Insider's Guide: What to Do in San Antonio

By Gary Tufel -- Tradeshow Week, 10/25/2004

Been there (Alamo), done that (Riverwalk) in San Antonio? Want some alternatives for your free time during the Intl. Assn. for Exhibition Management's Dec. 1–3 Annual Meeting? Here are suggestions from those who know best: locals in the exhibition industry.

First, the food. Michael Sawaya, San Antonio's convention facilities director and former manager of the Omni Hotel, pointed out that San Antonio has many highly rated restaurants serving a variety of cuisines.

For great Italian, he recommended Giovanni's Pizzeria, located in a teal building at Brazos and Guadalupe streets. Offering the best cannoli in the South, shipped in from New Jersey, the restaurant has understandably attracted a strong following among that state's Italian transplants.

Near the convention center but off the beaten path is Zinc Champagne and Wine Bar, with a by-the-glass menu and a lamb sandwich that regulars say is to die for. For a nontraditional lunch, locals recommend the Whole Foods Market in the Quarry Shopping Center, which attracts lots of health-conscious shoppers and diners and serves the best catfish in town.

One of Sawaya's favorite eateries is located on the top floor of the Watermark Hotel and Spa. The Rooftop Cafe's known to serve a delicious panini with veggie chips and offers a quiet and serene patio overlooking downtown. "It's become my hideaway," he said, "but I guess you can tell a few folks from out of town."

Just outside downtown on St. Mary's Street is Joseph's Storehouse Baking Co., for custom sandwiches on freshly baked bread. And for the best salsa in town, Sawaya pointed visitors to El Mirasol on Blanco Road, a neighborhood hangout run by the original owners of the world-famous La Fogata on Vance Jackson Street. "It's always packed, and understandably so," he said.

A short cab ride from the convention center, there's Bolo's Rotisserie Grille at the Omni Hotel for a crab cake sandwich that's better than you'll find in Maryland — or so say San Antonians.

Sawaya also likes two restaurants run by former Omni chefs: Hoover's Cooking on San Pedro Avenue, for home-style fare; and Sushi Zushi.

Willa Sheppard, vice president of Convention Decorating Service, had some pointers on nightlife. The San Antonio scene includes an array of excellent choices, she said, such as Luna on San Pedro, a nonsmoking jazz and blues club with great bands on the weekends. She also recommended Casbeers, a great little dive that is nonsmoking because it serves food — including "really great enchiladas" — and presents live music Tuesdays through Thursdays.

As for daytime activities, everyone knows the Alamo, site of the famous 1836 battle between Texas and Mexico. But the city also has four other missions within eight miles of each other. These four Spanish Colonial missions are all at San Antonio Missions Natl. Historical Park, a short drive from downtown. At Mission San Jose, there is a 25-minute video showing every half-hour that gives background on the melding of the European and Native American cultures that produced the South Texas Latino, Sheppard said.

For those who like to take a stroll and take in a little local culture at the same time, Kari Eustace, director of services and acting sales director for the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, recommended First Friday in Southtown, just south of the convention center. "It's where the shops and restaurants open up and people walk around and look at all the cool stuff," she said. For art, she directed visitors to Blue Star, located on the river in the King William district, once a cold storage warehouse that has since been renovated as loft space.

And, because San Antonio boasts about 300 days of sunshine and reaches below-freezing temperatures only an average three days each year, December still offers the chance to get in some golf at one of the city's many public and private courses. Avid golfer Jeff Ducate, IAEM vice president of strategic alliances, offered his picks: the airport-adjacent Quarry Golf Club, 10 minutes from downtown and site of IAEM's golf tournament; the Arthur Hills-designed Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort; Westin Resort's La Cantera Golf Club, with two great courses; the recently renovated Pecan Valley Golf Club; and the SilverHorn Golf Club of Texas.

San Antonio will also feature a broad array of holiday-related activities during and after the IAEM meeting. On Riverwalk, in Alamo Plaza, at Market Square and elsewhere, look for colored lights, caroling and other holiday activities.