An Average Joe in San Antonio

Who doesn’t love restaurants in old/historic parts of the city?  Who also doesn’t love a place that buys directly from local growers and uses those ingredients in the meals that they prepare?  This is why I had to try Texas Farm to Table located in the redeveloped Pearl Brewery site.

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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Recently I had a coworker move on to bigger and better things; she had left several weeks ago, but was in town to finalize some of the moving items.  A group of us decided to go to one of her favorite restaurants, Druthers, to say farewell.  Would it be a good stop, or would it be more like “Druther go somewhere else?”

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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It seems as though sandwiches are the new fast food craze –> think five dollar jingles and mmm mmm mmm toasty.  Joining in the fray is Dallas based Which Wich? Superior Sandwiches who provides a plethora of sandwiches that can be customized by users in a unique way.

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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If you are going to Pam’s Patio for lunch, be sure to get there a shade on the early side. Pam’s cookin’ has been known to pack the locals in the smallish dining area right when traditional lunch time starts; however, true to the name, there is abundant seating in the outside patio. You just have to be able to brave the Texas heat to snag a spot!

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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