Ladino

200 E. Grayson St. #100, (210) 325-6007.

family dines inside at Ladino in San Antonio, Texas

Serving Sephardic Jewish cuisine--an old traditional style of Mediterranean fare--in a rustic contemporary setting, this unusual restaurant is a delightful surprise.

Cocktails are interesting. I drank Persephone’s Kiss, a tasty mix of tequila, pomegranate, salgam, and mint. Others in my group ordered the unusual house raki service based on a strong, anise-flavored liqueur, and the sophisticated wine list has representation from Oregon to Israel.

raki drink service at Ladino in San Antonio, Texas

Mezza plates are exceptional and include a large variety of vegetarian dishes as well as some meat-based dishes. A plate of substantial, very large pita breads are included. Hummus with a topping of roasted cauliflower, capers, and pickled lemon is a personal favorite, along with unphotogenic but spectacular leeks in olive oil with kohlrabi greens (so good I laughed with the waitress that she should take the plate away before I ate that, too). A plate of spicy Feta cheese, another of fried eggplant, and some beets with za’atar and crispy rice satisfied my party of four. However, we opted for additional plates of shishbarak (beef and lamb dumplings) and fish koftqa with white beans and chermoula.

hummus with pita bread at Ladino in San Antonio, Texas

shishbarak at Ladino in San Antonio, Texas

fish koftqa at Ladino in San Antonio, Texas

A favorite dessert is pistachilo-topped knafeh (order early as it takes 30 minutes to prepare), but our new bestie is krembo, which with its marshmallow top looks like a crème brulelle, but which is layered inside with a dreamy, creamy dark chocolate namelaka, sour cherries, and hazelnuts.