Lunch Report: Crumpets...

Go ahead, I know what you are thinking: You think we've eaten burgers at every burger place and had catfish at every catfish place, so now with no place else to go, we're moving up to the finer things in life. We'll, Crumpets certainly is a little more upscale than the usual places we dine, but don't let the fancy name and beautiful location scare you off.

We have some friends that have invited us to dine at Crumpets several times over the last year or so, and things just never have worked out, but this restaurant has been on our "must visit" list for quite a while. And I'll confess, if you don't know any better, you might get the idea that in order to dine at Crumpets in '09, you'd better suit up, order up a limo and bring the Platinum Visa, but to our delight, my misconceptions were just that. Crumpets has an inviting atmosphere, perfect for a couple not wanting to hear the music and noise of a sports bar or the constant sounds of the kitchen and wait staff at Chilis.We couldn't make up our mind about sitting inside or out on the patio, so the hostess seated us near a window overlooking the patio. On our next visit, we will definitely try the patio - it looks wonderful.Our waitress was named Misty, and she was simply outstanding. Given my initial misconceptions about the place, I fully expected some snooty guy with a towel on his arm to come and sniff at our beverage selection - iced tea. But Misty was just as cheerful and friendly as could be. And the service was, as I say, outstanding.
We ordered from the lunch menu, and I should tell you that these prices are very reasonable - no more than you would pay at most of the places we visit. Our lunch entrees came with a House Salad that was wonderful. I couldn't quite identify what the dressing was (and never asked) but it had an excellent creamy taste. I'm a huge fan of salads and this hit the spot.Along with salad, we received some yummy croissants which I can only assume come from the bakery located within the restaurant.My wife had the Breast of Chicken, Charbroiled and covered in a champagne sauce with a hint of cayenne pepper. The chicken came with potatoes and steamed carrots and green beans. The veggies were perfect. The chicken was cooked just right and, I know we probably looked like dorks, but we were dipping French fries in the leftover champagne sauce. Good stuff.I opted for the steak sandwich. It comes on a French roll with onions and melted cheese. The plate comes with nicely done fries and the fixins to dress the sandwich. The mustard is pretty spicy, and good. We both agreed that the steak was very tender and, much to my enjoyment, there was no need for me to fight with either the meat or the bread when taking a bite.Our waitress saw that I was a heavy tea drinker and was quick to fill my glass (the easiest way to reduce your tip is to leave me waiting for tea). In fact, she brought me my own carafe and all was right with the world!

As we dined, we noted what other people were ordering and a few things stood out. Two ladies seated near us ordered the Mediterranean Salad. Sorry, I didn't hover over them to take pictures, but the one lady told the other that this was the best salad in San Antonio. It was huge and it looked great. Another guy ordered one of Crumpets 7 inch pizza's. He didn't offer me a bite, but it sure looked good.After finishing our own meals and gawking at others', our waitress suggested dessert. We shared a slice of layered chocolate cake with some incredible icing. What can I say - we finished it and licked the forks!After lunch, we wandered about outside just to check out the beautiful area. There is a nice little stream that runs through the property and diners on the patio can probably enjoy the breeze and a glass or two of wine. I hope you won't wait as long as we did to give them a try; without question, Crumpets is a Tasty Treat.