★★★★ (4 Stars)

The food at the Cove isn’t anything to rave about.  It’s good, they have sustainable, organic and local foods and hey, it’s locally owned.  But, I think people tend to hype this place up a bit because The Cove has been featured on the Food Network.  The food is good, but it doesn’t wow.

I would give The Cove three stars if it wasn’t for their Wednesday Night Jazz schedule.  This alone is reason to go to The Cove.  They have some of the best Jazz musicians I’ve heard in San Antonio.  The Jazz alone is 5 stars.

Edit:  I forgot to mention their beer selection!  They have a pretty big selection and at decent prices for the downtown area.

★★★ (3 Stars)

A friend of mine dragged me to Hills and Dales one night based on the fact that we could bring our own beer mug (up to twenty something ounces) and the draft beer would be the same price as the beer they serve in plastic cups.  Cool concept.

Upon arrival, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the place, but it turned out to be very relaxed and it felt as if I was over at a friend’s house.  The beer selection was good and it was cheap.  We each had a 24-ounce mug we brought in and they charged each of us about $4 and change for some premium beer.  Good deal.  I think I’ll be back to this place soon.

★★★★ (4 Stars)

A pub with a good side salad?  Huh??

I ordered some random English fare that was a pastry stuffed with shredded pork.  It was really good.  But the surprise here wasn’t the fact that this dinner pastry was good.  It’s the fact that when I ordered a side salad, it was 10Xs better than most salads at places you’d expect to find a good salad at.  It was a healthy portion of mixed field greens and not the iceberg lettuce crap I was expecting.  Of course it also had the regular items in it like tomato, onion, etc.

The fried stuff was good: fried mushrooms, fries with cheese sauce, etc.  Of course this is to be expected from a pub, especially one that is a bit upscale.  The beer selection is alright too.  I just stuck to my typical Boddington’s.

3.5 Stars.

★★ (2 Stars)

I like the microbrewery/restaurant concept and Blue Star Brewing Co brings a sample of this to San Antonio.  There doesn’t seem to be many microbreweries around here and it’s nice to have this option.

I tried a few of their brews and I couldn’t settle on any one of them.  The beers were all harsh, bitter, and some had flavors that I really didn’t care for (ie. oaky flavors or smokey flavors).  I don’t know who the brewmaster is, but hopefully he gets some better recipes.

I didn’t try their menu, but the food looked decent.  It’s mainly sandwiches and burgers.  I’ll be back to try the fish and chips.

★★ (2 Stars)

Smoky, but it’s like having a neighborhood bar downtown.
It’s just like any other local bar.  It seems more locals and downtown service industry employees visit this place, after hours, than tourists.
They have a decent selection of draught beer, but it’s nothing spectacular.