Ron Bechtol

From surprising restaurant closings to openings that elevated the local food scene, it was a big year for dining in the Alamo City.

The newish spot seats just 25 guests, features a simple menu and gets most of the details just right.

The 'cue staple has retained its strengths after departing San Antonio's South Side.

The restaurant marks a return to elegant cooking for the culinary powerhouse behind Le Rêve, Sandbar and Il Sogno.

The restaurant marks a return to elegant cooking for the culinary powerhouse behind Le Rêve, Sandbar and Il Sogno.

Both the empanadas and arepas proved top-notch, and so did the Venezuelan variations on hamburgers and hot dogs.

Deserts at bliss aren't just blissful, they're decadent. To judge by the number of publicity touts for new restaurants that scroll across my screen in any

Naco Mexican Grayson operates from a shipping container on Grayson Street near the Pearl. Husband and wife team Francisco Estrada and Lizzeth Martinez

Ro-Ho Pork & Bread made its name with tortas ahogadas, or "drowned sandwiches." Keep an eye peeled for a small red box of a building on the South Side.

Patrons belly up at the recently opened Merci Jones. It’s easy to get the summer travel blues.  The dollar is dropping against foreign currencies,