Too quiet in Monte Vista... Where is everyone?? (San Antonio, Austin: home, neighborhood)

[neddy]

Eleanor, I have had PLENTY of those type of lunches! LOL

[dvlpr]

Originally Posted by dweej

Relative to where? And what do you consider "good"?

Relative to, uh, other cities. Don't misunderstand me - I don't expect the same sort of options as NYC/Chicago/SF. And SA has really great chefs (A. Weissman, J. Dady) doing really great things, food-wise. But we're not nearly on the same level as the other big TX cities, nor can we match the offerings of places like Portland, New Orleans, St. Louis, etc.

What do I consider "good"? Generally, independent places with a well-executed menu/food philisophy, unique design (a definite "sense of place"), located in a nearby cool/funky urban neighborhood (anything outside 410 really doesn't qualify).

It's not a knock on folks who don't like that sort of thing, but these are the places that folks like us (young urbanites) patronize regularly. And a relative lack of places like this means we get bored with the few standard options (even though they're great), which is why we're more likely to hang-in at houses than hang-out at sub-par restaurants/bars, which is my theory about the OP's observation.

[LindaGrace]

Originally Posted by SilverCreek78250

Apparently, they are all over on the NW Side of SA eating at the places around Alamo Ranch and Bandera Pointe. At least it looks that way from the traffic.

Yep, I think this is it. Anyplace along I-10 is CRAZY busy at 7:00 any given evening and way worse on weekends. And of course no place takes reservations, so you get to sit and wait for 45 minutes.

Which is why we eat at places like Ciao Lavenderia and other places in your neck of the woods. Between the 45 minute no-reservation deal, and my severe aversion to chains, we're just better off eating out AWAY from our own 'hood.

[Xymox]

I live in Olmos and eat out a lot, all over. Recently had lunch at Justin's in MV (love it), breakfast at Las Palapas (my favorite is now called Baja on Perrin Beitel, yes outside the loop), lunch at Taqueria Huentitan in Woodlawn, Oro downtown, Maharaja Sweets & Spices on Evers, of course Taco Cabana in MV (hmm, noticing a theme here...). Didn't care for Valentino's but noticed it was extremely busy. I notice as a general rule that the places I like tend not to be as busy as places other people like, but that works for me.

[hello13685]

In line with the OP's question: I think that there is a scarcity of people hanging out in many neighborhoods now, unless it's small children riding their bikes in a cul-de-sac. But this poster's question raises an interesting question. Would pedestrians in Monte Vista be welcomed? While there are sidewalks, I get the feeling that residents would call the police to report someone taking a stroll down their street at an odd time if you live nearby. Take Kings Highway between San Pedro and McCullough for example. Serious question here, is it against the law for someone to take a stroll down one of these streets at 2:00 a.m. without being stopped and questioned by police? Some people such as myself like to take walks late at night.

[Eleanor Rigby]

It's a public thoroughfare. If you stay on the sidewalks, it's not illegal, because you are promenading along city property.

Now, the cops might decide to check and see what you're doing at 2:00 am just to make sure you're not casing the joint, but there's certainly nothing illegal about it, and they're likely just to write you off as eccentric and leave you alone.

My aunt and uncle live on Kings Hwy where you are talking about. They and their neighbors are used to people walking through the street to look at the homes. In fact, they periodically get artists setting up in front of the home to sketch or paint it, because it is architecturally interesting and has some nice decorative design elements. My uncle likes to go out and see if they're any good; he even commissioned one particularly good artist to do a full-sized watercolor of the house which he has hanging in the den. My aunt has gotten sort of too old to do this, but she used to have a very elaborate series of flower beds in the front and would often have people stop to chat with her about her gardening.

Part of the tradeoff of living in an historic district, or on an architecturally interesting street, is that you're going to get non-residents coming through to look at the area, and I think most people in Monte Vista understand that and don't particularly have a problem with it provided there's no trespassing and people stay on the sidewalks.

[hello13685]

Thanks ER, that's very informative and interesting. I would have had no idea that people would set up easels to paint or draw, and I think that's totally cool. I would assume that many artists would at least give a homeowner a heads up first, unless residents are totally used to it like you suggest.

[dvlpr]

ER is right on. Unfortunately, petty theft has been a bit of a problem in MV, so while it's not illegal to walk anywhere in this neighborhood, I'd expect to get questions. Most people walking in a residential neighborhood at 2am aren't just "taking a stroll".

Beyond that, though, pedestrians are quite welcome in MV. It's common to see lots of folks walking around the neighborhood in the morning and right before it gets dark. My wife & I actually walked to Chris Madrid's for lunch today!

[maluminse]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

You are kidding, right?

No their not kidding and their right. In the mv area?? Nothing. Only good restaurant is Blanco Cafe and chris madrids but outside of that theres no cafe/bistros you would expect in such an area. Unfortunately SA is very very spread out. You have to travel to go anywhere. The stone oak area is kinda dense in places to go but not really. There and downtown. Outside of those areas to go to a good place you have to drive far. Its not like Austin where there are many places concetrated in a small area... : ( Just moved back here after living in Chicago and all I do is drive to go anywhere.

[BigDogsTX]

Can i suggest Luther's Cafe on main ave in Tobin hill?