Lodging & Leisure

The Popcorn Queen's guide to San Antonio

By ELLISE PIERCE

Former model Tara Staglik and former corporate secretary Katherine Graves own Papa Dean's Popcorn shop in San Antonio (read their story here). Here are some of Tara's favorite things about Alamo City.

Best Place to Stare at Art "Guadalupe Crossing Market in Waring, Texas. Just steps from the [Guadalupe] river, it's a unique place to meet locals, drink wine, and not only buy or admire art, but talk about it, too. It's like an art club." 542 Waring-Welfare Road, www.guadalupecrossing.com.

Best Body Shop "For a great workout, I love Joe's Pilates. Tesa Gonzalez has a loyal client base, which includes at least one Hollywood celebrity." Alamo Heights, 210-822-2118.

Coolest Swimming Holes "We hang out at the world-famous Alamo Heights Pool every single day during the summer. Local celebrities, including Charlie Robison, are often spotted, and the selection of Mexican beer is impressive, not to mention the never-ending La Fonda salsa and chips." 250 Viesca St., 210-824-2595, www.heightspool.com.

Boot-Scootin' "The world-famous Floore's Country Store. It's the place to go not only on the weekend, but also be sure not to miss their Wednesday steak night. You can catch The Gougers with their soulful original lyrics or The Drugstore Cowboys with their sing-along favorites, enjoy a very nice steak, and be back home before the evening news starts." 14492 Old Bandera Road, Helotes, 210-695-8827, www.liveatfloores.com.

Best Friday Night Out "Pull up your knee socks and lace up your skates and head out to the old Rollercade, still on Recoleta, where it's always been, and four-wheel around the rink in a sort of secret society. If you're really diggin' it, and if you dare, come back once a month for the Alamo City Rollergirls Roller Derby match." 233 Recoleta, 210-826-6361, www.therollercade.com.

Least-known Best Summer Event "The San Antonio Film Festival screens in late June. Just being there makes you instantly cool." Instituto Cultural de México en San Antonio, 600 Hemisfair Park, 210-977-9004, www.safilm.com. Best Fiesta Event "The [Texas] Cavaliers River Parade, always the Monday night of Fiesta. It's especially great when you have your own party right on the water. There is simply nothing like it anywhere — it's pomp and flash with floats that actually, well, float. www.texascavaliers.org/parade.aspx.

Football Fridays "Alamo Heights is a small town, and on Friday nights it's hard to resist the call of the game. From the pop shop, the pop gals can always hear the sounds of the high school band, and the announcer's play-by-play fervor has been known to cause a spontaneous purchase of a $7 general admission ticket. Go Mules!" www.ahisd.net.

Best Place for a Spontaneous Picnic "The [Hannah] Landa [Memorial] Library, next to Trinity University, where the Landa Gardens Conservancy is. The grounds of the public library are perfect for a sack lunch with the kids — a free day the easy way, and in view of the city." 233 Bushnell, 210-732-8369, www.sanantonio.gov.

Best Tortilla Soup "Twin Sisters in Sunset Ridge. Don't forget the cornbread muffins. The tortilla soup has a tomato base, not a broth base, and it's oh-so-cheesy and rich! The art on the wall is always changing, and the giant community table always has an open seat if the other tables are full." 6322 N. New Braunfels, 210-822-2265, www.twinsistersbakeryandcafe.com.

Best Sunday Brunch "MadHatters in the heart of the King William [Historic] District is the place to be. Best-ever eggs. And check out the fishbowl mimosas! Droves of folks walk up, bike up, and drive up in their Beetles and 911 Cabrios." 320 Beauregard, 210-212-4832.

Best Jukebox and Chicken-Fried-Steak Place "Good Time Charlie's. Tell Joan Jett it takes more than a dime in the jukebox, baby, but the song selection is well-worth the crisp dollars you'll helplessly feed it like it's a baby bird. We always stay longer than we planned so we can hear all our songs. The chicken fry is bigger than the very big plate, and the gravy is peppered just right!" 2922 Broadway St., 210-828-5392, www.gtcsatx.com.

Best Place for a Real Margarita "Beto's on Broadway. And don't forget the famous empanadas — you can buy them by the dozen to go." 8142 Broadway St., 210-930-9393, www.betoscomidalatina.com.

Best Patio Dining "SoLuna. Look closely — you might see someone famous. The patio is large and takes up the full corner at the entrance, so you can see everybody who comes in." 7959 Broadway St., 210-930-8070, www.solunasa.com.

Best Place for Eats with the Kids "MoMak's. Mom and Dad can enjoy a cold beer, great service, and a great Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Kids love the free play the giant AstroTurf field offers." 13838 Jones Maltsberger Road, 210-481-3600, www.momaks.com.

Best Queso and Chips "Adelante. It's also the only place I've ever seen a tofu enchilada! Healthy Mexican cuisine, and might we add they have quite possibly the best refrigerator in the Western hemisphere. The bottled beer they serve is the coldest ever. It's across the street from the Popcorn Bar, so at the end of the day when we need a cold one, it's a mere 60 steps away." 21 Brees Blvd., 210-822-7681.

Best Upscale Mexican "Paloma Blanca. Always pleasantly crowded and a great place to be. The fish tacos and the guac rock!" 5800 Broadway St., 210-822-6151, www.palomablanca.net.

Best Sushi "Koi Kawa. Keep your eyes peeled for a certain ‘U.S. Marshal' (Tommy Lee Jones), but don't even think about asking for an autograph — that just wouldn't be cool, man." 4051 Broadway St., 210-805-8111.

Issue: September 2009