bands. He loves electronic music, and it’s just so different than Tool. Different than APC. Different than Puscifer. Maybe that’s a little refreshing to him, I’m not sure. But he’s a man of few words. He doesn’t explain to you why he likes a certain kind of music, but I can only assume that he likes catchy pop music.

How does Mark define his role in the band? Is he a DJ? A one-man band behind the console?

I think he considers himself a keyboardist-producer. I don’t think he would say a DJ per se. He’s part of the band. He plays keyboards and he mixes live, and he does all the tracks. They’re all separated, and he mixes everything to the room that we’re in. He’s a

full band member up there. He’s playing, he’s mixing, he’s doing it all.

Electronic and modern acts have really redefined the idea of what a band can be.

Yes. Agreed. We’re aware that we’re a twopiece, and two-pieces don’t typically have a lot of energy on stage, just because of a lack of human beings. I tend to overcompensate by moving around a lot and being energetic and running around and bringing energy to it that I feel like a lot of duos don’t typically have. Electronic duos anyway.

Do you know how to play keyboard?

Yeah. I’m not a virtuoso keyboardist and neither is [Mark]. We write everything together, 50-50, from the moment that we sit down and write. I’ll come up with a bassline or he’ll come up with a bassline, and we kinda just work from there. It’s very collaborative. A lot of people online seem to think he does all the music. He’s the guy who does the music and the girl is the, maybe, lyricist. She sings on his music. Which is the perception a lot of the time that I’m trying to break a little bit. Frontgirls are writing, too. It’s very collaborative. We do it all together. He’ll write lyrics. It’s not just me writing lyrics. He writes lyrics. It’s extremely 50-50. And he’s definitely responsible for, I would say, the sounds of the synths, and the final arrangements. But definitely songwriting is both of us.

$20, 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com.

Find more music coverage every day at

Courtesy Photo / Night Club

critics’ picks

Wednesday, May 1

Heart, Cheap Trick

Sisters and rock pioneers Ann and Nancy Wilson have reunited after a four-year hiatus to bring ’70s and’80s radio mainstay Heart back on the road. After forming in Seattle, Heart exploded onto the scene with its hard-rocking 1975 debut Dreamboat Annie, buoyed by the singles “Magic Man” and “Crazy On You.” The band, immortalized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, will be joined by opener Cheap Trick, which charted its own successful mainstream rock career by blending elements of power-pop and hard rock. $75-$171.25, 8 p.m., Frost Bank Center, One AT&T Center, (210) 444-5140, frostbankcenter.com. — DC

Wednesday, May 1Thursday, May 2

Shakey Graves

Austin-based Americana artist Alejandro-Rose Garcia — better known by the stage name Shakey Graves — has come a long way since releasing his 2011 first album, Roll the Bones, on Bandcamp when he was 23. At the time, Garcia was in Los Angeles, trying to ignite an acting career. Yet when a Bandcamp editor selected Graves’ release as Album of the Week, it unexpectedly launched a music career that eclipsed his acting aspirations. The artist dropped his most recent LP, Movie of the Week, last year. Texas-native folk singer Angel White opens the show. $40-$95, 8 p.m., Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, stablehall.com. — Dalia Gulca

Thursday, May 2

Heavy Meddo, Thor & Friends, Gary Davenport, Space Available

San Antonio experimental musician Bill Baird will celebrate the release of two solo albums with a performance by his band Heavy Meddo. One album, the Iceland-recorded Astral Suitcase, is an exercise in what Baird calls “mutant pop,” while the other, Soundtrack, is a collection of instrumentals. The bill also includes Austin-based percussionist Thor Harris, longtime SA musicmaker Gary Davenport and electro-experimental act Space Available. Sweetening the pot for fans of Alamo City outsider music, Baird also will perform a piece by local composer Phil Krumm. $10, 8 p.m., The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerose.com. — Sanford Nowlin

Sunday, May 5

Kerrville Folklife Festival New Folk Winners Americana enthusiasts love the Kerrville Folk Festival Americana for its aesthetic that leans into earthy authenticity. An essential part of that formula is the Grassy Hill New Folk competi-

tion, wherein emerging songwriters compete for recognition and a coveted spot at the fest. Previous New Folk winners have included luminaries Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, John Gorka, David Wilcox and James McMurtry. So, yes, it’s serious stuff. This year’s winners, chosen from nearly 1,000 entries, are taking on a mini-tour that includes an SA stop at Bowman Backyard, a venue in someone’s actual backyard. Advance purchase of a ticket gets attendees a gate code to enter. Sounds like an adventure and an intimate backdrop for experiencing songwriting at its finest. $20, 4 p.m., Bowman Backyard, 27650 Wild Bloom, (210) 445-5145, bowmanbackyard. org. — Bill Baird

Sunday, May 5

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

Ricky Skaggs is as important a country artist as they come, having racked up innumerable prizes, awards and honors. An early mastery of the mandolin led to a breakthrough into the ’80s country mainstream, where he cut platinum records and scored plenty of hits. Through it all, Skaggs has brought along his hardcore fans and his concerts remain essential for lovers of bluegrass, traditional country music or just fantastic musicianship. For this concert, Skaggs is joined by Kentucky Thunder, the masterful string band that backed him on the Grammy-winning album Bluegrass Rules! $59$109, 8 p.m., Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, stablehall.com. — BB

Monday, May 6

Interpol

New York’s Interpol serves as an anchor artist for the alternative boom of the early 2000s. The band’s breakthrough debut album Turn On The Bright Lights spawned hits such as “Obstacle 1,” where off-kilter guitars and Joy Division-inspired bass work offered the perfect foil for lead singer Paul Banks’ baritone voice.

The opening bass line of “Evil”, the 2004 single from Antics, endures as a touchstone of the genre. Interpol continues to release new music, most recently 2022’s The Other Side Of Make-Believe $45-$69.50, 7 p.m., Boeing Center at Tech Port, 3331 General Hudnell Drive, (210) 600-3699, boeingcentertechport. com. — DC

Tuesday, May 7

Jake Shimabukuro

Renowned artist Jake Shimabukuro combines elements of jazz, folk, blues, rock, classical and flamenco — all on the ukulele. Notable for his complex finger work and breadth of expertise, the Hawaiian player has topped the Billboard World Music charts multiple times, played festivals including SXSW and Bonnaroo,

released 32 albums and somehow found the time to compose music for two Japanese films. His latest album, Grateful, is regarded as one of his most personal albums so far. $49.50, 7:30 p.m., Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter. org — Dalia Gulca

Wednesday, May 8

The Reverend Shawn Amos

The Reverend Shawn Amos is the compelling blues project of renowned record producer and songwriter Shawn Amos, who’s worked with some of the biggest names in the biz — Quincy Jones, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Solomon Burke among them. His Reverend Shawn persona leans into gritty blues showcasing soulful, moving vocals and fantastic harmonica work. Amos’ first album with the project, Blue Sky, reached No. 6 on Billboard’s blues chart. $12-$30, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint. com. — BB

Thursday, May 9

Handsome Dick Manitoba

As frontman of NYC punk legends The Dictators, Manitoba has already earned his place in the pantheon. However, the irrepressible raconteur continues to charm and entertain. He had an 18-year stint hosting The Handsome Dick Radio Program on Sirius XM, appeared on Anthony Bourdain’s TV show and now leads his own high-energy ensemble. $15, 7 p.m., Vibes Event Center, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 2553833, vibeseventcenter.com. — BB

Friday, May 10

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Blood Skid Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol kicks ass with ample riffage, childish humor, shredded distortion and zero pretension. The group’s new album Big Dumb Riffs is aptly titled — and damn fun. $15, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BB

EMPLOYMENT

Palenque Management LLC. seeks Operations Manager in San Antonio, TX to oversee daily business activities with at least five (5) yr. exp. in operations management. Email resume to asolis@palenquegroup.com.

BHS Physicians Network, Inc. seeks a Physician in San Antonio, TX. Req: Med. Degree, TX Med. License, Board Cert. Surgical Critical Care and 2 yrs. exp. Contact: salara@baptisthealthsystem.com

There was a misprint in the San Antonio Current on April 3 and April 17. The advertisement regarding the event scheduled at the San Antonio Vehicle Impound Facility contained an error in the date.

The correct date for the event is May 1, 2024, not May 1, 2023, as previously stated. The event will take place at 3:00 pm at the San Antonio Vehicle Impound Facility located at 3625 Growdon Rd, San Antonio, TX. For further inquiries, please contact (210) 881-8440

SR. PHARMACY SERVICES MANAGER (San Antonio, TX): Oversee, assess, manage pharma ops; oversee technicians & business functions w/ the pharmacist on staff to ens implementation of daily operational quality & cost containment strategies & oversee internal audit for reg compliance. Req’s Bachelor’s in Pharma (or foreign equi. deg.) or rel. w/ 5 yrs. progressive exp in assessing, managing, & reporting pharma operational & financial data to exec staff as well as working to continually improve the overall quality of service; overseeing the purchase, management, & security of all medications & medical supplies in accordance w/ Company policies. Apply to: HR, Shri Balaji Drugs, Inc. d/b/a Alamo Specialty Pharmacy, 8832 Huebner Road, San Antonio, TX-78240.

Budget Analyst I, dvlp/present mgmt; rcrd/maint/interpret/review/summarize/ co’s fin transactions; sppt annual budget; asst w/pos control reporting syst; identify changes & provide analytics explanations; prep/distrib reports. BBA/ Accounting. Warron Woods Company, LLC, 7560 Reindeer Trl, San Antonio, TX 78238; nina.warron@warron-woods.com.

Terracon Consultants, Inc. seeks Project Engineer (multiple) in San Antonio, TX to serve as an engineering professional with responsibility for managing detailed phases of projects with moderate size and complexity. Apply at www. jobpostingtoday.com Ref#72297.

Navistar, Inc. is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer Lead Sr in Elmendorf, TX with the following requirements: Bachelor’s degree and 8 years of product manufacturing experience including 1 year of lead experience OR Master’s degree and 6 years of product manufacturing experience including 1 year of lead experience OR 10 years of product manufacturing experience including 1 year of lead experience. Required Skills: Provide process development using VisMockup and TeamCenter visualization software (3 yrs); Develop truck assembly processes using Design for Assembly and Lean Manufacturing principles and Identify and eliminate non-value added tasks and motions (2 yrs); Develop labor estimates and standards using MOST and Tie labor estimates and standards to product characteristics in Standards Pro and Develop line balance using LeanLine (3 yrs); Evaluate ergonomic risk factors and suggest improvements using E-tool software (3 yrs). 10% travel required; Must live within normal commuting distance of Elmendorf, TX. Apply at https://careers. navistar.com/jobs. Refer to Job #56491.

Web Coordinator - Smokerz Paradize, Inc. (San Antonio, TX) - Design & maintain co website using Microsoft Visual Code HTML 5, CSS 3 & other visual markups. Min Reqs: Bach’s deg in IT, Graphic Design or in a closely reltd field or equiv + 2 yrs of exp in the job offered or as a Digital Communication Specialist. Must have 2 yrs of exp in designing & maintaining a co website using Microsoft Visual Code HTML 5, CSS 3 & other visual markups. Must have 2 yrs of exp utilizing UX/UI design principles to enhance web design & performing web production tasks, such as optimizing images through the use of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Bridge, XD). Mail resume to: 218 E Rhapsody Dr, San Antonio, TX 78216

"No Fear"--just the first parts of the phobias. by Matt Jones

© 2024 Matt Jones

Across

1. "___ the weather up there?"

5. Hurricane response org.

9. Pleased

13. Occupied, as a desk

14. Tehran's location

15. Shine partner

16. Ancient Greek mathematician who couldn't bring his triangle theorem out into the open?

18. Comcast and Spectrum, for two

19. Abbr. after a seller's suggested price

20. Seat of Washoe County, Nevada

21. Like fishnets

22. "Good for life" pet food brand

24. Job interview subject, even when you can't face the work?

27. Alpacas' cousins

29. "Boom Clap" performer Charli ___

30. 1055, to Caesar

31. Mr., in Spain

32. ___ stands

34. Spanakopita cheese

35. 1998 National League MVP who's not big on germs?

38. Spice Girl who turned 50 in April 2024

41. "___ I a stinker?" (Bugs Bunny line)

42. Tricks

46. Cold War broadcast across the Atlantic, for short

47. Bowling target

48. Unfortunate event

49. Exactly right, but without the blood?

53. Lawnmower brand that means "bull"

54. Play dirty, per a Michelle Obama catchphrase

55. Rowboat need

57. Coating material

58. Is repentant of

59. "Like that's believable, even at this awful height!"

62. Admin.'s aide

63. One of the Hawaiian Islands

64. Nervous utterances

65. Chaotic state

66. Tiny puff of smoke

67. Act gloomy

Down

1. Seat at a barn dance, maybe

2. Footstool

3. When doubled, a guitar effect

4. "A ___ Is Born"

5. Shrek's wife

6. It might be clerical

7. Old ewe in "Babe"

8. Response, for short

9. "Peer Gynt" composer Edvard

10. Nimble

11. Road-surface material

12. Songwriter Buddy who co-founded Capitol Records

13. Gives away the ending of

17. 100 ___ ("Doritos & Fritos" duo)

21. Mystery guest moniker

23. Internet comedy group since 2002

25. Live and breathe

26. ___-1 ("Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" vehicle)

28. Legendary Notre Dame coach Parseghian

32. Acid in proteins

33. Ant. antonym

34. Goethe "deal with the devil" character

36. Injure badly

37. '80s anti-missile plan, for short

38. List of events

39. Ineffectual

40. Like homes without TVs, slangily

43. Chance to take your shot?

44. Symptom of otitis

45. Multipurpose utensils

47. Chapel bench

48. "___ Breckinridge" (Gore Vidal novel)

50. Dawson, Combs, Anderson, Karn, O'Hurley, and Harvey, e.g.

51. ___ Arcade (business trying to look cool in "Wayne's World")

52. Absorb eagerly

56. "You rebel ___" ("Return of the Jedi" line)

59. Impress

60. "Bali ___" ("South Pacific" highlight)

61. P, in the Greek alphabet

Answers on page 23