Paul Stephen

San Antonio

Reporter at MYSA

Food and Beverage Reporter at The San Antonio Express-News

Covering all the news that's fit to chew for the San Antonio @expressnews and @mySA

Articles

Battle of the Japanese fruit sandos from H-E-B, Ming's Cafe

6 days ago | expressnews.com | Paul Stephen

The next time you're banging out the week's grocery list at H-E-B and a craving for the San Antonio rolls from its in-house sushi outfit Sushiya kicks in, you may notice something shiny and new in the case: Japanese fruit sandos (more on the name later). They're hard to miss, beckoning with a rosy cross-section cut of strawberries floating in a cloud of whipped cream between two slices of bread.
Best restaurants near Alamodome for NCAA Final Four fans

4 weeks ago | expressnews.com | Paul Stephen

The madness of March has just about given way to the main event. If you've taken a stroll around Hemisfair or the Alamodome in the past few days, you've probably seen a torrent of activity as the NCAA Men's Final Four tournament approaches. The Alamodome has been wrapped in banners and window treatments. The neighboring Henry B. González Convention Center has been similarly decked out. A bridge connecting the two has been lined with crowd-control fencing.
For a Unique Night Out, Think Pink

1 month ago | sanantoniomag.com | Paul Stephen

Pink Shark doesn’t give you any choice but to surrender to the rose-colored glasses. This downtown bar is awash in its namesake color. A bright accent wall, every page of the menu. Everything everything, for that matter. The light fixtures are fitted with pink-blasting bulbs that wash the entire room in a blushy hue. The playfulness at Pink Shark doesn’t end in pastels.
Iconic San Antonio food brand to appear on History Channel

2 months ago | expressnews.com | Paul Stephen

In many ways, modern San Antonio is a city built on salsa. Specifically, Pace Picante Sauce. The story of the iconic Pace Foods and its spicy signature product will be on full display this weekend in an upcoming episode of "The Food That Built America" on The History Channel. The episode, "Tortilla Takeover," marks the season 6 debut of the show and will air at 8 p.m. Sunday, with streaming available the following day on Hulu.
Literary Libations Await at The Study

2 months ago | sanantoniomag.com | Paul Stephen

Daisy Fay Buchanan is never far from a string of pearls in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby.” And you’ll never be more than a few minutes away from some pearls of your own at the new cocktail bar The Study at Dean’s. The Study is a literature-inspired affair tucked into a historic building on the grounds of the new Kimpton Santo Hotel near La Villita at 431 S. Alamo St. And the best place to dive into this well-read watering hole is with a libation dubbed Daisy’s Pearl.
These Apps are a Snap

2 months ago | sanantoniomag.com | Paul Stephen

Get ready to pop those tailgates and crack open a couple of tall boys. The biggest day in sports is right around the corner with Super Bowl LIX arriving Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. And no game day is complete without a full spread of snacks, dips and other treats. This year, spice up your Super Bowl party with our trio of zippy recipes sure to score with your friends and family.
'Alaskan' pizza? San Antonio restaurants serve up pizza in many styles.

Jan 15, 2025 | expressnews.com | Paul Stephen

Kevin Held gave San Antonio's food scene more questions than answers when he opened Inspiriamo Pizza Lounge at 4109 Fredericksburg Road near the Wonderland of the Americas shopping mall last year. A large sign outside the restaurant declares the low-slung building to be the home of "Rustic Alaskan Pizza."You'd be forgiven for any lack of familiarity with that particular style of pizza. Mainly, because it doesn't exist.
Taco Museum to bring all-you-can-eat experience to San Antonio

Jan 13, 2025 | expressnews.com | Paul Stephen

This city's relationship with all things swaddled in tortillas runs deep, and nobody is ever more than a few paces from bean-and-cheese bliss. That culture, history and lore will take center stage next month when the traveling exhibit The Taco Museum lands in the Alamo City for a one-day stand Feb. 22. Founded by a tribe of Los Angeles-based taco enthusiasts, The Taco Museum is an immersive showcase featuring tacos in their many forms.
Try Michelin-noted food during Culinaria's Restaurant Weeks in San Antonio

Jan 10, 2025 | expressnews.com | Paul Stephen

Restaurant advocacy group Culinaria has championed San Antonio's dining scene for nearly quarter of a century - most notably through its biannual Restaurant Weeks promotion, which gives diners a chance to taste a multicourse meal at area eateries for a fixed price. The group's winter edition of Restaurant Weeks returns next week, running Jan. 18 through Feb. 1, with more than 100 participating businesses set to serve thousands of lunch and dinner courses to a legion of hungry customers.
Don't quit! 7 San Antonio restaurants make healthy eating easy.

Jan 8, 2025 | expressnews.com | Paul Stephen

Hang in there, folks. Quitter's Day looms large, but you don't have to surrender just yet. The second Friday in January has taken on that ominous moniker in recent years, thanks to studies showing many people abandon their New Year's resolutions by then, according to a report by Utah State University. The report says if someone is struggling to stay on target, it's likely because a cute acronym wasn't part of the goal-setting process.