441902 Sun Sep 16 18:09:36 -0700 2007 1 5 Texas 0 2947220 I've never seen a review of Francesca's at Sunset at the Westin La Cantera Resort, although I recall that wendileigh said that their chow was "really great" but expensive: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/404896#2630961 When I was at La Cantera for business earlier this month, I took advantage of the opportunity to have dinner at Francesca's. Our party was seated despite the fact that we did not have a reservation, though we didn't get a window table and had to dine early, rather than at sunset. It seems fair to say that the rather homogenous clientele is chiefly composed of wealthy golfers, their spouses, and corporate types at conference meetings. Thus, service is (initially) on the formal side. Although this is a "Mark Miller" restaurant, which sounds like a branding term, he just consults on the menu as Executive Chef. The current chef de cuisine is Ernesto Estrada, who's a San Antonio native. Estrada replaced Jesse Perez, who was since moved to Luciano at the Strand. I ordered a delicious Oaxacan margarita (around $20) on the rocks, which was made with Del Maguey mezcal and garnished with wedges of pineapple and lime. The portion was generous, and the color a lovely golden-yellow, which was set off by the blue salt that ringed the glass. Best of all, this pristine mixed-drink showcased the wonderful mezcal, which had qualities akin to a good, smoky Scotch. I also tasted the blue-cheese-stuffed olives that garnished the solidly good CEO martini; they were wonderful all by themselves. With dinner, we compromised on a bottle of Becker Viognier. The amuse bouche for the evening was tomato-based beef ragout. It tasted slow-cooked and was very flavorful, which boded well for the meal to come. A real highpoint of the meal, for me, was the bread, which was served hot out of the oven, one piece at a time, rather than in a basket. The cornbread was among the best that I'd ever had. It contained real bits of roasted jalapeño and whole kernels of corn, which provided a smoky, complex flavor. Buttery and tender, too, not crunchy, with an almost madeline-like shape, these seemed heavenly—until I tried the scones. You may as well just think of them as biscuits, which I did. They were like the ideal version of homemade biscuits such as your mom might make: light, fluffy, tall, with a crisp, pebbled surface. The dough was rolled, and the scones were easily halved, but they were made with baking powder and were more drop-biscuit-or-scone like in texture than flaky. Bits of jalapeño in the dough were just noticeable enough for flavor. With the good European-style butter with which these were served, these were luscious. I couldn't understand why no one else was going out of their minds with pleasure. Sooooooooooo good. For an appetizer, we split a couple of orders of the “Three Sisters” tamales ($12), which included a tamal with a nicely-spiced black-bean filling; a squash-flower masa cup [like a sope] filled with summer squash; and an open-faced corn tamal topped with ricotta goat-cheese and drizzled with mole coloradito. Mexican crema was spooned on top. The chef knows his way around corn masa, although (unfortunately) it didn't taste like there was lard in it. My favorite of the three may have been the masa cup, which was formed and cooked on a comal. There were small pieces of crisp-fried pancetta sautéed with the small, thin wedges of summer squash. Luckily for me, there would be more evidence of the chef's judicious, delicious use of spices and pork. Another first course that I sampled was the "Cabrales blue cheese and asparagus ensalada" ($11) that was made with jalapeño-chile walnuts, endive, and crispy pancetta in a jalapeño-sherry vinaigrette. It seemed like there were pepitas in this salad as well. Three "sleeves" of endive were filled with half-spears of asparagus, and there were more cross-wise, thin slices of asparagus mixed with greens on the side. The spicy vinaigrette had a nice hint of mustard. Moreover, the grape-tomato-sized blue-cheese fritters were delightful: good-quality blue cheese that was softly melted with a breaded surface that was perfectly fried. For a main course, I had the spicy grilled duck legs in a duck demi-glace ($35). The duck skin was not as crisp as I would have liked, but they were tender. And the sauce was flavorful. In fact, our server told us that the demi-glace took eight hours to make, while the duck just took four. The duck came with a wild-boar-bacon and poblano hash, and sautéed haricots verts and baby carrots. I really liked the boar-bacon-rich hash, made with corn kernels, extremely-thin slices of new potatoes, and poblano peppers. In exchange for a taste of the duck confit, I sampled a few bites of sea bass in a creamy roasted-ancho sauce. This was a good piece of fish that was well cooked. White asparagus came with the sea bass, along with a wonderful side of barley that had been cooked until tender in chicken stock and spiked with Cointreau and orange juice. This was a bright complement to the creamy sauce and the rich piece of fish. We also ordered a side of bacon-flecked potato cakes made with delightfully smooth and soft mashed potatoes that were breaded and fried to perfection. The pico-de-gallo-like sauce and crema fresca gave these potato cakes a Southwestern flair. For dessert, I ordered the bizcocho or warm-chocolate cake with hibiscus and chocolate sauces and vanilla-bean ice cream. The double-chocolate mousse "cake" had a base of macadamia nuts and pepitas. The vanilla-bean ice cream was served on top. This still didn't have that dark, bittersweet chocolate flavor that I so crave, but it approximated the right ideal. Still, it may have been the best chocolate dessert that I've had all year in Texas. Other people in our group ordered the orange-caramel flan over pepitas and an olive-oil bizcocho. I didn't get a taste of it, but I was told that it was pretty good. Up to this point, I had really enjoyed this meal. Dishes were well executed, and the kitchen did a great job with sauces. The chef put together some great flavor and texture combinations, and the kitchen and staff attended to all small details. While some things were better than others (like those biscuits and any vegetables sautéed with bacon), I didn't get stuck with one bad item. Our main server Steve (who's also the sommelier and a trained chef) was extremely helpful and made our meal much more more pleasant. However, everyone in the front of the house was efficient, cordial, and professional. While waiting for our bill, we were served a trio of little treats, including a chewy, cinnamon-rich number that approached the Platonic ideal of sugar cookies; a solidly delicious butter cookie; and a disappointing truffle, which was more sweet and creamy than intensely chocolatey. The last item was okay, but to me it was the worst part of the meal. It just had too much sugar. Prices are not cheap: The total was $125 per person, including one specialty mixed drink, half a bottle of wine, an appetizer, an entree, a dessert, tax, and tip. Nonetheless, I enjoyed a very fine meal there—and of a calibre that I've experienced all-too-rarely had since moving back to Texas. I'll happily return to Francesca's the next time I want to splurge on an excellent meal in San Antonio. Who knows? Maybe I'll even make a reservation for sunset. Sun Sep 16 18:09:36 -0700 2007 10608 MPH 1 2953612 You've given this place a very pleasing review. It's such a good review that I have redoubled my efforts to find a second career to supplement my military retirement pay so I can, once again, enjoy the nicer things in our fair city and beyond. Tue Sep 18 15:19:02 -0700 2007 2947220 45425 YGBSM