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november 2009 / the tasting panel / 77 Food Trends Beringer Wine Estate in Napa, Dady is on a roll. "San Antonio gave me the opportunity to be a big fish in a small pond, and I have built on the success of a city looking to sup- port local, chef-driven restaurants," he says. His favorite dishes? "Bobwhite quail from Bandera, T exas—simply the best quail being produced in the country today." Having some of the most innovative regional cuisine isn't just a flash in the pan for this Texas town; San Antonio already boasts James Beard-nominated chefs and a bona fide culi- nary program. "We have soul, we have love and we have a mission to prove to the rest of America that we are already a food destina- tion," Dady says. San Antonio native Diana Barrios Treviño sticks with the classics. Her Los Barrios Fam- ily Cookbook is replete with traditional Mexi- can recipies and her family restaurant, La Hacienda de Los Barrios, hasn't strayed far from their roots. "My mom started Los Barri- os in 1979 in an old boat garage with $3,000," she says. From those humble beginnings, Diana has since appeared on Good Morning America with Emeril Lagasse and The Food Network with Bobby Flay. "We introduced the Milaneza con Papas, a Mexican-style, tender chicken fried steak done on a grill and served with lemon," she says, happily providing what people expect from Tex-Mex and what San Antonio is most known for. " San Antonio is the hottest spot to be. We are the culinary crossroads between the Ameri- cas and a great place to learn about all of the foods from these areas." These chefs and dozens more will be pres- ent at the San Antonio Food and Wine Festi- val, November 12-16. www.nwwff.org San Antonio native Diana Barrios Treviño of La Hacienda de Los Barrios restaurant. "San Antonio is the hottest spot to be. We are the culinary crossroads be- tween the Americas and a great place to learn about all of the foods from these areas." Chef Estrada's lobster enchilada from Westin's La Cantera Francesca's at Sunset.