An Average Joe in San Antonio

On his latest release, Texas based Jonathan Tyler emphatically states, “Maybe it’s been too long/since rock n roll turned you on.”  If this is the case, and you are in the need for some good rock, you must check out Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights.

Their latest CD is entitled Pardon Me, and other than the title of the CD that kindly asks the listener con permiso, the record is full of raucous guitar licks, fast tempo lyrics, foot stomping, hand clapping, harmonizing rock n roll.  If you are tired of being yelled out by hack musicians with no guitar chops that dominate the rock radio stations, you will appreciate a band who believes that a guitar was meant to play more than three power chords or angry arpeggios.

While it may be easy to say that the band has a classic rock sound, their sound is too fresh to be restricted to that era.  They are the perfect embodiment of rock, roll, and soul that is sure to make you have a good time.  I would classify them as roadhouse blues meets rock n roll in the spirit of the Rolling Stones and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

I caught their show at Gruene Hall, Texas oldest dance hall, this past Saturday night and, from start to finish, they put on a show.  It was a hot and humid South Texas night, and being in a hall without air conditioning and people packed liked sardines doesn’t help much.  Despite these conditions couple with hot stage lights zeroed in on them, the band played a solid 2.5 hour show; the only thing that took them off the stage after a three song encore was the fact that the house lights came on and the Gruene staff was ready to go home.

The band opened with a funky version of “Honkey Tonk Women” that immediately grabbed the attention of the audience and went into the upbeat song off their new record “Hot Sake.”  That song has a driving rhythm and a hand clapping pattern that is quite addictive.  Early in the set they played my personal favorite, “Time for Love,” off of their first album “Hot Trottin.’”  The harmonies really came out as Emotion (‘Mo) Brown and Nick Jay provided the backup vocals.  The lyrics of “There’s a time for love/There’s a time for pain/There’s time for letting go/of everything” are reminiscent of the Byrds “Turn Tun Turn.”  I love how the guitar fits in with band (and audience) singing sustained notes much in the same way as the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”

As they night went on, the band got really hot (temperature wise) but would only stop briefly to get a cold towel and a pull from the handle of Jack Daniels.  Tyler remarked, “Do you guys get nervous? I find that when I get nervous, I drink a little of my friend Jack Daniels and I don’t feel the nervousness as much.”

They played a good mix of songs off both of their CDs with a blues standard of “Rock Me Baby” that turned into a full out jam.  You could tell that Jonathan Tyler was having a blast when he went to go get his Flip camera to film the crowd and each of his band members as they soloed.  At one point, he remarked, “How many of y’all are goin’ to church tomorrow?  Well for all you sinners that aren’t going, we’re about to take you to church!”  They ended the improv session with a rollicking gospel beat that got everyone stomping their feet and shaking the Gruene Hall dance floor.

Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights rockin' out at Gruene Hall

As an encore, they started out playing “Something in the Wind” with just Jonathan Tyler on guitar and Nick Jay on the keys.  As the band came in, the song picked up steam.  In the spirit of going to church, Jonathan Tyler had some inspiring words.  He told the audience to “Take each minute and make it worth it; you gotta love one another because this life is short.  Money and fame is gone quickly and what’s important is family and we got that here.”

The band then launched into “Pardon Me” and rocked it fairly unapologetically with Tyler just belting out the lyrics in spite of a bunch of folks leaving before the encore started (NOTE: Never EVER leave a Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights show before the encore).  At this point, the house lights were turned on and they finally ended with a cover of Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” that brought the house down.  I am firmly convinced that they would have continued playing if the lights had stayed turned off; I always love a band who encores because they WANT to encore instead of just walking through the motions.

Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights prove that rock n roll is not only alive but kicking.  I look forward to them getting some radio play because I would rather listen to true rock music instead of being yelled at.  I don’t expect that they will have to ask us to pardon them in the near future, because they are here to stay.

Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights Website
Buy Pardon Me CD from Atlantic Records
Download Pardon Me on iTunes
Follow Jonathan Tyler on Twitter

You only have a few more days to grab some Hatch Green Chiles from your HEB down here in San Antonio.  Once you get them, be sure to reference the first post in this series where I show you how to roast your green chiles.  Hopefully you got to use some of your roasted green chiles and tried my Mom’s Famous Queso.  Today, I thought I would go ahead and give you her recipe for green chile sour cream chicken enchiladas.

Here’s what you are going to need:

*1 Fully Cooked Chicken (I can find these are my grocery store; if not you can cook 3-4 chicken breasts on your own)
*1 lb grated cheese Mexican Blend
*1 medium onion chopped
*30 pack of corn tortillas (you’ll probably only use 20)
*3 Hatch Green Chiles (6 to make it really spicy)
*28 oz of chicken broth (use 2 of the 140z cans)
*1/2 cup butter
*4 TBSP flour
*2 cup sour cream (use the 16oz container)
*gang load of vegetable oil

-Preheat oven to 350F
-Heat vegetable oil in a pan on Medium High and dip each tortilla in the oil for about 2-3 seconds (see more detailed explanation below)
-Chop and saute onion, defrost green chile remove charred skin (feel free to de-seed/de-vein the chile to decrease heat) and chop; mix together with shredded chicken and cheese
-In another pan, combine butter and flour and melt
-Add chicken broth and stir; add sour cream and bring to a rolling boil
-Roll chicken mixture in with the tortillas (should make approximately 20-24 enchiladas) and place in pyrex pan
-Pour sour cream sauce on top of the enchiladas
-Cook in the oven for 20 minutes
For more details, read below.

Here's all the ingredients that you are going to need.

Go ahead and get your oven preheated at 350F so it will be ready when you are done rolling all your enchiladas.

Now the first step can be difficult if you are a gringo like me and don’t really make enchiladas on a regular basis.  You might think that corn tortillas are like flour tortillas and are ready to go out of the package.  Not so.  You actually have to dip them in hot oil so that they don’t break.

Pay careful attention to these directions and you’ll be cool (and have a bag of flour nearby in case you start a grease fire).  Get a skillet and fill it up with oil where it will completely cover a tortilla.  Heat up the oil a little bit more than Medium High; you are going to want it to get hot enough that when you dip the tortilla in with tongs it immediately starts bubbling up.

Two Scoops is showing you how to cook the corn tortillas in the hot oil. Be careful not to burn down your house in this step.

When the oil is nice and hot, have a plate with a paper towel square on it.  Dip the tortilla in the oil for a couple of seconds, flip it to the other side, hold it above the oil and let the excess drip down, and then place it on the paper towel.  Put another paper towel square on top of it and repeat the process.  You are eventually going to have a stack of tortillas alternating with paper towels (kind of how you you get cheese slices separated by paper from the deli).  Do this with the exhaust fan on high (so you don’t trip your fire alarm) and BE CAREFUL.  The oil is VERY HOT!  Remember that if a fire does happen, use flour and NOT water to put it out.

While you are cooking your tortillas, place your chopped onion in a skillet nearby with a little bit of oil and saute them where you get a little bit of brown edges.  This will probably be done around the time you are finished with the tortillas.  Place the onions to the side and go and shred the meat from the chicken.  If you buy a cooked chicken from the grocery store, try to get all the meat you can off of it and shred/dice it up using both the white and dark meat.  Otherwise, cook your chicken breasts through and shred the meat.

Mix the chicken, onions, cheese, and diced green chiles (that you have defrosted and de-skinned) all together in the bowl.  I found that the best way to do this is with you hands so that you can get everything mixed up really good.

The chicken, onion, cheese, and green chile mixture. Your hands are a much better mixing utensil than a spoon (just be sure to wash them).

You are now ready to get your sauce going.  Melt the 1/2 cup of butter (one stick) in a pan and mix in the 4 TBSP of flour on Medium High to get good mixture.  You are then ready to stir in the chicken broth for a little while followed by the sour cream.  You will notice chunks that appear in the sauce, keep stirring until you get a nice thick sauce without any lumps.  This is crucial and will make a good sauce; if you rush it will be kind of runny and the ingredients won’t blend together.

Do you see any lumps in the sauce? Nope. Be sure to take your time and you'll get a good, thick, and consistent sauce.

While your sauce is simmering, start rolling your enchiladas with a handful of chicken mixture in each.  Line them up in the pan, and once you are through you should have a 9×13 pan and a 8×8 pan filled with them.  Pour the sauce over both the pans and place them in the preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes. Once the time is up, get ready to eat some of the best enchiladas in the world!

The finished product. Enjoy!

Situated next to Stonewerks in the Quarry Shopping Center of Alamo Heights is the Quarry Hofbrau and Beer Garden.  If you have lived in San Antonio any small amount of time, you probably know this as the “cursed location” because it seems impossible for any restaurant or business to last any substantial time.  I decided to drop by and check it out with a friend after work one day.

Anyone expecting something similar to Munich’s Hofbrauhaus would be remiss, the inside is more like a hunting lodge on a Texas Ranch.  I have to admit, given the name I was expecting something more German (there is not really any German food on the menu), but the owners really went all out with the atmosphere and put a lot of work into it.  There are a lot of bucks and other wildlife mounted on the walls and a huge stone fireplace that ties the restaurant together and gives it a nice feel.

The server started out by placing a basket of bread with butter that had fruit and nuts in it.  I have to admit, the taste was a little foreign at first, but it really grew on me.  However, if you don’t like it, just be sure to ask your waiter for a side of plain butter.

I was in the mood for a hamburger and ordered the Pepper Jack Bacon Melt.  The burger comes with pepper jack cheese, honey chipotle bacon, jalapeños, and a jalapeño cheddar bun.  When I got the burger, I was immediately impressed, and one bite sold me on the fact that this is one of the best burgers in San Antonio.  The bun was sweet and had a nice soft texture and those fried jalapeños provided a good kick while providing a crunchiness that I really liked.  This all mixed well with the thick slabs of bacon that were cooked perfectly for a burger, not too crispy and not too soggy.

Sorry the picture is a little dark, but don't worry, the burger was really tasty.

Equally good was the fries; they were thick cut and you could tell they were fresh.  Yes, $10 might be a little much for a burger, but I tell you what, this burger is worth it!

Finally, while I didn’t get to try one (I had ordered a Shiner), I want to mention something that looked interesting.  They serve these huge schooners of margaritas with an upside down beer in them.  I saw this as I was finishing up my meal and had to ask my waiter about it.  I forgot the name (just ask your server), but he assured me that they were awesome and the best kind are made with Dos Equis Amber.  He said they are quite potent, something like being equivalent to 3-4 drinks, so if you get one make sure your group has a Designated Driver!  Needless to say, I am DEFINITELY getting one the next time out there.

Hopefully the Quarry Hofbrau and Beer Garden will overturn the curse of that building, but be sure to do your part and get out there and snag one of the best burgers in town!

Value: 8.5/10 (a little on the expensive side, but worth the price)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (awesome Texas Ranch lodge kind of feel)
Service: 9/10 (extremely friendly, helpful at explaining the menu, and quick)
Taste: 9.5/10 ( they try to do something different with the bread and butter before the meal that is a little funky and initially it was strange but grew on me; if you don’t like the butter with fruit and nuts ask for a plain version of it to make sure you get off on the right step; the hamburger just busted out with flavor, from the meat, bacon, and jalapeños on it; really solid!)
Website: http://quarryhofbrau.com/
Facebook: Quarry Hofbrau and Beer Garden on Facebook
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As much as I like getting a big bacon and eggs breakfast or a couple of breakfast tacos, some mornings I am happy with a pastry and some coffee.  It’s no secret that I have a sweet tooth.  In fact a former roommate bought a tub of cookie dough that they sell for school fundraisers, and after seeing me eyeing it in the fridge for a while she mentioned I could have some of it (we had a strict policy of not eating each other’s food).  After asking a couple of times if she was sure, in the next couple of weeks I proceeded to knock out most of the tub with the exception of a half moon wedge at the bottom about an inch high, because after all, we know that in guy logic the tub was practically full and she would never notice.  At any rate, Broadway Daily Bread is the perfect place to satiate that sweet tooth first thing in the morning.

While the namesake is located on Broadway in Alamo Heights, I often go to the one off of DeZavala and I-10.  I like this location because it is kind of tucked into a neighborhood right around Clarke High School, and it really has a strong neighborhood feel with a lot of regulars stopping by.  The owner of this location, Bryant, is incredibly friendly and will visit with you whether your are a newbie or a regular if he is not busy at work kneading dough.

One of the reasons that I like Broadway Daily Bread so much is that it is one of the few “Tech” businesses in town; both of the owners daughters attended Texas Tech and there is a lot of Tech paraphernalia on the walls.  Being in the land of Longhorns and Aggies, this is always a nice surprise.  Additionally, they source their coffee from Daybreak Coffee Roasters, a Lubbock company and coffeehouse that I frequented when I was growing up.

When you walk in, you will notice the bakers rack full of baked goods.  They have all types of bread (their Birdman is the most popular) alongside tons of different sweets: cinnamon rolls, muffins, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, etc.  You can even order a cake for that special occasion.  When I was working for a company, I would try to bring some muffins in for breakfast to my coworkers; this is always a good idea if you are running just a little bit late.

The bakers rack filled with all sorts of goodness.

I have three favorite breakfast items that are my standards.  If I am going to get a muffin, I am going either for their sour cream pecan or the cranberry.  The sour cream pecan muffin has more of a spongy type texture and the top is dusted with cinnamon and sugar.  In a way, it is like a cinnamon role without being too over powering and without the icing; it is the best item to pair up with their coffee.

The cranberry muffin is equally good in a different way; the best part is the muffin top which has a nice crispy taste to it and is really sweet.  The cranberries are plentiful and are warm/gooey (if you get it fresh out of the oven) and have a nice tart taste.  I decided to get the cranberry muffin this past visit.

The cranberries are plentiful in the muffins and give them a great tart taste.

Finally, if you are REALLY in the mood for something sweet, get the brownie cupcake with peanut butter topping.  While they don’t always have this, it is every sweet tooth’s dream.  Smaller than a normal cupcake, when you pick it up you will be surprised how dense it is; it is like they are packing as much sugar and goodness into as little of a space as possible.  To top it off, there is this peanut butter icing that they are quite generous with.  This concoction is best with an ice cold glass of milk.

Whether in North San Antonio or Alamo Heights, Broadway Daily Bread delivers the goods if you are looking for something sweet for breakfast.

Value: 9/10 (You are probably going to spend between $3 and $4 for a muffin and a cup of coffee which seems standard; the muffins are pretty big)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (Pertaining to the DeZavala Location: Really clean feel, the inside is painted with bright colors and the entire storefront is windows which lets in the natural light; you can watch the folks make the dough, pastries, and sandwiches; people always seem happy here)
Service: 10/10 (Very friendly people always greeting you with a smile)
Taste: 9.5/10 (Everything tastes really good and I like pretty much everything here – the bread, cake, cupcakes, muffins, sandwiches; only thing that I think falls short is the kolaches but, then again, what do I know as they are sold out pretty much every day before 8:30-9:00 in the morning!)
Website: http://www.broadwaydailybread.net/
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If you read the previous post, you might now be wondering, “So what in the heck do I use green chiles for anyway?”  Any New Mexican would tell you, “Put ‘em on anything!” This could be eggs, stew, burritos, hamburgers, pizza, Subway sandwiches, etc., etc., etc.

While this is all very true (especially the eggs part), you might be looking for something more concrete so I have decided to give you my Mom’s Queso recipe.  Nothing reminds me more of my childhood than this appetizer.  We had it for the big games (both tailgating at Texas Tech football games and for the Superbowl parties), celebrations (graduation, end of school, and birthdays), and family get togethers.  The smell of green chilis always makes me think of my Mom’s Queso and all the happy memories associated with it.

NOTE: This was an honorable mention recipe at the 2010 Central Market Hatch Green Chile Cookoff and is a featured recipe on Tanji Patton’s website!

To get started, you will need the following ingredients:

• 3 roasted hot Hatch green chiles (5-6 if you wanna spice it up) NOTE: Do not attempt this recipe without roasted Hatch green chiles – it just won’t taste right
• Box of Velveeta (32 oz)
• 28oz can of Hunt’s diced tomatoes (the big can)
• 14.5oz can of Hunt’s stewed tomatoes (the little can)

The ingredients - don't make this without the real deal Hatch green chiles!

First, defrost your Hatch green chiles.  I will put them in the microwave on the defrost setting of 0.5 pound of meat and check them periodically.  You definitely don’t want to heat them up so much that you fry them and don’t have any of the meat on the chile left.

While this is happening, you can begin cubing the Velveeta cheese.  Chop them in cubes that are the same size that you see cheddar cheese served parties on toothpicks.  (A side note, this revelation was recently made by one of my mom’s friends from her Clinical Lab Sciences class; we always cubed the cheese in large chunks and it took forever to heat up.  The smaller the cube, the easier to melt!)  Don’t neglect your chiles.

Take the green chiles out of the microwave and remove the black/charred skins from the chiles and throw into the trash (don’t flush down the sink as they might clog it up).  Now you have a choice to make.  From what I am told the hottest part of the chile is the vein and not the seeds (though they are admittedly hot as well).  If you are afraid of how hot the concoction will be, go ahead and “de-vein” and “de-seed” your chiles before you dice them up and throw them in with the cheese.

See the stringy looking thing that goes from the top to the bottom of the green chile? That is the vein; cut it out if you want to tone the queso down.

Next up is to open the large can of diced tomatoes and put them in a colander and strain some of the juice out.  My mom uses the whole can, but I always throw away a handful because I don’t want to risk my queso being soupy.

After that, put the stewed tomatoes in the colander and drain.  Take out all the tomatoes and other vegetables, dice them up (I use all of these tomatoes) and throw them into the queso pot.

At this time, make sure your hands are washed and just give all the ingredients a good mixing.  A note on the queso pot, I use a piece of pottery that was actually made in New Mexico.  My mom had one, so I asked my grandparents for one for a present one Christmas because making my Mom’s Queso in anything else seemed strange.

Heat in the microwave for increments of three minutes and stir after the time is up; repeat this until the queso is smooth and all the cheese is melted.  Trust me, don’t heat longer than three minutes at a time as you might scorch the queso!  I know, I know, I am impatient as well, but queso 10 minutes later is better than getting scorched queso 10 minutes sooner.

If you leave the queso over night or refrigerate the leftovers, the heat from the chiles will increase; I really like it on the second day.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my paternal grandfather.  He always tells my mom, “Thank goodness you married into this family otherwise I would have never had this queso!”

The finished product! Enjoy with some tortilla chips!