Expect the unexpected at this hotel restaurant. This local San Antonio influencer was certainly surprised by the menu offering at this eatery and wowed by the presentation, quality and taste of the food served here. Chef Steve Kuehn runs the helm at Nineteen17 and from everything we tried, it is clear he knows what he is doing. Their custom menu offers regionally-influenced dishes from gourmet comfort foods to unique spins on local favorites, like empanadas and street tacos. But the rotisserie keeps things American as well, with the prime rib, half roasted chicken and carved pork. Their ingredients are locally sourced where possible, and many of the herb and some of the vegetables used in their food come out of their own garden which Chef Kuehn oversees. They also have their own beehive for fresh, local honey which chef incorporate into many of their dishes. However Chef Kuehn stated, “I don’t get the honey myself. We hire someone to come in and do that. I just don’t want to work with the bees.”
Travelers to this hotel will be pleasantly surprised with the food they will find here, but I really believe locals should also give this restaurant a try. I know they will be delighted with what they find. The Embassy Suites Hotel & Spa is the only full-service hotel south of downtown San Antonio before Corpus Christi and McAllen. Lunch and dinner menu options include starters, sandwiches, pasta, soup & salads, wood oven pizzas, larger main plates and desserts. They also have a nice selection on the kids menu. In addition to the lunch & dinner menu, the Embassy Suites offers guests staying at the hotel a free cooked-to-order breakfast to enjoy in the morning and a complimentary Evening Reception with a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to sip while savoring light appetizers and enjoying conversation. It’s more than perfect for adults and kids alike.
Starting off with a 1917 Caprese salad seemed like the right thing to do. Those vine-ripened tomatoes were calling to us at the get-go. With fresh Mozzarella and fresh torn basil it was already perfect. But then they added sliced avocado and shaved red onion on top, so now it was extra perfect. All was topped with an olive oil.
Just as we were about to choose our entree, Chef came out to tell us he had a fresh Garlic Rubbed Prime Rib on the rotisserie. It is a signature dish so he asked if he could bring us a cut to order piece as our entree. That sure sounded mighty fine to us! The meat is served with a garlic horseradish Dijonnaise and Rotisserie Wood Jus. And there are sides of Yukon Gold mashers with cheddar and chives and a grilled lemon garlic asparagus. It was a lot of food and everything was mouth-watering good. The meat was a great medium-rare cut with loads of flavor. A side note here: the garlic rub used on the meat was from my friend Stephen Poprocki’s Texas Black Gold Garlic. You can find him and his garlic at the Pearl Farmer’s Market almost every weekend.
The flash fried to order churros are also a must because they are some of the best churros I have ever tried. Crunchy cinnamon sugar sprinkled on the outside and moist and warm on the inside makes them hard to put down. They come with a Texas pecan caramel sauce and a strawberry, mint relish to give you some good, healthy stuff. DO NOT LEAVE HERE WITHOUT ORDERING THIS DESSERT!!
A starter of Ribeye Empanadas was also in order for the evening meal. Using rotisserie roasted beef to stuff these delicate puff pastry empanadas was the bomb. They were served with a pepper pesto and sharp white Cheddar cheese. The presentation of this dish was beautiful as were all the dishes they served tonight.
Their is also a full service bar adjacent to the restaurant with signature cocktails, many using local spirits, a nice selection of wines (both national and international) and draft & bottled beer including some local craft brews. I tried the new signature Paloma cocktail by recommendation. They say it’s Mexico’s favorite tequila cocktail and I think they just may be right cause I thought it was delish. It’s made with 512 Blanco Tequila (based in Austin), Texas grapefruit juice (probably from my daddy’s orchard), lime juice, and sparkling Club Soda. This is going to be popular cocktail this summer out by the pool in the Texas heat!
The Embassy Suites Hotel & Spa at Brooks is located at the intersection of South New Braunfels Avenue and Southeast Military Drive. It is within minutes of attractions such as the San Antonio River Walk and San Antonio Missions – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which includes Mission Conception, Mission Espada, Mission San Jose and Mission San Juan.
They offer both indoor dining in a chic, stylish setting and outdoor dining on their posh, cozy patio with comfy cushions and inviting fire pit.
Location: 7610 South New Braunfels, San Antonio, Texas, 78235, USA
Phone: +1-210-534-1000
**Full Disclosure: I received dinner in exchange for my review. But don’t worry, all opinions are 100% mine.**