Isidore
Restaurant · North River District
221 Newell Ave, San Antonio, TX 78215, USA
Highlights
Texas fine dining celebrating local ingredients; inventive dishes & cocktails
Texas fine dining celebrating local ingredients; inventive dishes & cocktails
"A Texas restaurant that reframes Central Texas cuisine beyond typical clichés, showcasing elements of the region in creative, technically detailed dishes: examples include Cherokee tomatoes served with a kombucha, beets layered with pecan butter, and popcorn chicken dotted with tiny popped pieces of sorghum. Indigenous preparation techniques are integrated alongside "killer cuts of steak." Chef de cuisine Ian Lanphear is a fan of foraging, so diners may find ingredients "straight out of the Texas woods," such as lichen or wood-ear mushrooms. Bread service is presented tableside in the style of the Comanche people, who historically ground wheat and used sorghum as a binder for travel provisions. The menu also highlights Texas wines, and guests are encouraged to linger over dessert." - Courtney E. Smith
"A must-order for beet lovers, the embered beets are roasted over fired bones from the kitchen’s steaks and served with a fermented black persimmon–based sauce and a hidden layer of pecan butter. The pecan butter adds creamy sweetness that enhances the beets’ natural ripe flavors without overwhelming them, while the sauce’s touch of acid keeps the dish balanced and bright; the combination is an unexpected but harmonious pairing of earthy, sweet, and tangy elements." - Courtney E. Smith
"A cozy New American, wood‑fired centerpiece of a market and food‑hall setting that emphasizes Texas ingredients—reserve Akaushi steaks, heritage‑breed chickens—and playful snack‑size dishes such as a buttermilk pie with mustard greens and fennel; a wood‑paneled lounge offers nightcaps, including a riff on an espresso martini infused with raspberry miso and whey." - Brandon Watson
"The third restaurant inside the Pullman Market at the Pearl district is its fine-dining ode to Texas, using locally sourced vegetables and meats. Although the menu changes regularly, patrons can expect parent company Emmer & Rye’s signature elegance to plating and flavors. The interior exhibits the same earthy grace as the group’s other restaurants. The biggest surprise is an innovative drink program showcasing drinks like an intriguing martini made with melon and celery leaf. There are indoor dine-in services." - Brandon Watson
"An upper-scale, modern-steakhouse-style restaurant focusing on seasonal Texan produce and meats, set to open inside the food hall on August 13. The menu emphasizes a raw bar (oysters, crudos, shrimp cocktails, rillettes), starters such as beef tartare, cheese ravioli, and roasted lion’s mane mushrooms, and larger entrées including steaks (notably a wagyu New York strip) and an herb-smoked grouper. The kitchen is led by corporate chef Danny Parada with chef de cuisine Ian Lanphear, who previously worked at the now-closed Restaurant Gwendolyn and ran a local pop-up where he sometimes foraged ingredients. An advanced sommelier curated a list of global and Texas wines, while the bar director plans takes on classic cocktails and a worldwide whiskey selection. Service will run Tuesday–Sunday from 5–10 p.m., with indoor reservations available online and space for walk-ins." - Nadia Chaudhury
