Chef John Besh - photo courtesy of Luke

Opening later this month on the San Antonio Riverwalk, is the latest restaurant of acclaimed Chef John Besh: Luke San Antonio. Reflective of what he has done with his sister restaurant Luke of New Orleans, Chef Besh is seeking to take the feel and ambiance of Luke in New Orleans to San Antonio. “It is really exciting for me to be bringing my beloved Lüke to a city with such vibrancy and spirit as San Antonio,” says Chef Besh. “I know an even stronger bond will be built between the two great food cities and hope area residents are awaiting Lüke’s opening with much anticipation.”

The restaurant is to be a combination of a French Brasserie with elements of a gastro-pub with a large craft beer and wine selection. The cuisine is expected to honor both the Old World and local alike. Executive Chef McHugh who has been with the Besh family restaurants for sometime, will be heading up the culinary staff at Luke San Antonio.

“There’s a distinct flavor and palate in San Antonio,” says Chef McHugh, “and we want to make sure that Lüke is a part of that. We’ll have some seafood on the menu, but you’ll see more locally raised beef, some wild boar from a ranch just up the road, and I’m thinking about creating a deep-fried, plump Texas quail dish with local honey. It’s the French version of American comfort food with a San Antonio kick.”

The restaurant will be located at 25 E. Houston Street in San Antonio, right off the famed Riverwalk. It will be a rather large two-story building able to house up to 350 people. A more than one million dollar water feature will grace the Riverwalk entrance, with additional entrances from the new Embassy Suites Hotel and one at street level. Complete with a Raw Bar on the main level that will feature seafood from the Gulf and an upstairs will have a show kitchen encompassed by glass that doubles as an observation deck and looks to be fantastic. Traditional European dark woods and brass light fixtures will adorn the restaurant through out.

I attended a preview last week at the future site of Luke San Antonio that featured a sampling of their cuisine, wine and beer selection. A wonderful selection of various German sausages, local Quail, house made Bread Pudding and pickled Watermelon were featured as part of delectable food offered in addition to the wine and beer.

Photo courtesy of Luke

As I was there primarily to evaluate the beer selection, I sat down with bar manager Stephen Jeffcoat.  Having worked in the beverage industry as a bartender for many years, Jeffcoat explained that his approach is to feature french, German and Belgian beers to compliment the cuisine. Although the beer menu isn’t final yet, it will have an extensive bottle selection and twelve tap handles.

Jeffcoat explained he also plans to feature local Texas craft beers from the likes of Real Ale in Blanco, Texas, and the soon to be open Ranger Creek Brewing and Distillery here in San Antonio. The latter fits in well with his overall plans to feature bourbon and absinthe, as Ranger Creek will be distilling bourbon as well. I truly look forward to seeing the final craft beer menu. San Antonio is slowly moving toward what it should be with regards to craft beer establishments and my hope is Luke San Antonio will help this along.

Luke San Antonio plans to have a Grand Opening soon once finished, and I can not wait to attend. When in San Antonio, be sure to stop by!