An Average Joe in San Antonio

So you say that you have a car that needs cleaning, and you really need to get some laundry done before work tomorrow, but you would like to go grab a beer and listen to some live music and keep tabs on your child playing outside while you eat an organically acceptable burger?  Wow, I have the place for you then!

Located in Five Points (the place in San Antonio where five streets come together), is the Cove and they fit the bill for everything mentioned above.  Recently hailed by Texas Monthly as having one of the best burgers in the state, I had to go check them out.

I went on a Friday night, and let me just say that the place was absolutely jumpin’!  The restaurant is separated into three unique areas: (1) the place where you order (you can see through to the people at the Laundromat), (2) a bar area where you can eat and listen to live music, and (3) an outside area with a playground that made my inner 7 year old jealous!  The line was pretty long and you have to wait in it a while before getting to order your food; it winds inside this little room where you finally get to order your food.  That and the fact that your soda refills are also in that little room would be my only knock on the place.

After getting finally getting to order, I opted for the SOB Burger which has Grilled Ham, Avacado, Jack Cheese, and Spicy Mustard.  I didn’t know if they replaced the burger with the grilled ham, or if they just added it on top, but in either case, I asked them to hold that off my hamburger.  I got a side of organic sweet potato fries for a buck more.  While waiting in line, I saw this organic soda fountain that made their sodas with real imperial sugar instead of corn syrup.  I knew that I absolutely had to try this out, so I got a cup and filled it up with the Black Cherry soda.  I highly recommend this as it was the perfect drink to quench your thirst after a hot summer day.

We went to find a place to sit, but the bar area was absolutely bumpin’ it (read: it was packed!)!  There was absolutely no place for us to sit, so while some band was covering Bob Dylan’s “Positively 4th Street,” we made our way outside to the picnic tables.  You could still hear the band and it was a nice area to sit and talk.

The burger was pretty good, the avocado and spicy mustard blended together to make a really good sauce.  While it wasn’t all that greasy, it did have a nice taste to it.  But what really stole the show were the sweet potato fries!  I really really really love sweet potato fries and they are always a treat when you can find some good ones!  Normally, I like them with a brown sugar type sauce, but they had a different sauce that complimented them nicely.  I also had to fight my way through the line to get another refill of my Black Cherry soda

Lastly, I would like to talk about the randomness of people who were there: you had young people, old people, middle aged people, and little kids; there were straight laced folks and the new rockabilly crowd that were tatted up; there were healthy eaters and those just looking for a good burger; the one commonality was that people were there for a good time and most were sitting side by side.  The Cove is almost like a little utopia of humanity.

This is a great venue for food and fun; next time your car has “Wash Me” written on it, grab some quarters for the car wash and an appetite for some good food.

Value: 7/10 (the organic stuff gets a little expensive, but $12 (sans beer) for dinner is not outrageous)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (if you go outside and see the playground, you’ll wish you were a kid again (don’t worry there are some ping pong tables for the big kids); if you stay inside your ear will be treated to some good tunes; and how can you knock a place where you see people doing laundry as you order?)
Service: 9/10 (I think that the service was spectacular, however, I think that they need to get their whole ordering process ironed out – expect to wait in line for a while instead of ordering at your table)
Taste: 8.5/10 (burgers were good but not slap your mama, the sweet potato fries and imperial sugar fountain drinks really brought it through)
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Lulu’s has recently been given a lot of pub by making an appearance on the popular show “Man Versus Food” when they visited the restaurant on the 2009 season premiere to see how they make their cinnamon rolls.  Lulu’s was one of those restaurants that are a standing favorite and I was working my way to talk about them, and it was the fact that it was my roommate’s, Serrano Aaron, birthday that we decided to go pay Lulu a visit.

Lulu’s is a diner in the classic sense: it is open 24/7, has a bar that you can order and eat at, and of course has the black and white checkered floor.  They also serve up some of the best home cookin’ that you will find in San Antonio, and a lot of local celebrities frequent the diner for that good food (the waitress informed us that the deputy was dining at the bar just across from us and that we should be on our best behavior; I have also heard that Shaq likes to go to Lulu’s when he is in town playing the Spurs).

If you are on a diet, don’t bother showing up to eat, because the item that you must have is the chicken fried steak.  It comes in two sizes covered in cream gravy, the smaller size is still as big as your head, along with two sides and a roll.  I always opt for the mashed potatoes and fried okra.

As Tom Petty says, “the waiting is the hardest part”; this is not because they are slow, but because you should have been gearing up for the meal by getting really hungry before going to Lulu’s.  By seeing all the delicious plates of food coming out of the kitchen, your stomach will begin to growl in anticipation of the feast that it is about to receive.

Your stomach is growling in anticipation of this!

The reason I love the chicken fried steak is because the batter is light and flakey; that is the key to a good chicken fry in my mind.  As you cut into the main course, you can hear the crunch that is associated with having that flakey type of batter.  The cream gravy equally compliments the chicken fried steak and the mashed potatoes (heck, even the fried okra too!).  The roll is pretty dense (upon picking it up my roommate was shocked at how heavy it is), but it is still soft at the same time.  It is even better dipped in the cream gravy….

So for several bucks, take you and your Texas sized appetite over to Lulu’s.  You will probably not only walk out full, but there is a good chance that you are going to have a box of leftovers for the next day!

Value: 10/10 (one of the best in the city)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (I am a sucker for the old time diner feel and checkered floors)
Service: 8.5/10 (when they get busy, it can be tough to get refills)
Taste: 10/10 (my favorite chicken fried steak in the 2-1-0)
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Since I was already on the Southside, I thought that I would stop at a favorite panaderia of mine, Lupita’s Bakery.  I found this bakery a few years back when I was volunteering to teach math at a school on the Southside and just happened in to get some good pastries.

The thing that amazes me the most about the bakery is the hours they are open – every day they are open from 6:00A–8:00P, except that on Sundays they close at 7:00P!  That work ethic just amazes me, and you can really taste it in their creations.

These guys are open from 6A - 8P every day (except Sundays are just untill 7P)!!

Let me be the first to tell you that I do not know many of the names of the pastries, so you are going to just have to go in there and try them for yourselves.  The empanadas are good and they have a pumpkin one that is probably my favorite.  One of my Mexican friends is a big fan of their pan de huevo and I think it is good too.  This past time I learned of a new name, piedra, which literally means stone or rock in English; this is a pastry that is not soft but kind of “rocky” if you will that had a stripe of chocolate done the middle.

The thing that I enjoy most about the Mexican pastries is that they are sweet but not overbearingly so.  It is almost like an understated sweet that is refreshing to have after being bombarded by the Krispy Kreme donuts of the world.  The other thing that I like about Mexican pastries is that they are cheap!  I think everything in the store is like 40 cents, so whenever I am there, I just start pointing and loading up a bag full of all the goodness.

One of the things that you need to know is that most of the staff (particularly the older people) does not speak much English.  This is ok because one of two things will happen: (1) if school is out, they will ask their grandchildren to help translate (there is a sweet little girl and her younger brother) that will tell you all about the fillings of the different pastries and help translate which ones you want, or (2) you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish by being patient, smiling, and pointing and saying the occasional “Gracias” as you go along.  At any rate, do not let your lack of knowledge in Spanish keep you away from this treasure on the Southside.

Value: 9.5/10 (at 40 cents a pastry, who can deny it!?!)
Atmosphere: 9.5/10 (you feel as though you are transported into a bakery in old Mexico)
Service: 10/10 (the owners are incredibly friendly, just remember you have to be patient if you don’t know any Spanish)
Taste: 9.5/10 (you can taste the difference in these pastries as opposed to those at a big box store)
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In search for some breakfast on the Southside, I happened upon Tellez Tamales y Barbacoa off of General McMullen.  There were swarms of cars going in, so I decided to check it out.

This ordering process satisfied my need for efficiency as an Industrial Engineer.  There was one line and as you walked in, the employees were ready to help you make your breakfast concoction.  The restaurant is as much a market as it is a breakfast joint – you can either order your tacos a la carte, or, you can order barbacoa by the pound along with tortillas in bulk (prices were listed for up to 5 dozen!) along with some bunuelos or avocados to take home!  People just kept coming in and coming in and it was particularly popular with the service men and women.

You could tell that this was a place where a lot of regulars visit, because the staff would engage them as soon as they walked in through the door.  It also seemed like a Saturday/Sunday tradition for many families because a lot of the regulars had their children with them.  Even though I was not a regular, they still made me feel welcome!

I ended up ordering a barbacoa and machacado taco along with a bottle of Big Red (when in Rome…).  I didn’t get too crazy and asked for the “all meat” taco (if you don’t say this, you may get the eyes, brain, etc. which I am told is very tasty, but something that doesn’t appeal to a gringo like me).  The barbacoa was very flavorful and had a nice thickness to it while being incredibly tender.  The chili complimented it nicely, but it was frozen, so I had to let it thaw out.

Startin' off the day right with some barbacoa and Big Red (the machacado is along for the ride)

The machacado taco had an overpowering taste of butter that got in the way of the flavor of the meat and vegetables.  One of my rules is that if the name of a restaurant specifies what they do best (tamales and barbacoa in this case), then you should probably stick to that on your first time there.  I violated that rule, and was disappointed by the machacado taco.  On a return visit, I am either getting another barbacoa taco or a tamale!

If you are on the Southside and looking for some good grub quickly, I would highly recommend Tellez Tamales y Barbacoa.

Value: 9/10 (pretty good value, especially if you buy in bulk)
Atmosphere: 8/10 (simple line with some booths set up)
Service: 9/10 (very quick to get you through the line, the table I sat at hadn’t been bussed though)
Salsa: 8.5/10 (chili was good, however, I had to wait for it to thaw out!)
Taste: 8/10 (be sure to order the barbacoa, it is great; stay away from the machacado it was not very good)
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De Wese’s Tip Top Café is a little family owned restaurant on the Westside of town.  Having been in business for over 70 years, the inside looks more like a hodge podge of a house (complete with a mounted deer head and bass fish) than a restaurant; you definitely expect some home cookin’ going on in this joint.

Love the old neon sign out front!

You need to know that the Tip Top Café does not take credit cards, only checks or cash.  I overheard the cashier say that this is their response to the credit collapse and to “encourage people only spending the money they have.”  Just make sure you have some greenbacks before you go in.

The restaurant has a cool neon sign outside, a little lean in the foundation on the inside, some old booths, old curtains on the windows, and even a bar that you can eat at.  I will warn you, try not to take a seat to the immediate right when you walk in as you get a waft of mouth balls when a door opens and closes.  Just an FYI.

There is an assortment of fried food, Mexican food, and sandwiches.  There was special mention of the onion rings on the menu, but I decided to forgo them as an appetizer and just jumped right in with the chicken fried steak.  After having a few plates of hot onion rings being carried by my table, I can tell you that this was definitely a mistake, and don’t advise you to make the same one that I did!

My chicken fried steak came out and it was pretty dang big!  I ended up cutting it in half and split it with my roommate Serrano Pepper Aaron.  The weird thing about it was that the cream gravy was served underneath the chicken fried steak; I had never seen that before!  It makes sense because it keeps your breading from getting real soggy.  The chicken fried steak was definitely better than average, but I wasn’t blown away.  The side salad was really nice, and you got the feeling that it was actually made fresh instead of being from a bag.  The mashed potatoes were, again, above average but nothing that actually rocked my world.

BIG chicken fried steak with the gravy underneath.

I guess overall, I had a nice time at the Tip Top Café; I enjoy getting to go to throwback diners and this definitely fit that bill.  The food was good, but not mind blowing; it was also fairly reasonable (I think that the chicken fried steak was like $9, but was $7 on a particular night of the week (Tuesday I believe)) considering the portions that you got.  I will return someday just to try those onion rings that I missed out on!

Value: 7/10 (pretty reasonably priced home cookin’)
Atmosphere: 7/10 (you feel like you are in your grandma’s house (if she lived out in the country); avoid the seats to the right of the entrance as you get whiffs of moth balls…)
Service: 7/10 (nothing to write home about; the guy at the register was a little terse)
Taste: 7/10 (above average, but definitely not mind blowing)
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