An Average Joe in San Antonio

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/
View Larger Map

You might wonder why I decided to eat at two restaurants right next to each other for two days in a row.  I actually tried to eat there on Monday but it turns out that the restaurant is closed then.  This was another restaurant that I had a Groupon too and was excited to check it out.

The inside of The Little Aussie Bakery is similar to Sweetie’s Deli where it is an older house with hardwood floors and a warm atmosphere.  While we didn’t talk to anyone with an Australian accent, we were told that the woman who owned it was indeed Australian.  Additionally, this is a gluten free bakery, however, being gluten free doesn’t mean that the desserts look any less decadent!

Strangely enough, even though I was at the bakery, I didn’t really order any baked goods!  I decided to get the same thing as my friend which was a salad with mango chicken curry.  Now, I have never really had any sweet curry, but this worked really well.  The chicken had a little bit of spice and you could really taste the mango in it along with brown sugar.  The salad was HUGE and incredibly fresh with cherub tomatoes, cucumbers, and assorted colors of bell peppers.  It was accompanied with a little bit of fresh baked bread that had this garlic butter that was to die for.

For some funky and fresh food, you can't beat the mango chicken curry.

Our waiter was incredibly cheerful and friendly and talked with us offering suggestions on the menu along with just chit chatting.  The light and pleasant conversation went well with the light meal to just leave you feeling good as you went back to work.

Value: 7.5/10 (A little expensive for lunch at $10/plate, but you pay for freshness)
Atmosphere: 9/10 (Another chill restaurant with a quirky feel to it)
Service: 10/10 (The waiter made you feel good and happy to be there)
Taste: 9.5/10 (Everything was fresh, fresh, fresh)
View Larger Map

One of my coworkers decided to take several of us to one of her favorite restaurants that is a sandwich shop and doubles as a bakery.  Founded by Nicole and David, Nicavid’s creates specialty sandwiches on home baked bread, along with soups and desserts from scratch.

The restaurant is kind of small on the inside and has a good feel.  There is also a nice patio, and seeing that the day was nice, we decided to go outside to take in the beautiful day.  While ordering at the register, you can look at the strategically placed shelf to the left with all the baked goodies.  Let me tell you it is hard to resist; my sweet tooth couldn’t turn down the raspberry cheesecake!

I ordered the ½ Italian Stallion (I think it had prosciutto, salami, and maybe pepperoni) along with a cup of carrot ginger soup.  I had to go with that soup because my coworker had been raving about it for the entire week, so even though I could not imagine how a carrot soup would taste good, I trusted her judgment and ordered it.

The bread was really good on the sandwich, but the amount of meat on the sandwich was a little disappointing.  I guess overall it was a pretty good sandwich, but nothing that really was absolutely amazing.  The soup on the other hand was really really good and warrants a trip to the restaurant!  I don’t even really know how to describe it in a way that could possibly make anyone believe that carrot soup could be awesome, but you just have to trust me.

The ginger carrot soup was soooooo good that I ate it so fast and forgot to get a picture!

While the sandwich was not all that impressive, I do recommend going to this restaurant on a cold day to pick up some soup.  In my next trip to the restaurant, I think I will be getting a full bowl.

Value: 7/10 (a little expensive for a smallish ½ sandwich and soup; I would like to give a shout out to one of my coworkers who bought my lunch!)
Atmosphere: 8.5/10 (enjoyed the bakery/restaurant atmosphere and the patio is good)
Service: 9/10 (really didn’t interact with anyone with the exception of at the register)
Taste: 6.5/10 (I got to go with a 6.5 here because the sandwiches were just all right to me; if I was purely judging on the soup, I would give it like a 8.5 or a 9 because it is really good; like no joke, I plan on going back when it starts getting cold just to get some soup and their bread and you should too.)
View Larger Map

I decided to try a place suggested to me in Southtown for some breakfast today, El Sol Bakery and Bistro.  Tacked on to a traditional Mexican Bakery is a bistro that serves different healthy breakfast options.  I thought that this might be a nice change from biscuits and gravy or chilaquiles that I love so much.

As you arrive into the bistro portion of the building, you are surely to be greeted by a rather tall man who is full of life.  He will welcome you enthusiastically and encourage you to take a seat in the restaurant.  I thought it would be best to sit at the bar as I was just by myself.

I started off with a cappuccino, however, it would have been smarter to have just got a cup of coffee as that comes with the meal.  That’s all right, because the cappuccino was a pleasant surprise, it was made with Segafredo beans on their branded machine; heck, I even got my sugar in the little tube like packet and it was served with their branded cup.  They even gave me a cookie from the bakery to accompany the cappuccino.  All the sudden I felt as if I was transported back to Italy.

As much as I wanted the whole grain waffle, I decided to go with the #7 whole grain mini French loaves that had cheese, tomato, and bacon on them.  I also got yogurt and granola on the side.  How’s that for a light breakfast!

The meal was very tasty with the bread really soft and the saltiness of the bacon paired well with the tomato.  I was actually really impressed with how good it came out.  The yogurt was no slouch either with a lot of real fruit mixed in with it.  Overall a very satisfactory breakfast, and had I got coffee that came with the meal, I would have only been out $6 for breakfast.

European-esque breakfast at El Sol

You do need to note that this is a bistro that is very encouraging of their clients sticking around and talking with each other; in other words, they are not in a hurry at all.  In fact, I got there, took a leisurely breakfast while reading the paper, and when I left no one who was there when I first arrived was gone!  It took me quite a while to get my bill, but I owe that to the fact that (1) this was a pretty relaxed environment and (2) the man behind the counter was also bustling back and forth into the bakery.  If you have a long time to relax and want a healthy breakfast alternative, I would encourage you to give them a shot.

Value: 7 to 9/10 (the specialty coffee drinks are expensive, but if you just stick to the coffee that comes with your meal you can get out for like $6)
Atmosphere: 9/10 (there is a relaxed bistro feel; music is not piped over speakers, but you can hear it on an oldies station coming out of a boom box)
Service: 8.5/10 (the gentleman was very friendly and outgoing; if you are in a rush, don’t even attempt to eat here though as it can be a little slow (owing to the relaxed atmosphere))
Taste: 8.5/10 (overall enjoyed the meal and will be back to try them again)
View Larger Map

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)
View Larger Map