Sawasdee Thai Cuisine

6407 Blanco Rd
San Antonio, TX 78216


Avg $10-$15 per entree


A little less than a mile inside the loop on Blanco stands Sawasdee, in a quaint little shopping center. I've always heard about this place, but never had the chance to sit down and taste the food for myself... until today! 


As you walk in you'll be greeted by two big statues to your right, then immediately hear a "Welcome to Sawasdee" coming from the front desk straight away. The decor was really nice. Very legit looking. Some Thai places have really old and run down looking furniture and decor, and usually I don't care because the food is great, but this place gets its props for looking nice. The table setting is simple and elegant.

Cheese Rolls

The menu is stacked with some great sounding dishes. It was really hard to choose. There are some appetizers I really wanted to try like the fresh rolls, the spring rolls, and the lady shrimps! Ooh Wee! They all sounded good, but I opted for the Cheese Rolls with Plum sauce. I'm a big fan of Cheese Rolls at another Thai spot and wanted to compare. I really couldn't compare, because they were both good and tasted like....... delicious mini-spring rolls with a cheese filling, similar to crab rangoons without the heavy crust. The plum dipping sauce was outstanding!


Sawasdee offers a variety of choices when it comes to soups and salads, ranging from light to heavy! If I was a soup and/or salad guy, I'd definitely give some a try. But this was my first time, I'm going in for the meat! [TWSS]


For their entrees, they offer a large selection in each protein category. Here are a few dishes that caught my attention in the poultry section: Pad King Gai (Ginger Chicken), and the Roasted Duck Curry served with a pineapple shell! The two beef entrees that caught my eye were the Pa-nang Beef and the Jungle Curry. They also offered a variety of pork, seafood, fried rice, and noodle dishes. Of course, they had Thai staples like Pad Thai, Pad See Iew, and Pad Woonsen. Sawasdee even offers a Vegetarian menu with a wide selection of dishes. 

Pa-Nang Beef

For my entree, I went with the Pa-nang Beef. I'm glad I did! It was so flavorful! All of the ingredients blended with the spices amazingly! It had the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. The coconut milk really mellowed the kick of the curry and the delicate strips of chiffonade basil added a nice zip to the dish! At first, I thought it looked a little small, but shortly after the first couple of bites I realized it was the perfect size with the perfect taste!  


I gotta tell you, the music selection was interesting. At first it was traditional Thai music that I was diggin' for a while, then out of nowhere comes Boyz II Men - 'I'll make love to you'! Oh snap! Then some Celine Dion [meh], and then the song switches to SWV - 'Weak in the knees' ::dies:: What can I say? I'm a sucker for 90s R&B! Okay, okay, I digress!! Back to the food! 

Fried Bananas with Ice Cream

The last and final dish of the night: dessert! They had a couple choices, but the one that stuck out the most was the Fried Bananas with Ice Cream. OMG! Here's their description: Bananas deep fried in a very light batter; served with Vanilla Ice Cream topped with whipped cream, crushed nuts, and a cherry! Like anything else stood a chance! So my waitress comes by and drops off this boat of fried deliciousness and ice creamy goodness! At first, I was amazed, then kind of confused as I examined the fried bananas because they looked like a cross between hush puppies and funnel cakes. Then I thought to myself, "YOU LOVE HUSH PUPPIES AND FUNNEL CAKES!" Then I was back to being amazed. It looks they cut a huge banana into four pieces, dunked them in this funnel cakelike batter, deep fried them, scooped a healthy serving of vanilla ice cream in the middle, topped it with whipped cream and stuck a cherry on top! Complaints?! NONE!


So here's your rundown: Cheese Rolls with Plum sauce were on point, Pa-nang Beef was spicy/sweet and perfectly made, Fried Bananas with Ice Cream was exactly what I needed to close the meal out and last but not least, Boyz II Men and SWV brought the house down! Will I be back? Damn right and I'm bringin' friends (maybe even vegetarian ones)!

Sawasdee Thai Cuisine, Your sauce is DOPE!

I hope you will come back and see where else I go and what else I eat. 
h@yb - peace, my beautiful babies! 


Everyone loves a chubby Asian,


boogielovestoeat

House of Wings

 

19314 Hwy 281 N #104
San Antonio, TX 78258

Avg under $10 per entree

House of Wings, on 281 and Redland in the same complex as Scout Bar. This was another recommendation from some friends, so I had to try it out. As a matter of fact, I even had some of their food at my friend's apartment after a night on the town. As far as I can remember, the re-heated wings were really tasty. So I decided to invite some old friends and check the out the place.

When I first walked in, you see the counter with the large kitchen behind it, the bright yellow walls all around and a jukebox to the right beside the soda machine. The girl behind the counter eagerly greeted me and was very friendly and happy to explain the menu. When you look at their menu, it boasts their wonderful array of homemade sauces, such as Texas Gold, Pineapple Sweet Ranch, Teriyaki Spice, and Memphis Dry Rub as their most popular preparation. Honorable mention goes to Ring of Fire as the best named sauce on the menu. That was really cool, it's good to know places still make their own sauces. The one thing that kind of got me was that they charged by the pound and state that you get 8-9 bone-in wings per pound, but the boneless wings were sold by amount of pieces. That sort of struck me as strange. The rest of the menu looked like they had something for everyone. They serve appetizers, burgers, gourmet sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, as well as normal sides like fries and onion rings. As far as I could tell, they had a decent domestic beer selection from glancing at their beer fridge.

The overall feel was very casual with brightly painted walls, plastic cutlery, styrofoam cups, yet they had several large flat screen TVs mounted on the walls. The seats and booths were a bit small. A booth that should normally fit four, could hardly fit three people, me being the largest of the three. We actually had to take a chair from another table and stick it at the end of our table to accomodate us.

When the food came out, the presentation looked less than memorable. Everything came out in plastic baskets with paper liners. You could tell most everything was cooked out of a bag, but that was expected. The wings themselves were big, hence them being touted as "PREMIUM KING WINGS". The sauces they were prepared in were really tasty. I chose Lemon Pepper and Original Hot with a side of their homemade creamy, bleu cheese and a basket of half fries, half onion rings for the table. One friend ordered 10 boneless wings with Teriyaki Spice and Original Hot. My other friend ordered a half pound of regular bone-in wings prepared with Honey BBQ. 

Overall, the food was decent. I liked the size and quality of the wings themselves and selection of homemade sauces that the wings were prepared in, as well as the bleu cheese for dipping. You could really tell they worked hard on those aspects of the restaurant. The rest was kind of forgettable. I think the allocation of funds was misappropriated. Instead of spending money on so many flat screens, they should have spent more time and money looking for better sources of some of their foods; like their fries, onion rings, even boneless wings; as well as better ways to present their food. I've been to several casual, semi-fast food places serving mediocre food that utilized inexpensive, yet better vehicles for presentation, which in turn made those experiences a LITTLE more memorable. Restaurants shouldn't be serving mediocre food, but if you're going to, at least mask it by bringing it out on something a little nicer than a flimsy brown plastic basket with a boring paper liner. Even other half-ass wing places have that on lock down.

On a final note, I would go back only because of the wing size and great sauces. Those are the strong points, and I guess the most relevant points to have as a wing restaurant. I would probably order a couple pounds of just the wings to-go and leave all the auxiliary stuff behind. 

House of Wings - Your sauce is HALF GOOD!

I hope you will come back and see where else I go and what else I eat.
h@yb - peace, my beautiful babies!

Everyone loves a chubby Asian,

boogielovestoeat

Pacific Moon

17700 San Pedro Ave

San Antonio, TX 78232

Avg $10-$15 per entree

Right off of 281 and Brookhollow, a hidden gem that has everything you need to satisfy your palette for Asian/Asian-Fusion cuisine.

A little history about Pacific Moon: the owner, Han, started her culinary venture as a little coffee shop in 1999 off of Starcrest by Blossom Athletic Center selling pastries and sandwiches under the same name. Minimal kitchen space and a gain in popularity had her move shop to the Northwoods shopping center off of 1604 and 281. A few years down the line, she set up shop at their current location. Throughout the years, Pacific Moon has gained a solid following. Many of its patrons are regulars who have been a part of the Pacific Moon family since its early days.

Their menu ranges from crab turnovers, ceviche, salads, sandwiches, gourmet burgers, bowls (Samurai Rice Bowl is my favorite), to standards like Sesame Chicken and out of this world desserts like their house made carrot cake.

Pacific Moon has become a weekly custom of mine for the past several months even since some friends told me about it. This review will go over my first experience and some of the dishes I've tried along the way. 

Upon entering for the first time, I was eagerly greeted by the staff.  I just so happen to see some familiar faces behind and in front of the bar, so I’m immediately set at ease and comfortable. It was late in the night, so the restaurant itself was winding down and already in gear for the bar crowd. The bar was lined with a nice mix of clientele ranging from professionals of all ages, regulars, service industry friends, and random walk-ins.

I take a seat at the bar with long-time friend-brother-from-another-mother service industry allstar J. Bochenheimer AKA Big Baca Laca Tanaka from Osaka. Upon seating, a prompt drink order is placed and delivered by the lovely Monique, one of the service superstars taking care of the restaurant patrons as well as the bar guests. Shortly after receiving my perfectly made cocktail, a steaming bowl of deliciousness is placed in front of me with a small plate of brown rice. This soup is actually the main reason I even came in the first place. The friend I met up with informed me a few weeks prior that on Wednesday nights they offer complimentary soup. Well, who’s gonna pass that up? Ain’t nothin’ better than free food!

The soup is a delicate, brothy soup with beef, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, garlic and green onions with a slight kick of hot oil, served with an optional cup of white or brown rice. Simple, yet amazing! If Han walks around and sees you eating the soup, she will offer you more hot oil. Let me warn you, this oil is not for the faint of taste buds. A little goes a long way. If you put too much, you will feel like you just got roundhouse kicked in the mouth by Chuck Norris. FACT! 

After being so impressed by the soup, I embarrassingly asked if I could have another bowl and one was brought out without hesitation. From then on, I knew I would love this place and I’ve been back time and time again trying different dishes. Here is a list and description of what I have tried.

Eye Opener – breakfast sandwich with perfectly scrambled eggs, ham, and cheese on a huge croissant topped with green onions. This thing is humongous and satisfying. It isn’t listed on the menu, but if you’re ever in the mood for THE champion of all breakfast sandwiches, this is the way to go!

Japanese Dongas – your choice of beef, chicken, or pork lightly battered and pan-seared served with a side of steamed rice and house gravy. I opted for the beef, which was like an Asian chicken fried steak topped with this semi-sweet, savory house gravy. Simple and delicious! Almost like a fusion of Asian and American comfort food.

Samurai Rice Bowl – cubed rib eye steak seared in a house ginger sauce, served over rice and topped with an omelet egg. This dish was SPICY! The flavor of the house ginger sauce with the mouthwatering beef and peppers was out of this world! To some, the egg may be off putting, but it adds some substance and a nice complimentary flavor to the dish. I’m Asian so the egg was no big thang to me, but when I described this dish to some of my friends, they were uncertain about it. My take on it is - don't knock it 'til you try it! The dish as a whole is a spicy and savory masterpiece. 

Mike and Mark Rice Bowl – beef and chicken cooked in a house teriyaki sauce, served over steamed rice, topped with an omelet egg. Definite good eats! The beef and chicken were cooked to perfection and the sauce had the perfect balance to round out the dish. 


Sesame Chicken – tender chicken breast battered and lightly fried, then tossed in a house sweet and spicy sauce served with salad on the side. This is her take on the standard, and blew away any other sesame chicken I’ve ever had. The batter was perfect, the chicken was tender. The salad was refreshing. A perfect ten!!


Carrot Cake - now this isn't listed on the menu either, and I don't even have the right words to truly describe it with justice. All I know is that it was my birthday week and word got out, so Han went to the back and brought out a slice of this unbelievable, seriously out of this world carrot cake. It was perfectly balanced with sweetness and amazingness. It looked like no other carrot cake I've ever seen and tasted better than any other carrot cake I've ever had. It was purely magical, like I was flying over a rainbow on a unicorn who was standing on top of a humongous bald eagle wearing a toupee. Magical... I'm just sayin'... I told you I didn't have the right words to describe this dessert!

All-in-all, I haven't had a single dish that I did not like. What separates Pacific Moon from the others is how fresh everything is. The sauces are house made, and the ingredients are top quality and you can definitely taste it! The service is spectacular, and the bar selection is vast, ranging from wine to sake to standard spirits to niche liqueurs to beers from all around the world!  Pacific Moon has a definite at-home feel, from the first time you walk-in, you will be treated like they've known you for years and were waiting for you to get there! So, GET THERE ALREADY! If you go on a Wednesday night, you'll probably see me there!

That concludes my first ever review on my first ever food blog! Hope you enjoyed it, sorry this was so long, but like I said – it’s my first one ever! 

Pacific Moon - Your sauce is DOPE!

I hope you will come back and see where else I go and what else I eat. 
h@yb - peace, my beautiful babies! 

Everyone loves a chubby Asian,

boogielovestoeat