Day Trips

Cured, the San Antonio restaurant occupying the former administration building of the old Pearl Brewery, blends local flavors with international cuisines to produce a menu of culinary art.

Chef Steve McHugh arrived in the Alamo City in 2010, after building a reputation for innovation in New Orleans. "You have a completely different set of ingredients in New Orleans than you do in South Texas," Steve says. "San Antonio is steeped in food history and culture."

The restaurant is named for Steve's survival of cancer and his personally cured meats. Every week he buys whole lambs, goats, and pigs directly from local producers, cures the meat on-site, and then prepares it as Italian-style charcuterie. Steve's pâtés are especially outstanding.

The restaurant gets 85% of its ingredients from local producers. "It makes it interesting," Steve says. "Because we shape the menu around what's in season, it's a challenge and lots of fun."

You can often find Steve in front of the restaurant during Saturday's farmers' market handing out samples. The restaurant is casual enough to have a lively happy hour and sedate enough for late-night dining.

Cured is at 306 Pearl Parkway and opens for lunch and dinner, Mon.-Sat. To look over the menu, go to www.curedatpearl.com or call 210/314-3929 for reservations.

During the entire month of October, Cured will present unique dishes and drink specials with a portion of the sales going to fighting breast cancer.

1,203rd in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of "Day Trips," is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.