The campus itself is worth going to see as it is an oasis in the middle of downtown.  When you go into the restaurant, if feels like you are in a time warp with beautiful wood floors and stone walls.  Being a restaurant on the campus of an art school, there are awesome paintings that flank the walls of the dining room.

I went on a Friday and got the lunch special of a grilled poblano and turkey sandwich served with almond squash soup.  The sandwich was very tasty, and I am going to have to start putting poblano peppers on my sandwiches at home.  However, what really stole the show was the almond and squash soup.  While I marginally like both almonds and squash, combined together they form a really tasty soup.  It was nice and thick with a hint of sweetness, and I can see just ordering a big bowl of it on a cold day.

The almond squash soup is worth the price of admission; I do wish they gave me one more side, like a little salad or something.

Even more fun was the atmosphere.  The restaurant is very conducive to sitting down, relaxing, and visiting with a friend.  There are no TVs blaring, or even piped in music, which is a nice reprieve from our world in which we are constantly being bombarded by media.  While it would be a great spot to bring a book and relax, I think having someone there to have a good conversation was even better.

One of the best atmospheres in town to eat; take a good friend or a good book and enjoy it.

Value: 8/10 (Wish they would have thrown on another side with my meal, but my friend got the Friday fish special and had a ton of food on her plate)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (My favorite part of the meal; you are on a beautiful building on a beautiful campus and feel quite removed from the hustle and bustle of the world)
Service: 7/10 (It is cafeteria style service so nothing amazing; one of the younger servers was giving an older server a little lip that put me off a little bit (even if it was in jest))
Taste: 8.5/10 ( Pretty tasty food; the sandwich was solid but not out of this world, however, the almond squash soup was really good)
Website: http://www.swschool.org/?option=com_content&view=article&id=68

When you walk into the restaurant, be sure to pay attention to the black chalk board that tells you what the daily lunch specials are.  A word to the wise: be sure to order off the lunch special menu as it is significantly cheaper than ordering off the main menu.

I decided to go with the Mama’s Delight off the lunch special menu.  For $7 I got three half sandwiches (chicken salad, turkey, and ham) along with a side of pasta salad.  As I mentioned from a previous post, I am trying to save some money, so this was a great option as I got to eat the half chicken salad sandwich and the pasta salad and take the turkey and ham halves home!

Mama's Delite is a lot of food; look for it as a lunch special when you stop by!

I really liked the pasta salad; it had a rich taste to it along with a little bit of spice from red pepper flakes.  I had never had spicy pasta salad and it was really a treat.  I really liked the chicken salad sandwich which is strange because I hate chicken salad sandwiches (that tells you how good it is).  I just decided to try it out since I could order three, and was pleasantly surprised.

For dessert, I decided to get the cheesecake brownie because they just looked so good.  The waitress decided to heat it up and drizzle chocolate syrup over it.  At a $1.50, you would be remiss to not finish your meal with this dessert!

I enjoyed the chill atmospher and chill music.

I will say that the best part of the whole experience was just being in a chill environment that was not rushed at all.  It was nice just getting to sit back, relax, hear some tunes and eat good food.

Value: 8/10 (Can be pricy if you don’t order off of the lunch special menu; if you order off the lunch special you are looking at $7/plate)
Atmosphere: 9.5/10 (Pretty chill atmosphere where you can just go in and relax; loved the jazz music; this is not a “blackberry” restaurant)
Service: 9.5/10 (Exceptional service; heated up my brownie which was awesome.)
Taste: 9/10 (very tasty, especially the dessert)

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The inside of the restaurant harkens back to the good ole days.  There are plenty of seats in old wooden booths and the open floor plan has high ceilings.  As you enter, you will notice the display cases with all the deli meats and cheeses and old pictures from San Antonio’s past on the wall.

Our server was incredibly friendly and offered some great suggestions.  She told us that we absolutely had to try the lentil soup, so I found a plate that had a sandwich on rye, cup of soup, and warm German potato salad for like $7; I think it was called Fritz’s plate or something along those lines.  To wash it down, I ordered a Spaten Oktoberfest beer which was on tap.

The soup came out first and it was really amazing!  It was really thick and a dark brown color with lentils and sausage and was accompanied by a slice of rye bread that really went well with it.  Trust the waitress on the fact that you will absolutely want to get a cup of that lentil soup, especially on a cool fall/winter day.

Not soon after, the meal came out.  The German potato salad was really good, but the sandwich was unbelievable!  It was stacked high with turkey, ham, two types of cheese, and fresh vegetables all on the fresh rye bread.  After the soup and potato salad, I was only able to take down half of the sandwich and I was going on a ghost tour later that night so I couldn’t take the other half home.  I know when I go in the future, I am going to be able to take a doggie bag because it was so much food and the other half of the sandwich could serve as another meal all by itself!  The fresh vegetables were really good, but the mayo was what made the sandwich.

Look at how thick this sandwich is!

I love sandwiches and have been to many different places around town, but I have to say that not only was this a terrific value, it was also the best sandwich that I have had in San Antonio.  Be sure to treat yourself to this San Antonio institution on your next sojourn to the river!

Value: 10/10 ($7 for dinner… that will fill you up… that includes a soup… that is down near the Riverwalk!  What a deal!)
Atmosphere: 9.5/10 (cool old school atmosphere from a place that has been in San Antonio for many, many years; our waitress even told us that on some night they have an “Um-pah” German band come in and play)
Service: 9.5/10 (friendly waitress who made knowledgeable suggestions)
Taste: 10/10 (the best sandwich I have found to date in San Antonio!)
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As I was standing in line, I noticed how many people were dropping in and picking up to-go orders that were already wrapped up.  I liked how the owner knew most of them by name; I enjoy going to eat at places where the staff and owners really know their customer base.

I ended up ordering the pulled pork sandwich, and reflecting back, this was not something that I should have done.  You see, I had lived in Memphis for a summer and was spoiled by the pork BBQ, in particular ribs and pulled pork.  I haven’t really had a pulled pork sandwich (other than Willie’s Ice House) since leaving Memphis in 2004, and after seeing it on the menu I just had to have it.

The sandwich was good, but it definitely wasn’t as good as I was expecting.  Then again, nothing outside of Shelby county in Tennessee could live up to what I was looking for (a large reason was the fact that they didn’t put coleslaw on top of the pulled pork)!

This pulled pork sandwich was aight, but nothing like what you can get in Memphis...

So you can see that I set this restaurant up to fail; it would be on par of going to a random restaurant in Memphis and ordering fajitas at some place where Mexican food was not the primary focus.  For this reason, I am not going to provide a rating, but will say that if you are strolling along King William, you should give them a chance.

Value: 7.5/10 (about $5 for a sandwich)
Atmosphere: 8/10 (the inside is really small, but if it is a nice day you can sit outside)
Service: 9/10 (the folks are pretty friendly and know a lot of the customers that stop by)
Taste: ?/10 (will have to go back and try something else)

Thanks to @writeontime for suggesting that I try out this restaurant; you can read her blog by clicking here!
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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.)
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The look and feel of the restaurant seems to exude this cool as a cucumber vibe.  I am always amazed at how developers can take something that was run down less than 2 years ago and transform it into be something chic and desirable; they hit on it perfectly in the Pearl redevelopment.

One thing that I noticed as my friend and I walked into the restaurant was how smart all the people dressed, in particular the women.  I almost got a little of the Alamo Heights vibe at this restaurant, and don’t imagine that it will be long before that part of town gets gentrified completely and has a new identity.  My buddy I was eating with made a terrific insight: “This restaurant has that funky feel that if it were located in Austin you would really get a lot of the indie/hipster crowd; however, it is located in San Antonio and you get the more pretentious feel.”  Once you are there you will know what he is talking about.

The place is pretty expensive (I think that a signature sandwich can run you upwards of $11), and I imagine that it is that way to afford the rent that a newly developed hot spot demands.  It has the look, feel, location, and taste (more on this later) to warrant that price, but there is one thing that they lack and had better fix soon if they want to stay in business – service.

The service is TERRIBLE, and by terrible, I don’t mean the least bit good.  Funny how the only people not dressed and lacking zero personality are the ones behind the counter and delivering the food.  After waiting in a long line I had the enjoyment of being greeted by a kid with a fedora who obviously didn’t want to be there.  He mumbled some sort of greeting, and my friend couldn’t understand a word he said and asked him to repeat everything.  This guy looked as though I was bothering him with my presence.

I ordered a half of New Braunfels Smoked Ham sandwich with a cup of chicken curry soup; my friend had another half sandwich/soup combo.  It rang up at $8.60 with a drink, and I will give them props for having the Imperial Sugar Dublin Dr. Pepper.  It took 31 minutes (no joke, I looked at the time on my receipt versus the time that we got the food) to get our food; I mean, for crying out loud, it was a sandwich with a cup of soup.  I didn’t know they had to actually grow the food on the farm from the moment we ordered it…

It took 31 minutes to make this. Really. Yes. Seriously.

Not only that, but they brought my friend out the Chicken Curry soup instead of the Tomato Basil.  When informing the person bringing out the food, he first didn’t believe that a mistake was made and after examining the receipt, mumbled something that he couldn’t change it out and we would have to go back inside to get it corrected.  They also screwed up on giving my friend cheddar cheese instead of Swiss; I mean, it is not like they didn’t have 30 plus minutes to get it right…

I will say this: the food is excellent.  The sandwich had a great flavor, though was pretty pitiful on the amount of meat; all the vegetables had an abundance of flavor, in particular the tomato.  The soup also was exceptional.  I wish I had more to say, but the service just really soured my taste buds, plus I don’t think I had the time to really enjoy it as I had to scarf it down in less than 5 minutes to get to the next place I had to go.

Value: 6/10 ($11 for a “signature sandwich” is a lot; the half soup/half sandwich combo at $5.80 is decent, but you will wait so long for it you will wish you had ordered a full portion of each!)
Atmosphere: 9/10 (very cool and trendy; a lot of put together people dine here)
Service: 1.5/10 (abysmal; they will go under if they don’t fix this)
Taste: 8/10 (good tasting food; just wish I had more time to enjoy it…)
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I looked at the menu and one of their hot sandwiches caught my eye, but when I tried to order it on the cup of soup/half sandwich combo the lady told me I couldn’t do that.  No big deal as I opted for the Texas BLT along with tomato bisque soup (cost of the special was $6.99).

The restaurant has a nice feel to it, but guys beware, there is like this cheap jewelry store that is set up alongside one of the walls; think along the lines of what you see being sold at the Wash Tub.  I am always amazed how women not only look at this junk, but also opt to actually purchase it!  This prompted a conversation as to what would be the “guy equivalent” amongst the group.  We couldn’t come up with anything; thoughts?

The sandwich was very good with nice bread and crispy bacon.  What made it a Texas BLT was the fact that there was also a layer of crushed avocado; this is a nice additional and something I am going to repeat when making my sandwiches at home.  I have to hand it to them on the tomato bisque soup – while it was a little too sweet for me, they definitely were pushing the boundaries of the soup and trying something new.  I can respect it, even if it isn’t something along my taste buds.  To top it off, they give each person a little home baked cookie with the meal.

I was thinking that this was a pretty good sandwich, and noticed that another coworker got a full sandwich and soup.  I was interested in how much more it cost for the full sandwich so I would know for next time.  When I asked him, he told me the SAME amount that I paid!  Turns out the cup of soup/half sandwich combo is not all that great of a deal!  After examining the menu closer, it turns out that there are only a few items where you only save a buck; on the rest it is exactly the same!  To add insult to injury, another coworker showed up late, and after relaying the story to him, he got the same tomato bisque soup and Texas BLT sandwich that I did at the same cost, with the exception that he got both halves!  This is something that you definitely need to go, and something that I feel the cashier should have alerted me about.

This is the half Texas BLT sandwhich/soup combo; be sure to add the other half at no extra charge!

At any rate, it is a good place; I am just going to make sure I order better next time…

Value: 5/10 (if you order the soup/half sandwich combo)
8/10 (if you order the soup/full sandwich for the same cost as the soup/half sandwich)
Atmosphere: 8/10 (they have outdoor seating which would be nice in cooler weather; dinging them on the tacky jewelry they are selling)
Service: 8/10 (very friendly, but should have let me know that I wasn’t getting a good deal)
Taste: 9/10 (tasty sandwich and respect what they were trying with the soup)
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Even though they are from Dallas, Which Wich? has embraced being in San Antonio with some cool black on yellow screen prints of city landmarks and the Spurs logo.  To compliment the atmosphere is the ordering process that I think is absolute genius.  At the very beginning, customers select a bag for the type of sandwich they want to order (the bags are segregated on the type of meat — e.g. turkey, beef, seafood, vegetarian, etc.).   You then get a red marker and check off every vegetable, sauce, and seasoning that your little heart desires.  I enjoy making epic sandwiches/burgers and truly admire the breadth and quality of ingredient that Which Wich? presents to me.

A tip for all you newbies: be sure to draw a fun picture (such as a funny face, geometric design, or college logo) on the back of your bag so that you can track the progress of your sandwich through the line.

The reason I love this setup so much is because it allows you to bypass the slow/indecisive people.  By making them select everything on their sandwich at the onset, you don’t have to wait forever on that person who can’t decide if they want tomatoes or not, or if ranch or Italian is their dressing of choice.  As an Industrial Engineer, I approve of this process.

The way to build an epic sandwich -- check as many boxes as possible!

Again, I like to throw everything and the bathroom sink onto my sandwiches, and I can do just that at Which Wich? without any problems.  Not only that, but they include generous helpings of each ingredient.  When I got my sandwich it had ripped open the bag at the bottom — no joke.  I chose the buffalo shrimp and loaded it up with hot peppers and extra buffalo sauce.  The sandwich was very spicy and the bread was particularly good.  It came in at $5.00 and, yeah, while you can gt a foot long at Subway for that price, I truly enjoy the different types of ingredients that are offered here (e.g. there are like three types of onions alone — caramelized, red, and crispy strings).

So go to Which Wich?, draw funny pictures, cut in front of the slow people, and build a sandwich that is truly a work of art!

Value: 7/10 (a single sandwich costs just at $5; this can be a little expensive for some, but skip out on the chips and drink and be healthy, drink a water!)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (I love the fun, bright atmosphere that is easy to order)
Service: 9/10 (very nice people that are pretty eclectic themselves)
Taste: 9/10 (Pretty much the sandwich is going to taste as you design it, but the ingredients are so good how can you go wrong?)

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I have to start out by saying that the most striking feature about Pam’s Patio is the fact that the staff is so friendly given the fact that their restaurant is so packed that they must have to negotiate around the maze of people to deliver food and pick up the plates. Amazingly they all have smiles on their faces.

One of the big minuses to Pam’s, although something that would not typically bother a consumer at any other restaurant, is the whole ordering process. You wait in a line that snakes around tables and then order your food, but instead of paying, you are told to walk down the line to the register. The line is quite congested because there are multiple servers to the queue that takes the orders; top that off with the fact that some people are being served their salad instantaneously along with the fact that the soda refills are in the same line, and you get a cluster pretty quick.  This cause you to be in a line for a while in order to finally pay. I think the biggest minus to this is that you don’t get to talk to your friends because it is pretty much a single file line and you have to be on point to figure out where to go and incoming people to dodge.

Ok, enough about the ordering process (I know that is not why you are here).

I ordered the strawberry lemonade and the chipotle chicken sandwich which came with a piece of watermelon, homemade chips, and mango avocado salsa. The total of my meal was $11.35 (it would have been $9.25 if I just got the sandwich).

The strawberry lemonade was fresh, and the added bonus was having real strawberries (not some syrup) floating at the top of my glass. I definitely recommend this choice and bypassing the soda.

The chips were all right, but what really made them was the mango-avocado salsa that has some red onion and maybe cilantro in it. I know that it may sound a little gross, but I wish I could have had more! It really tastes like summer and that with the lemonade made me feel like I was free.

They were out of focaccia bread, so I got it on their sub bread, which I think turned out for the better. I have to say that the sandwich was pretty dang amazing. The chicken was hot, the bread was soft, and the homemade chipotle mayo was muy delicioso.  The sandwhich really brought it.

My friend got a chicken salad sandwich and said that it was equally as impressive.  He did make a lot of sense when he said that, “The reason that I got a chicken salad sandwich is because if I am going to spend $9 on a sandwich, there better be more work involved than just slicing meat and putting it on bread.”  In spite of Expensive Sandwiches being Number 63 on the popular list www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com, I think it is a little absurd to charge that much for a sandwich.  This is callous, but it is true.

Then again, it was an amazing sandwich and I might be tempted to set aside some money from the next 3 paychecks and go back…

Value: 6.5/10 (lunch is steep, but (1) it is a restaurant that prides itself on “fresh ingredients” and (2) it truly does taste good; I just want you to know your dollar won’t go far)
Atmosphere: 7/10 (I like the inside atmosphere, the paintings, and the patio, however, as a person with a background in Industrial Engineering their ordering process is nothing but frustrating that robs you a quarter to a third of your lunchtime from talking with your friends)
Service: 9/10 (Incredibly friendly folks that somehow can wind around the crowds to make every table clean; the service is quite good in spite of what they have to work with–imagine what it would be like if they got the ordering process straightened out)
Salsa: 9/10 (yes, this is San Antonio so we do have chips and salsa at our sandwich shops; it is a funky take on salsa that really delivers)
Taste: 10/10 (as much as I want to complain on the price, it is a dang good sandwich)

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