Discover Culinary Delights This Fall In San Antonio

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Culinaria's 20th Anniversary, The Culinary Institute of America's (CIA) Arriba Mexico and new signature restaurants make visiting this fall a must for hungry travelers

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Visit San Antonio

Sep 05, 2019, 12:53 ET

SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Renowned as the birthplace of Tex-Mex cuisine, San Antonio is in expansion mode, making it harder for foodies to resist its culinary offerings. With warm temperatures ideal for outdoor festivals and patio seating in the fall, visitors will want to experience new chef-driven restaurants as well as join in the celebrations of Culinaria's 20^th Anniversary food festival and the Culinary Institute of America's Latin American Cuisine Festival – Arriba Mexico.

Culinaria Wine & Food Festival's Bubbles event overlooking San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country. Photo Credit: Culinaria

Visitors are invited to raise a glasses and say "Cheers to Twenty Years" during the 20th annual Culinaria Wine + Food Festival, September 26-29. For the milestone year, organizers will serve up some of the greatest hits from the last two decades while also preparing exciting twists on past favorites. More than 10,000 people are expected to take part in the weekend festivities held at the beautiful La Cantera Resort & Spa. Signature events include Bubbles, a celebration of champagne, sparkling wine and cocktails, and the festival's popular smoky finale – Burgers, BBQ and Beer. The festival will introduce a twist on its Best of Mexico event with Arte Agave – an art and tequila extravaganza. After a decade-long absence from Culinaria, organizers are bringing back the Masquerade component of the Grand Tasting, where the best bites from San Antonio chefs and restaurants are paired with wines from across the globe and spirits showcasing creative cocktails.

At the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the vibrant flavors and rich culture of Mexico, as chefs teach how to create some of the country's most iconic dishes. Eight distinct events October 18-19 will lead participants in a culinary journey of the unique flavors of Oaxaca. Arriba Mexico kicks off with a celebratory dinner on October 18 at the CIA's new student-run restaurant, Savor. Additional individual classes will take a deep dive into each course of a meal – including appetizers, desserts, live fire grill, favorite and vibrant dishes – as well as a special wine tasting and pairing event and a demo of Mexico's mother sauce, mole.

Visitors also can look forward to exploring new only-in-San Antonio restaurants for their autumn trip. Southerleigh Coast & Comfort, coming to the growing mixed-used development Brooks, is slated to open at the end of 2019. The menu will focus on family-style, coast-to-coast inspired seafood and fresh Texas Gulf Coast oysters, complemented with unique house-brewed Southerleigh beers. Southerleigh Restaurant Group's second restaurant will join a growing list of recently opened restaurants and craft distillers from renowned San Antonio locals. Fontaine's Southern Diner & Bar, an eagerly awaited second restaurant from Chef Tim Rattray of The Granary, opened in June 2019 to great acclaim. Fontaine's is located in a newly converted 1930s-era gas station and based on Rattray's Southern heritage and a love for the food and drink traditions of the South. From the great (x3) grandson of Samuel Augustus Maverick, The Maverick for which all others were named, comes Maverick Whiskey. The legend goes, Samuel Maverick left a jug of whiskey to be passed around among the heroes who died at the Alamo after being elected to represent San Antonio in the new Republic of Texas. The Maverick and Alamo Whiskeys live on. All spirits at Maverick are handmade in San Antonio and aged in Texas-made Oak barrels in the tradition of the original Alamo Whiskey from 1836. Maverick Whiskey's distillery, tasting saloon, restaurant and gathering space are housed in the restored Historic Lockwood Bank Building (1918).