30 Feature Is Pullman for the People?
A high-end greengrocer looks to find an audience in blue-collar San Antonio
The Opener News in Brief
Train troubles
Why the Central Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Board could face the same fate as the failed Lone Star Rail District
Bad Takes
Taking the voting rights people convicted of felonies is a form of ballot suppression
15 Calendar Calendar Picks
San Antonio performance venues are increasingly adapting to those with sensory sensitivity
Making Connections
Eugenio del Bosque leads San Antonio’s CineFestival into 45th year
From the spicy to the sublime
San Antonio Burger Week’s specialty sandos are varied, but peppery heat is a running theme
Table Talk
Getting to know Pullman Market retail guru Noah Bradley
First Impressions
Pullman’s Fife & Farro and Mezquite offer distinct, but equally elevated experiences
Must Try List
The pros at Pullman Market suggest the first things shoppers should sample
Hot Dish
Live and Local
After hiatus, San Antonio Music Showcase returning on June 22l
Hopping Into Pop Stardom
Beach Bunny’s introspective indie sound is gaining mainstream appeal
Critics’ Picks
On the Cover: The Pearl’s Pullman Market isn’t an inexpensive place to shop. Its owners are betting some San Antonians are willing to pay more for local and sustainably produced items. Cover design: Samantha Serna. Photo: Jaime Monzon.
AT
$50/PERSON PRE-SALE
$60 AT THE DOOR
THURS, JUNE 27 | 7-11 PM 21+ ONLY | VALET $20
BENEFITTING:
It’s White Party Night - wear your favorite White Styles! Arrive to a complimentary cocktail & savor the season’s best moments in our infinity-edge pool while sipping on summer-inspired spirits, vibrant music from DJ Celina Jennée, & sunset toast provided by Moet & Chandon.
HDrought is making the cost of crop insurance for Texas farmers increasingly expensive. An analysis from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found that drought accounts for more crop insurance payouts than any other weather event and that Texas receives more payouts than any other state. Payouts due to drought rose from a yearly average of $251 million in the 2000s to $1.1 billion in the current decade.
Charles Butt, the chairman of San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B, has made a $20 million donation to Texas food banks. Texas is the nation’s second-most food-insecure state, with children affected in disproportionate numbers. “The thought of children going hungry anywhere is painful, but to have that happen here in Texas is unacceptable,” Butt said in a statement.
HThe San Antonio Police Department has fired an officer who stands accused of taking firearms and ammunition brought to a gun buyback event sponsored by City Councilman John Courage last fall. SAPD veteran David Mahula worked the event in the Alamodome parking lot, where an aide to Courage reported seeing the officer put two weapons in his personal vehicle. After an investigation, the department terminated Mahula’s employment last week.
HThere’s new quantitative proof San Antonio likes its tequila. Payment app Square, which collects data on food and drink transactions, recently compared the share of tequila and vodka sales from 20 major U.S. cities and found that tequila sales were highest in San Antonio at 66%. In Los Angeles, the city with the second-highest tequila sales, drinkers opted for tequila just 55% of the time. — Abe Asher
Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.
When it comes to immigration, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott seldom lets the truth get in the way of racist fearmongering.
Last Wednesday, the day after President Joe Biden unveiled stricter asylum rules in an effort to slash border crossings, Abbott introduced a new “most wanted list” of immigrants sought by authorities for alleged criminal activity.
The list is the Republican governor’s latest effort to tie immigrants to criminality while trying to stick it to the White House over its handling of a surge in migration across the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a statement accompanying Abbott’s list of the 10 wanted immigrants — all Latinos and most accused of sex-related crimes — he tried to link their purported behavior to Biden, whom the governor accused of having “dismantled every effective border policy” of the Trump era.
“As a result, we have seen record high levels of illegal immigration, including dangerous criminals and terrorists who are a threat to the public safety of our state and our nation,” Abbott added.
Never mind that study after study has demonstrated that immigrants are less likely than U.S. citizens to engage in criminal activity. Indeed, some of those analyses even suggest immigrants’ presence in a community tends to drive down overall crime rates.
Case in point: an extensive study released last year by Stanford University found that not since 1880 have first-generation immigrants been more likely to be imprisoned than people born in the United States. What’s more, current stats show that immigrants are 30% less likely to be incarcerated than are U.S.-born white individuals, according to the report.
political gain.
For one, consider Abbott’s decision last month to pardon an Austin man convicted of murdering a Black Lives Matter protester. Then look at the thousands of rape kits that went untested by the state under the governor’s watch — or the escalating gun deaths that have unfolded as he and members of his party refuse to discuss meaningful gun reform.
Plus, this isn’t the first time Abbott’s painted with a broad and dangerously sloppy brush to demonize immigrants.
Consider the governor’s patently false claim when he launched his Operation Lone Star crackdown that “carnage” was being propagated “by people who are coming across the border” and his repeated use of the old white supremacist talking point that asylum seekers are “invading” the country.
Or how about the 2019 fundraising newsletter Abbott sent out urging the Republican faithful to “DEFEND TEXAS NOW” from immigrants and “take matters into our own hands?”
YOU SAID IT!
“This decision marks a significant shift towards asserting Texas’ autonomy and the possibility of secession.”
— The Texas Nationalist Movement in a statement on the Lone Star State’s Republican Party voting in a new chairman who agreed to support a public referendum on the state seceding from the U.S.
The reality is Abbott is less concerned about protecting Texans from criminal activity than he is with ginning up fear of immigrants for
Abbott fired off that message a day before a white supremacist shooter entered an El Paso Walmart and carried out the deadliest attack on U.S. Latinos in recent memory. Although the governor later issued a lukewarm apology, this assclown clearly hasn’t learned an important lesson: ugly words often have even uglier consequences. — Sanford Nowlin
SAPD arrest documents accuse the former head of the San Antonio firefighters’ union of trying to blackmail fire department employees. Christopher A. Steele was arrested last week on a third-degree felony stalking charge. Posing as an independent investigator, Steele sent emails to four staff members threatening to smear them publicly if they pursued the department’s open fire chief position, according to police affidavits. Steele, who retired in 2021, has been released on bond.
A Republican candidate for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives was arrested last week in San Antonio and charged with driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Ben Mostyn, who was taken into custody after being involved in a single-car crash, is running to represent a district that includes San Antonio’s South and far West sides. He’s expected to face State Rep. Phillip Cortez in November. — Abe Asher
From city council members and county judges to members of Congress, it seems like San Antonio and Austin leaders are hopping onto the idea of reliable commuter rail service between the two cities.
In recent months, those leaders have launched the Central Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Board Committee, and the founder of private high-speed rail company Brightline has expressed interest in expanding into the Lone Star State. Local leaders also have sent letters to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg urging him to back rail service connecting the emerging San Antonio-Austin megaregion, which will be home to 8.5 million people by 2050.
“I just brought it up to Pete Buttigieg at our congressional 5K the other day,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat whose district includes parts of both San Antonio and Austin.
While few would argue the idea of regional rail is picking up steam, we’ve been down this track before.
The Lone Star Rail District, an entity similar to the recently minted Central Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, also got plenty of fanfare when it launched. However, the effort fizzled in 2016 because Union Pacific didn’t want to give up its rights to the existing rail line between the two cities for commuter service.
That same issue may bog down the current attempt to connect Austin and San Antonio, experts caution. And it’s not the only potential barrier to surmount.
Unless the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the federal government are willing to cough up billions to add new freight rail, this iteration of the Lone Star Rail District also could face the same slow-motion derailment, according to observers.
Although details of a commuter rail
line between San Antonio and Austin remain sketchy, San Antonio mayoral candidate Beto Altamirano, a former public involvement specialist at the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, told the Current he envisions three possible scenarios.
The first and most affordable is building a bus rapid transit line that would connect the two cities via dedicated lanes on I-35.
The second possibility is building a new rail connecting Austin and San Antonio. That idea was also thrown into the public discussion weeks ago by Brightline founder Wes Eden, whose company has already successfully built a high-speed rail connecting the Florida metros of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando.
“When we look at the places that are likely to be next, it’s city pairs that have got the same characteristics that we see here, which are two big population centers separated by two or three hundred miles, lots of travel between them and lots of traffic between them,” Eden told Bloomberg News. “Atlanta to Charlotte, Dallas to Houston, Houston to San Antonio, San Antonio to Dallas — that whole triangle in Texas is one.”
However, a 2008 study published by the Lone Star Rail District determined that environmental considerations, land rights issues and existing infrastructure made a third option more realistic than the second: that interested parties could lease Union Pacific’s existing freight track connecting Austin and San Antonio.
Congressman Casar said that idea remains the most financially feasible.
“The most cost-efficient would be for us to use that right of way that we already have, because so much of this isn’t just the cost of putting track down,” Casar told the Current. “It’s the cost of the land, eminent domain. That’s the hard part.”
However, Union Pacific balked at
that notion once before. The Lone Star Rail District died because the company didn’t want to share its highly profitable freight line with a commuter service beyond Amtrak service, which travels between San Antonio and Austin once daily. That’s hardly a feasible mode of transportation for everyday commuters.
However, Clay Anderson — founder of the grassroots RESTART Lone Star Rail District movement and a member of the Central Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Board Committee — said there’s now a way to bring Union Pacific on board.
“Along the existing corridor, I’m envisioning adding track in strategic locations to go from a single track to a double track, or double track to a chokehold triple track to allow passenger rail to go around freight trains,” said Anderson, an Austin-based, Columbia-educated urban planner.
There’s just one problem: the majority of the existing rail line owned by Union Pacific isn’t suitable for double tracking due to existing infrastructure, including freeway overpasses and residential housing, according to the 2008 Central Texas Rail Relocation Study.
At that time, Union Pacific officials said they would only lease out existing track for commuter rail service if a freight bypass could be built connecting Taylor to Seguin and circumnavigating San Antonio, people familiar with the matter said. That bypass would have allowed Union to move freight faster.
The Union Pacific’s existing line between San Antonio and Austin snakes through the center of towns such as San Marcos and New Braunfels. It passes 50 railroad crossings, which can force locomotives to drop their speeds to as low as 20 miles per hour.
Sounding the death knell for the Lone Star Rail District, the proposed freight bypass Union Pacific favored would have cost $2.4 billion, or $3.57 billion in today’s money.
Political attitudes towards spending money on rail aren’t much different in 2024, observers note.
Earlier this year, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Missouri Congressman Sam Graves, both Republicans, sent a letter to Buttigieg raising concerns about California’s high-speed rail project connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.
That floundering project so far has cost taxpayers $128 billion, including an additional $3 billion in funding from Biden’s Build Back Better plan. Not a single segment of that project is open, and there’s still no completion date.
“Despite evidence that continues to show that the California High-Speed Rail project has critical issues indicating there is no reasonable path forward for successful completion of the project … the Biden administration continues to allocate substantial federal taxpayer dollars to this highly questionable endeavor,” Cruz and Graves wrote.
Although the jury is still out whether Austin and San Antonio residents will ride commuter rail service between the two cities, Altamirano, Casar and Anderson agree that adding another lane to I-35 alone won’t fix the growing region’s ever-worsening traffic congestion.
“We can end up pouring tons more money into I-35, but it’s not going to make traffic any better or make that trip any faster,” Casar said.
Editor’s Note: Bad Takes is a column of opinion and analysis.
You rolling like Trump, you get your meat lumped.” — Raekwon, “Incarcerated Scarfaces,” 1995
If nobody texted you that Donald Trump became the first former president convicted of a felony, then I hope the rock you’re living under provides some shade from this heat.
Trump resides in Florida, which defers to the state of conviction, New York, when determining voter eligibility. Although unlikely, should Citizen Trump find himself behind bars when the polls open this November, that means he would not be permitted to vote for himself.
Honestly, that’s just wrong.
Don’t get it twisted: I’m on board with Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, ratified post-Civil War, that no person should be president who, having promised to defend the Constitution, engaged in, or gave aid and comfort to, an insurrection. Trump instigated a riot at the Capitol to stop electoral certification of an incoming administration and conspired to manufacture a constitutional crisis. That should prohibit him from holding office again in these United States.
But he’s still a citizen with inalienable rights. As of now, Maine and Vermont stand alone in granting all those actively serving prison sentences the right to vote. It’s not an accident they’re among the whitest states in the nation.
Such disenfranchisement laws date back to the Jim Crow era and primarily targeted Black people, according to experts. No surprise then that in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky, a felony on your record can permanently prohibit you from casting a ballot — even after you’ve done your time.
Indeed, more than 4 million U.S. citizens can’t vote thanks to a felony conviction, according to The Sentencing Project, a DC-based advocacy group
focused on criminal justice reform.
Senate Bill 3423, referred to the Judiciary Committee last December, would fix that. The legislation would extend suffrage to everyone convicted of a felony, whether on probation or parole or in carceral settings.
“In 48 states across our country we have a confusing, inconsistent patchwork of laws that treat different crimes as felonies and set different standards for disenfranchisement,” U.S. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, who submitted parallel legislation in the House, said at the accompanying press conference. “What this means is that states can arbitrarily make decisions about who to disenfranchise and for how long.”
With voter suppression all the rage in the South, “we are still in the Civil Rights movement,” the congresswoman added.
More than 1 million of the disenfranchised, like Trump, reside in Florida. Consider that Trump won the Sunshine State in 2016 by less than 120,000 votes.
Part of the impetus behind mass incarceration has been Republicans importing constituents who can’t vote, thereby enlarging the clout of those who can. Since the Constitution’s Three-Fifths Compromise we’ve known that, even though Black lives haven’t always mattered, Black bodies sure do.
From “the first US census in 1790, the federal government has included incarcerated people in the population counts of where they’re imprisoned,” National Public Radio reported a few years back. So, “rural, predominantly white towns see their numbers boosted by prisons” disproportionately containing Latino and Black people. We are disenfranchising the very racial minorities who could keep racist demagogues from attaining power.
Would hundreds of prisoners have perished due to extreme heat in Texas prisons if they could help fire the politicians ignoring their plight? Would
forced labor in prisons still be a thing if they had a say?
Of the 1.2 million in prison, hundreds have been freed by DNA evidence, which is only available in fewer than 1% of all criminal cases. Meaning we have good reason to suspect that thousands, if not tens of thousands, are innocent as charged. Taking away their voting rights adds tyranny to injury.
Trump sycophants are correct to call the system of justice “two-tiered.”
Only, I’m skeptical that if The Donald’s skin was Black, he’d have been able to violate a judge’s gag order nearly a dozen times without seeing the inside of a jail cell.
“What I hope people take from this is, the difference in treatment between people with means and people without,” Shira Diner, a lecturer at Boston University’s School of Law, told her campus newspaper. “The best example I can think of: Trump walked out of that courtroom, on his own. Even if a client of mine convicted of a felony weren’t being held on bail, they’re almost always taken into custody and have to surrender their passport.”
Those on the right are more than justified, however, in satirizing liberal hypocrisy. Take the New York Times editorial board.
“Labels Like ‘Felon’ Are an Unfair Life Sentence,” the board opined in 2016. Yet the paper had no qualms with covering Trump with the following headlines:
“Trump Convicted on All Counts to Become America’s First Felon President,”
“A Felon in the Oval Office Would Test the American System” and
MShould Donald Trump end up behind bars when polls open in November, he wouldn’t be able to vote for himself.
“Trump Has Few Ways to Overturn His Conviction as a New York Felon.” Late-night comedian Stephen Colbert unveiled a “Countdown to Sentencing Advent Calendar” to cheers from his blue state audience. The surest way to garner applause on such shows is to gloat over the lengthy sentences doled out to Jan. 6 rioters. Should caging Homo sapiens of whatever station or character ever engender glee rather than solemnity?
If incarcerated, Trump won’t be the first presidential candidate to run a campaign from prison. That honor belongs to Eugene Debs, five-time Socialist Party nominee for president, who received 900,000 votes while in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in 1920.
“Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth,” he told the court upon his conviction for speaking out against U.S. involvement in World War I.
“I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”
Those moved by Debs’ egalitarian sentiments should extend them to the likes of Orange Man Fascist, lest we replicate his shameless conniving duplicity. Wikimedia Commons /
SAT | 06.08SUN | 06.29
Southtown’s Presa House Gallery has emerged as a premiere space exhibiting Latinx artists across Texas, the Southwest region and internationally. Curator and founder Rigoberto Luna oversaw the monumental Soy de Tejas show at the Centro De Artes, which showcased 40 Latinx Texas artists, and he remains a keen and generous exhibitor of multimedia works in varied styles and career stages. Marco Sánchez, who lives and works in the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez area, makes prints that are sometimes elegantly restrained and realistic, and sometimes more lushly surreal and symbolic — all capturing an essence and aura of an area often maligned and misunderstood, not to mention used as a totem in reactionary nationalism. Despite working in black and white, Sánchez’s works contain a heat and light: one can feel the brick warmth of the desert wafting off his languorous shadows. Free, By appointment, Presa House Gallery, 725 S. Presa St., info@ presahouse.com — Neil Fauerso
WED | 06.12SUN | 10.06
Years in the making, the sprawling group show “Xicanx: Dreamers + Changemakers/ Soñadores + Creadores del Cambio” made its groundbreaking debut in 2022 at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at the University of British Columbia, and just landed in San Antonio for a four-month run at the Contemporary at Blue Star. Co-curated by Jill Baird, curator of education at MOA, and Greta de León, executive director of the Americas Research Network (ARENET), the exhibition comprises works by 33 Mexican American artists from Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, New York and Texas — all of whom identify with the designation Xicanx. Firmly rooted in the social activism of the 1960s-era Chicano Movement known simply as El Movimiento, the inclusive term Xicanx brings Indigenous pride and gender neutrality into the equation. Encompassing works created between the 1970s and the present day, the exhibition is organized into five thematic chapters: Neighborhood/El Barrio, Borderlands/Regiones Fronterizas, Activism/Activismo, Home/El Hogar and Identity/Identidad. Although the exhibition technically traveled here from Canada, it’s perhaps better to describe it as a homecoming thanks to an abundance of familiar works by San Antonio artists including Alejandro Diaz’s ever-timely neon sign Make Tacos Not War and César Martinez’s painting Bato con Sunglasses: El Mosco, to Ana Fernandez’s screenprint Claudia’s and Juan Miguel Ramos’ hyper-local card game Westside Lotería. Beyond the works on view, “Xicanx” also speaks directly to San Antonio viewers via bold wall text reproducing quotes from local favorites such as exhibiting artist Kathy Vargas, feminist scholar Gloria E. Anzaldúa and famed author Sandra Cisneros. Free, noon-5 p.m. Wednesday, noon-8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Contemporary at Blue Star, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, contemporarysa.org. — Bryan Rindfuss
| 06.22 THEATER IN A MARGARET ATWOOD MINUTE
In the not-too-distant future, the country is under siege. Certain things have ceased to be — liberal arts studies, gay marriage and freedom of expression included. Even
literarians are under attack in this ode to Margaret Atwood, the Canadian author best known for the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Penned by award-winning playwright Anne Valentino, In a Margaret Atwood Minute brings forth unlikely protagonists — including former gender studies professors-turned-revolutionaries and the enraged ghost of Frida Kahlo — to help battle the abominable Chancellor of Books. While witty, surreal and outrageous, the play also weaves a slightly familiar dystopian saga. Recommended for those 18 and up due to language, suggestive imagery and frank discussions of sexuality and homosexuality. $12 students-$18 regular admission, 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 14 and 15 and Friday and Saturday, June 21 and 22, The Overtime Theater, 5409 Bandera Road, #205, (210) 557-7562, theovertimetheater.org.
— Anjali Gupta
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On June 19, 1862, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives declared, “There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in any of the Territories of the United States now existing, or which may at any time hereafter be formed or acquired by the United States, otherwise than in punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” Exactly three years later, Major General Gordon Granger finally spread the news of freedom from slavery to African Americans residing in Texas. Bexar County declared Juneteenth a holiday in 2020. In 2021, roughly a year after the killing of George Floyd, Juneteenth became an official U.S. holiday signed into law by President Biden, the first such day to obtain legal observance as a federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated in 1983. San Antonio offers many diverse gatherings and celebrations in June to commemorate this occasion — most publicly, the Juneteenth Freedom Parade, which grows in attendance annually. Free, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Sam Houston High School, 4635 East Houston St. (Parade route starts at the school and ends at Comanche Park #2, 2600 Rigsby Ave.), bexarcountyjuneteenth.
SUN | 06.16
Just in time for summer’s blaze, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is kicking off its annual film series with a screening of the seminal Western drama Giant (1956). The film is aptly named, not just because of its lengthy runtime of nearly three-and-a-half hours but its substantial impact on filmmaking and American culture. Among other industry honors, Giant won a 1957 Academy Award for Best Director for George Stevens, who also won Best Director for A Place in the Sun, and the movie covers ever-relevant and hard-hitting themes including multi-generational racism caused by Texas’ split from Mexico, the resulting patriarchal lineage and the dire
consequences of under-regulated corporations. Screening attendees will be entered to win a trip to stay in the Hotel Paisano in Marfa, Texas, where Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean stayed during Giant’s filming. The winner also will receive tickets to the Museum of Big Bend in Alpine, Texas. What’s more, all attendees will receive a free copy of the 1952 novel Giant by Edna Ferber on which the movie is based. The screening is included in general museum admission, along with complimentary beer, wine and movie snacks. Free-$14, 1-4 p.m., Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St., (210) 299-4499, briscoemuseum.org. — Caroline Wolff
TUE | 06.18
The San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum is collaborating with the Classical Music Institute and the San Antonio Gospel Heritage Choir to bring this compelling celebration of Juneteenth to the Tobin Center. Expect a stirring mix of traditional choral music and gospel with an ever-relevant message of freedom for all. Juneteenth, recently established as a national holiday, marks the day slavery ended with the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas. $10, 7:00 p.m., 100 Auditorium Circle, tobincenter.org. — Bill Baird
Arthur Penn’s still-visceral and lacerating tale of doomed love and murder, Bonnie and Clyde, literally changed the movies by breaking the Hayes Code — the repressive Catholic movie censorship system that once prohibited American studio films from showing sex, graphic violence and other “immoral content.” Texas Public Radio is screening Bonnie and Clyde as part of the organization’s Cinema Tuesdays series, and the film still stings 57 years later. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway have never looked more beautiful and elusive, and Gene Hackman is excellent in a supporting role, etching the flinty, brusque energy he would carry like an ember for the next 30-plus years. Penn was influenced by the French New Wave cinema movement, and you can feel insouciant energy coursing through the film. This isn’t a standard crime-doesn’t-play Hollywood film but rather a crime-is-life existential odyssey. It is a piquant reminder of the kinds of movies Hollywood could make when filmmakers had guts and the people with the purse strings actually liked the cinema. $12-$17, 7:30 p.m., Santikos Entertainment Northwest, 7600 I-10, (877) 691-0734, santikos.com. — NF
Urban-15 will present its 23rd annual Summer Solstice dance performance beneath the lighted squares of Christopher Janney’s public artwork Passing Light, a solar sculpture installed 20 years ago at the San Antonio International Airport. The performance begins at 2 p.m., the moment when the sun reaches its highest point in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere. Created and performed by Urban-15’s artistic director Catherine Cisneros, the solo dance, lit by the solar zenith, integrates movement evoking ceremonial solstice rituals of multiple ancient cultures including the Aztecs, Celts, Egyptians, Mayans and the Incas. Free, 2 p.m., San Antonio International
Airport Long Term Parking Lot, 9800 Airport Blvd., 210736-1500, events@urban15.org. — Brandyn Miller
SUN | 06.23
EVENT
The Tobin Center’s Out at the Tobin Pride Brunch embodies the larger-than-life spirit of queer liberation with big buffets, big hair and big personalities. Kristi Waters, winner of four consecutive Best Drag Performer titles in the Current’s annual Best of San Antonio competition, will host the festivities. Fellow drag performers Mehgan Iman Dlux, Reign LaRue and Ra’Jah O’Hara — the latter a former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant — will also take the stage at the Tobin’s H-E-B Performance Hall. Brunch offerings will be prepared by Tobin Executive Chef Armando Lopez, alongside a range of colorful and flavorful cocktails. Food may be served buffet-style or via box service, depending on the package purchased. Upgrade benefits include premium seating, merchandise and a VIP meet-and-greet. A portion of ticket sales will benefit Thrive Youth Center, an Alamo City nonprofit that provides emergency shelter and mental health support for homeless LGBTQ+ young adults. This event is only open to those 18 and older. $35-$200, 10:30 a.m., Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — CW
The venues: Francis Bogside • Blayne’s Bar (at Francis Bogside) • The Station (at Francis Bogside) • Cuishe Cocina Mexicana (Courtyard) •
The Espee • Lilly’s Greenville • Paper Tiger • Jandro’s Patio Bar • Hi-Tones
Lonesome Rose • Cellar Mixology • Stylus Mixology Bar • Boombox Pizza
Bar • toro Kitchen & Bar (Courtyard) • The Amp Room • Gallery Club • The Mix • El Búho • Beauty Haus
The bands: 16 the Olympus • Adam Madrigal • Alain Baylon • Alyson Alonzo
• American Swine • Anthony Garcia • Any Color You Like • Audrey • Auji
• Beach Vein • Bexar Brass • Brandon Padier & Black Gold • C’LOVERS
• Cadilac Muzik • Cadillac Music • Chavela • Collective Dreams • Cyan
Drive • Dance like Robots • Daniel Leon • Daniel Miller & the Red Roses • David Isaac • Deer Vibes • DJ Gêuro • Dolphin Dilemma • Donella
Drive • Dro Zen • Eastern Condors • Eddie & the Valiants • Elnuh • Emily Monsen • Et Al •Favorite Son • Floats • Grrrl Toy • Hawks of Holy Rosary • In a Darkened Room • Jason Kane & The Jive • Jed Craddock • JJ Lopez • Jknodic • Joaquin and the Glowliners •Jonah Vin • Kitten Mitten • Leah Leah • Lease Agreement • Lemon Disco • Los Juanos • Lost Project • Luna Tropical • Mary Maria • Mass of Amara • Matheus • Medusa Complex
• Micro Missile Attack • Moon Tokki • Mr Funkateer • Muse Relapse • Mypilotis • New Attractions • Night Rituals • Pinata Protest • Please Drown
• Ponciano Seoane • Porch Dream • Porridge Fist • Powdered Wig Machine
PRSNT • Reggie Cruz • RICH • Scripts • Sleep Schedule • Sloth • Sonora Hechicera • Spy MC and Friends • Star Fighter Dreams • Ston the band • Strawberry Jams • Street Lamp • Sue the Dinosaur •Temachii • The Grasshopper Lies Heavy • The Guitar Dojo • The Oblios • The Texases • The Wild Sweet • The Wizard • Toxicity • Trenzas • Vanita Leo • Verm the Villain Vintage Pictures • Virtual Limbs • Volcan • Zo-G
San Antonio performance venues are increasingly adapting to those with sensory sensitivity
BY SANFORD NOWLINAlamodome Events Services Manager Michelle Brady fully grasped the importance of the stadium’s sensory room after she opened it up for a mother seeking a quiet place for her son who has autism.
The boy was feeling overwhelmed in the unfamiliar environment, and the mother was worried she’d have to leave and miss the once-in-a-lifetime experience of watching a relative’s graduation ceremony. Instead, the insulated room offered an oasis to restore her son’s calm, allowing them to stay through the event.
“She was almost in tears,” Brady said. “She said, ‘I didn’t know whether I’d be able to stay to watch the graduation because of my son.’”
San Antonio’s city-owned Alamodome is among a growing number of sports, entertainment and arts facilities that have taken steps to accommodate guests with autism and other special needs.
Diversions such as concerts, sporting events and even family friendly plays often include loud sounds and flashing lights that can be troubling to people on the autism spectrum. Special quiet rooms can help those with special needs decompress and stabilize.
The Alamodome’s sensory room, which opened in 2021, offers a quiet space large enough for an entire family. Blackout drapes can be pulled over its large picture window to cut down on visual stimuli, and the room contains therapeutic items such as fidget toys, soundproof headphones, a beanbag chair and even a lighted lava lamp with toy fish inside.
“People want to create experiences that
everyone in the family can enjoy, and sometimes family members might be sensitive to strobe lighting or certain sounds that might be triggering,” said Paula Hobbs, another Alamodome events services manager. “Our sensory room is a safe space, a quiet place to process those emotions.”
Guests wanting to use the Alamodome’s sensory room can sign in at a guest-services kiosk in the facility’s North Plaza and receive an escort to the third-floor room.
The San Antonio Spurs’ Frost Bank Center established its own sensory room in 2019, and other sports facilities including Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium and Houston’s NRG Stadium also have set aside sensory-friendly space.
For its part, San Antonio’s Tobin Center for the Performing Arts offers matinee performances of certain events that have been modified for people with sensory sensitivity. Similarly, the Majestic Theatre offers some programming during which it limits crowds, lights and noise for those with special needs.
Some movie theaters are now offering special screenings for people with sensory sensitivity, and a growing number of large retailers have set aside quiet rooms.
While not every venue is able to offer its own sensory room, and certain touring performances are unlikely to make accommodations for people on the spectrum, experts said the trend is growing.
“It’s definitely becoming more common,” said Adriana Crostley, outreach director at the Autism Society of Texas. “People are becoming more aware of sensory overload, especially in kids with autism, but it even happens for adults.”
MThe Alamodome’s Michelle Brady looks over the stadium’s sensory room, which can offer relief for people on the autism spectrum.
The numbers speak for themselves. Around 800,000 Texans — or about one out of every 36 people in the state — have been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, according to the Autism Society of Texas. That means a lot of families are looking for entertainment options and gathering places willing to accommodate their most sensitive members.
“It makes it so much easier during the experience if there’s some way to take breaks [from the stimulus],” Crostley said. “These kinds of sensory rooms and sensory-friendly performances allow families to enjoy things together and have that option.”
The Alamodome’s Hobbs said she hopes the growing awareness of facilities such as sensory rooms will help those on the spectrum be able to explore some of the same entertainment options enjoyed by others.
“The more people discover these options are out there, the more they’ll be able to get out there and enjoy different events,” she added.
CineFestival, the oldest Latino film festival in the nation, will look a little different this year.
For its 45th edition, the event won’t take place inside the West Side’s historic Guadalupe Theater. That facility is currently undergoing renovations, so film screenings will take place at the Carver Community Cultural Center and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Park North.
Leading CineFestival for the fourth consecutive year is Eugenio del Bosque, who joined the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in 2020 as a grants manager and director of the film festival. Although CineFestival was canceled that year because of the pandemic, del Bosque picked up where his predecessor left off and is continuing to showcase Latino films across the U.S. and Latin America. However, under his watch, it now has a tighter focus on regional and local filmmaking.
The Current recently talked to del Bosque about what to expect at this year’s milestone event.
The 45th Annual CineFestival takes place July 11-14, 2024. A schedule of the films screening this year is available at guadalupeculturalarts.org/cine-festival.
Since the Guadalupe Theater is under renovation, the festival will have to change venues this year. Do you anticipate audiences venturing out of the West Side to attend?
You know, we’ll be outside of the neighborhood … but we trust it’s going to be just fine. We’re going to be promoting accordingly. And we’re looking forward to hopefully using these venues in the future, because we don’t know exactly when we’ll be back in our theater.
When you took over CineFestival four years ago, what did you initially notice that could be improved?
The festival had been through several directors, and I think what happens with festivals is that every now and then they need to be reevaluated. Throughout the years, it kind of morphs into different things. I think by the time [Guadalupe executive director] Christina [Ballí] came in [in 2016], [CineFestival] had grown a bit too much, and it was time to bring it back home. It wasn’t necessarily
about execution, it was about being able to sit back and look at things objectively and say, “Maybe we can do this differently.”
Did you worry that focusing on local films and smaller films might not attract audiences as much as, say, a new film starring Salma Hayek?
When I joined [the Guadalupe], I was very concerned about it. It was like, “If [a film] has to be related to Texas [to screen at CineFestival], where’s the star power and where are the big movies?” But after four years, it’s been surprising to see the response. Having that type of programming is important because Texas is such a big place that has so many young people. There’s a body of work that distinguishes itself from the films being made in Hollywood. There are certain Latino voices that are particular to Texas.
At the same time, you have decided to show some films made outside of Texas, correct?
Yes, because if we only show films from Texas, we’re just going to create an echo chamber. That is not what the audience expects. It also wouldn’t be beneficial to the artists. I think it’s important to see how other filmmakers are seeing their world and connecting their local stories with a larger, more universal audience. So, I’ve included two small sections. One will show films from the entire United States. We’re part of a country. We’re not an island, so we need to keep those connections. There is also a small section showing short films that are international. The priority is to support local and regional films, but I think as a film festival with a legacy, it’s important to … keep that window open to the world.
MHow are you defining the phrase “Latino film?” Is it a film that is thematically Latino or can it be a project of any content directed by a Latino?
I think it’s mostly thematically, but that has a lot of caveats. There are a lot of things that we have to be aware of when we’re reviewing films. But, for the most part, the most important ones are if [the film] has a strong enough number of Latino artists in the production and if it’s thematically relatable to the Latino experience.
What is the opening-night film this year?
We’re having a soft opening this year … so instead of having a big bang with a big opening night, we decided to do a softer opening and are going to start the festival at the Carver with some free screenings. Then, we’re moving to the Alamo Drafthouse that same day to screen Tamale Season, a local film that is 100% San Antonio. We always like to support local work, especially if we can work with the filmmakers to create an audience.
What are you most excited about this year?
From an audience perspective, I’m excited that they’ll be able to watch films that they won’t be able to see anywhere else and hopefully see themselves reflected in these stories. For the artists, I’m excited that they will get the opportunity to network and to see work that relates to their own work. In general, I’m excited to create a movement and make more things happen for filmmaking in San Antonio.
Find more film stories at sacurrent.com
San Antonio Burger Week’s specialty sandos are varied, but peppery heat is a running theme
BY TRAVIS E. POLINGSan Antonio Burger Week is almost upon us, and this year’s theme appears to be bringing the fire.
The 11-day event celebrating grilled love on a bun runs June 14 through June 24 with at least 30 San Antonio-area restaurants offering limited-time specialty burgers or discount pricing on fan favorites. This year, many of those participating eateries are bringing the heat with anything from chile-accented sauces to pepper-laden cheese.
Burger Week benefits the San Antonio Food Bank since a portion of its specialty burger sales, which run $8.99 and up, go toward helping the nonprofit with its mission of feeding local families in need.
Among the participating restaurants bringing a spicy flair to their featured burgers is Cuarto de Kilo Mexican Burgers. The Helotes dining spot turned to its secret menu for the Burger Week special. The Bestia Burger tops nine ounces of beef with three slices of pepper jack cheese, bacon and a blanket of signature Bestia dip.
San Antonians love pairing their burgers with spicy heat, and many Cuarto de Kilo patrons request theirs with chilies such as jalapeno. The Bestia dip that smothers the
restaurant’s Burger Week specialty turns up the spice level with incendiary orange flecks of habanero pepper.
“The Bestia burger is very popular,” Cuarto de Kilo owner Sophia Jimenez said.
Turns out, Burger Week participants are unleashing a whole arsenal of ingredients to make their burgers en fuego.
Pepper jack cheese and chipotle aioli work with the apple-smoked bacon pickles, crispy haystack onions and bacon jam in Boiler House’s Big Texan Patriot Burger, and honey-chipotle aioli mixes with a five-cheese blend and crispy onions on Cover-3’s The Grand Slammy.
The twist on the mushroom Swiss burger at Benjie’s Munch is roasting the Baby Bella mushrooms with adobo spices. Meanwhile, Cool Crest Diner brings the heat with its 19 Hole Burger, which features spicy sauces and pepper jack cheese topping a pair of thirdpound patties.
Dos Sirenos Brewing Co. puts chipotle honey mustard atop a Wagyu beef patty also dressed up with beer cheese, a beer-battered onion ring and beer bacon. And at Southtown 101 Bar & Grill, burger lovers can find a neighborhood namesake King William Burger that
features a slow burn from raspberry-jalapeno jam which accompanies gouda cheese and bacon. A few blocks away, The Friendly Spot has the option of topping its smoked angus patty with house-made pico de gallo.
Not to be outdone, The Dogfather and The Dogfather II signal the heat in the name of their Burger Week specialty, Pop It Like It’s Hot. The hearty sando feature fried jalapenos underneath a smothering of queso.
The Spicy Bill burger at The Lucky Duck throws grilled jalapenos and onion onto its two-patty creation, which also includes a fried egg plus a searing and savory dose of Buffalo sauce.
However, Burger Week also offers plenty of options for the heat-averse. In another trend this year, participating restaurants are shifting away from traditional burger cheeses such as cheddar and American to add extra flavor and an international flair.
Melted Gorgonzola graces Midtown standby SoHill Cafe’s blackened beef patty, which is served on a brioche bun.
Mon Chou Chou, the French brasserie at The Pearl, created a French Burger for the event which makes use of Gruyere cheese. While the cheese is a French favorite, Mon Chou Chou boss Philippe Placé said the burger was inspired by sauce and built from there.
“So we decided to use the classic of the brasserie by using a shallot demi-glace and we added Gruyere cheese over the patty, giving earth tone to the experience with both a touch of sweetness and acidity,” he said.
Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com
A high-end greengrocer looks to find an audience in blue-collar San Antonio
BY NINA RANGELTouted as the largest culinary market in the Southwest, San Antonio’s new 40,000-squarefoot Pullman Market is indeed a beast to behold.
The foodie mecca opened at San Antonio’s Pearl complex in late April, boasting shelves upon shelves of top-quality groceries and colorful displays of locally grown produce. Casual to-go food stands operate inside Pullman, along two full-service restaurants: Fife & Farro and Mezquite. Two more restaurant concepts are also
in the works.
Though visually arresting, the opening left some locals wondering exactly who Pullman is here to serve. San Antonio is one of the nation’s poorest big cities, after all, and the venture opened inside a high-end development many perceive as catering more to tourists than locals.
To be sure, a smattering of comments on Alamo City social media have questioned whether Pullman truly serves the needs of the community. Some of that early animosity may even
be spurred by the fact that the market’s owners hail from further up I-35.
Austin-based Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, which developed Pullman Market, is responsible for other upscale eateries, including Ladino, also at Pearl. Nearly every one of the group’s concepts has gained national accolades thanks to a team helmed by chefs Kevin Fink, Tavel Bristol-Joseph and Berty Richter.
Aesthetically, Emmer & Rye eateries exude elegance, and each offers up its own particular blend of impeccable service and next-level eats. So why the interest in the Alamo City, which is nearly synonymous with Tex-Mex and more casual dining experiences? And why at Pearl, a development with which some San Antonians have grown disenchanted?
MPullman Market’s beer and wine department features selections from Texas and beyond.
Sounds like a solid sentiment, but do the Emmer & Rye team truly know where they are?
After Philadelphia and Houston, San
“We had an open dialogue about that feeling with [capital firm] Silver Ventures and Pearl right from the start, and that really steered so many of our decisions,” Emmer & Rye CEO Fink told the Current. “I would love to tell you that there was a whole focused business meeting about it, but the reality is that we know we’re the new kids. We still need to fight for respect in the community. And we still need to make sure that people understand what we’re doing.”
Antonio is the third-poorest among the nation’s 10 most populous cities, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent American Community Survey. The survey, based on 2022 data, also shows that 18.7% of the Alamo City’s 1.4 million residents lived below the poverty line. Further, the average household income is just $58,829 annually.
Yet Pullman is located steps away from Pearl’s Can Plant apartment building, which offers compact 505-square-foot studios that start at $1,673. Its largest floor plan — a 1,307-square-foot, two bedroom, two bathroom option — begins at $3,308 per month.
Folks who can pony up that kind of dough for living quarters might not feel the quake of sticker shock when perusing the goods at Pullman Market. The prices on its fresh produce, Texas-made pantry goods and chef-prepared grab-and-go foods are on par with other higher-end specialty grocers such as Whole Foods and Central Market.
According to Fink and Pullman’s general manager of retail, Noah Bradley, those prices aren’t meant to make shopping an exclusive experience but to reflect the quality and care that goes into each curated product the market stocks.
Pullman’s developers are wagering that plenty of San Antonians are willing to spend more if it means supporting sustainable agriculture and local businesses.
“One of the most common first reactions is, ‘We think it’s expensive,’” Bradley said. “We’re never going to be able to undercut H-E-B or Central Market, beat those prices, because we’re something different. But we’re not trying to be everything for everyone. We’re not trying to offer 100 different products in one specific category. We’re trying to offer 10 of the best items in that category.”
He added: “And recently, people are making more conscious decisions when they’re selecting what food they’re eating, and we’re able to come in and really push that idea and speak to that on a different level because we have the relationships with the suppliers that we do.”
Those suppliers include the ranchers and fishing boats that provide meat
and seafood to Pullman’s whole-animal butcher. The onsite butcher shop sources each of the market’s eateries with proteins such as beef for burgers and tacos, and whole Gulf Coast fish for ceviche and aguachiles. Texas ranchers truck their wares to the market weekly, and the team breaks down each animal, ensuring every part is used.
The sustainable practice is known as whole-animal utilization, and Pullman prides itself using it daily.
“These ranchers pull up to the back loading dock, and they’re rough, they’re tired, they’ve been working since dawn, but they’re so proud of what they have to offer. And that pride absolutely rubs off on us,” Pullman Market head butcher Matt Levere said. “And everything gets used, there’s zero waste. The meat goes to the restaurants, the beef tallow gets jarred and put in our grab-and-go case. It’s truly an example of sustainable practice on a huge scale.”
Each rancher that supplies Pullman Market is dedicated to conscious and sustainable practices, meaning their animals are raised in accordance with humane animal welfare standards and environmental best practices. The resulting meat is not only sustainable, but nutritional and exponentially more delicious, according to Pullman officials.
Because Pullman is dedicated to showcasing local and regional suppliers, its chips, snacks, coffee, bottled drinks and more tend to made by small companies who can’t operate at the economies of scale of massive food producers.
While that means higher prices, Fink said he hopes shoppers understand the value of spending locally.
“What we’re hoping to highlight is that, for every $1 spent in a community, anywhere from $1.74 to $2.25 goes back into that community. You spend it at a chain restaurant, or a bigger retail grocer, and only around 56 cents goes back,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can to inject the local economy, and we’re doing that by prioritizing quality, freshness and locality in all of the products and at the restaurants. So, guests will generally pay more than they would at a big box retail grocery store, but we feel it’s worth the extra effort for the best quality, Texas-made products.”
It may be surprising to learn, but 99.8% of Texas enterprises are considered small business, according to the Small Business Administration. Pullman Market brought 325 jobs to the historic Pearl complex, and it gives shelf space to more than 200 Texas-based vendors, including area farms including J&D Farms, Green Bexar Farms and Texas Food Ranch.
In the eyes of the team behind Pullman Market, the tangible, direct relationships people can develop with their food is paramount.
“Coming out of COVID, we have all of these new technologies, like Instacart and grocery delivery, that were birthed in that time period where people didn’t have access to farmers’ markets or the grocery store. Checking their fruits and vegetables and really connecting with their foods fell by the wayside,” said Emmer & Rye partner Bristol-Joseph, an award-winning pastry chef.
“Our children could no longer have
MA Pullman Market staffer arranges tomatoes on a display. The store prides itself on stocking locally grown produce.
that relationship that our parents had with food, where they know how to pick a ripe melon, for instance,” Tavel Bristol-Joseph added. “All of the fundamentals of picking the perfect fruit when you go to the store, of touching a mango and feeling how soft it is … our kids are probably never going to experience that if we continue to have this dialogue that food is just transactional.”
Given San Antonio’s deep-seated relationship with food and gathering, maybe the Pullman team knows its audience after all. The question becomes how well it can convey that narrative and convince skeptics that the market isn’t exclusive but accessible.
Name: Noah Bradley
Title: General Manager of Retail, Pullman Market
Hometown: Paso Robles, California
First jobs: Kmart and Sears
Key priority: Helping small businesses break into the grocery space
Coffee Order: Black
Money quote: “I’m a huge foodie, and now I work in the best of both worlds: hospitality and grocery.”
Noah Bradley, general manager of retail at the Pearl’s recently opened Pullman Market, brings more than a decade of experience to the specialty market. Sourcing fresh, local produce and dry goods is just one of his passions. He also wants Pullman to be a platform for SA-area small businesses to break into the grocery world. To that end, he’s made sure to dedicate shelf space to lesser-known brands that boast sustainable and ethical practices while being based in Texas. We sat down with Bradley to discuss the market’s values and processes along with his background in retail.
Are you from San Antonio, or did you get here by way of somewhere else?
I grew up in Paso Robles, which is on the central coast of California. And then I lived in various places, LA, and then most recently lived in San Diego before moving here. I visited my brother who lives in San Antonio for the past couple of years, and I’ve always loved it. So when this arose, it wasn’t a difficult sell.
Have you always worked in the retail space?
I started with Kmart and Sears back when I was 15. I worked with them for about a year and a half, and then I got hired by another small chain with stores in California, Arizona and Nevada. I started pushing carts, bagging groceries, really just at the bottom, and over 10 years, I worked my way up to a store manager where I managed different locations for them. So, I operated all the different departments in the store, overseeing budgets, overseeing procurement, the whole nine yards. I got my bachelor’s degree in business management, and I knew I wanted to take a different approach to retail. I just wasn’t really sure what that would be. What really drew me here was being able to take my 10, 11 years of retail and grocery experience and be able to impart that into what be-
came a specialty market.
What does that term mean to you, “specialty market?”
So, we have, the last time I checked, over 200 different vendors that we supply from. We’re absolutely committed to supporting small business, but we’re also able to be really attentive to what they’re doing. You know, what products are they pushing? What are their sustainability practices? Do they have quality ingredients? And then of course, does it taste good? We all know the Kelloggs and the Campbells of the world, stuff you see in these large grocery chains. But you always have to look very closely for the small brands that don’t get a lot of shelf space in regular grocery stores. Local products, small businesses, they’re using great ingredients and ethical practices when they’re sourcing ingredients for their products. So I think when those products finally hit our shelves,
we feel confident that we went through multiple different processes to really vet that vendor and product, and we’re able to explain to the customer why it’s on our shelf.
What sets Pullman apart from other specialty markets you’ve visited?
I mean, I’m a huge foodie, and now I work in the best of both worlds: hospitality and grocery. One of the questions that we asked when each of our team members came on board is, “Why do you love food?” For a lot of people, the answer is pretty generic, but for us, in our industry, it’s typically about making connections. What do you do when you go out with friends? Go get dinner, maybe throw a barbecue at the house? Food connects people. And the more we’re able to take that concept and help create a story behind food, we’re helping every guest build those connections. It’s incredibly rewarding.
Pullman’s Fife & Farro and Mezquite offer distinct, but equally elevated experiences
BY NINA RANGELWhen the Pearl’s Pullman Market launched, only two of its four restaurant concepts were in operation, but if their quality is any indication, the other pair will be worth the wait.
Pullman’s Fife & Farro offers Italian eats made from scratch, in a cozy, pseudo-rustic atmosphere. Steps away is Mezquite, which offers fare inspired by the cuisine of Sonora, Mexico, and boasts a dedicated mezcal bar named Mezcaleria.
The pair opened before the launch of two other full-service restaurants, Isidore and Nicosi, which will begin serving later this summer. Isidore is billed as an elevated, seasonal experience, while Nicosi will be an intimate dessert bar with 20 seats and a no-phone policy.
We paid a visit to Fife & Farro and Mezquite for first impressions, and to share the skinny on vibes, affordability and — of course — the food.
Wood-fired sourdough pizza and handmade heritage grain pasta are the cornerstones of Fife & Farro, and both have been home runs on every visit so far. When it comes to aesthetics, the Italian-focused eatery is awash is natural wood tones, cheery mustard yellow and fresh green hues. Warm, romantic lighting may take diners’ minds off the din that floats in from the adjacent market. Just the same, you may need to ask your server to speak up when they’re offering a rundown of the menu.
Fife & Farro’s service is casual, yet attentive, but diners be warned: each dish is run to the table as it’s completed, so don’t plan on eating at the same time if each member of your party orders from a different section of the menu.
Pony up for the focaccia bread as a vessel if you choose to sample appetizers such as the house mozzarella, eggplant caponata or snapper crudo. Also expect to spend an average of $17 for pizza and $18 on pasta, but be assured the inventiveness and freshness of each is worth the price tag.
Don’t sleep on the veggie pizza, with shaved summer squash, capers, mozzarella, white sauce and creamy Texas Chevre cheeses. Garlic scapes, or the green shoots that sprout off an onion, add another fresh component, something like a combination of scallions and chives.
On the bar side, each of Fife & Farro’s sparkling spumantes — that’s bubbly wine — by the glass is delightful, as is the Cocconato Spritz house cocktail.
Fife & Farro is open 5-10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday
and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Flavorful grilled meats and vibrant cocktails inspired by the Sonoran region of Mexico pave the way for diners at Mezquite.
Deep green tones, earthy hues and textured, bohemian details transport dinners to the arid zones of the Baja Peninsula, and the food does the same.
Mezquite’s servers bring a certain algo especial to each experience, whether you sit up at Mezcaleria’s bar or in the dining room. Staff doesn’t shy away from gushing about their favorite menu items — the fish tacos, example — so it may be a good idea to ask for recommendations.
First up, those fish tacos we mentioned, while a
bit pricey at $18 for an order of three, were sublime. Tortillas made with Sonoroan wheat cradle perfectly flaky white fish. The grain’s slight sweetness offered a perfect balance to the filling.
We found another winner in the aguachile amarillo, featuring shrimp, fiery habanero pepper, sliced red onion and orange segments. Consider placing an extra order of ultra-crispy tostadas to make sure you’re able to dip up every last morsel.
Entrees at Mezquite are a bit pricier than Pullman’s Italian counterpart, at an average of $25 per dish, but accompanied by tortillas, rice and charro beans, each felt like a full meal. The house cocktails were universally tasty, and the cafe de olla cold brew is a delight for caffeine fiends.
Mezquite is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday and 5-10 p.m. Wednesday.
The pros at Pullman Market suggest the first things shoppers should sample
BY NINA RANGELEntering Pearl’s sprawling new Pullman Market can be overwhelming, what with its soaring ceilings, arrays of colorful produce and seemingly endless shelves of specialty foods.
Given the density of Pullman’s offerings and the crowds drawn by its just-opened novelty, it can be a good idea to approach the space with a game plan. In that spirit, we asked folks involved with the 40,000-square-foot retail space, including with its Austin-based owner, Emmer & Rye, what they considered must-try items, from items on grocery shelves and chef-prepared foods to menu picks from the markets’ restaurant concepts.
Consider this a jumping-off point, curated by people who know the venture inside and out.
Noah Bradley, general manager of retail, Pullman Market
“[Deep River Specialty Foods owner] Sherry, her son and one other person make their products, and when I … tasted her products, I knew we had to get them in there. They have regular mustard, sure, but they also make beer mustards, bacon mustard, and honestly, you’ve got to try them to really believe how good they are. And it really warms my heart that we’re supporting a small family business. You can tell they’re not doing it because this is just what makes ends meet, Sherry’s doing it because she’s passionate about it.
“Good For Nothing Coffee is the brand brewed in our coffee bar by our coffee manager, Kyle Lopez. He and his partner have built [coffee] businesses from the ground up, and when they started Good For Nothing Coffee, they had focused more on wholesale coffee beans. I would put our coffee up against any other shop in the area, so I approached them about selling bags in a retail capacity. It’s just absolutely excellent coffee.”
Tavel Bristol-Joseph, director of hospitality, Emmer & Rye
“I’ll start with the ice cream shop. [W]e are showcasing some incredible Texas dairy, and the must-try is the chicken and waffle ice cream. It’s something incredibly unique, and I don’t think there’s anywhere, certainly not in the state of Texas, that you can go and try something like that — and it will have the same effect. From the dairy, that’s just beautiful, to the flavors that we’re using, I just think that it’s really special.
“Fife & Faro: I love the cocktails there, especially. They really nailed the spritz. I also think they did a really good job on the breads, and the carbonara is
so good. And the veggie pizza? I’ve never had a pizza like that. It’s just very fresh and different.”
Kevin Fink, CEO, Emmer & Rye
“The burger stand is the thing that I’m always so excited for people to try, because it’s incredibly high quality, it’s super fresh and it’s really delicious. It’s a $10 Wagyu burger from prime beef, and we make the buns with local grains, and the fries are all fresh-cut. It’s just hard to beat that value.”
“The carne asada Caramelos [at Mezquite], I would say is one of the best-kept secrets in the space. We start with a mixture of Oaxaca-style cheese from Dallas and Mexico, to get some of that tang from cheese south of the border. And we add that to marinated prime beef grilled over mesquite wood. And then the tortillas [feature] pork lard and beef tallow and are made right there in the tortilla space. The whole bite is just incredibly delicious.”
Jessica Salazar, corporate pastry chef, Emmer & Rye and Pullman Market
“In talking about Mezquite specifically, I would really highlight the tres leches and chocoflan. As a native to San Antonio, these are flavors I grew up with. They were a key part of every birthday, every family celebration. So for me to put something on the menu
that’s familiar to people but also has a slight twist, an extra touch, is something I feel is special.
“As far as the bakery goes, the most unique thing is the blue corn and white chocolate cookie. I wanted to do a take on the classic white chocolate macadamia cookie that had some locality. So I took a look at what [Dripping Springs-based] Barton Springs Mill offered, and they grow blue corn locally and produce it pretty regularly, so that blue corn flour became a really harmonious, local touch to a well-known favorite.”
Matt Levere, head butcher, Pullman Market
“I may be biased, but any of the protein offerings from around the market are special to me, because they illustrate the full utility of each animal that comes through the butcher shop. The carnitas at Mezquite, the jarred beef tallow in the grab-and-go section of the grocery … all of that comes straight from Texas ranches and is processed here onsite. We don’t waste a thing.
“The pepperoni at Fife & Farrow, especially, is a great example of the collaboration between the specific skill sets of the butchering team and the chefs running these restaurants. Before we opened, we worked together to develop a flavorful product that we could make right here, and now it tops one of the best-selling pizzas.”
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is now offering a seasonal Summer Selections menu, featuring Italian sausage and peppers pizza, strawberry spinach salad and basil mojito. The seasonal eats are available now through the summer. Multiple locations, grimaldispizzeria.com.
Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails will celebrate National Rosé Day with free Archer Roose Rose samplings on the River Terrace on Wednesday, June 12. The sampling will feature Archer Roose’s dry rosé wine as well as a bubbly version. The restaurant is also offering a free appetizer with the purchase of dinner. 306 W. Market St., (210) 298-8040, amblersanantonio.com.
Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk’s Q Bar has revamped its menus, debuting new breakfast, lunch and dinner items. Breakfast selections range from eggs Benedict and French toast to regional specialties such as huevos rancheros. 123 Losoya St., (210) 510-4477, hyatt.com.
West Side staple La Amistad Tortilleria, known for its barbacoa and homemade tortillas, will close June 30 after nearly 40 years of serving San Antonio.
Longtime watering hole Wetmore City Limits is expected to reopen in August under the new name Wetmore Beach House. The longtime North Central spot closed in February and is now undergoing renovations.
Krazy Katsu has shut down its Medical Center location. The owners didn’t give a reason for the closure, but the business’ flagship restaurant north of downtown is still in operation. 5257 McCullough Ave., (210) 592-4358, krazykatsu.com.
Iced tea chain HTeaO has opened its latest location, this one in Universal City. The shop began serving Friday, June 7, offering up iced tea in a variety of flavors. 1465 Pat Booker Road, hteao.com.
Korean fried-chicken chain bb.q Chicken is expanding its San Antonio footprint by opening a second location, this one in the nearby suburb of Live Oak. 8000 Pat Booker Road, bbqchicken.com.
The El Paso-based Buen Dia chain has opened its first San Antonio location inside the space that previously housed comfort-food spot Earl Abel’s. The new restaurant will serve up Mexican-style breakfast and brunch eats including chilaquiles, tacos and tortas. 1639 Broadway, instagram.com/ chilaquiles_buendia.
Monte Vista bakery Extra Fine is now slinging coffee and pastries in Southtown. The new shop — the mini-chain’s second — is open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. 812 S. Presa St., (210) 334-0187, extrafinesa. com/southtown.
Over 200,000 food-insecure children in our area lose access to free or reduced-price meals now that school is out for summer.
The good news is that you can help! With your support, the San Antonio Food Bank can provide no-cost nutritious meals, snacks, and groceries through our Summer Meals for Kids campaign.
DONATE TO HELP ENSURE NO CHILD GOES HUNGRY THIS SUMMER
FOOD: START A FOOD DRIVE TIME: VOLUNTEER TO PREPARE MEALS MONEY: EVERY $1 = 7 MEALS
VOICE: ENCOURAGE YOUR NETWORK TO GIVE
Give Help or Get Help at:
safoodbank.org/summermeals
June
ST. PAUL SQUARE DINNER CLUB: CHEF JESSE KUYKENDALL
ROCK-N-ROLL FOR RESCUE: BENEFITTING HILL COUNTRY HORSE RESCUE & CHARMING PET RECUE June 30 • Blayne’s Bar 4:30PM
The Current’s San Antonio Music Showcase is returning this summer after a five-year hiatus — and this year’s roster of more than 100 local acts is the biggest in the festival’s history.
Scheduled for Saturday, June 22, the 2024 San Antonio Music Showcase will present stacked musical bills at 19 venues spread between two of the city’s hottest nightlife destinations, St. Paul Square and the St. Mary’s Strip. Shuttles, party buses and pedicabs — all free to festival attendees — will run between the two areas so fans can easily jump between performances.
As with previous years, San Antonio Music Showcase’s roster will span genres, from hiphop and rock to Latin and Americana, just to name a few. Attendees will be able to take in sets by performers as varied as Piñata Protest, Deer Vibes, The Texases, Chavela and Alyson Alonzo.
The tickets, which start as low as $15, include admission to all participating venues.
“It was never our intention to take a five-year hiatus,” said Michael Wagner, the founder and promoter of San Antonio Music Showcase. “We had the pandemic and the St Mary’s Strip’s seemingly eternal construction debacle, which made the showcase logistically impossible for attendees to bounce around from venue to venue.”
He added: “This year, in addition to activating the Strip, we wanted to expand the footprint to include the developing St. Paul district, including The Espee. All together, with the Strip and St. Paul Square and 100 acts, this will be the largest SA Music Showcase.”
For Noah Slavin, one of two talent bookers for this year’s Music Showcase, the event is a chance to build bridges. The large and varied bill is designed to forge new bonds between fans and musicians, acts of different genres and generations of live music enthusiasts.
Strengthening those bonds helps local acts find wider audiences while cementing San Antonio’s reputation as a city that appreciates and supports live music, said Slavin, who also presented last year’s Winter Vibes music fest at St. Paul Square.
“Events like this are crucial to helping put San Antonio on the map as a music city,” he said.
Rob Mochen, the Music Showcase’s other booker, said the event’s genre-spanning bill is a way to ensure fans step outside their comfort zones. By jumping between venues and
genres, attendees get to sample music they might otherwise have overlooked.
“I’m an advocate for blending genres with shows,” said Mochen, a longtime booking agent who also owns Codafin Touring. “San Antonio is a place of diversity, and I think we’re celebrating that by letting people be exposed to something new.”
General admission tickets for the San Antonio Music Showcase are on sale now. A limited number of VIP tickets will include admission to all participating venues plus access to a VIP Lounge in St. Paul Square, along with dedicated cocktail and beer bars in the lounge and curated food items from nearby restaurants.
In addition to music, food and drink, attendees can expect to experience photo booths, vendors, games, giveaways and more. Those attractions will be sprinkled throughout both the St. Mary’s Strip and St. Paul Square.
Music times will vary by venue with the earliest band going on at 2 p.m. and the latest performing until 2 a.m. Admission ages vary per venue, with some admitting music fans 18 and older and others enforcing 21-and-up policies.
Slavin and Mochen both recommended that music lovers take advantage of the Music Showcase’s transportation between the Strip
and St. Paul Square, which are located less than two miles apart.
Moving between those two entertainment epicenters will give festivalgoers the ultimate experience, they said. The wider the attendees’ sampling of great local music, the more likely they are to find a new favorite band, performer or DJ, according to Slavin.
“I recommend people try to see as many bands as they can — just shotgun venues,” Slavin said. “I guarantee you will find something new and something you’ll love. Something that you’ve never heard before.”
Part of the fun also lies in discovering unfamiliar acts that are already blazing paths to national or international recognition, according to Mochen. To be sure, some of this year’s participating performers are already finding an audience far wider than the Alamo City.
“There are some really great bands that we’re showcasing,” Mochen said. “I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to afford some of them.”
Showcase founder Wagner said he wants the event to offer an experience that captures the dynamism of the city’s music scene.
“We hope we succeed in showcasing the full depth and breadth of the local music talent in San Antonio, representing all flavors.”
$15 (general admission) and $100 (VIP), 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, June 22, Multiple Venues, sanantoniomusicshowcase.com.
Tickets to the 2024 San Antonio Music Showcase includes admission to 19 venues spread between the St. Mary’s Strip and St. Paul Square. Those venues include:
Amp Room
Blayne’s Bar
Boombox Pizza Bar
Cellar Mixology
Cuishe Cocina Mexicana
(Courtyard)
El Buho
Francis Bogside
Gallery Club
Hi-Tones
Jandro’s Patio Garden
Lilly’s Greenville
Lonesome Rose
Paper Tiger
St. Paul Square Courtyard
Stylus Mixology Bar
The Espee
The Mix
The Station
Toro Kitchen & Bar
Find more music coverage every day at sacurrent.com
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Beach Bunny frontwoman Lili Trifilio may not have been cut out for prom queen, as she sings in “Prom Queen,” her biggest hit to date. Just the same, it looks like she’s become one of the popular kids.
Beach Bunny, a one-woman project turned full band, will appear Sunday, June 23, at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center as opener for artsy popster Melanie Martinez.
And as if that wasn’t success enough, singer-guitarist Trifilio and her band — billed first on the tour’s initial leg — recently got bumped up to middle act, meaning they get to play 35 minutes instead of 25. Sofia Isella will open the SA date.
While Trifilio’s songs feature introspective lyrics on topics such as body image and difficult relationships, it’s little surprise she’s finding mainstream pop appeal. The arrangements are simple and the melodies imminently hummable.
“Prom Queen” helped the act make converts on the social media app TikTok. Beyond the song’s accessibility, it’s a solid guess the directness of the lyrics also played a big part in winning over new fans.
Trifilio spent her formative years in Chicago, so no surprise that she has roots in indie rock and that her music has earned comparisons to genre stalwarts including Sebadoh and Velocity Girl. And she’s been listening to a lot of indie legends Redd Kross recently, in case you’re curious where her mind’s at these days.
We talked to the friendly Trifilio on Zoom. She was chilling in Dallas’ Reunion Arena ahead of that night’s show. “Life’s pretty good,” she said. “I just had a sandwich.”
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Melanie Martinez has very devoted fans, and having an opening slot for those kinds of artists can be tricky. How’s it going so far?
Honestly, everyone’s been super sweet and supportive. I think because of her following, a lot of people are like, “Oh well, if Melanie picked out Beach Bunny, then we gotta like her too.” So yeah, it’s been awesome. And all the fans and all the gigs are decked out head to toe with Melanie merch and dressed up like her. I feel honored that some of them know the words, and I’ve gotten some really sweet messages after.
There’s a vulnerability in your music. Is that difficult to project to such a huge room? You’re playing venues nearly as big as they get.
I think right now, because I’m in a good place, some of those songs just aren’t as relatable to me anymore. It’s kind of easy for me to just focus on having fun on stage. And I’m not really thinking about the lyrics. But in the past, when the songs were newer — or even when I was just putting them online — I’ve definitely been vulnerable. And then having to do interviews. Like, “What did I sign up for?”
Speaking of interviews, you have a journalism degree. How did being
trained in “just the facts” writing influence your lyric writing?
Music’s hard, because you have a lot of metaphors, a lot of stretching and exaggerating. There’s definitely some songs that I have that I’m like, “Oh, wow, I’m being really dramatic here about some emotion.” So, I think it’s quite different from journalism. But in the same way that you want to be vulnerable in writing an article and very transparent, I guess I try to do that with my emotions for the most part. The biggest thing is just doing interviews now. I feel a little more prepared than I thought I would.
You kind of have a love-hate relationship with TikTok. On one hand, it’s really helped your career. On the other hand, you’ve said you’re not a big fan of making the brief videos that drive the site. How do you reconcile the two sides of that coin?
I’m still figuring it out. I think right now, it helps that there’s new music on the way. I feel like if I am active on social media, it’s because I’m doing my job. So, that’s kind of a good motivator. I guess I’m just trying to separate it, where if there’s not something to promote or something to talk about, then I truly can log off, and that’s OK. Nothing bad’s gonna happen. I think with the internet now, it has created sort of
an atmosphere where you always need to be on, and you always need to be posting. That’s just not sustainable for me.
What’s the craziest gig you have ever played?
The ones on this tour have been so massive that it’s kind of hard to compare. I would say maybe LA of this tour, just in terms of sheer numbers. But maybe the most impactful for me was Lollapalooza. Growing up, I went pretty much every year from in my teens and early 20s. Getting to play that a couple times was surreal. And people came early, and I was like, “Yes, this is happening.”
Did you go into the backstage area and hobnob with Foo Fighters or Perry Farrell or whoever was there that year? Or were they like, “No, no, you’re too far down the bill.”
I definitely was back there, but I was trying to keep it cool. So doing some side glances.
You gotta wait for them to approach you.
Exactly. Maybe next time.
Variable pricing, 7 p.m. Sunday, June 23, Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, (210) 440-5000, frostbankcenter. com.
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Thursday, June 13
Weapons of Mass Creation
Anaheim-based Weapons of Mass Creation is a hip-hop collective on a mission to recapture the essence of musicality. Socially conscious rhymes flow over a genre-blending mix of soul, funk and cumbias. The group, which has been in action since 2014, released its third EP, Family Business, last year. $18, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — Danny Cervantes
Friday, June 14
Os Mutantes
Legendary Brazilian group Os Mutantes is brining its groovy, psychedelic brilliance to San Antonio for the second time in as many years. Formed in the mid-’60’s, Os Mutantes was a pivotal act in the Tropicalia movement, which fused pop music and playful theatrics to challenge the country’s authoritarian government. Both Beck and David Byrne are professed Os Mutantes superfans, and it’s easy to see why. The band’s sound is a perfect blend of The Beatles, John Cage and smooth bossa nova sounds. The current lineup is stunningly tight, making this show an essential for lovers of adventurous music. $27-$90, 8:30 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., samsburgerjoint.com. — Bill Baird
Saturday, June 15
Jess Williamson, Rattlesnake Milk
Jess Williamson began playing music while a student at the University of Texas at Austin. Now based in LA, the singer-songwriter’s sound straddles the line between her past and current homes, pairing a gauzy Lone Star State twang with the Left Coast’s oceanside influence. In the past two years, Williamson dropped a fifth album, Time Ain’t Accidental, and collaborated with Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield on an album with their side group Plains. $23, 8 p.m., Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, stablehall.com. — DC
Sunday, June 16
Grant Lee Phillips
Grant Lee Phillips has carved out a unique niche in the world of hard-edged Americana over his 20-plus years of performances. After fronting the Grant Lee Buffalo, which broke through with a ragged sound reminiscent of Neil Young, Phillips set off on a solo career. However, he might be best known to some as a recurring troubadour character on the TV show Gilmore Girls. Upping the excitement, his SA performance is taking place at one of the state’s most sonically interesting outdoor venues — and perhaps also one of its best kept secrets. $15, 7:30 p.m., Echo Bridge, 310
Riverside Drive, instagram.com/echobridgeappreciationsociety. — BB
Thursday, June 20
Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki has carved out quite the career as EDM DJ, producer and music industry mogul. His label Dim Mak released a clutch of essential 2000s albums, including releases from Bloc Party and The Kills. As a DJ, Aoki has collaborated with a surprisingly diverse group of music industry stars, from Blink 182 to Iggy Azalea to Fall Out Boy. He even set two Guinness World Records at his shows: Longest Crowd Cheer and Most Amount of Glow Sticks for 30 Seconds. Those records should be a strong indication of what to expect: an infectious dance party. $50, 9 p.m., 1902 Nightclub, 1174 E. Commerce St., 1902satx.com. — BB
Thursday, June 20
DIIV
Frog in Boiling Water, the latest release from indie-rockers DIIV, is a self-described “gorgeous and haunted” record that chronicles society’s collapse with a whimper rather than a bang. In that metaphor, we’re the frogs. The album was four years in the making and came together while the band scattered in the midst of the pandemic. $40.50-$82, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — DC
Friday, June 21
Die Spitz
Die Spitz are Austin’s answer to L7: an all-woman band bashing out kick-ass, punk-informed hard rock. With its members barely out of their teens, the band stunned Austin with its 2023 breakout Teeth, which won the Austin Chronicle’s coveted Best Album award that year. These women seem perfectly suited to get a
warm San Antonio welcome since we know how to rock here. The Blowup Dollz open. $15, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BB
Saturday, June 22
The Music of Led Zeppelin with the San Antonio Philharmonic
The iconic riffs and soaring harmonies of Page, Plant and Jones are the perfect canvas for conductor Brent Havens and the San Antonio Philharmonic to paint a “Tangerine”-colored portrait of Led Zeppelin. Along with lead singer-guitarist Randy Jackson of ’80s prog group Zebra, this event promises to give the audience an appreciation of the musicality of the legendary rockers. Drinks, dinner and time to get the Led out. $39-$184, 7:30 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — DC
“Out for the Count”--a familiar set. by Matt Jones © 2024 Matt Jones
Across
1. Adoption org.
5. Dallas player, for short 8. Because of
13. “Relax!”
14. St. crosser
15. Ambassador’s assistant
16. Religious leader’s maxims (unrelated to late actor Robert)
17. Fight back
19. Night of amateur comedy or music, more formally
21. 100% accurate
22. Like the Woodsman of Oz
23. Hallow ender
24. Licorice-scented herb
28. TV network heardquartered in Ottawa
31. City between Cleveland and Akron which hosts an annual festival for multiple births
36. All-encompassing
38. Tire filler
39. Schedule listing
40. Shel Silverstein children’s book that has drawn controversy
43. Roll of grass
44. More weird
45. “Grease” band ___ Na Na
48. “Superstore” actor Feldman
50. Be less strict
53. Washington, for one
58. Vince Gilligan, for “Better Call Saul”
59. “Circle of Friends” novelist
Binchy
60. Native American emblem
61. Long period of time
62. Complete confusion
63. Like some stares or brooks
64. Miffed
65. ‘Rents, more rudely
Down
1. “Ye Olde” establishment
2. With feet turned in
3. Gorillaz song “___ Eastwood”
4. Texas mission to “remember”
5. “The Life and Slimes of ___ Summers” (solo performance from the host of “Double Dare”)
6. Positively profess
7. Presidential bill blocker
8. “New” capital
9. Worker’s organization
10. Lemonheads lead singer Dando
11. Carryall
12. “___ Como Va” (Santana song)
13. Almost there
18. More appropriate
20. ___ instant
25. Anti-inflammatory drug acronym
26. “___ you, Nancy, from doing harm ...” (line from “The Craft”)
27. ___ pricing
28. Green Bay Packers fan
29. Recycling container
30. Narrow bed
32. Make like a happy tail
33. “The Last King of Scotland” subject Amin
34. Neighbor of Belg.
35. “A Man Called ___” (Fredrik
Backman novel turned into a Tom Hanks movie)
36. “Dynamite” K-pop band
37. 17th letter of the Greek alphabet
41. Singer/songwriter Shepard who recurred on “Ally McBeal”
42. Not kosher, in Jewish dietary law
46. ___ rancheros (Mexican breakfast)
47. ___-ski (lodge lounging)
48. President Martin Van ___
49. Foe
51. Transmission repair franchise with a “beep beep” ad
52. “60 Minutes” reporter Lesley with an appearance in “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”
53. Arch location
54. Eight, for starters?
55. “Big-ticket” thing
56. “You’ve Got Mail” director Ephron
57. June honoree
58. Dollar fractions, briefly
Answers on page 21
Meneses Design, Inc. is seeking an Industrial Design Manager in San Antonio, TX to prepare detailed sketches, drawings, and renderings of custom furniture pieces using Autocad. Modify and refine designs to client design specifications. Communicates with suppliers to obtain materials needed for production. Manages the delivery and installation process. Uses CAD software to create 2D and 3D renderings of furniture designs for the manufacturing. Works with suppliers in Mexico to source materials and determine cost estimates. Develops technical drawings and specifications for manufacturers. 5% international travel to Mexico. Email resume to admin@ menesesdesign.com job code 36647.
Strategy Manager w/ Petco Animal Supplies Stores, Inc. Devel. bus. systems & tech roadmap. Gather & leverage insights into: pricing, promos, assort. changes, prod. recommendations. 100% remote - San Antonio, TX. 30% dom travel req’d. In compliance w/ state-specific laws, pay range: $124,634$163,400/yr & may vary based on location & exp. Email resume w/ Job #YB1203 to valerie.giroux@petco.com
Manager Engineering w/ Petco Animal Supplies Stores, Inc. 100% remote - San Antonio, TX. In compliance w/ state-specific laws, pay range: $132,579$195,500/yr & may vary based on location & exp. Email resume w/ Job #NG0814 to valerie.giroux@petco.com
MA Foods LLC DBA Alfonso’s Mexican Food Products in San Antonio, TX needs an Operations Engineer to be responsible for engineering, planning, designing, and overseeing the operations of our innovative manufacturing methods to produce quality tortillas, chips, and other corn-based products, from the process of cooking corn (Nixtamalization), milling the Nixtamal to produce flour, to the final transformations necessary to produce the final products. To apply send resume to: pkolovsoncpa@gmail.com
Quality Analyst (San Antonio, TX): Collaborate with project managers and development teams to create test plans that outline the scope, objectives, and strategy for testing activities. Email resume referencing job code 524PT to Executive HR, Technocore360 LLC at hr@technocore360.com
BILLY JOEL & STING OCT 25
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