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Biga on the Banks

203 South St. Mary's Street @ Market San Antonio, TX 78205-1531 210-225-0722 www.biga.com

An exceptional dining experience is always about more than the food. When a restaurateur gets it right, all your senses are delighted. Biga on the Banks, located in the heart of San Antonio on the River Walk, has made a name for itself by doing just that. Food presentations are so whimsical that diners hesitate for a moment to disturb anything on their plates. The aromas finally break their will, and the carefully wrought flavors make them glad for it.

Biga’s restaurant space, located on the second floor of the International Center, has a cosmopolitan feel that is both unusual and refreshing for San Antonio. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the San Antonio River, casting shadow and light on the almond-tone floor and tangerine, sage-green, and cranberry walls. Some walls are transected with dozens of side-by-side inlays housing lemon-yellow votive candles. Gossamer drapes, tall displays of skewered gourds, big-blossomed flowers, and iron candelabra help create a style the restaurant calls urban hacienda.

Of course, the food at Biga on the Banks is the star. Owner/Chef Bruce Auden was one of less than a hundred U.S. chefs nominated last year for a prestigious James Beard Foundation Chef Award. Gourmet magazine named Biga as one of the top five restaurants in Texas for 2001. After just a decade of business, Biga has sundry other such awards under its belt, bestowed by the likes of Esquire magazine, Food & Wine magazine, and Nation’s Restaurant News. Biga’s modern-American menu combines classic techniques with exotic flavors inspired by the cuisines of Mexico and Asia. Some examples of main dishes: smoked-cinnamon guinea-hen breast, sage-and-onion-stuffed portabella mushroom, and Axis venison. How about a salad with tropical fruits, crispy plantains, and a mango-ginger dressing? Desserts are equally delectable. One New York Times reviewer said Biga’s toffee pudding had a fellow diner “begging for seconds.”

To accommodate wedding parties, the restaurant has a number of private reception rooms, all with glass walls overlooking the San Antonio River. A separate kitchen is set up for receptions so that clients get the personal attention they deserve.

On the main floor (which is on the second story of the building) are the Capistrano, Alamo, and San José rooms. Able to accommodate seated dinners for up to 20, 50, and 60 guests, respectively, these rooms can also be combined into one. The Alamo and San José rooms have balcony access and mirror the main restaurant’s richness in rich color, texture, and design.

Larger receptions are hosted in the River Terrace Room. Located on the third floor, this room can accommodate up to 200 people for a seated dinner. With a dance floor, it accommodates 170. With its high ceiling, rich colors, thick ceramic tile, and exquisite fixtures, the River Terrace Room simply continues the restaurant’s urban-hacienda theme on a larger scale. The jewel in its crown is the terrace itself, a 300-square-foot wraparound that overlooks the river and the many historical buildings surrounding the restaurant.

On staff to help plan your reception are Perny Shea, Catering and Special Events Planner, and Vanessa Estrada, Catering Coordinator. Shea can help with everything from the decorating to the music to the dessert. Ivory linens, crystal, candles, and chairs are all available. The Biga staff is also happy to work with outside decorators that couples might have hired ahead of time.

Whether you want a five-course seated dinner or cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and dancing, Biga can accommodate you with a chic space and award-winning victuals that are unrivaled in San Antonio. The restaurant is conveniently located within steps of several great hotels and near the historic attractions of downtown San Antonio.

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