Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle

WINTER 2018/2019 DREAMSCAPES 17 TOP LEFT: Mission Concepcíon, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been serving the faithful since 1731. BOTTOM LEFT: The 146-room historical Hotel Emma in San Antonio's Pearl district was once a 19 th -century brewhouse. BOTTOM RIGHT: A bronze sculpture by Blair Buswell at the Briscoe Museum of Western Art. The restaurants at Pearl cut a wide culi- nary swathe: French patisserie and breads at Bakery Lorraine, chef Steve McHugh's charcuterie and pickles at Cured, Peruvian- Asian cuisine at Botika, kosher vegetarian fare at Green, and in the spirit of Pearl's ori- gins, craft brews at The Granary and at Southerleigh. One reason this area has become such a gastronomic hot spot is the presence of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). This is the venerable institution's third North American location and the focus here is Latin American cuisine. San Antonio's culinary scene features several recent graduates now specializing in Latin American cuisine. For example, at Mixtli, Diego Galicia and Rico Torres proudly use indigenous ingredients and pre-Hispanic techniques to create authentic flavours. And at La Gloria, Johnny Hernandez sources the ingredients in Mexico for his signature hot chocolate and talks passionately about the importance of terroir. Could hot chocolate be the next wine or coffee? Indeed, San Antonio, once a bastion of Tex-Mex and hefty steaks, has become a foodie destination. In recognition of this, last year the city was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and its contri- bution to cuisine has been dubbed Tex-Next. HISTORY LIVES ON My lazy trip back toward the city centre gives me a chance to enjoy the River Walk from the vantage of a boat. I sit comfortably in one of GO RIO's tour barges and enjoy the guide's stories of San Antonio.

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