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TRAVEL

SUNDAY,NOVEMBER6,2016::LAT IMES.COM/TRAV EL

SAN ANTONIO, Texas— Hear the words “San Antonio” and you might flashon an imageof the

Alamo, the city’s best known building. Or you might recall conversations with friends who ha ve visited the area and in-

dulgedinfajitas and margaritas along the River Wa lk. ¶ You might even think, “Oh, yeah, San Antonio, the homey, hospi-

table first cousin, once removed, to hotter ,hipper Austin.” ¶ If you haven’t been to San Antonio in a while — or ever — you

probablyaren’t envisioning Frette linens, Champagne ketchupand coffee shops that rival high-end L.A. purveyors Intelli-

gentsia or G&B. ¶ A visit to the Pearl in San Antonio should change all that. The small neighborhood, north of downtown,

is a tribute to smart design and good taste. ¶ I had heard about the Pearl, so when I made arrangements for a business

meeting in Austin, I added a stop in San Antonio, about 80 miles southwest of the Texas capital.

TEXAS

PIPES in Pearl Brewing Co.’s old brew house lend a steampunk vibe to current residents Hotel Emma and its Sternewirth bar in San Antonio, Texas’, Pearl District.

Ray Whitehouse Fo r The Times

Change is brewing

Remade into the Pearl District, an old beer works becomes the toast of San Antonio

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Iarrived in August, whichmeant temper-

atures topped 10 0 degrees, but the heat

couldn’t stifle the charm offensive that de-

signers, hoteliers and restaurateurs had

conjured.

Focal point

The Alamo, where Davy Crockett and 200

other rebelsdied in18 36 fighting theMexican

army for Texan sovereignty, is the focal point

of the city’s $1 3-billion-a-year tourism econo-

my, attracting more than 1million visitors a

year.

It’s also the center of a debate among lo-

cal officials about how best to promote the

city: Should they spend their marketing dol-

lars ontraditional attractions such as the Al-

amo or push the “new San Antonio,” with its

hot restaurants and shops in the hopes of at-

tracting more national and international

visitors?

The PearlDistrict is ahighlight of thenew

San Antonio. It gets its name from a brewery

that introduced Pearl Beer in the 18 80s and

eventually was rechristened the Pearl Brew-

ing Co.

The facility was closed in 2001, paving the

way for the eventual development of the 22-

acre property into an adult playground.

The Hotel Emma, which was Pearl’sbrew

house, openedlast year andis atthe centerof

it all with 14 6 rooms (including 11 suites) and

aseries of tempting shops and dining areas.

The lobby, complete with an early 20th

century compressor that once pumped cool

air into the brewery, is furnished with an-

tiques, leather couches and big coffee tables,

the better to hold morning pour-over coffee

or drinks in the evening.

The hotel site includes new construction,

but every guest room, every shop, indeed ev-

ery space, looks all of a piece, thanks in large

part to Roman & Williams, a design firm be-

hind New York’s buzz-worthy Viceroy, Ace

and High Line hotels.

After I checked in, a bellman suggested I

visit the hotel library to sample a compli-

mentary margarita. Then, in the elevator,he

launched into a short history lesson: The ho-

tel, he said, was named in honor of Emma

Koehler, who ran the brewery after her hus-

band (and Pearl president), Otto, died in

1914 .

She was, the hotel website says, an “in-

genious CEO who kept the brewery going

during Prohibition by converting operations

to dry cleaning and auto repair, and making

near beer, ice cream and soda.”

Iwould soon learn that there was more to

her story than good business sense.

Meanwhile, there was a hotel room to in-

spect.

The furnishings included a queen-size

bed with a striking black headboard and

bedposts; a Western-motif rug on the con-

crete floor; a small table with two chairs; and

ahandsome armoire that held a safe and a

refrigerator stocked with local beer and “far-

mers market provisions.”

The bathroom was equally noteworthy,

with handmade Spanish porcelain tiles and

Malin + Goetz toiletries.

Nothing, it seemed, was left to chance, in-

cluding the offerings in the Sternewirth bar,

where I waited for friends to arrive and

sipped a cocktail called the Three Emmas

(gin, Gran Classico, absinthe and apricot

liqueur) and learned more about Emma

Koehler.

Most of the narratives, official and other-

wise, include the following “facts”: When she

was injured in an accident in 1910 , her hus-

band hired a young, attractive nurse named

Emmato help athome. Otto and the younger

Emma had an affair, and if that weren’t con-

fusing enough, he also took up with a friend

of the younger Emma, also named … Emma.

On Nov.12, 1914 , the third Emma shot and

killed Otto and later skipped town. (She

eventually returned, was tried and found not

guilty.)

After my friends arrived, we toasted the

original Emma several times before walking

across the street to NAO Latin Gastro Bar

for dinner.

The Pearl is home to an impressive array

of restaurants, no doubt attracted by the

master planning and a campus of the Culi-

nary Institute of America, one of country’s

most prominent hospitality and food-serv-

ice schools.

Students at CIA San Antonio can spe-

cialize in Latin American food. Many of

them end up working at NAO, just a few

steps from the school.

At 9 p.m. on a Tuesday, only a few tables

were taken, which contributed to the re-

laxed atmosphere. The wait staff was

friendly and attentive; empty dishes disap-

peared and Pisco sours arrived as if by mag-

ic.

We ordered heirloom tomatoes, roasted

seasonal vegetables and steak that was

cooked to a bougainvillea pink, and con-

sumed everything in sight.

Relaxed atmosphere

Everyone has to stop eating, if only

briefly, and the grounds of the Hotel Emma,

which abuts the San Antonio River, are a

good place for solitude and contemplation

of handsome landscaping.

The location is also a short walk from the

Museum Reach section of the River Walk

and the San Antonio Museum of Art. If you

need wheels, the hotel offers loaner bikes to

guests.

Many of the streets near the Emma are

lined with restaurants known for their local

and artisanal offerings. Bakery Lorraine’s

includes a savory bread pudding; barley,

farro and toasted almond porridge; and bo-

stock, something akin to French toast.

The menu at Cured, which emphasizes

“handcrafted” and cured foods, includes a

charcuterie plate with an impressive list of

choices: lamb terrine, goat merguez, apple

jalapeño pork rillettes and smoked duck

ham among them.

Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery

serves “Texas coastal comfort food” with an

adventurous selection of beer and ale.

Consumers in need of a caffeine jolt can

stop at Local Coffee, home to baristas who

approach an order with something akin to

reverence.

Boutiques in the Pearl sell an array of

goods — hand-made bath salts, a crocodile

iPad case, a side table topped with a slice of

agate, vintage silver cuffs, a jalapeño griller

shaped like the state of Texas and hand-

made guayaberas.

After a morning of shopping, I stopped

asking, “Do I need it?” and instead asked,

“How much will fitin my suitcase?”

Is that an indication that San Antonio is

approaching Austin-like status? It looks as

though the first cousin, once removed, is

about to emerge as an original.

trave[email protected]

TEXAS

SAN ANTONIO’S lively Pearl District is chockablock with shops, restaurants and the occasional mariachi band.

Ray Whitehouse Fo r The Times

Shiny

new

Texas

Pearl

[San Antonio, from L1]

THE TEMPTATIONS of San Antonio,

xas’,

ear

Distric

include

catching handiwork of Bakery Lorraine.

Nick Simonite

Sources: Mapbox, OpenStreetMap

Lou Spirito LosAngeles Times

Gulf of

Mexico

Oklahoma

City

Amarillo

TEXAS

OKLAHOMA

NEW

MEXICO

200 MILES

Austin

Houston

San

Antonio

Dallas

ARTISANAL offerings abound at Cured in San Antonio’s Pearl District.

Scott Martin

If you go

THE BEST WAY TO

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

From LAX, Southwest, Delta, United and

American offer both nonstop and

connecting service (change of planes) to

San Antonio. Restricted round-trip fares

from $306, including taxes and fees.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel Emma, 136 E. Grayson St.,

San Antonio; (210) 448-8300,

www.thehotelemma.com. Doubles from

$325 a night. Steampunk-meets-luxury-vibe

in what wasonce a 19th century brew house.

WHERE TO EAT

Nao Latin Gastro Bar, 312 Pearl Parkway,

San Antonio; (210) 554-6484,

www.naorestaurant.com. Latin cuisine, with

dishes such as empanadas, duck carnitas

and charred octopus. Main dishes from

$18-$68.

Cured, No. 101 306 Pearl Parkway, San

Antonio; (210) 314-3929, curedatpearl.com.

Regional ingredients and “lovingly

hand-crafted cured foods,” so don’t be

surprised if you find yourself ordering pork

belly. Main dishes $24-$42.

Southerleigh Fine Fo od & Brewery, 136 E.

Grayson St., No. 120, San Antonio; (210)

455-5701, www.southerleigh.com. Modern

Texas meets modern South, with

cracker-crusted Gulf redfish and cheddar,

bacon and chive biscuits. Main dishes

$20-$35.

TO LEARN MORE

Visit San Antonio, visitsanantonio.com