Gini’s Yaps – Restaurants on the Road | Market on Houston – San Antonio, TX

Gini is traveling with her Mother-in-Law and has a new column for us entitled, Restaurants on the Road.

She will share her insights into the dining experiences they have on the road from Los Angeles to Atlanta.

I can’t wait to see what she has to say, as always it will be entertaining.

Let us know what you think in the comments below. We always welcome your thoughts on our content.

M.O.H./Market on Houston, San Antonio, TX (http://www.marketonhouston.com/)
Type: Americana
Price: $$1/2 out of $$$$$

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

“Why is this place not packed morning, noon, and night?” Me, every time I was in it and every time I walked by.

Market on Houston is inside the Sheraton that’s adjacent to the Riverwalk and Alamo area of San Antonio. It was our first meal in San Antonio (dinner) and also our last (breakfast). And it was our last because it had been our first.

Since we’re driving cross-country, we haven’t packed our formalwear. Meaning that a lot of restaurants were not available to us, seeing as I have the nerve to be a walking billboard for all things Victoria’s Secret on this trip and am, therefore, not allowed to spend my money at “fine dining establishments” and instead had to find establishments who didn’t find my really expensive sandals and slogan sweat suits to be an issue.

Which brought us to Market on Houston or M.o.H. as they like to call themselves.

The place was basically empty, at around 7pm, and the people who were ahead of us looked at some review and bolted. We chose to stay. And were treated to a delicious meal and extremely attentive service.

I love fried chicken, but I don’t like white meat all that much. Most places serve white meat. But M.o.H.’s Buttermilk Brined Fried Chicken offered a breast and a thigh – and when I requested two thighs, I got two thighs, no fuss, no muss. And what chicken it was. Delicious, perfectly cooked and seasoned on a bed of garlic spinach and, due to my food allergies, pan roasted brussels sprouts. This was definitely the best way to get in my veggies. The entire meal was fantastic. The Seared Scallops with Saffron Risotto were equally excellent. The only reason we didn’t lick the plates was that we chose to have dessert – marbled cheesecake and chocolate mousse, both delish.

The restaurant is attached to a doggy bakery and at lunch time you can have a meal for your best four-legged friend served, too.
The prices are cheap for a major hotel and, frankly, far more reasonable than all but one restaurant on the Riverwalk. And yet, we were one of only seven people, total, eating dinner there. We walked by the restaurant often – it was always deserted, having, possibly, five people in it at any one time, though the bellman at our hotel insisted M.o.H. got a good lunch crowd. Possibly.

Breakfast on our last day was nice. Our waiter urged us to have the buffet, so that our coffee and (large and refillable) glasses of orange and tomato juice would be included. The pancakes were made special order and they were excellent, light, fluffy, and flavorful. We could have had fresh made omelets, but chose instead to go for the fluffy and tasty scrambled eggs, the better to have room for those pancakes. The biscuits and gravy looked terrific, but again we refrained because, well, pancakes. There were more choices in the buffet, including fresh fruit that was quite tasty, but we really wanted those pancakes. We could have had more, only we were too full.

Because we had our little dog with us, we were sitting on the patio, and, for the first time, people showed up and stuck around. There were easily as many people eating breakfast there, once we’d broken the ice, I guess, as I’d seen the entire time we’d been in San Antonio. And I don’t get it.

M.o.H. is nicely appointed, staffed by people who are both efficient and friendly and go out of their way to make the guests feel special, the prices are reasonable especially as compared to the tourist trap restaurants on the Riverwalk, and the food is excellent. I cannot understand why we didn’t have an hour wait to get in. I cannot understand why people looked at the menu and passed it by to go eat at Joe’s Crabshack or Landry’s or Dick’s Last Resort or any other number of chain restaurants that offer the same thing in San Antonio that they do everywhere else for higher prices and less quality than M.o.H. I can’t understand why it’s attractive bar barely had anyone there drinking. I cannot understand why M.o.H. isn’t a “must go” restaurant. It should be. If you’re in San Antonio, go to Market on Houston and enjoy a fantastic meal in the privacy of your own restaurant.

Definitely Try: Buttermilk Brined Fried Chicken, Seared Scallops and Saffron Risotto, Chocolate Mousse, Pancakes

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