A Place to Chill: Pearl addition Otto’s Ice Home performs on South Texas historical past — however with a markup

The pretzel at Otto's Ice House is one of its standout food items. — The pretzel at Otto’s Ice Home is one in all its standout meals objects. Credit score: Ron Bechtol

From its first appearances within the 1830s, the South Texas ice home developed from a spot to purchase block ice to inventory the household cooler to a type of early comfort retailer promoting milk, eggs and butter.

The addition of beer to the combination modified issues considerably, encouraging individuals to hold round, largely outdoor — finally, maybe, with a jukebox enjoying ranchera music or Western swing. In time, ice, milk and butter made their exit, leaving simply the suds and the sense of group.

There are nonetheless a couple of examples in San Antonio paying homage to the historic mannequin — Dakota East Facet Icehouse and the Pleasant Spot amongst them — and the town additionally has various beer gardens much less consciously doing so. In the meantime, a brand new phenomenon has arisen: locations calling themselves ice homes whose focus foregrounds meals over beer.

With its $26 asada nachos, Otto’s Ice Home is one such place.

At Otto’s, which opened this spring on the Pearl, the beer record isn’t encyclopedic. Aside from the small draft choice, it accommodates just one true San Antonio brew, and far of what it serves is in cans, maybe the higher for serving in convivial buckets.

Even so, some convivial stein-clinking may additionally have been good, given Otto’s location and its naming in honor of the previous brewery’s founder, Otto Koehler.

Beer is right here, but it surely’s enjoying sidekick.

On the menu, San Antonio’s brewing historical past is probably finest represented by the German comfortable pretzel. It is a extra complicated recipe than I imagined, involving barley malt syrup, a shower in a lye resolution and, after all beer.

Otto’s model emerges a burnished, deep mahogany spangled with crunchy salt crystals, and it’s a winner, particularly dunked within the accompanying “pretzel mustard.” However the place grainy is sweet within the mustard division, it’s maybe much less so with the “home beer cheese,” which proved stiff and unnecessarily salty given the crunchy crystals on the pretzel itself.

Otto’s gives one other German meals staple, and likewise a great beer buddy, within the type of its Do-it-yourself Bratwurst. It is a sausage that may be stuffed some ways, one in all which is pure pork bolstered by an array of heat spices comparable to coriander, ginger and nutmeg.

Otto’s got here throughout as beefier, much less fragrantly spicy and denser than many. It wouldn’t be on my finest wurst record. Together with the bock-braised onions, it was additionally served heat at finest, not serving to its case. A wonderful facet of bacony borracho beans pointed in one other ethnic course — and extra successfully.

Throughout the ice home age, roaming chicharron distributors as soon as plied West Facet streets, hawking their wares. Appropriately, chicharrones make three appearances on Otto’s menu: solo with white cheddar “mud” and as a substitute for tortilla chips with each the Cantina Queso and the made-to-order guacamole.

The mound of crisp and convoluted pork skins which arrives is considerably greater than wanted for the modest serving of chunky guacamole — which in any case was in want of lime (wedge thoughtfully offered) and salt (you’ll should ask).

To pay much more direct consideration to native meals historical past, take into account Otto’s San Antonio Chili. It’s shocking that, within the metropolis which may legitimately declare credit score for inventing the fiery stew, there are so few actually good examples.

Otto’s homage is a good begin however lacks any of the complexity that may be given by utilizing a mix of chiles for each depth and zing, perhaps some masa for binding, and, as a result of why not, beer. If any of these substances had been there, I missed them, however give Otto’s factors for protecting the custom alive.

If requested to call probably the most conventional Texas dessert, odds are pecan pie could be excessive on the record. San Antonio was as soon as a large within the pecan trade too.

Enter the Goode Firm Brazos Backside Pecan Pie with its crown of flawless pecans and filling that didn’t come throughout too candy by half. The issue right here is the third, important a part of the equation: the crust. Removed from the flaky ideally suited, it was dense and durable. No ribbons right here.

With regards to ice homes, it’s not nearly beer and meals, after all. The texture of the the place can rely as a lot if no more.

In Otto’s inside, historic décor of heads and horns, beer memorabilia and the odd armadillo might be any Texas roadhouse regardless of a Pearl bent. Nevertheless, a vestigial walk-in cooler could not maintain ice, but it surely does hold kegs for the bar.

Come extra hospitable climate, the outside expertise must be extra authentically ice home. A lined porch shelters critical picnic tables. Extra tables shaded by timber and umbrellas dot the “yard,” which additionally boasts a separate bar.

Drink all of it in, historical past chaser solely a plus.