Luke in San Antonio

     Yay!! This is how much I enjoyed this restaurant! Yay! Yay! Yay!! I was a little apprehensive going in after a day of shopping and trolley riding because this place is gorgeous and upscale. It is also unpretentious and loads of quiet fun. Luke (the "u" has two dots over it) is Chef John Besh's first restaurant outside his home state of Louisiana and I'm so glad he came to us. We arrived around 3 PM during happy hour and this is the perfect time to experience this laid back jewel.
      I believe our server's name was Logan and he was perfect, helpful and talkative without sitting down and sharing our snack. (Don't laugh, it's happened.) The napkins are little, white dish clothes so beware if you are wearing a black shirt. They can get you a little lint-y.
     Appetizers are on sale during happy hour and meat pies and oysters on the half shell were .50, yes fifty cents, each. The meat pies were great, flaky crust and juicy filling served with a tomato-cream sauce. They were heaven. The table next to us ordered the oysters and they were gorgeous!
     Happy hour also offers up half price beer. Beer is one of my favorite things! They had a great variety and interestingly, even some new canned beers. (I have never liked things served in a can. It just creeps me out. What's in there that I can't see?) Logan, our excellent culinary guide, convinced me to try one and I wasn't disappointed. I had Mamas Little Yellow Pils and it was great. It reminded me of a Stella and was truly good beer. We tried the Alamo Draft and the La Bestia Aimable out of the bottle section. The Alamo was great. The Aimable had a good taste but was really heavy and dark for me. If you like Guinness, give this one a try. You won't be disappointed. I rounded out the beverages with a Lone Star for old times sake. It was like seeing an old friend. I really enjoyed it.

     I will finish with the thing that put Luke's on my list-CHEESECAKE IN A JAR!!! Yes, it was layered in a nice jar, probably 12-16 ounces of sheer heaven. It is made with a local mascarpone cheese from Humble House, if I read correctly, and will not disappoint. The topping was blueberry, not too sweet. I could still taste the berries sugar, not processed white sugar. I would have licked the inside of the jar if I could have found a way to hide behind my napkin and do it. Thank you, Southern Living, for bringing this delight to my attention and thank you, Luke's for bringing it to Texas!