Tastecast

We talk about Thanksgiving: 8 dishes to bring some creative oomf to your table and 13 GOOD holiday wines all under $15. We also taste test some Texas sotol and pineapple tequila and fawn over Snoop Dogg’s surprisingly good (and seriously funny) new cookbook. We also tell you how to DIY your own marinated snackies and we get all ranty about bossypants restaurants that find the need to scold customers into obedience.

We'll help you update those classic casseroles, including a killer recipe for King Ranch Chicken. Plus we'll explore the meat and mystery of working with a Pit Barrel cooker, our 1.5 star review of Las Sabrosas de Guanajuato and the closing of 50-year Tex-Mex favorite El Mirador. Our 52 Weeks of BBQ series hits Bob's Smokehouse, and we get on our soapbox about soap. You love it, we hate it: Fabuloso.

We tell you how to make a great, low-stress brunch at home this holiday season. We rate the 9 best canned baked beans from your grocery store and we talk about the 1-star review for the once-great La Canarias at the Omni La Mansion del Rio. We’ll tell you what you need to know when you head out to Wurstfest in New Braunfels and the awesomeness that is 2M Smokehouse. We also give you two fall mimosa recipes and we get all ranty about the politics behind fast-food.

We talk about how to make good pizza and beef jerky at home. We also talk about the 2-star review of old-school favorite Josephine Street Cafe, we taste test from French red wine, we talk about our disastrous visit to Smoke BBQ Brew Venue in St. Paul Square and we get all ranty about bad restaurant karma. Seriously. It’s a thing.

This week we tackle the classic bowl of Texas red, serve up five notable sandwiches and sip a recent winner at the Great American Beer Festival. We'll also hear a 2-star review of the new Playland and dish on the meats over at Snoga's Bar-B-Q. For dessert we've got a Halloween party punch with a side order of rant about leaving a tip on those iPad payment systems.

We tell you how to make a quick pan sauce to finish your meat and give you the 12 frozen pizzas we actually recommend you keep in your freezer, and. We also talk about the 2 1/2 -star review of The Esquire Tavern and our obsession with chiles pequín and what to do with the spicy little suckers. We give you a grown-up pigs in a blanket recipe and we get all ranty about people who insist on customizing everything they order.

What’s available at area farmers markets and Chuck’s new wurst love affair. We talk about the 2-star review of Madurai Mes, taste test some of Becker Vineyards’ double-gold winners and let you know about the peanut hummus that will be your new obsession. We also give you the recipe for the perfect fall transition cocktail with tequila and cherry juice and we get all ranty about diners who want to try a new place and then order the same old thing.

Everything you need to know about all the cooking fats, how pellet grills and smokers are going mainstream and the 2-star review of downtown ramen restaurant Kimura. We also taste test some pork jerky, talk about the new sauce we’re obsessed with, how to make 2 spanish tapas hors d'oeuvres - on a stick. And we get all ranty about the horror of rude tablemates in restaurants.

We are cooking with beer in honor of Oktoberfest and drinking beer while cooking in honor of tailgate season. We also talk about the new barbecue restaurant to earn a high rating on a dining review, taste test some hemp food products, talk about the new book of worldly pancake recipes that we’re obsessed with, and how to update the classic gin and tonic for fall. And then we rant away about those obnoxious coffee shop squatters hooked on free WiFi and caffeine.

The cooking crew makes the most of extra space on the smoker, plus we get greasy with a half dozen recipes for oven-baked chicken wings to feed that football crowd. Also, we test a new line of pimiento cheese snack packs and see what's happening at one of San Antonio's most popular pizzerias.

While Emily Spicer is away, the boys will play on today's episode of the TasteCast Podcast. Topics include edible plants native to Texas, five sandwiches we're loving right now, a "Cheetos" taste test, and discussion of when a restaurant should close, and when it should stay open. Read more at https://www.expressnews.com/food/.

Simple holiday weekend recipes, what’s new in the world of ovens and what are the features you really need. We also talk about Boudro’s 1.5-star review, some big barbecue news, the new spice blend we’re obsessed with, a great peanuty snack to pair with cocktails, and we rant and lament that no, in fact, fall is not just around the corner for us here in San Antonio.

We talk about how to elevate your steak game with creative sauces. We also tell you the 5 sandwiches in downtown SA that you should be eating now and why Hot Joy was knocked down to 1 star in a re-review. We taste test some Thindulgent cookies, talk about the espresso we’re obsessed with, give you the recipe for Smoked Salmon Bites with Lemon-Dill Creme Fraiche and we get all ranty about bad music at restaurants.

We talk about all things Hatch chile and why you should be grilling your breakfast. We also talk about the two-star review for the Jerk Shack, the new mom-and-pop liquor store in Alamo Heights we’ve fallen in love with, tell you how to add tea to 2 summery cocktails and we get all ranty about the absolute insanity of national food holidays. Read more at https://www.expressnews.com/food/.

Get your summer melons out the fruit salad and onto your dinner plate. We’ll also give you the top 5 pollos spots in San Antonio, we taste test the products from the 4 S.A. finalists in HEB’s annual state contest, we share the burger we’re obsessed with right now, the marinated olives we can’t get enough of and we get all ranty about men who can’t plan for dinner.

The Taste Team discusses easy, steamed one-pot meals with big flavors that get dinner on the table with little heat and little fuss. Then we go big with beef ribs, we talk about the 1-star review of Koi Kawa, the vanilla salt we are craving right now, 2 watermelon cocktails to brighten up your summer and we get ranty about long waits at restaurants.

Today we talk about fancy-pants ice cream floats, the 5 sandwiches you should be eating right now, the 2 ½ star review of Chama Gaucha. We tell you about the new pollos asados joint that should be on your radar, our new Italian ice obsession, updating your caprese salad for a party -- and we complain loudly about the rude guests who like to ruin dinner parties. Read more at https://www.expressnews.com/food/.

All the chilled, no-heat ways to use the season’s bounty of corn, why you should be bathing your ribs and chicken wings in peanut butter and jelly - yes, for reals.The 1-star review of San Antonio favorite India Oven, the new restaurant going into the old Casbeers spot on Blanco, the new fruit that’s about to become your summer obsession, an herby salsa verde you will want to slather on everything and we rail loud and proud against buffets! Read more at https://www.expressnews.com/food/.

Today we’ll talk about pineapple drinks - most without any booze - and what happens when you add fruit to a smoker. We’ll also talk about the zero-star review of downtown’s Hoppin’ John, the closure of San Antonio’s best bar, the cutest food-related kids book and we get all ranty about buns that don’t hold their own against stuffed sandwiches and burgers - like an elephant squeezed into skinny jeans.