Since Angie would be spending Mother's Day with her mom, I decided to take her out for dinner on Saturday evening. I already earned some points with the roses...(Good husband, eh?) The choice was Bohanan's. We always talked about going there, and now was our opportunity. We had a great time.
Bohanan's is located on Houston Street in downtown San Antonio (right across the street from the Majestic Theater). The service at this restaurant is incredible. From the attendant opening your car door at the curb through a big thanks for visiting from our servers and the manager, you couldn't ask for more. Jose and Shaun really took care of us during dinner and made us feel special.
The food is fantastic. Some of you may remember the Mike Myers character on Saturday Night Live, Coffee Talk, always saying something was "Like butter." That was what is was like cutting into the filet. We don't order steak very often, but it is a specialty at Bohanan's and it was obvious from the first bite, they know their stuff.
The meal also marked a first for me, oysters. Our ticket got mixed up in food prep, and we had to wait a little longer than normal. To make up for the delay, we were presented with French grilled oysters. At first, I told Ang they were all hers, but she insisted I try them. I'd never had the slightest interest in that fare. I was soon to reverse my stand. The light breading, a squeeze of lemon juice and a slight amount of cocktail sauce and "Wow!"
And, by the way, they have a great wine list. They were recognized by Wine Spectator (Best of Award of Excellence) more than once. Granted, a lot of the bottles are way out of my price range, but there were some gems on the affordable side. One item of note for the wine snob in all of us, the server pours your wine into a decanter. From what I could tell, this is a standard practice here regardless of how much or little the bottle costs.
This evening, I picked the 2004 Amici Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. You need a big cab with a big steak, right? In this case, yes you do. The winemaker let the 2004 vintage have an extra year and a half aging in the bottle before releasing it late in 2008, and it paid off.
The slight delay in the main course arriving worked out for us. When the steak hit the table, this wine was ready. The balanced tannins and acidity with gorgeous blackberry, black currant flavors grabbed my taste buds and took them for a big ride. Add a bite of delicious filet and I was in my happy place. If you find this wine locally, I highly recommend you pick one up for the ole wine fridge.
One another note, my wife was right as usual. She said we would most likely see some members of the Phoenix Suns at the restaurant. They are in town to take on our beloved Spurs for the second round of the 2010 NBA Western Conference playoffs. Saturday was an off night. Sure enough, Grant Hill walks right by our table, followed shortly thereafter by Channing Frye and his party.
Well, thanks to Bohanan's, Jose and Shaun for the fun evening, and if the Suns could find a way to blow a 3-0 lead, that would be real special...