Bullpepper's Old Towne Cafe
Tyler Hopper
review, but here goes.
I took the family there Sat. night. We got there ~7:15 and the place seemed
about 1/2 full. Not surprising since (AFAIK) there has been no advertising.
The first thing that struck us was the friendliness of the staff. All were very
cordial and we were seated immediately. What I assume were mgmt. staff visited
us and the rest of the patrons several times.
The second thing that struck us was what they've done with the place. It had
been several years since we'd been there, but it had become a real dump.
Recalling past visits, I was surprised that the City safety and health folks let
them (previous tenants) stay open. Bullpepper's is very open and generally very
cleaned up. No pretention or vertical food here. There is a deck patio that
looks inviting when the weather is cooperative. Some of you may recall that the
previous tenants had 2 restaurants there. Bullpepper's appears to have just
incorporated the old Hofbrau part into a spacious reception and kitchen area.
We started with a couple of margaritas (of course). The waiter forewarned us
that they did not yet have the frozen machine and would have to make them in a
blender. I had the large frozen anyway and my wife ordered a rocks meltdown
(with Cointreau). The meltdown was very good and the frozen was more than
serviceable after a healthy squeeze of fresh lime juice. Pretty much the same as
most of us would make at home. I expect the frozen norm to be well above average
when the proper equipment arrives.
If you look at the menu, (http://www.bullpeppers.com) you'll see that someone
had way too much fun naming the dishes. Also, a great deal of creativity went
into the food. I've never seen so diverse a menu in S.A.
Our first dish was an appetizer of the Bull Dozers. These are egg rolls (yes)
filled with smoked chicken, bacon, roasted corn and black beans (~$4.00). I
predict these will become legendary in S.A. I expected them wrapped in a fried
tortilla but they really are in egg roll wrappers. There is a smoked honey dijon
dip that is a lot better than I expected. The smokiness covers the honey just
enough.
When we ordered the entrees we added an order of the Mad Cow salsa and chips
(~$2.00). Normally I would be offended at paying extra for this but it is
probably the best salsa I've ever had. Seriously, they need to bottle and sell
this separately. It is an 8 pepper salsa that is "So Hot It Drives The Heifers
Crazy". All I can say is that you just have to try it. Be forewarned, it _is_
pretty hot.
I ordered the tenderloin anticucho (~$9.00). It is hunks of bacon wrapped pork
tenderloin skewered with poblanos and grilled. It is served with chipotle lime
sour cream, rice, black beans and flour tortillas. The pork was cooked to
perfection, done all the way through while still very moist and tender. The
black beans were very good and would make a very nice soup on their own. The
rice was a great surprise and quite exceptional. Most places dump it on as an
after thought and it is, at least, dried out and crunchy or a mass of goo. This
rice is moist, tender, separate and very nicely flavored with an array of herbs.
My daughter ordered the Steak Sausalito (~$9.00). Penne pasta with grilled steak
strips and avocado cream sauce. It is topped with roasted corn, cheese, and
pico. This is an incredibly rich dish. The flavors creep up on you one at a
time. Also be forewarned that this is a huge plate of food. It will easily feed
2 hungry people.
Finally, my wife ordered the chicken fried chicken (~$7.00). Surprisingly, while
all of the other food was great, this was the star of the night. Somehow,
they've figured out how to put on a nicely thick crust without making you look
around for the meat. The fry cook knows their business. It was cooked to a nice
brown crispness without being crunchy and not a hint of grease in the crust. The
corn side dish was buttered and had comino. Very tasty. The mashed potatoes were
excellent but the cream/black pepper gravy was stellar. Not thin and runny and
not a thick glop. Pretty much perfect. If the CFS is anywhere close to this, I
have found Ken Mussey's nirvana for a very reasonable $7.
I can't really give an honest review of the service. We went in knowing that we
intended to spend a couple of hours there and let the waiter know it up front.
He acted accordingly and was there when we needed him but otherwise left us
alone. Perfect as far as we are concerned but YMMV.
One final thing I would observe is just a guess on my part. This food is
prepared one dish at a time (more or less). It is not your every day, mass
produced, get it on the table and get the next group seated kind of place. When
the food comes to the table, it is ready and it is right. We were never in the
middle of one thing when the next thing came out. I don't know what normal
operations will be since they've been opened only a week. However, I would guess
that it's not some place you would expect to go for a quick bite of supper.
Also, the menu is exceptionally diverse. It doesn't look like the place where I
would go and get the same thing every time. It will, thankfully, take many trips
to get all the way through the menu. My kind of place.
Bullpepper's is at 9903 San Pedro in the old location of another has-been San
Antonio institution.
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After having read this, it kinda looks like an ad. It isn't. I have no interest
in Bullpepper's whatsoever. In fact, I have never eaten at another of the
family's restaurants and not met any of the family before last Sat. night. I
have hoped since we moved here that someone would have the gumption to come up
with a menu like theirs and then execute it with great quality. Bullpepper's has
done exactly that.
__________________________
Tyler Hopper
Don Jordan
tho...@postoffice.swbell.net wrote:
> I guess that I'm surprised that I get to pop Bullpepper's Usenet
cherry with a
> review, but here goes.
>
Though their various shrimp dishes and particularly the stuffed
portobello sound tremendous, my secret hope is that their more
spectacular specialties will complement a few really drop-dead comfort
foods, like the CFS, meatloaf, and (maybe someday) a Chicken with
Garlic Dumplings and Chilipetines. Your comments on the Chicken-Fried
Chicken are encouraging!
-DrJ-
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Laura
I didn't want to be the first (I know, I'm a wimp!) to write about
Bullpepper's. So, now I can tell you about our wonderful experience.
Harrison and I went in last Monday night at about 7pm. Not too many
people there, due to lack of publicity. This is fine with me, though.
Anyhow, the decor is charming. We were struck by how pleasing the
tables were set, with Southwestern colored napkins arranged in a diamond
in the middle of the table, with the hanging lamps shining a lovely
spotlight right in the middle. The lights are great - not too bright,
and not hung so low that you get a crick in your neck trying to see your
dining companion!
First we ordered appetizers. We, too, ordered Bull-dozers. These
things are terrific! As Tyler said, everything is made to order, so
every single thing we got was hot and fresh. I also ordered the
Chili-mac as an appetizer (this was a mistake, tho). This really is too
much for an appetizer. I was a little disappointed, though, in that the
chili had no beans. The mac was served in a separate bowl, overflowing,
and had shredded cheese on top. So, to get the chili mac, you had to do
some mixing. I wouldn't mind, but it's awkward. Plus, there was too
much mac and not enough chili. This definitely has potential for being
great, but it needs to be honed a little.
For the main course, I ordered the basic bacon cheeseburger (sort of my
test plate) and Harrison ordered the grilled pork tenderloin sandwich.
Both came with french fries. The thing that struck Harrison was how
beautiful the presentation of the food is. He remarked that it takes
real ingenuity to make a dish look so good when it's served in a plastic
basket! He's right - both meals arrived looking great - the veggies for
the burger and sandwich were very carefully arranged and nothing looked
as if it had been thrown together. Harrison's fries were woefully
undercooked. He mentioned it to the manager, who was walking around
making sure all was O.K., and he immediately apologized and brought us a
HUGE basket of newly fried fries. They were fantastic. Both of us ate
WAY too much. One other thing - when Harrison was reading the menu, he
noticed that there was a garlic mayonnaise served on another dish. When
his pork sandwich arrived, he took one bite and said, "You know, this
would be great with some of that garlic mayo". We asked, and it came
right out. He was right - it DID taste great. His sandwich was cooked
perfectly - thorough, but not overcooked, with a lovely flavor I
couldn't identify. My burger was excellent. Juicy but not greasy, the
bun was fresh, the bacon tasted very good.
I really wanted dessert, but I would have exploded. It would not have
been pretty.
All in all, this was a very pleasant dining experience. The menu is
very unique with many items I can't wait to try. The prices are
average, our meal was under $25.
Highly recommended!!!
--------------------------
lmg _ Laura M. Grindle
(_/_) vo...@flash.net
_ / _ ,_ _
(_/\_)(_/_/_/_/ \_(_/__)
--------------------------
Tyler Hopper wrote:
>
> I guess that I'm surprised that I get to pop Bullpepper's Usenet cherry with a
> review, but here goes.
> <big snip>
> I have hoped since we moved here that someone would have the gumption to come up
> with a menu like theirs and then execute it with great quality. Bullpepper's has
> done exactly that.
>
> __________________________
> Tyler Hopper
--
Jerry Jungmann
> Chili-mac as an appetizer (this was a mistake, tho). This really is too
> much for an appetizer. I was a little disappointed, though, in that the
> chili had no beans. The mac was served in a separate bowl, overflowing,
> and had shredded cheese on top. So, to get the chili mac, you had to do
> some mixing. I wouldn't mind, but it's awkward. Plus, there was too
> much mac and not enough chili. This definitely has potential for being
> great, but it needs to be honed a little.
Laura,
This is really funny (well only in a perverted way). The wait person (I
forget who) presented your order to the kitchen noting that the guest (had
no idea it was you) wanted the Mac and Chili separate. I was expediting and
when I saw a cup of chili and a bowl of pasta with a sprinkling of cheddar
appear in the pick up, my voice raised a couple octaves as I said something
to the effect "that is the stupidest thing (actually, I may have injected a
few expletives)...why in the world would anyone want..." I ranted and raved
but the waiter assured me that the guest wants it served separate. I
promise you this is story is true! Do you remember your waiter's name? I
want to get out the guillotine!
The Chili Mac is always served on a platter with a proportionate amount of
chili and beans to mac, topped with cheddar and baked.
BTW many Texans do not like beans in their chili. In fact, many insist that
original Texas chili does not contain beans. The menu offers chili with or
without beans, however, the Chili Mac is,a as above noted, supposed to
include beans, but they were not part of that "special" order..!!!
When you visit again, I'll have it made for you correctly on the house.
Jerry
Laura M. Grindle
ROFLMAO!!!!
Harrison and I just figured out what happened! Pretty funny, I agree!
Here it is: we both wanted to try appetizers, and I had ordered the
chili-mac and the burger. Then the waiter asked me if I wanted the
chili-mac served WITH my burger (I guess he knew it was intended as a
main course), and I, in my most charming and articulate manner, said,
"No, I want the chili-mac separate," meaning, "No, I want it as an
appetizer!". Ha! Well, as you described it, the dish sounds
WONDERFUL! Even though I don't think the waiter did anything wrong, I
may have to take you up on your offer, anyway! ;-D Plus, I don't
remember his name. ;-)
--------------------------
lmg _ Laura M. Grindle
(_/_) vo...@flash.net
_ / _ ,_ _
(_/\_)(_/_/_/_/ \_(_/__)
--------------------------
--
David Wright
wrote:
>Jerry,
>
>ROFLMAO!!!!
>
Me too!
I hope Jerry uses this story in his sure-to-be-a-best-seller called
"Why did I ever get into this business!"
David, still laughing
Jerry Jungmann
Unfortunately, the humor of poor communication is usually lost in food
mistakes and unhappy guests. We constantly brow- beat the staff into the
practice of repeating the order. Some, however, just don't get it, and then
blame the mistake on the guest. A waitress, who spent her first 25 years
living under a rock, put a ticket into the bar for a "Roman Coke" (Italian
restaurant - why not?). The bartender said "what the ___ is a "Roman
Coke" - the waitress replied "uh...Amaretto and Coke". Of course, the guest
really wanted and actually ordered a "Rum & Coke". Ahhhgggghhh!
Here's some benign restaurant humor:
The term "86" is used to mean "delete" as in "Cheeseburger 86 onions". A
few years ago, a young college guy was hired to help in the kitchen - he was
training to make pizzas. When an order was turned in for a specialty pizza
"86 black olives". He looked at the ticket and said "Wow - they want 86
black olives on this pizza!". Everyone looked at each other and watched as
he grabbed a cup and methodically began to count out 86 black olives.
After he was counting in the teen's, no one could hold back any longer - the
entire back of the house erupted in laughter.
Jerry
David Wright <dtwr...@texas.net.spambegone> wrote in message
news:37fb5673...@news.texas.net...
Godzilla
<jung...@texas.net> wrote:
My favorite (ostensibly true) story about communication
misunderstandings took place at the renowned Peninsula Hotel in Hong
Kong. A man called for room service. When the bellboy asked what he
wanted, the man replied "San Miguel." (a well known label of beer
brewed in the Philippines.) The bellboy turned ashen and ran from the
room. A short while later, there was a knock on the door of the man's
room, and it was the Asst. Mgr. of the hotel, who blurted out:
"I'm sorry sir, but we don't do that at the Peninsula!"
"Do what?" the man replied. The Asst. Mgr. responded:
"You told the bellboy 'Send me a girl!'"
Incidentally, when I was last at the 'Pen' eleven years ago it was an
outstanding place for dining. I can't vouch for the present.
David Wright
>My favorite (ostensibly true) story about communication
>misunderstandings took place at the renowned Peninsula Hotel in Hong
>Kong. ...
I worked in Pakistan several years ago and learned just enough Urdu to
get myself in trouble every now and then. Most of the time, we camped
and had a cook who was part of our crew. Sometimes when we were on the
road from one site to another, we'd eat in a restaurant.
My guys always wanted me to order a particular dish because they knew
I couldn't hear the difference between the name of that dish and
another word. They loved it when I would ask the waiter to bring us a
"man who is blind in one eye."
David
David Wright
>FINALLY!
>
>I didn't want to be the first (I know, I'm a wimp!) to write about
>Bullpepper's. So, now I can tell you about our wonderful experience.
>
We haven't been to Bullpepper's yet, but I want to put in a word for
Zingaro's. Gina took her mom to lunch there Saturday before last and
she came home raving about the calzone (Florentine, I think it was).
We went for supper last Sunday and were delighted. She had the meat
and cheese lasagne and I, not being very hungry, had the appetizer
version of Scampi Alla Zingaresca, described as "Large shrimp stuffed
with snowcrab and cheese then roasted in white wine cream," along with
an extra side salad. With some glasses of Pino Grigio, we did just
fine. The "white wine cream" part of the description almost put me
off, but I was glad I chose what I did. It could have been cloying,
but it wasn't, and I'll look forward to having it again.
It's a small, comfortable, quiet place, with lots of windows for
natural light and with a menu much like Fratelli's. (Duh!) Just from
overhearing (well, snooping at) conversations between the waitstaff
and customers at other tables, I guessed that most of the people were
repeats. A good sign. We felt welcome and we'll be back.
David
Christi Calvert Brogan
My husband and I went to Bullpepper's for lunch (after calling to make sure
they were open ;) ) and got there a little after 11:30. The place was
completely empty, cept the painter from outside who was grabbing a drink,
but that was just because we have perfect timing! Within the 45 minutes we
were there, the place became suddenly packed!
Nick greeted us a the door and was very enthusiastic about the place. I
have to say I agree with his enthusiasm after looking the place over. It is
sortof southwest/country (my terms) decor with nice lighting. I love the
large windows in the front as I always disliked Mama's because of how dark
it was.
We each order iced tea (which was very strong) and started with an order of
the Nachos BullPopo. Now, I have to admit that I wasn't too thrilled with
them as the beans had soaked the chips and so they were impossible to pick
up, but the chipotle lime sour cream was terrific (any chance for a
recipe???). My husband like the nachos though, so all was ok.
Now, there was a bit of a mix-up with our order as my husband ordered the
Bayou Bello and got a Portabello Grill. He told the waitress though and she
returned it to the kitchen and put in the new order. Meanwhile, we worked
on my order, which was at the table.
I had the Catalina Island Chicken which was a little disappointing as it was
mostly chicken and hardly any stuffing. I was looking forward to the
pistachios and spinach, but didn't find much there. The sauce on the
chicken was great though and my husband like the dish, so he ate most of it.
The rice was terrific! Nice and fluffy with some great spicing.
Mike's Bayou Bello arrived about the time we finished my chicken and this
was the absolute best! The sauce and the crawfish were very tasty and as we
both love portabellos, it was a real treat. Again, the rice was good.
We did order dessert, just to get a taste, and it was terrific as well. We
ordered the Lonestar Butter Cake. VERY rich and melt in your mouth. All in
all the service was great, the food was good and the atmosphere was very
nice indeed. We plan on visiting again soon (maybe tonight in fact since
they are open til Midnight and we usually eat late)
One side note, on our way out the "manager" (or that's who I assume he was
as he had been there while they were working on the credit card machine
which went down right as we were trying to pay) was handling a customer
complaint and I was very impressed. It takes a lot to not only be
multi-tasking by working on the computer problem at the same time handling
grief from a customer, but even though the man was very rude (couldn't hear
what the problem was, just that his tone was very rude) this "manager" was
very polite and thanked him for his input on the restaurant. So, way to go
whoever you were! :)
Christi
Jerry Jungmann
> We each order iced tea (which was very strong) and started with an order
of
> the Nachos BullPopo. Now, I have to admit that I wasn't too thrilled with
> them as the beans had soaked the chips and so they were impossible to pick
> up, but the chipotle lime sour cream was terrific (any chance for a
> recipe???). My husband like the nachos though, so all was ok.
>
Recipe? Maybe some day if coerced by Pat Mozersky of the Express-News
(actually we have an agreement that we will only provide recipes to the
"Chef's Secrets" column - it's not just a publicity hound matter - other
reasons do exist).
> I had the Catalina Island Chicken which was a little disappointing as it
was
> mostly chicken and hardly any stuffing. I was looking forward to the
> pistachios and spinach, but didn't find much there. The sauce on the
> chicken was great though and my husband like the dish, so he ate most of
it.
> The rice was terrific! Nice and fluffy with some great spicing.
>
You had ever right to be disappointed - the chicken was made incorrectly by
someone who is no longer stuffing chickens for a living. The specs are 4oz
of stuffing. If ever you wish to give it another try, let me know and I'll
swing a special deal on the price.
>
> One side note, on our way out the "manager" (or that's who I assume he was
> as he had been there while they were working on the credit card machine
> which went down right as we were trying to pay) was handling a customer
> complaint and I was very impressed. It takes a lot to not only be
> multi-tasking by working on the computer problem at the same time handling
> grief from a customer, but even though the man was very rude (couldn't
hear
> what the problem was, just that his tone was very rude) this "manager" was
> very polite and thanked him for his input on the restaurant. So, way to
go
> whoever you were! :)
>
Greg Kilburn is the name. He has worked for us since he was 17 (he's now
31). Greg, a guitar player, wanted to be a rock star, but we convinced him
that life as a restaurateur is much more glamourous, fulfilling and
financially rewarding. Plus, you get to meet all kinds of interesting
people while repairing credit card terminals, etc. Greg thanks me profusely
everyday.
Jerry