Monday, April 7, 2014

Defining Delicious




Defining Delicious by Stella Haus 

  
Rarely do you get to work with such wonderful people in the real world; but lately, I have 
been blessed to work with the best of the best. Emily Reynolds of the food, drink, and 
hospitality collaborative, DEFINING DELICIOUS, had an idea.  She wanted to create a fun 
artistic video featuring her favorite food and drink venues in San Antonio.  Something ‘super 
artsy’ she said.  I was definitely on board for that, so I visited Tuk Tuk Taproom, Tim The Girl,
Restaurant Gwendolyn, The Brooklynite, the Quarry Farmers and Ranchers Market, and Bakery 
Lorraine.

My first stop was Chef Dave at Tuk Tuk Taproom.  He made an amazing green papaya salad,
and I was surprised to find out they actually have Kombucha on tap. After filming, Chef 
Dave gave me a tour of the awesome backyard patio. I was pleased to find the artwork of my 
friend, Robert Tatum, all over the place.  Everything from the beer cooler to the lights 
imbedded in the walls has Tatum’s designs.  You can tell Chef Dave really has a passion for
authentic Asian flavors as he chopped Kaffir lime leaves and spoke of his recent month in 
Asia collecting more ideas. Tuk Tuk Taproom also has an amazing array of beer on tap, (along 
with the Kombucha) and I can’t wait to visit again and try their fried peanuts.
  
On Sunday, we went to the Quarry Farmers and Ranchers Market to pick up fresh eggs, coffee, 
and some yummy french fries.  Emily, her assistant Veronica, and her adorable kids spent the
chilly morning tasting bread, juices, and french fries. The Quarry Farmers and Ranchers
Market is what the Pearl farmers market use to be a couple of years ago. So if you are 
looking for something smaller than the Pearl, the Quarry farmers market on Sunday is 
right up your alley. Some of the featured vendors include Bakery Lorraine, Olive Frites, 
Engel Farms, Revolucion Coffee and Juice, Koch Ranches, The Lemonade Company, 
Springfield Farm, and La Panaderia, all featured in the film. 
  
The following week, I went to The Brooklynite with Adam Tutor, a local Jazz musician and 
my assistant for the night. (Thank you, Adam.) We went on a Tuesday, and little did we know, 
that Tuesday at The Brooklynite is Tiki Tuesday! They made the Singapore Sling and the 
beautiful sparkling Kamehameha for the film that was later enjoyed by Adam. The 
Brooklynite quickly got crowded and full of life as Tiki Tuesday is pretty popular. They are 
truly mixologists. For expert drink artisans in San Antonio, the Brooklynite is the way to go.
Thank you so much, Jeret Pena, for the hospitality during filming. 

We then went to meet up with Chef Mike at Restaurant Gwendolyn. Now to say that 
Restaurant Gwendolyn is a jewel amongst restaurants in San Antonio is putting it mildly. 
From the ground up, Restaurant Gwendolyn sparkles. Every dish is meticulously hand made 
 using local ingredients sourced within 150 miles, They know from where the food 
comes, and they care about the quality.  They smoke their own bacon and make 
their own marmalades. As I arrived, they were hand grinding peppercorns in a mortar and 
pestle.  That’s some seriously hard work that Chef Michael Sohocki puts into making 
the dishes, and it shows in every dish. I had the opportunity to watch him artfully putting 
together a first course plate. There seems to be no method to the artful arrangement of 
meats and pickled veggies on the plate. It was delicately arranged from the little folds 
in the meat to the spoonful of marmalade placed on top of the pan-fried sausage.  It was 
beautiful.  Each plate is a unique creation.  The coffee was prepared using a German siphon 
coffee maker.  This is the first time I have ever seen this method of coffee preparation.  It’s a  
show in itself.  Lucky me! I got to eat these amazing dishes, and I will definitely be back 
for my birthday dinner.  I can’t wait to see what else Chef Mike does in San Antonio.  When you 
visit, be sure to make reservations.
  
The next day, I went to see a friend, Tim The Girl, at her kitchen as she prepared her 
weekly meal delivery service. She made a butternut pecan soup and an amazing Asian 
rice noodle salad.  It was delicious and amazing. It is the best
home cooking you could possibly buy and pass off as your own. I’m sure some 
people do it. The food is also featured at the local grocery store in Southtown San 
Antonio, Uncommon Fare. Whenever I am down there, I always stop in. They have fresh 
coffee brewing, great snacks and fresh made meals by Tim.  It’s great eating when you are on 
the run.  As a bonus, her staff is so genuine and friendly.  They were a joy to film as they worked 
their magic in the kitchen.  I wish I could eat Tim The Girl’s food every day. 
  
Finally, I went on to Bakery Lorraine, the place with the pastries that never make it home! 
Why? Because the pastries are so good that no matter how much I purchase, they always seem to disappear before I get home. To this day, my husband has never tasted any of their pastries! In my defense, my home is over 60 miles from the bakery, a longer commute home than some may have, with more time for hunger pangs and temptation.
The day I visited was a miraculous one for sure. It was the day I found out the bakery had 
started to make a low-gluten blueberry muffin.  On a scale from 1 to 10 of delicious gluten-free 
pastries (I have only previously eaten a six on the scale) this muffin from Bakery Lorraine is 
a 10!  As I drove home that day, the six “macarons” that were graciously bestowed upon me by 
Chef Jeremy and Chef Anne, disappeared.  I admit it.  I’m addicted to the 
most amazing pastries that are as beautiful as they are delicious. I go there every single time 
I’m in San Antonio. They have great coffee too. 

The music in this short film was commissioned by Emily and created by Edwin J. Stevens.
The talented Adam Tutor added the classy edge with his saxophone to this 
beautiful, well-composed work of art. The Mothmaticians, who consist of Maray Mc 
Chesney and Matt McLaughlin, are old friends, and I use their music at every 
opportunity. Thank you so much, Maray and Matt, for being so generous with your 
talents. 
  
My final thanks go to Emily, the dream client, who let me be as creative as I wanted to be with 
no limits. She gave me her ideas and let run with them. I hope this is the start of many future  
collaborations, dear Emily.
  
Please check out all these amazing places!  They are definitely Defining what Delicious is in San 
Antonio.



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