5 THINGS TO EAT AND DRINK
IN SAN ANTONIO RESTAURANTS RIGHT NOW
By Mike Sutter STAFF WRITER
The mole de olla at Cascabel Mexican Patio is classic caldo, only richer, deeper and better.
Chicken 65 at Biryani Pot is a deep-fried and insanely chile-rubbed meat.
Tropical mimosa flight at Alamo Biscuit Co. makes sweet use of mango puree, pineapple juice and pomegranate juice.
The tripleta sandwich at El Pilón Sabor Boricua is proof that three meats are better than one.
Can’t go wrong with this classic — puffy tacos at Ray’s Drive Inn. Mike Sutter / Staff
The Taste Team took a casual route in July to scout for the five best things to eat and drink in San Antonio. Because sometimes you just want to dress down in the summer heat.
A Mexican soup from Cascabel Mexican Patio in Southtown topped the list, joined by a spicy chicken appetizer at Biryani Pot, a tropical mimosa flight at newcomer Alamo Biscuit Co., a triple-threat sandwich from El Pilón Sabor Boricua and puffy tacos from old-school favorite Ray’s Drive Inn.
Mole de olla at Cascabel Mexican Patio
Think of a classic caldo: zucchini, corn on the cob, onions, beef shank. Now imagine a deeper, redder broth with the sharp and floral perfume of the chile cascabel from which the restaurant gets its name. Scoop the marrow out of the shank bone, spread it one of Cascabel’s homemade corn tortillas, and eat like a chef on a blue-collar budget. 1000 S. St. Mary’s St., 210-212-6456, no web presence
Chicken 65 at Biryani Pot
This is a stellar take on the Southern Indian appetizer called Chicken 65 ($9.99). Don’t try to make sense of the name. It’s just a number with several possible backstories and not a reflection of how many spices go into it or anything like that. But each bite of deep-fried and insanely chilerubbed meat is a treat. 9386 Huebner Road, 210-561-8874, biryanipotusa.com Tropical mimosa flight at Alamo Biscuit Co.
The tropical flight fortifies sparkling wine with mango puree, pineapple juice and pomegranate juice, served in a tidy carrier with three glasses for $8, about what you’d pay for a plain old mimosa by itself. Sweet. 9630 Huebner Road, Suite 103, 210-265-5585, alamobiscuitco.com
Tripleta sandwich at El Pilón Sabor Boricua
The tripleta sandwich is a mixture of shaved beef, shredded chicken and pork served with lettuce, onions and a nice beef jus. Served on a soft hoagie roll, it’s a fantastic sandwich that proves that three meats are always better than one. 1127 Harry Wurzbach Road, 210-474-0578, Facebook: @TheBestPolloAsado
Puffy tacos at Ray’s Drive Inn
Ray’s is an old-school drive-up burger shop that happens to make some of the best puffy tacos in the city. Corn tortilla shell fried to order, nice juicy beef picadillo, a full dress of lettuce and tomato at two for only $5, with cheese for a little extra. The key is that shell. Soft and crunchy at the same time, like matter and anti-matter if those quantum ideas were dripping with grease. 822 SW 19th St., 210-432-7171, raysdriveinn.net
Staff writers Chuck Blount and Paul Stephen contributed to this report. msutter@express-news.net | Twitter: @fedmanwalking