I've got a business conference in San Antonio in mid-August and need some good restaurant recommendations. Looking for both nice expensive ones and really authentic San Antonio treasures (great food, atmosphere, experience).

Thanks!

Ann-
These recommendations may be a little dated...I lived in SA from '93 to '97 but here are my picks:
**Biga's- I believe they have moved to the Riverwalk and it falls under the "nice/expensive" category. I think this is one of the best in SA...great wine selection and a wonderful beef tenderloin. Menus change seasonally and it would be considered "New American" cusine.
**Kangaroo Court- Also on the Riverwalk. I've never had a meal there but the cheesecake is wonderful!!!
**Paesano's- Also on the Riverwalk but they also have a location in Lincoln Heights. Italian, also nice and somewhat on pricey side
**Mi Tierras- Great margaritas and Mexican!

Have a great time!

Paesano's is good Italian, Mi Tierra is a local & tourist institution in the Mercado (Market) area as the prior poster mentioned. The Landing on the Riverwalk has great jazz, good drinks and good food. Margarita's in the Mercado is good and Pico De Gallo just across and under the Interstate from the Mercado is as well. If you can find it, I like Karam's on Zarzamora (but it is about a 5-minute drive from downtown). Check mysanantonio.com and savisit.com for good information. Earl Abel's on Broadway, about 5 minutes north of downtown, is also a local institution with regular American food.

If you'd like a bit of flavor of the Hill Country, drive north on Hwy 16 to Helotes and take a right on the scenic loop (and it IS very scenic, but be sure and mind the speed limit postings). Keep going until you get to the Grey Moss Inn which is in a very old, typical rock house of its era in the Hill Country. Beautiful patio area as well as atmospheric inner rooms, one being the former patio which has now been enclosed. Go early or late in August as it will be hot if you want to sit outside. Good food, Wine Spectator-rated wine list and VERY atmospheric.

I adore Tomatillo's on Broadway, just out of downtown. Their drinks are very good, and so is the food.

Grey Moss Inn is one of the best restaurants I've ever enjoyed - do it if you can at all work it into your schedule. Biga on the Banks is the new incarnation of Biga, one of the better (and pricier) places in town. Also very good, especially for the "foodie" crowd, is Silo on Austin Highway (the neighborhood looks lke early trailer park, but the place is terrific).
For Mexican, Mi Tierra is a tourist trap (locals rarely go there). Karam's is a local tradition, food is OK but it is in an iffy neighborhood. For good Mexican food in nice environment, try Paloma Blanca on Broadway. La Fogata on Vance Jackson is another local favorite with great Tex Mex (they are famous for their salsa), lots of indoor and outdoor patio seating.
Paesano's is a local institution for trendy Italian - hard to go wrong. They have locations on the Riverwalk and near the Quarry Market (yuppie shopping area just north of downtown)
There's also the usual cast of characters in terms of cookie-cutter but dependable food - Ruth's Chris, Palm.

There's a good restaurant on the Riverwalk called Boudreau's.

Canyon Cafe, just south of town, is great!

The website http://www.sallys-place.com/food/din...an_antonio.htm provides good reviews of restaurants in the area. You can also go to http://www.sa360.com/restaurants/ for an online guide as well. Last year (I think), Texas Monthly had an article claiming that San Antonio had the best restaurants in the state. You might check their reviews to see what they think is outstanding. I have heard wonderful things about L'Etoile and a Little Rhein Steakhouse on the Riverwalk. My personal experience includes:

Grey Moss Inn. Outstanding food, outstanding atmosphere. You have to like meat. My wife still raves about it, and that was twelve years ago when we had just started dating.

Biga's on the Banks. Ate there last year for our anniversary. Food was wonderful. Service couldn't be better. A definite.

La Fogata. I like it better than Mi Tierra's.

Mi Tierra's. Yes, it is a tourist trap, but it is fun and the food is very good.

Little Hipps. Cheesy atmosphere. Good burgers and ice cold beer.

Enjoy your visit.

Although the request was for "August 2001," new readers can digest my comments.

Paesano's is overpriced and horrible. Food is fair at BEST! Las Canarias is outstanding...pricy, but upscale and worth every penny. Boudros is just fine...on the riverwalk, guacamole is great, and other dishes are as well. Outstanding wine list...best in the city, in fact.
By the way...if you have a car...about an hour north, near Austin, is the great BBQ pit called the SaltLick...in the boonies. Amazing.

Ate at Biga's two weeks ago. Alot of "attitude" and a very disappointing and expensive evening. Boudro's is great.

Just goes to show, everyone likes something different! We were there a few weeks ago and were very disappointed in Boudros but loved Biga! The staff was very pleasant, didn't pick up on any "attitude", just great service and wonderful food, but it definitely was expensive.

Biga on the Banks, Silo, and Grey Moss Inn all excellent recommendation. Also try La Reve (may be Le Reve) downtown -- intimate French restaurant. Gourmet Magazine named it the best French restaurant in Texas last year! For an excellent, authentic Mexican lunch, try El Mirado (great soups) on the south edge of downtown. I personally like Rio Rio for Mexican right on the Riverwalk -- huge, tasty portions. When you get to town, purchase a copy of Texas Monthly magazine and look at their restaurant recommendations in back for San Antonio -- very reliable.