Stella & Dot Trunk Show to Benefit BrightPink!

Image Courtesy of Bright Pink San Antonio

Happy Thursday San Antonio!! It's almost time for the weekend, and that means we're all looking for some fun things to do! Bright Pink will be hosting a Stella & Dot fundraiser on Saturday at the Quarry Hofbrau beginning at 11:00a.  Bright Pink is a wonderful organization that educates and empowers high risk men and women on the signs and symptoms and early detection of breast cancer.  If you can't make the trunk show but would still like to support Bright Pink please visit www.stelladot.com/christina and select "Bright Pink" as the event hostess. I will be attending the trunk in support of Bright Pink and can't wait to learn more about this organization and how it can help you and me! And don't worry I'll also be sharing the amazing jewelry finds too!



Pink Out!!!
-Sarah

Yoga Day in the Park!!!!! THIS SATURDAY

Image Courtesy of BikramYogaSA.com

I am super excited to attend Yoga Day in the Park THIS Saturday! It's a great organization that reaches out to San Antonians that might not normally participate in yoga.  I will be posting a formal blog after the event but I wanted to let all of my readers know about this great event beforehand!!!




Bend it like Bikram!


Sarah

Young San Antonio

Image Courtesy of Facebook.com/YoungSanAntonio

For all you 20 somethings in San Antonio, the place to be on the first Thursday of every month is at Young San Antonio. Founded by young San Antonians Blake Stouffer and Todd Hunter in 2010, the duo aims to connect other young people in the San Antonio through monthly happy hour events.  Each month Blake and Todd choose a different hot spot for happy hour. Venues have included the Quarry Hofbrau, La Gloria, and Stonewerks. Each venue has allowed patrons to experience a different restaurant/bar while exploring the surrounding area.  YSA's goal is to "shed more light on the attractiveness of San Antonio." If you're new to San Antonio or are just looking to have a great Thursday night with friends make sure to check out YSA on the first Thursday of each month!

Thanks Blake & Todd for shedding light onto some GREAT local places in San Antonio!

Make sure to "Like" their facebook page to find out where the next YSA Happy Hour event is. 




Next YSA is August 2nd!

Explore!

-Sarah

Date Night-Il Sogno Osteria

Image Courtesy of FedManWalking.com
          

Image Courtesy of the NY Times

I recently had the pleasure of eating one of the best meals of my life at Il Sogno Osteria.  Master chef Andrew Weissman pairs contemporary Italian flavors with old world Italian classics.  I was immensely impressed with the layout of Il Sogno.  As patrons walk into the restaurant they are immediately able to see the kitchen-I have a small obsession with being able to "see" the kitchen while I'm dinning. Il Sogno has a very contemporary vibe with some amazingly artistic pieces situated throughout the restaurant.

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Chef Weissman prepares a wonderful Antipasti table for patrons to self-serve as an appetizer. It is key not to rush your dinning experience, but enjoy every savory bite of the Antipasti before moving on the the main course.  The main menu has to die for meals, but the daily specials far exceed the regular menu items. Part of unraveling San Antonio was to allow me (somewhat forcefully) to step outside of my comfort zone and many of my friends will attest that I DO NOT step out of my comfort zone ever...for example I order the same drink at Starbucks every day and eat the same PB&J sandwich for lunch since 1st grade. My comfort zone was put to the test when I ordered one of the specials instead my usual go to pizza meals. I can honestly tell every reader that the shrimp and gnocchi was of the most delicious meals I have had in a long time! Situated on a plate coated with a light buttery cream sauce the shrimp and gnocchi excited my taste-buds and filled my stomach to the brim.  I plan to get out of my comfort zone a lot more frequently after this great experience.   

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A few of my girl friends did order off the main menu and I was very impressed with both the pizzas that were ordered. I am a traditional pizza eater-pepperoni or cheese is just fine with me. Luckily, my friend ordered the pizza and I was able to snatch a quick bite and snap a picture. I quickly entertained the idea of ordered the cheese pizza to go and eat it the next day, but I was too full at this point to even think about eating again.

I was not able to partake in what looked to be another great course, the dessert menu. I attended dinner at Il Sogno Osteria for my close friend's birthday and came bearing cupcakes from Pam's Patio Kitchen (you can read my post about Pam's Patio Kitchen here). Now I have the PERFECT excuse to go back to Il Sogno....desserts. 


Location:
200 East Grayson Street #100  
San Antonio, TX 78215
(210) 223-3900


Hours: 
Closed Mondays
Tuesday-Friday 7:30a-9:30p
Saturdays 8:30a-9:30p
Sundays 11:30a-9:00p


Price:
$25 and up (depending on if you order a drink or two)


PERFECT DATE NIGHT SPOT!


Ciao!
-Sarah

Good Eat & Sweet Treats- Lunch at Pam's Patio Kitchen

Image Courtesy of Pam's Patio Kitchen

Many of my friends know about my restaurant obsession... Pam's Patio Kitchen. Nestled in the corner of a shopping center at the corner of Lockehill-Selma & Wurzbach lies a wonderful lunch and dinner spot perfect for a quick lunch bite or a relaxing evening on their patio.  Pam's Patio mixes quick order at the counter lunches with seated dinners with great selections of beer and wine.  Their lunch selections include soups, salads, and sandwiches but with a twist.  One of the great things about Pam's Patio is their take on the standard sandwich.  Who wants to eat a plan Jane turkey sandwich? I know I don't.  So, let's take a look at their two turkey sandwiches and some other yummy lunch dishes.  

Claire's Turkey & Avocado Sandwich- Turkey, Avocado, Cream Cheese, Sprouts, Baby Spinach, & Tomato on your Bread choice (YUM)


Val's Special- Focaccia Bread spread with Cream Cheese & Guacamole, with Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato & Marinated Red Onion (YUM)


Each day Pam's Patio Kitchen features 3 soups, one of which is will always be chicken tortilla soup. The other 2 soups vary from creamy potato, tomato basil, fall harvest, Tom Kai Gai (beware this soup is VERY spicey), Cajun gumbo, chili poblano, cream of asparagus, or fire roasted red bell pepper. My personal fav is the creamy potato; this delish soup has big chunks of potatoes, black pepper, bacon bits and cheese. It is the absolute perfect soup for a cold winter day. 


If you're looking for some leafy greens, Pam's Patio Kitchen, makes a wide variety of fresh homemade salads. Make sure to get the spinach and strawberry salad this summer. Its light and refreshing-perfect for a hot summer day. 

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Make sure to save room for their wonderful desserts. Baked daily, the dessert spread ranges from Key Lime tarts to their infamous black bottom cupcake. This isn't the type of cupcake you should share with your friends/date; ordered it for yourself and enjoy every savory bite!


Location: 
11826 Wurzbach Road  
San Antonio, TX 
78230


Lunch Hours:
11:00a-3:00p


Price:
$6.00-$12.00






Check back soon to read about dinner at Pam's Patio Kitchen!

Girls Night Out-Westin La Cantera Margarita's & Mani's

Photo Courtesy of Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort

Westin La Cantera's Margarita's and Mani's is the PERFECT week night out! This event has become a monthly ritual for me and my girlfriends. Setup in the Steinheimer's Lounge,  overlooking the beautiful hill country and elegant hotel pool lies Margarita's and Mani's. On the 2nd Thursday of every month the Castle Rock Health Club & Spa provides low cost manicures or hand massages to local ladies in San Antonio. For $20 (what a steal!!!) you can choose from either of those two options, get a margarita, and order half off appetizers. Not only is this a perfect setting to enjoy the wonderful Hill Country, but it is also a great place to catch up with your girlfriends while being pampered. Not only is the manicure great, but so is the food. Their trio of queso, salsa, and guac is very tastey as is their calamari, but the best item to order isn't on the menu-pulled pork nachos. Just ask, they will make it!


This is also a great event to take an out of town guest or your mother/mother-in-law

• 
  
• Location:
• The Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort

• 16641 La Cantera Parkway

• San Antonio, TX

• 78256

Contact:
events@dasaspa.com
(210) 558-2252


Price:
$20


To see their complete event calendar for the remainder of 2012 click here

Bikram Yoga en Español

Image Courtesy of Bikram Yoga San Antonio

Bikram Yoga San Antonio has started teaching yoga classes once a week in Spanish. Unknowingly, I went to take a class last night and ended up spending 90 minutes in the hot room for Spanish yoga. Disclaimer- I wasn't planning on blogging about yoga two days in a row, but I really wanted to share with my readers how awesome Spanish yoga is! (A few of the instructors at BYSA are from Mexico/South America).  Spanish yoga is a great concept for San Antonio, the city has a huge Spanish language influence with many of its residents speaking Spanish as their first language.  Bikram Yoga can be very overwhelming the first time as you try and following 26 postures in a 105 degree heated room for 90 minutes.  Spanish yoga reaches out deeper into the community and allows more first-timers to come try this amazing yoga that could change your life (it definitely changed mine). For the non-Spanish speakers, don't be deterred for taking a Spanish class, I thoroughly enjoyed the class and it challenged me to pay even more attention to the instructor and focus deeply on my postures.   

Here is the Yoga en Español schedule for the remainder of July 

Classes en Espanol

July 22 - 12:00pm @ Hollywood Park
July 31 - 9:00am @ Huebner Oaks

Locations:

Hollywood Park Studio

18130 US Highway 281 North (also known as San Pedro Ave.)
Suite 94
San Antonio TX, 78232

Huebner Oaks Studio

11255 Huebner Rd., Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78230

Price:

Single Class $15

First Timers Special $20 (10 days of consecutive yoga)

FYI-I recommend getting to your first yoga class 30 minutes to pay, hear the introduction, and get acclimated to the hot room.

Image Courtesy of Bikram Yoga San Antonio

Sweat On!

-Sarah

Deals & Steals-Lululemon's FREE Saturday Yoga

Okay San Antonians who doesn't love something FREE??? The super trendy and pricey Lululemon offers a free yoga class each Saturday morning from 9:00a-10:00a at their Quarry Market Store.  My fellow yoga lover Maria introduced me to their great steal, and let me tell you it's a steal!!

Normally I am a Bikram girl, but I couldn't resist trying out Lululemon's Saturday morning series, and let me tell you, Lululemon does Saturday morning yoga right! Each month a different yoga studio from the San Antonio area is featured in their in-store class. For those yoga rookies, this is the PERFECT way to preview a studio before buying a package or signing a contract.  This month Yoga Shala SA is their featured studio. 

Image Courtesy of Yoga Shala San Antonio

Lululemon's Saturday Morning Series-Yoga Shala SA 

I went to Lululemon this past Saturday with 2 of girl friends and fellow yogi's. The first thing that really impressed me about the instructor (Kornelia) was that she went around the store and introduced herself to every person in the room-first impressions go a long way with me and she already exceeded the bar.  We began this class with the traditional "OM" and began to practice Vinyasa style (or flow yoga) for the next hour. Kornelia challenged me in new postures that tested my balance and endurance and I could already begin to feel the soreness in my muscles. Overall, it was a great class, but the one con was that the instructor would sometimes get ahead of herself and would almost skip half of a posture. 

One IMPORTANT thing to know-this class fills up fast, and I would recommend arriving no later than 8:40a to insure a good spot in front of the instructor (this is a MUST if this is your first yoga class ever). 

Location: 

255 E. Basse Road 
San Antonio, TX
78209

Class Time:

Saturdays- 9:00a-10:00a

Price:

FREE!!!!!!!!

Check Lululemon's community events calendar click here .

Get ReVIVED

Image: redwingaerials.com

Many of my readers might feel like San Antonio is boring, full of Mexican food, and tourists, but that's just not the case.  It took me a few years to figure out that San Antonio ACTUALLY has so much to offer a young 20 something looking to have a great night out with the girls, or shop at a hip and trendy boutique, spend an afternoon at a vineyard (within driving distance of SA), or go on a fabulous date with their other half. I want to share with everyone all the fun things I do with my great group of girl friends and romantic date night spots with my fiance.  I want to unravel all the great things that San Antonio has to offer, many of which took me years to find and probably many more years before I unravel this great city!

Stay Cool SA!

-Sarah