• If you are in the downtown area and the weather is nice, you should stop by The Luxury for some beer and sandwiches. Located by the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Luxury is an open air establishment offering unique sandwiches at a reasonable price. Be sure to order the fries with the special sauce – it is a mix of ketchup, garlic, onions and aioli that goes well with the saltiness of the fries.

The Luxury’s Tico sandwich (plantains, black beans, ham, egg, avocado and pico) with fries topped by the special sauce.

• Congrats are in order for the folks at The Rickshaw Stop who were recently named one of the 101 best food trucks in the nation by The Daily Meal. Not only were they in the top ten, they also were the only food truck from San Antonio to make the list!

• We all know that bees make honey, but did you know the degree that they affect other produce items in our grocery stores? A Whole Foods store in Rhode Island wanted to show the impact that these powerful pollinators have on many of the fruits and vegetables we buy every day. Check out this article on Huffington Post where you can interact with a picture to see how bees affect the produce we consume.

• Local blogger Lauren Madrid (ohmypuddin) recently announced that she was going to get more space for her Current column. You better be on your best behavior while dining out because if you are acting up, you just might find yourself in one of her posts!

• The San Antonio River Foundation is hosting Rivertini, their annual fundraiser, this Monday, June 10th at the Embassy Suites Riverwalk. Tickets are $50 and include light appetizers and samples of over 20 martinis from the finest bars and restaurants in town. If you are on the fence, check out the blog post from last year–you aren’t going to want to miss this event!

• Minnie’s Tavern, the newest restaurant from Chef Weissman in the iconic leaning building on Josephine Street has opened. While I wasn’t able to find a local blogger’s perspective, you can hop on Yelp to see what people from around town are saying.

• Once a month, Cadillac is sponsoring a cooking demo at the Pearl Farmer’s Market where you can learn from guest chefs. This Saturday, June 8th, Chef Steven McHugh, the man behind the soon to launch Cured and former chef at Lüke, will demonstrate how to cook sweet and spicy cabrito sliders with pickled cucumber.

Love hearing about the food and flavor of San Antonio? Be sure to Like SA Flavor on Facebook! Have a food find, tip or event for the Quick Bites? Drop a line to info@saflavor.com.

Chris Grange is a native of Wyoming where he completed his Associate of Arts from Western Wyoming Community College. In the Fall of 2002, he transferred to the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he graduated with his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography in the Spring of 2005. Grange has assisted many photographers in San Antonio, and was an apprentice to Jim Landers of Landers Photography. Grange is currently pursuing a second degree in Computer Science at UTSA, and is expected to graduate in the Fall of 2015.

“Cloud 2″ – Photo by Christopher Grange.

After gaining knowledge from his education, training and experiences, Grange started his own business in the Fall of 2006. While it started out as a photography business, he has transitioned it into a graphics based service combined with teaching. Using his knowledge of photography and graphics, as well as his passion for programming, Grange hopes to create tools and services for others to use.

When asked to participate in the Unfiltered project, Grange viewed it as an experiment. Taking this more experimental approach, Grange said that he “tried to find the exact settings of the disposable camera I was given. This is one of the film cameras, and it should follow a guiding principle in photography. Namely the ‘Sunny 16 rule’ for a proper exposure.”

“Years Past or Faded Glory” – Photo by Christopher Grange.

Grange went on to describe his process by saying the he “took recordings of the average ambient lighting conditions. Now having a guideline, I needed more information on how to get a correct exposure. I first looked on the packaging and saw it was a 400 ISO film. Now I just needed to find out two more variables. I would assume the f-stop (or aperture) was a constant f-16 and the shutter speed is probably a 1/125th of a second (or 1/250th of a second). It is reasonable that if these settings are correct than my ambient lighting should expose ‘technically correct’, this is not accounting for a spot metered approach using the ‘Zone System’.”

Grange also used colored filter gels by Rosco and covered the opening where it would expose the film, creating a throwback, analogue version of Instagram. A CTO gel (Color Temperature Orange) and in some cases CTB (Color Temperatere Blue) was used to effect the color of the lighting conditions. “I took some artistic license with not trying to make all of the images technically correct. I also used a couple Neutral Density gels to help reduce the brightness of the scene,” Grange says.

“Beautiful Blue Bonnets 1″ Horizontal close-up. Photo by Christopher Grange.

When he found out that some of the close-ups were a little blurry, Grange said, “Funny enough after I took the blue bonnet photographs, I remembered how the minimum distance of focus affects the image. I laughed how I overlooked one of the basic principles because I was so into the exploration of the idea [of using a disposable camera]. It just goes to show that no matter the experience level, little things remind you to stay on your toes.”

Grange said that he took images of things that happen during my day and some places that he likes to go. “Some are fun and others just in the moment, but I had a very enjoyable time experimenting,” Grange explains. “The gels are wonderful when combined with a flash to add some warmth or add color variations to the image. There are larger gels for studio strobes, as these are used in theatrical lighting also. I will probably experiment with that once I see the baseline results from this test.”

Located on Nacogdoches Road, just a little north of Thousand Oaks, Erick’s Tacos is one of the greatest gifts to the tortilla. Initially begun as a late night taco truck, the empire soon spread to include paletas, raspas and a fruiteria, later adding a full on sit down restaurant. Looking over the restaurant is a shrine to Virgin of Guadalupe, and the whole feel is more reminiscent of being in a border town instead of on the Northside of San Antonio. I learned of Erick’s Tacos when someone posted about it on Reddit several months ago. I bookmarked the page, and since then have seen several fans raving about the tacos, so I was excited about the chance of finally getting out there.

Erick’s Tacos offers it all, until 4AM!

I recently returned from a trip from Peru and had yet to have had a Tex-Mex cheese enchilada. In spite of the fact that Erick’s is known for their street tacos, I was craving that enchilada. Fortunately, I was able to add several items a la carte so I could try a range of things: a cheese enchilada, al carbon street taco and a chicken breast covered in a Poblano sauce plate.

The Taco Truck and paleteria.

But I am getting ahead of myself. If you go into the restaurant you will be served chips and three different kinds of salsa. The hottest red sauce is tasty and is more flavorful that spicy. But oh that green salsa! It is a creamy blend of peppers that is best described as being a kicked up version of HEB’s That Green Sauce. Be sure to have a drink close by – I opted for the homemade Jamaica agua fresca. If you are looking for a more adult beverage, note that Erick’s Tacos is BYOB.

The green salsa is hot and addictive! Have an agua fresca close by.

While the cheese enchilada looked simple, the sauce made it interesting. There are no chunks of meat in the sauce, but it is definitely a step up from your traditional Tex-Mex guisada gravy. The pechuga de pollo a la poblano had a chicken breast that was covered with a creamy green poblano sauce and topped with slices of fresh poblano peppers. The gooey white cheese helped tone down the spice of the pepper, and overall I found the sauce more savory than spicy. At first glance, the refried beans and Mexican rice look rather ordinary, but one again the looks seemed deceiving – they were both delicious.

But the real reason to go to Erick’s Tacos is the street tacos. Quick glances on Yelp, Urban Spoon and Reddit will lead you to believe that the food truck’s tacos are superior to the restaurant. Tony, the owner’s son, told me that this was not the case. He cooks in both the restaurant and truck and says that the exact same meat is cooked in the exact same style. Tony believes that the preference for the truck is all in a person’s mind.

Erick’s Tacos al carbon street taco – heaven in a tortilla.

The al carbon taco came out on two small corn tortillas, had a generous amount of meat, cilantro and white cheese. The meat was spilling off the taco on the plate, and I picked up a piece and was immediately blown away. It was the right amount of crisp, flavor and chewiness. I squeezed some lime juice, topped it with the green salsa and chowed down. Erick’s Tacos al carbon street taco is heaven in a tortilla. At four tacos for five dollars, this is not simply one of the best values in town, but is also one of the tastiest.

Erick’s Tacos, 12715 Nacogdoches Road, San Antonio, TX 78217

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Artist and ART Magazine founder Haydee Munoz de la Rocha.

UTSA graduate Haydee Munoz de la Rocha must feel the same way, leading her to launch the locally produced Art Magazine in January of 2012. “I realized the importance of having a healthy specialized outlet for arts organizations to communicate with art enthusiasts,” Munoz de la Rocha says. “We are lucky to have some outlets that provide coverage of the arts, but we need more. There are a lot of people doing amazing things and we are looking to promote and document them.”

I checked out a recent issue that explored the different events available during Contemporary Art Month and enjoyed reading the many different features and commentary. Being an artist herself, Munoz de la Rocha’s magazine has a gorgeous aesthetic and is one that our city can be proud of having. “I think it has a good balance between emphasizing the design and its content,” Munoz de la Rocha offers. “Art Magazine’s aesthetic is cosmopolitan and elegant, which of course is meant to portray what our publication is about, but most importantly, it serves as an ambassador for the art scene in San Antonio to people who are not familiar with us. We want to show the high standard of our local art scene.”

Going beyond the boundaries of a magazine, Munoz de la Rocha is also launching ArtShop, a marketplace for San Antonio artists to connect with buyers. With the tagline, “Art is for everyone,” she looks to remove some of the barriers for artists to have their work featured in a gallery.

“Artshop is a platform to buy art from emerging and established artists. We all need decoration in our houses and offices and we are hoping that Artshop can provide people real art that serves as an alternative to the mainstream commercial decoration sold at retail corporations,” Munoz de la Rocha says. “We are already working with a group of very talented artists. In the future, we are hoping to add collections curated by local art professionals. The project is still on the works, but we are aiming to have it up and running by November of 2013.”

The magazine is certainly one that any fan of progressive or contemporary should considering adding to their collection. A yearly subscription costs $18, and currently subscribers are able to receive their first issue for free. All of the proceeds go back into growing this publication that serves to promote our local art scene beyond the city limits.

Find our more at www.artmagazinesa.com. Love art? Check out our blog series SA Unfiltered where we give local artists disposable cameras to photograph San Antonio. Be sure to Like SA Flavor on Facebook!

Don’t know what a paleta is? Check out Angela Bartels’s blog for more info!

A portion of the paleta selection at SA Pops.

The paletas are handcrafted by co-owner and Art Institute of San Antonio chef-instructor Andrew Gutierrez. Among the many varieties of flavors you can order strawberry, tamarindo, coconut or Mexican chocolate (though I don’t recall seeing a Lucas flavored paleta). Guiterrez’s father and mother are the folks behind the counter and they told me that the only ingredients are the fruit, organic sugar and water.

Outside is a giant popsicle piñata that invites you into the shop. The inside has a low-key ice cream parlor atmosphere and is filled with Mexican folklorico art and trinkets. There was a table filled with the owner’s friends eating, while another had strangers who joined in the conversation, bonded by the frozen treats.

My bright red strawberry paleta in front of SA Pops.

I opted for the strawberry paleta and was thoroughly impressed. At $2 it is more expensive than the typical El Pariso paleta. However, this Popsicle was bright red, a color not attributed to artificial dyes, but to the fact it was chocked full of strawberry goodness. I enjoyed it so much that it didn’t even get a chance to melt in the San Antonio summer heat before I finished it!

Whether you are taking the kids to the zoo this summer, or you’re just a kid at heart, stop by SA Pops to get a taste of some of the most flavorful paletas in town.

SA Pops, 3420 N. Saint Mary’s St, San Antonio, TX 78212

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Two artists will be profiled in the SA Unfiltered series for the month of May. The first artist is Luis Valderas, co-founder of the 3rd Space Art Gallery and husband to artist Kim Bishop. Luis is an artist who has always pushed to see farther, helping to transform and explore social and cultural ambiguities.

“As a kid, I used to climb the avocado trees and the tin roof in my backyard – I wanted to fly, but mostly just enjoyed the lack of boundary between space and sky – exploring the possibilities of other spaces,” Valderas says.

Mariachis With Light Boxes at Broadway and Jones – Photo by Luis Valderas

His exploration into art started early, his mom had a ceramic and flower shop and the young artist would help by creating wreaths and Dia de los Muertos figurines. Valderas says that, “in so doing, I came to understand that what I was doing held meaning and worth to others as well.”

In particular, Valderas has interests in Mesoamerican mythology and iconography, which has led to his latest series on display at 3rd Space Art Gallery, called El Mariachi Lacho. “I use the image of my father in his 1930s mariachi outfit as an icon and alter ego of the Mexican American hero navigating modern arrays of socio-political structures. I create compositions based on a reinterpretation of ancient myths with contemporary issues.”

Tacomiendo El Mariachi at Artpace – Photo by Luis Valderas

For his disposable camera project, Valderas took cutouts of mariachis around town to different locations. The artist typically choses bright backgrounds to contrast with the black and white image of his father, placing together not only two different cultures but also two different eras. The results are a novel way to explore the city and sights of San Antonio.

As has happened with other artists, some of his pictures didn’t come out right. Valderas accepted this from the start saying that, “We’re spoiled by instant images of the digital kind- we’ve lost a bit of the camera dexterity. I remember when I was a kid we were always doing this.” The images that were captured were quite crisp and make you imagine what else got lost on the roll.

El Mariachi y la Rubia – Photo by Luis Valderas

The exhibit is open every Second Saturday from 7:00 – 10:00PM at night. If you are at another event at the Gallista Complex or at the restaurant on a Saturday morning, swing on by 3rd Space Art Gallery because they are probably open as well. Be sure to check out the gallery’s Facebook page for more information.

Don’t listen to jaded locals, get out and enjoy NIOSA!

Strategy For Tickets

You can stop at HEB or the Fiesta store in advance to pick up your entrance ticket. It will save you from having to wait in line and maybe even a couple of bucks. All the booths take food and drink ticket instead of cash – you have to buy these inside and you might as well start with $20/person. You’ll burn through that faster than you can down one of those little cups of beer!

Protip: As the evening comes to an end and you only have a handful that won’t be enough to get that last funnel cake, barter with the vendors for a cheaper price; works on everyone other than the beer guys.

Looking For A/C? Head To The German Hall The German area is the best place to cool off and one of the few places to grab a seat. There is tons of food stations inside that serve sausage-on-a-stick as well as imported German beer with hardly a wait. You can enjoy the Oom-Pah Band play polkas, and no trip to NIOSA is complete without doing the chicken dance.

Protip: Be sure to catch the cloggers dance to a modern song (I Would Walk 500 Miles is one of my favorites); if they haven’t gone on yet, while you wait stop by one of the few non-porta-potty facilities.

Catch some A/C and grab a seat in the German Hall, but don’t stay seated when they start playing the chicken dance!

Randomly Bust Out A Grito The grito, or the shout, is a celebratory remembrance of Mexican Independence Day. Even though Fiesta is celebrating the independence of Texas from Mexico, it is perfectly acceptable to bust one out during the party.

Protip: The grito is best done later in the evening because people have had more beer and are more likely to join in. Learn from one of the best on how to grito in this video below.

Get To Maria’s Tortillas Early The masa staple of NIOSA handmade with love from some of the sweetest abuelitas out there are good. In fact, Maria’s Tortillas are downright delicious; however, try to get them early on in the evening when there isn’t as long of a line. The line grows longer as people drink more and more. My perspective on Maria’s Tortillas is similar to that of Magnolia Pancake House – it’s some amazing food, but you have to balance that with the amount of time it takes to wait in line (up to 30 minutes!).

Protip: If the line is outrageous but you want a tortilla, be sure to have two beers in your hand as you start your wait.

Request A Song From Lonesome Louie

Somewhere nearby Maria’s Tortillas is an old guy who plays the blues named Lonesome Louie. Go give him a buck or two, request a song and dance. You’ve spent countless dollars on fried food this evening and it is totally worth two dollars to have a song played for you.

Protip: Don’t know what song to suggest? Try Stormy Monday or Mustang Sally (admittedly not blues, but a crowd favorite none-the-less).

If he is at NIOSA again this year, request a tune from Lonesome Louie!

Crack Some Cascarones

Nothing says Fiesta like cracking confetti filled eggs on people’s heads. Regardless if your friends are adverse to confetti in their hari, crack one (or two or three) on them. The element of surprise is key, so be sure to sneak up on them, and then BAM! Cascaroned!

Protip: As you walk by the throngs of people, you’ll notice other folks cracking cascarones on their friends. One of the best things to do is surprise the stranger who just cracked a cascaron by cracking on on his head. This is a classic move.

It’s not Fiesta until there is confetti in your beer!

Wear Some Type Of Hat

NIOSA is that much more fun if you go all in. Women often wear those paper flower coronas and both guys and gals wear sombreros. There is something magical about having an awesome hat at NIOSA – all your pictures suddenly look that much more amazing.

Protip: Coronas can be bought at NIOSA for roughly the same amount of money that you can buy them in the store. Sombreros, however, are pricey and are best acquired in advance. The best sombreros are “enhanced” and takes a bit of dedication and planning. However, if you want to purchase one that doesn’t look touristy, go to the Mariachi Store on West Commerce.

Now THESE are some hats!

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I thought that this might be a late April Fool’s joke, but then I started seeing my Twitter stream and Facebook wall flooded with updates to this momentous occasion. To top it off, it appears that the once “limited batch” spicy ketchup is here to stay! My taste buds are tingling at this thought.

No longer will Texans have to put up with second rate ketchup as they leave the borders of this great state. No longer will a fry have to be consumed with a second rate sauce. No longer will Heinz control the condiment world. Today, Whataburger has given all of Texas and each Texan a great gift.

Shoutout to fellow Whataburger Ketchup lover Troy Swanson who alerted me to this news by tweeting out a link to the SA Business Journal:

The lives of all Texans has changed today. bizjournals.com/sanantonio/new…/cc @pinojo

— Troy Swanson (@gerphimum) April 23, 2013

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Picture by rogerimp via Flickr.

1) Any attendee of a public, outdoor Fiesta event may crack a cascaron on any other attendee at that same event.

2) You will be one of the first to be cascaroned if you say, “No one better crack a cascaron on me!”

3) A minimum of two cascarones shall be cracked on you if you say, “Really. No one better crack a cascaron on me. I’m serious.”

4) You should not crack a cascaron on someone who says, “Really. No one better crack a cascaron on me. I have long frizzy hair and it is impossible to get all the confetti out in time for work tomorrow.”
4b) The long, frizzy haired person is fair game if she cracks a cascaron on anyone else during the course of the evening.

5) Do not slam a cascaron on someone’s head. This hurts. A lot. Instead, crush the eggshell in your hand and smear the confetti in the other person’s hair. Slamming someone on the head, especially a drunk someone, could lead to hard feelings or a fight. Use some tact before you crack.

6) A person who gets a trace amount of confetti in their beer (where a trace amount is defined as a single layer that takes up less than a third of the top surface area of the beer) is in no place to complain. Rather, that person should rejoice that it is Fiesta, chug the beer and immediately crack a cascaron on another person.

This person should be happy that confetti is in their beer! It is Fiesta after all!

7) A person who gets a good amount of confetti in their beer (where a good amount is substantially more than a trace amount) is owed a fresh beer from the person who cracked the cascaron on them.

8) No cascaron should be cracked indoors (with the exception of the German hall at NIOSA) without implicit (ie cascarones are available at the party) or explicit permission of the host.

9) Rule eight applie to private outdoor Fiesta parties as well.

These are the current list of guidelines and etiquette that I have for cracking cascarones during this fiesta season. If, however, you are dying to crack a cascaron on someone’s head but it would violate one of these rules, consider downloading my iPhone app called Cascarone for a virtual, mess free way of cracking cascarones! Did I miss any rules? Let me know. ¡Viva Fiesta!

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