Sustenio Restaurant & Bar’s cuisine is an amazing juxtaposition of earthy, locally-sourced Hill Country ingredients, classic comfort dishes, and old Texas-style cooking – cast iron skillet over a fire – mixed with innovative, sophisticated recipe renditions and modern cooking techniques to create familiar but unique, contemporary and award-winning cuisine.
AAA 4 Diamond Award
Every year since 2012, Sustenio has been a recipient of AAA’s 4 Diamond Award. It’s one of only eight San Antonio restaurants with that distinction. To earn the AAA designation, a restaurant must first pass an inspection to determine if “…they are clean, comfortable, hospitable places for (AAA) members to dine.” If they pass the inspection, they earn diamond levels based upon the type of dining experience they offer. According to AAA, a 4 Diamond rating is considered, “Distinctive…a culinary experience to savor and enjoy.”
Beautiful fountains and stairs lead from the rear hotel entrance to the restaurants, bars, shop, and residences on the Éilan grounds.
Located on the floor below the main lobby of the Éilan Hotel & Spa, the restaurant serves what it calls, “Modern Texas cuisine – a contemporary take on comforting dishes”. Menu items, described as “wood-fired meets cast iron” are made with locally sourced, farm-to-table fresh ingredients.
Don’t let the rustic-sounding branded description fool you though. In spite of being inspired by more humble food, each menu item was created by chefs with trained, sophisticated, and award-winning palates. Some seemingly simple menu items are actually compound preparations that take your taste buds on a delightful, and sometimes, surprising journey, like the Mayan Chocolate Cake. But let’s save dessert for last.
The App
Mexican Shrimp Ceviche – shrimp in a Huitalocoche, tomato, horseradish dip & served with thin, crispy plantains.
Sitting at the restaurant, I ordered the Mexican Shrimp Ceviche without reading the description of the appetizer simply because I love shrimp. I recognized the plantains on the plate when the ceviche arrived, but I had never seen a plantain peel fried into a crisp, chip-like dipper before. Look at it. How did they get it so thin, yet sturdy enough for dipping, still looking like a banana peel and artfully arranged on the plate?
Later, writing this post, I read the Mexican Shrimp Ceviche’s ingredients which were described on the menu as, “Huitlacoche Tomato Horseradish Dip & Crispy Plantains. I looked up “Huitlacoche Tomato”, thinking it was a region of Mexico where tomatoes with a certain flavor grow because of the unique soil content, kind of like sweet Vidalia onions grow in Vidalia, Georgia. Here’s the gastro journey my research took me on.
First of all, huitlacoche, pronounced by various speakers as “Who eat la coach e” or “Who wheat la coach e” or “hwheat la coach e”, is not a place at all. It is actually a mushroom-like fungus that grows on corn. Huitlacoche’s aliases are corn smut, gall, and Mexican truffles. The dark, smutty growth invades a kernel of corn and grows into a large, rather gross-looking, grayish, bulbous tumor. BUT, that ugly bulb is also full of nutritious protein, fiber, and amino acids. Although it’s gained in popularity as a seasoning or filling ingredient in contemporary dishes with an earthy base, huitlacoche is not a newcomer on the cooking scene. It’s been enjoyed since at least the time of the Aztecs, who sold it as a delicacy. See the links at the end of the post if you want to learn more about the cool science experiment-looking yet nutrient-powerhouse ingredient. Anyway, the Mexican Shrimp Ceviche was tasty, even with corn tumors, I mean Mexican truffles, in it.
Wood-fired Meets Cast Iron
Sustenio’s dinner menu features three Large Plates sections: “From Our Mesquite Wood-Fired Grill”, “Cast Iron Fired” and “Texas Hill Country”. Our selections came from the “Cast Iron Fired” and “Texas Hill Country” sections but we also look forward to trying “From Our Mesquite Wood-Fired Grill” entrées on a future visit.
Honey roasted salmon is sided with pearl couscous ragout & lemon basil salad.
The Honey Mustard Roasted Salmon is listed under the “Cast Iron Fired” part of the dinner menu. The salmon was wonderfully seasoned and cooked to that ever-elusive, just right sizzle point that ensures salmon will be slightly crunchy on the edges and tender and moist in the middle. It was served with a pearl couscous ragout, heirloom tomatoes, lemon basil, and purple amaranth vinaigrette. Delicious.
Redfish topped with blue crab served with spiced dirty rice and wilted Winter greens.
The Griddled Redfish-Texas Blue Crab is a “Texas Hill Country” menu item. If you love fish and seafood like I do, especially dishes with a combination of flavors like the redfish and crab, this dish will certainly please your taste buds. It was served with the Chef’s Secret Spiced Dirty Rice, Wilted Winter Greens, Cilantro and Brown Butter Lemon Sauce. So good!
Life is Uncertain, Eat Dessert (First, or Last, or Both)
Mayan Chocolate cake is a compound dessert made with chocolate, chocolate mousse, and caramel and served with Dulce de Leche ice cream, fresh berries, and fiery spiced pecans.
The Mayan Chocolate Cake is a simple-looking compound dessert sometimes offered as a special menu item. A rich dark chocolate cake is served with chocolate mousse, a caramel sauce, crowned with Dulce de Leche ice cream, garnished with fresh berries and two chocolate pirouettes. And for a fiery finale, spiced pecans are sprinkled alongside the berries. It’s a fiesta in your mouth!
The berry cobbler is made in small cast iron pots with ripe berries and snickerdoodle crumbs and topped with blackberry ice cream.
If a rich, chocolatey gastronomic fiesta is not what you crave, and it’s available (menus items are subject to change), try the cobbler. The one shown was made with berries and snickerdoodle crumbs, topped with blackberry ice cream and served in a small cast iron pot resting on a wooden plank. Yummy!
Casual Elegance
Sustenio Restaurant’s wine collection is showcased behind glass walls in the dining area.
Sustenio’s contemporary comfort menu is served in a casual yet elegant, contemporary dining space. Diners sit at small, intimate tables with padded suede-covered chairs. Ambient lighting sets the evening stage for more private conversations and/or romantic dinners. Diners (on my visit) were all dressed casually; some were more casual, some were more elegant.
Walls of Wine & Cigars
The restaurant’s printed wine menu lists 3 champagnes, 10 white wines, and 9 red wines. Bottles of wine are stored and showcased in special shelving on the dining room walls. Cigars are available in an upright humidor cabinet by the bar. The room’s design makes the dining experience feel more intimate, as if you are sitting at a friend’s house having dinner and maybe an apertif and cigar after.
Lagniappe (little something extra)
Éilan Hotel guests enjoy the amenity of daily wine tastings in the restaurant. Becker Vineyards’ award-winning wines are served with a charcuterie plate of meats and cheeses. Not a hotel guest or want to experience and learn more about Becker Vineyard wines? Their Main Street Tasting Room is located in Fredericksburg, about 70 miles north of San Antonio. They also offer tastings at their Estate Winery & Tasting Room in Stonewall, about 60 miles north of San Antonio. See their contact info at the bottom of the post for more information.
Wine Tastings at Sustenio Restaurant & Bar, located in the Éilan Hotel, include a charcuterie plate and Becker Vineyards’ Jolie, Viognier and Malbec wines.
Good To Know Before You Go
Sustenio is located in the Éilan Hotel & Spa on the 3rd floor, below the main lobby on the 4th floor.
The hotel is located in San Antonio’s La Cantera District off I-10, between Fiesta Texas and La Cantera Golf Club. The La Cantera District is a major shopping and entertainment area. The Shops at La Cantera and UTSA are on the same side of I-10 as Éilan and The Rim is on the opposite side of I-10.
Sustenio serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining room, small plates at the bar and in-room dining. Sunday brunches are from 10:00 am to 2 pm.
Sustenio Restaurant & Bar, 18603 La Cantera Terrace, San Antonio Texas 78256, T: 210-598-2946
Éilan Hotel & Spa, 18603 La Cantera Terrace, San Antonio Texas 78256, T: 210-598-2900 or 855-755-1848
Becker Vineyards, 464 Becker Farms Road, Stonewall, Texas 78671, T: 830-644-2681
Becker Vineyards’ Jolie – 2018 TEXSOM Int’l Wine Competition Bronze Medal Winner
Becker Vineyards’ Viognier Reserve – 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Gold Medal
Becker Vineyards’ Malbec Reserve – 2018 San Francisco Int’l Wine Competition Gold Medal
Breeze Traveler’s Sustenio’s Trip Advisor review.
NEED ADDITIONAL SAN ANTONIO RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS?
Tiago’s Cabo Grille
Tiago’s Cabo Grille is located in The Rim Shopping Center just across I-10 from Hotel Eilan. They offer excellent Happy Hour pricing on food and beverages. Tiago’s Cabo Grille, 17711 IH10 West #101, The Rim Shopping Center, San Antonio, TX 78257-8216, T: 210-881-2700, tiagoscabogrille.com
Breeze Traveler’s Tiago’s Cabo Grille Trip Advisor Review.
Rosario’s Mexican Café y Cantina
Rosario’s Southtown (Mexican) is located in the beautiful King William Historic District, less than a mile from the Alamo and close to the Pioneer Flour Mills and Blue Star Arts Complex.
Breeze Traveler’s Rosario’s review with photos.
Breeze Traveler’s Rosario’s Trip Advisor review.
Rosario’s (Southtown), 910 S. Alamo St., San Antonio, TX 78205, T: 210-481-4100, rosariossa.com
INTERESTED IN OTHER TEXAS HILL COUNTRY WINERIES?
Read William Chris Vineyards: A Tasty Trip Down Texas Wine Road 290
LEARN MORE ABOUT AAA’S RATINGS SYSTEM
LEARN MORE ABOUT HUITLACOCHE
“Huitlacoche aka corn fungus – Why would you eat that?”
Chef Elissa Narow makes a Huitlacoche White Chocolate Cheesecake
WANT TO SEE MORE OF SAN ANTONIO?
Visit our San Antonio Gallery below. Click on a picture to start the slideshow. Then, click on the “I” in the lower left-hand corner to display the captions.
