After we got all packed up and ready to leave I asked Chrisie if we were going to dink around in Fredricksburg for a few hours before we had to leave for San Antonio......her response ~ " No, I'm good. We can go to San Antonio, do lunch at Chef David's restaurant if you want."
OMG!!!! (angles singing!!!) "Are you sure?" ~ I asked her. She smiled and responded "Yup." I was SO EXCITED!!!
I tweeted to let Chef David know that we would be there for lunch and we were excited.
It was a nice drive from Fredricksburg to San Antonio. Pretty much a straight shot. As we got closer, Chrisie was reading the directions from the gps on the iPhone.
(I banned my Garmin for crapping out on me to Fredricksburg ~lol)
We didn't realize that we drove past the entrance to the drive that lead to the hotel. ~ lol. We happen to make a stop at Starbucks and I asked if we were in the right area.
Note - people at Starbucks didn't know either. But
then E´ilan Hotel hasn't been open that long either.
The only saving grace was that the girl at Starbucks mentioned that the hotel didn't have an official sign yet, that it was a make shift one.
So when I went back on frontage road and up two exits and turned around ~ we found it! We valeted the car and went to find the restaurant.
Don't think we're in Texas anymore...felt like we were on an estate in Italy. IT was GORGEOUS.
Tumbled stone, marble, chic and very elegant.
The valet told us to go down the stairs and the restaurant will be on the left hand side...can't miss it.
We were in awe of how beautiful the hotel was. We walked around a bit before we headed down the beautiful stairs. There's several nice sitting areas in the lobby and the spa is located across from the front desk.
Talk about dramatic entrance. There's beautiful wrought iron work throughout to compliment the stone and marble.
We made our way down to the restaurant and I let Chef David know we were there but I knew that he had the cooking class going on too, so I didn't expect to see him. We were happy and hungry to have found the hotel. ~ lol
The hostess was very nice and seated us. Right away we fell in love with the decor and ambiance of the restaurant. It was warm and inviting as well as casual and chic. Love the use of colors and contrast for the bar area.
The server brought our menu and some water right away. The menu looked amazing. It had a variety of options for a lunch menu and we were both pretty hungry. :)
Our waiter had come by to see if we had any questions or if we wanted to start with a drink. We stuck with water since we were flying and started with the bluebonnet salad.
When the salad arrived, I was intrigued. He sat the plate in front of us ~ nice greens but then had a shot glass with these tubes in it.
Our waiter, John had squirted these items onto Chrisie's salad so quick I had to guard mine so I could take a picture ~lol. And I asked him what they were ~ I was told extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, 50 year old Jerez sherry (from Jerez region in Andalucia, Spain) and another oil (which I didn't catch :( )
But the salad also came with red clay salt, black lava salt and fleur de sel. Though in my opinion, none of the salt were needed as the oils and vinegars that comes with the salad was truly the rockstars, though you can order your salad with chicken, shrimp or salmon.
We chose to leave ours naked ~ lol.
I excused myself from the table after the salad and I was wandering around when I saw one of the server with something in his hands. When he saw that I was walking away from the table, he went back with whatever he hand in his hand. I walked back to the table to put my camera down to find the restroom (TMI for some- sorry) and I saw the same server with the same whatever he had and turned back again. ~ lol... I asked if he was ok and he told me "these are for you girls from Chef David."
I told him he could take to the table but he opted to wait until I had returned. :) He told us what it was but said it so fast and almost ran off. ~lol But what had us more curious as to what it was, was the bubble inside.....
Now....if you recall Chef David had made a bubble thing at the luncheon at Becker Vineyard, so I knew how to handle that. ;)
Without knowing what it was, Chrisie and I looked at each other smelled it- smelled citrusy, shrugged our shoulders and drank it.
Our server or rather waiters assistant ~ Joseph giggled and said he found out what we had just drank. It was a pickled lemon ginger spirit with a soda bubble.
It was very refreshing and was a great palate cleanser after the salad. We were ready for our lunch. :)
I decided to get tea with my lunch and John came over with a wooden box so I could select my tea.
Now this is tea DONE RIGHT!! John had asked me what my tea preference was. I've never seen tea like this. I mean I've seen loose tea leafs and having lived in Japan I've drank my fair share of Japanese tea and have visited tea plantations but these were different.
John explained each one and allowed me to open and smell each of the teas. It was really cool!
I had decided on the Thousand Days Red Jasmine. It was like watching a well oiled machine...as soon as I chose the tea I wanted, Joseph was waiting with an empty pot to hand to John and went to get hot water for my tea and I knew I had to work quick for my picture cause John is so quick and good at his job. ~ lol
So, this is my Red Jasmine blossom for my tea. It's almost as big as a shooter marble, maybe a slight bigger. As John poured my hot water for my tea ~ I was like a little kid watching magic.
I watched in awe as my blossom bloomed.
It was so fragrant and beautiful to watch the flower unfold in front of my eyes.
John told me that I wouldn't need sugar or sweetener but brought some anyway, but I didn't want or need it as it had a wonderful taste and bouquet that using it would have been a sin. :) If you've never tried it ~you're missing out and need to!
After my fun tea exhibit, John came out with our lunch. YAY!!
I had the Bay of Fundy Salmon Confit with white fabes bean and heirloom veggies. (Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia)
Can I just say YUM!!! The salmon was cooked to perfection, the skin was crispy but not burnt (you know me and burnt food -dislike) and the skin was lightly salted. OMG!! DELICIOUS!
I was a very, very happy girl. The only thing that was left in the plate was the nasturtium leaf and a few beans but the salmon....all gone!
During lunch Chef David made an appearance to say hello. It was great seeing him again. But he had something in his hands.
So....remember the cooking class?
Well....Chef David had two glasses in his hands from the class and sat them in front of us.
We were intrigued, smiled and thanked him and then he told us what it was.
It was sour coconut and galangal soup called thom kha gai in Thailand. (translation - Thai coconut milk chicken soup and galangal is a close relative to the ginger).
He also warned us NOT to eat the chili pepper that was in it. It was for flavor and to make sure we took it out.
( there seemed to be someone in the class that didn't hear the warning- oops!)
The soup smelled wonderful. We both chuckled and said "don't eat the chili pepper!" and removed it from the soup.
WOW....it was AMAZING!!! I've never had a soup like this and couldn't even compare it to another soup as a reference but it was creamy, flavorful, not too rich and the chicken was awesome. I think we both almost licked the cup clean ~if given the chance...yup...it was that GOOD!!
Chrisie had ordered the lamb flat bread.
Funny thing is she thought John had mentioned duck flat bread so she ordered a duck flat bread and our waiter John nodded and walked away with our order. ~ lol He came back a few minutes later and said they had lamb not duck.
I had to giggle cause as soon as John brought the flat bread out I knew that she was done for.
The lamb was sausage like and Chrisie said it was very yummy and loved the fennel flavor.
So while we were eating, I look up to see Chef David coming over to us with two plates. (laughing)
Chef David smiled as he came over to the table to drop of the dish he brought to us.
It was papaya salad called som tum in Thailand.
(green papaya salad and is traditionally made with using a mortar and pestle)
It was like a spicy slaw and it was SOOOO GOOD.
Now don't forget, we are still eating lunch while Chef David was bringing out these wonderful Thai treats to us and AUTHENTIC Thai cuisine to boot!
So my lunch eaten, Chrisie had eaten two slices of
her flat bread and was full...lol. So John and Joseph had cleared the table and I got up to wander again.
The staff is so friendly and very attentive to detail. When I was walking around taking pictures they asked if I had any questions and told me to let them know if I needed anything.
First thing that popped in my head was how do we
get one of these in Arizona!
It would be a perfect place to have an event, birthday party, reunion or tasting party.
I came back over to the table and John started to drop off the check....mistake....lol!!!
Chrisie had said to him "What makes you think we don't want to look at a dessert menu?" He looked shocked and looked at me...lmao!!! I said "You heard her....and laughed and told him ~ "there's always room for dessert." ....words I would later regret.
John brought us the dessert menu ~ we were a bit fruited out and didn't want anything super rich when we saw the dessert called Heaven and Hell. Sounded good. So we ordered it.
Chrisie walked over to the bar area to watch soccer and I went back to taking pictures. I so love the different dining areas in the restaurant. From formal to semi-formal to casual. It's just an amazing space.
We both wandered back to the table around the same time. Our flight wasn't until 6pm so we had plenty of time and it was only around 3p.
Then.....Chef David was walking over to the table with two plates in his hands...,I started to laugh. Chrisie was stuffed, I was getting full but wasn't there yet and Chef David had a smirk on his face.
I was excited to see what he had in store for us next!He had brought us a small plate of pad thai and it smelled SO good!! And the taste...OMG!! Is it wrong to enjoy this much great food? I say NOT!
I've had pad thai once before but NOT LIKE THIS!! The flavors were amazing! There is certainly something to be said about authentic cuisine.
I mean everything that Chef David brought out to us from Chef McDang was just out of this world. I think Chrisie and I were border lining a food coma but in a good way!
Then...we were in trouble. Dessert arrived.
This is the Heaven and Hell cake.
Top layer is chocolate gonache, then angle food cake, next peanut butter mousse, and next devils food cake and repeat!! It came with 3 different kind of raspberry sides. Sorbet, purée and sauce.
Chrisie and I looked at each other in shock... and of course John and Joseph stood there laughing at us...thanks boys! ~ lol
I think we sat there for a least 5 minutes staring at this beautiful monstrous dessert. Really it was almost to pretty to eat. Then Chef Pyles walked by and asked if everything was ok.
We teased and told him no that we wanted to speak to the person responsible for this dessert, so he sat down and said "ok..what's wrong with it?"
I first told him "Heaven and Hell my ass! This should be called the Seven Deadly Sins!" and we laughed. It was fun talking to him asking him about his creation and vision.
Chef Pyles, thank you for taking the time to chat with us and the dessert was WOW!!
The dessert was the perfect combination of ingredients and was SO AMAZING! How one comes up with such an amazing creation is beyond me but I LOVED IT!
<-----Of course John and Joseph laughed cause here came Chef David with another plate. I looked up and started to giggle and Chrisie looked at me and said "Please tell me he's not on his way with another plate." I looked at Chef David and mouthed "Run, run like the wind."
Chef David stopped in his tracks when he saw the dessert...and said "I didn't know you guys ordered dessert."
I laughed and motioned that it was ok to come over.
He had brought over green chicken curry with rice ~ called kang khiao wan kai in Thailand.
I've had Indian and Japanese curry before but Thai curry is a whole other ball game. Spices are certainly different as well as the taste, texture and heat.
Loved the slight hint of coconut, well balanced. Chicken was SO tender and flavorful. I've never experienced curry of this magnitude! AMAZING!
I had gotten up to take a slight food break and noticed the room they were using for the Thai cooking class was open. I saw Chef David and I held up my camera (universal sign asking ok to take pictures) and he nodded and smiled.
The kitchen was awesome. Made me envious.
The room of course still had the wonderful aroma of Thai cuisine.
I was taking pictures when John had grabbed my arm and told me we were going to meet Chef McDang. WAIT!! WHAT??!!!
I didn't want to impose or interrupt and I told John it was ok and Chef David said "Don't be shy, it's ok."
I had the honor and pleasure to talk briefly and get a picture with Chef McDang. It was truly awesome experience to have tasted his food and to meet him.
When I got back to the table everything had been
<----- cleared but this drink that was new to the table.
Chrisie had seen a drink on the menu that sparked her interest. I asked what it was and John was walking over and said it was a strawberry balsamic martini.
No clue what else was is in it but I loved it!
It was the perfect drink to end the feast we just had.
I happened to look to see what time it was as our flight was at 6pm....OMG it's almost 5pm!!
I wasn't able to find Chef David to say goodbye but John and Joseph said they would tell him for me.
Chrisie and I got the car from the hotel valet and off we jetted to the airport. No clue where we were to return the rental car. Turns out, wasn't at the airport! AAAHHHH!!!!!
Ok, read the signs and then Chrisie shouted "Follow that Budget bus!!" We followed the bus as what seems forever (really it wasn't but we were cutting it close!) and then finally got to the rental car return. Hopped on that same bus we followed and got to the airport ~ now to check the bags ~YIKES!!
No line for baggage (whew!) but now on to security :( We were both stressing but got through security just fine. We had 20 minutes before boarding the plane. Never had I cut it that close!
I knew where we were staying had we missed our flight! We both were in such a food coma and I figured I could not eat for at least two days....lol
I was hungry when we landed back in Arizona!
It was such an awesome day to end our trip!
I want to thank Chef David, Chef Pyles, Chef McDang , John and Joseph for such a wonderful experience at Sustenio and for their hospitality. It was truly a wonderful foodie experience.
Chef David, I know you were busy running around with the cooking class but thank you SO much for taking the time to chat, for the wonderful food and great memories. You and your team are amazing! I had such a blast and can't wait to come back for another visit!
I have to tell you, I was SO spoiled!! It was one of my best trips! And the best part as side for the wonderful culinary experience, the great Chefs I got to meet, was getting to experience this with my pea.
I'm sure you may be wondering what the "pea" reference is. She is my best friends and we are literally two peas in a pod. When she and I first met 8 years ago, our boss at the time asked who allowed us to sit together at work and told us we were two peas in a pod. And we SO are.
She is not only my best friend but I consider her my sister, my family, my life and my heart!
Chrisie, thank you so much for a wonderful birthday trip! It was SO amazing and SO much fun! To have been able to experience this all this with you was truly something I will never forget. ILY!
The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had. ~Author Unknown
