Restaurant Week 2024 review!!! I have been wanting to try this place for a while and when it came up on the restaurant week list I knew I had to try it. The lunch price is 20$!! Yes 20$!! Note, there is an up charge for one of the first course choices, both desserts, and cocktail/wines. But all considered 20$ is an amazing value. Service and ambiance are great. Now food, the mezze sampler is small but tasty. If you go with two ppl and you both order the sampler they will only bring one, which was kind of annoying at first but it was enough for both of us. The curried cauliflower soup was delicious. Creamy and earthy with a very light curry flavor from the curried yogurt (?) on top. I did think an addition of the cauliflower from the mezze right one top would have been perfection so I did that and it was great. Highly recommend. The chicken breast itself was actually dry and the beans underneath really didn't help a whole lot but the seasoning was tasty nonetheless. The salmon was cooked spot on and very flavorful. I'd go for the salmon if I went again. Dessert was soooo good. That olive oil cake was moist and dense but in a good way. The honey mascarpone added just the right amount of sweetness while the saffron cream brought an interesting flavor. Overall the deal is incredible. For 20$ you would be silly not to give this menu a try! read more

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Ripley was amazing and so helpful. The food was all delicious. The ambiance was perfect. We sat outside as it was cool and refreshing. read more

Jardin - Tiramisu Pancakes - Mediterranean Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

We showed up at 50 minutes before they closed. They didn't seem happy that we were there. I asked when the kitchen closed and they told me maybe 30 minutes. They still seemed unhappy that we were there. I told them we would just get drinks. The waitress was a brunette with glasses and the receipt said her name was Jay G. She was unpleasant. It's a shame that paying customers are treated bad. read more

It was our 1st time here. We came during Culinaria Week. We ordered from the Culinaria menu, including drinks and desserts, which were extra. The ambiance was quaint and cozy, Our server Virginia did a good job in attending to us. The food was prepared fresh and everything was absolutely delicious. We had a great experience and will certainly come back again. Come check them out for yourself! read more

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Had Sunday brunch here! Seated in their patio outside. Service was a little delayed but understandably so as it got busier throughout lunch time. Food was Mediterranean based with healthy options prevailing the majority of the menu. Healthy options did not compromise taste, compliments to the chef! I would love to sit inside next time, as the decor really caught my eye. Will come back again! read more

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They were short staffed and the manager on duty went above and beyond to make our experience outstanding. It was my birthday lunch and she made it outstanding!! Food was excellent also read more

We come here all the time. The service is spotty and the old building, while cute, can be hot. But they are kind to kids, and have a massive patio if the weather is nice, or the kids need to run around. And you can't beat the botanical garden as a neighbor. Our favorites are the incredible naan bread, the arancini, and the "grilled cheese" (it's goat cheese and tomato jam, not at all like a "regular" grilled cheese, but so good). For mains - we love the salmon and the lamb meatballs. My husband loves the meatballs so much, I had to figure out a copycat dish at home. Cocktails can be hit or miss, I love that they have multiple spritz options. read more

Located inside of the Botanical Gardens, Jardin is serving up Mediterranean style lunch plates in a beautiful setting. Let me first say this will be a leisurely lunch, service runs on the slow side. Jardin wins in its mezze plates with a three, six or nine choice offering. I opted for three and had the deviled eggs, grilled cheese and cauliflower salad. The grilled cheese was such an interesting fusion of flat bread with chevre and a tomato jam. The cauliflower salad had a perfect mix of capers and raisins. I didn't imbibe in the alcoholic choices, but I definitely had my eye on the frozen peach bellini for a future visit. There was also a lamb burger and house made edamame falafel that sounded interesting. If in the vicinity of the Botanical Gardens definitely keep Jardin on your lunch radar. read more

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The service and food were poor quality. They were selective on who they sat at tables, not based on reservations, overall pretty terrible experience. The location is pretty, so if you are wanting a cool architectural experience in the gardens for only $45 and an empty stomach, I would highly recommend Jardín! read more

Beautiful scenery, not so beautiful food. I was very excited to try this place for happy hour because I love the Gardens, and this is in the midst of all that beauty! Wow: The location is spectacular. Set in Botanical Gardens, it occupies the old Rosella coffee building. It is quiet, peaceful and didn't have many people. Because it was warm, but not sweltering, it was ideal for sitting outside. The drinks were also pretty decent. They have a varied selection of mixed drinks and wine. My Limoncello Spritz was very good and refreshing. Perfect for happy hour, in my opinion. Hmm: They have a happy hour menu, with some tasty looking options, so we opted for sharing one of the hummus options and focaccia pizza. Unfortunately, we weren't thinking about all that bread, and weren't aware of the thickness of the bread. It was just too much. The focaccia's topping was not enough to overpower the bread, and hummus would be better with a thinner naan bread. Yikes: For some reason, there was an overwhelming amount of flies! I don't think this is the restaurant's fault at all, but it was an uncomfortable experience. However, as a friend stated, it's part of enjoying nature. Towards the end, we opted for covering everything with our napkins! All in all, I would say, I didn't taste some of the more savory looking food on the menu, and you can't beat that location, so I think I might give it another try. Maybe, avoid the bready appetizers, and try some of the other menu options. read more

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My neighbor suggested meeting this past Friday at Jardin for my birthday lunch treat. We sat outdoors and we could tell the staff was still getting their bearings. It appeared that there was no server assigned to our table so my neighbor had to remind the staff a couple of times. When we finally ordered and the food and wine arrived, the experience was much better. From my neighbor's experience at Tre, she decided to order the Pulled-to-order fresh mozzarella which was a great start with our pinot grigio and pinot noir. I was curious about the saffron pickled cauliflower salsa verde & evoo with the naan and it was a delicious combo. I had read that the naan was tasty! We ended the meal with the raspberry panna cotta which was topped with pistachio, shaved chocolate, and orange zest. Very fresh and a great ending! I want to come back and try more selections. The food quality was superb! It's a matter of time to work the rest of it out. read more

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Went for Restaurant week and was impressed at the options and amount of food provided. I ended up having lots of leftovers to enjoy the next day! The Jardin Salad was one of my favorite parts of the meal. Fresh ingredients with the perfect amount of dressing. The white balsamic vinegar was the perfect dressing for this salad. The pan seared Salmon had so many different flavors to experience. The tzatziki & apricot purée was a blend of sweet and salty that was delicious. There were some parts that for some reason were extremely salty and distracted from the dish as a whole. Ending with the Olive Oil cake with saffron chantilly was a great choice. So many subtle flavors to enjoy. Cake was a little dry but still a very enjoyable dessert. Overall, a good restaurant experience and would go back in the near future. read more

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My SIL was in town, so we visited the Botanical gardens. While there, we made reservations for Sunday Brunch. SOO glad we did! Although our reservations weren't until 12:15, they were able to accommodate us earlier. After looking at the menu, we both thought it would be a good idea to order only from the Mezze menu. We opted for the 6 selection option and choose the Crudités, Bolognese-stuffed arancini, deviled eggs, grilled chèvre cheese with tomato jam, baba ganoush, and naan pita. Since neither of us are drinkers, he ordered sweet tea, while I ordered a cappuccino. Let me tell you...YUM!! They brought out our arancini first, piping hot out of the fryer. Perfectly golden browned crust stuffed with a bolognese sauce intermingled with melty-mozzarella and black truffle oil...to D.I.E. for! While we enjoyed our arancini, the remainder of our mezze were delivered. The deviled eggs were not deviled in the normal fashion. The eggs were cooked with a very slightly soft center, and topped with a wonderful saffron, smoked paprika, and harissa aoili, and then topped with a sliced green olive. Such an unusual but absolutely delicious method of creating deviled eggs! I may have to try to recreate them at home...but if I fall short, guess it'll mean I have to return! LOL Neither of us was too fond of the naan...it was quite hard and chew...not at all that pillowy soft texture you expect from naan. We also felt the baba ganoush fell short, in as much as it lacked any smoky flavor, and was not seasoned as well as we'd like. We did, however, enjoy the crudités, because they were accompanied by an incredibly flavorful basil aoili. Our favorite dish of the bunch, though, was the incredible grilled chèvre with tomato jam! My SIL was a bit concerned when he realized chèvre was goat cheese. He is not normally a fan of goat cheese, but he's willing to give most anything a try. This sammie just about knocked his socks off! The bread was toasted in butter until lightly golden, and then topped with a sweet tomato jam made of whole cherry tomatoes. The sweetness of the jam offset the slight gaminess of the cheese, and brought balance to the entire dish. This dish was actually our favorite of the six. I'm sure he'll probably attempt a recreation of sorts once he returns home, and I know I will, as well! I'm excited to return to Jardin with my husband, because I'm sure he'll enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks for a wonderful treat, Jardin! read more

The kids grilled cheese is not really kid friendly... made with cold goat cheese and just barely warmed bread. We got our table within 30 minutes without a reservation, but waited over an hour for our food. The "homemade" dounut is just a Krispy Kreme donut with chocolate drizzle. The waiters are very nice but the timing was awful. The ambiance is okay but there is a smoke filled smell that gave me a headache. We were served the wrong Mock- tail after waiting for 20 minutes. My salad was just spinach and house sauce... not much of a salad. There was a HAIR in my chicken. Overall a bad experience. read more

Jardin - Mediterranean Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I love Jardin! My friends planned a dinner for my bachelorette party here and my husband and I came here to enjoy dinner. My favorite item here is the blue crab and corn hummus. The hummus is thick and comes with some naan to eat. Super generous chunks of crab and absolutely delicious. We also really enjoyed the arancini. The crab dip was very rich and gooey. Overall the ambiance is really pretty. The outdoor seating is great, there are both heaters and fans depending on the weather. It's also nestled into the San Antonio Botanical Garden and looks gorgeous. read more

This was one of the worst dining experiences in my life. I had made a reservation for 12 people, and I assumed that there would be staff available to cook food and serve 12 people, but I assumed wrong. We sat at our table for one and a half hours before we received a morsel of food! No one apologized, no one offered us bread, crackers, or anything to soothe our hunger. And when the food finally started to arrive, it came in dribs and drabs. A few people got part of their order, then we would be ignored again, then a few people would get some more of their order, then we were ignored again. At least one member of our party did not get anything at all. Outrageous! I received my appetizer after I had already finished my meal (which consisted of a cold pizza, that was nowhere as good a frozen one from the grocery store). The server was borderline incompetent and could not remember who ordered what. We had asked several times about our food and she never offered an apology and did not seem to know what was going on at all. Never will I return to Jardin and never will I recommend this restaurant. You are better off getting a hotdog from a food truck. At least you will have something to eat. read more

This was my first time trying mediterranean food and it was delicious. Everything was amazing our waitress was awesome the restaurant was very cozy. The book club I'm in pick this place and had our very own room upstairs. We had a great time definitely be back soon. read more

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Always love coming to a Dady restaurant!! Today we had a late lunch in the 105 degree SA summer but sitting outside under their canopy of trees with a delicious peach Bellini was just what we needed to survive. There is seating inside, I just love to enjoy what I can see if the Botanical Gardens. We had 3 starter plates. The bruschetta is different than you'd expect but just a tasty. The Mast-o khiar is my fave!! The rose petals, the coolness, the slightly citrus tang... delicious with the city's BEST Naan bread. Seriously. The third starter plate was the tomato jam grilled cheese. Sweet tomato jam with whole cherry tomatoes on perfectly crispy/buttery bread with what I think was mascarpone cheese. We then decided to split a pasta and a small plate. The spicy shrimp Zhoug was yummy! The white lasagna we very cheesy, maybe a little too much. It's a vegetarian lasagna and I definitely missed the meat. Probably won't get that again. Overall great dinner :) read more

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This restaurant is a huge secret I feel. Loved our experience in every way imaginable, The service Darnell was in tune, timely, friendly & dealt with our messy toddler grandson. The atmosphere precious with the architecture & flowers. The ambiance is very comfortable. The menu is so amazing. My kind of cuisine. Elevated, healthy, organic and handmade. The standout are definitely the hummus & naan pita bread, We ordered the 6 appetizers; deviled eggs- very jazzed up & a little spice. The arcanini to die for! The cocktails amazing & very creative. The entrees did NOT disappoint. We ordered eggplant Parm- best I've ever had. The white lasagna had lemon & crusty cheese so unique. The salmon with the best risotto I've ever tasted. The bolognese was huge with turkey meatballs. All potions large. It was completed with cheesecake we shared. No regular cheesecake of course, bursting with flavors of pistachio nut, honey, berries& honey! Top was glazed & dollop of cream! Best crust ever. Check out Wednesday evening in summer @ 630P for Jazz on the patio! Such a charmed venue with so much history! AMAZING!!! read more

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The atmosphere at this restaurant is amazing. It is truly a beautiful, unique spot for a meal in San Antonio. The wine and cocktail menu was diverse and offered selections to fit any taste preference. While the food from the appetizers to the entrees were delicious, the main drawback to the food was the cost to portion ratio. The appetizer section of the menu offers what appears to be a great tapas selection. However, it wasn't until the waiter told us that we found out there's an additional cost for the pita to use to eat the various dips. My husband had the lamb meatballs, which were very underwhelming for the portion size. I had the gnocchi, which was much better in portion size, but the overall flavor profile was heavy and without lasting memory. read more

Jardin - Gnocchi - Mediterranean Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I came here one year ago and had a mediocre experience. I came back today for Mother's Day brunch because the ambience is lovely, and I believe in second chances. Unfortunately, I was very, very mistaken. While the prix fixe menu itself was promising, absolutely nothing delivered. In fact, the experience was utterly horrible: The lobster bisque had shell shards in it that made it inedible because the pieces were too small to fish out. The blue crab on the avocado toast absolutely REEKED of ammonia--a sure way to get food poisoning. The marscapone on the olive oil cake tasted like seafood, and the cake itself tasted like freezer burn. When we brought this to staff attention, their response was, "this food was prepared offsite," as if this justified the embarrassing lack of quality. I've had hospital food better than this. To add insult to injury, they offered a 25% discount, but when the bill came, the discount was only applied to one dish. We were a party of four. This place has so much potential because none of it is realized. The valuable real estate of the botanical gardens is wasted on this establishment. read more

The food is very tasty, the portions are generous, and the service is excellent. I appreciated the unique drink menu as well. I will definitely be back again! read more

We used to be regulars here but wandered away for a year or so. Tonight we came back. Then menu has changed a little, but still a very nice variety of unique items and gourmet chef-inspired pairings. Still what we could call a Mediterranean bent, there a lot of "healthy" items here and the atmosphere is very cozy. We chose to sit inside and had Kelly as our waitress. She was new but did an outstanding job. Handled everything flawlessly including getting my wife's salmon dish remade when the first one we undercooked. The salmon, the second time, was top notch and I included some kind of fruit preserves and a yogurt cream on top - delish. I enjoyed their reinvented 1/2 baked chicken over geeen beans, tomatoes, chickpeas, feta, and harissa. It was a home run of flavor. We also had the Jardin salad and my wife enjoyed a cup of warm olives from the Mezze selections. We finished it off with the Nutella dessert and took home a few left overs. Everything was great and we remembered why we used to be regulars. Good job Jardin! read more

Quaint, artsy ambiance. Get mezze plates and small plates and share them all to experience for menu items. Great cocktails! Fairly priced. Need a better tzatziki sauce! Deviled eggs lacked excitement. Lamb meatballs a bit over cooked. read more

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Made a Wednesday lunchtime reservation for restaurant week - the place is surprisingly busy for being tucked away inside the Botanical Gardens. We arrived a bit early and had to wait for our table - no biggie, we had a couple of their delicious cocktails at the bar. Promptly at our reservation time we were led to our table. The place is very cozy, welcoming and has lovely natural decor. Our waitress Amanda was very sweet and attentive. The food had Mediterranean flare and somewhat unique. We enjoyed mezze sampler, salad, daily soup, lamb burger, and pan-seared salmon, followed by olive oil cake with saffron chantilly. We did have to pay xtra for the cake as this would've been the 4th course technically. Everything was tasty but nothing mind-blowing. We may try this restaurant again at some point whenever we go back to the Botanical Gardens. read more

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I have wanted to come here forever and finally made it. Very cute ambiance. We got the hummus and the naan was amazing. I want to eat that naan everyday! The hummus was good. We got beef Kafka kabobs and they were so flavorful and tasty. We got a margarita Sicilian pizza and it was good. The mozzarella was fresh, the pizza wasn't crispy enough for me personally. Cocktail list looked amazing, I got wine though. The hazelnut torte was amazing, great size, not too sweet and lots of textures. I want to come back and try more things. Yum yum yum read more

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This was my second time at Jardin, my first brunch. I was surprised to see that the menu for brunch was really just a lunch menu. There was no breakfast food on the menu and none of the pizzas on the menu were available on the day I was there. I ordered a sandwich that came with a side salad. The bun was not fresh and the sandwich had no flavor, I don't think it had any Mayo as suggested so I put humus on it to add flavor. My salad, unlike the other guests at my table had no dressing, it was just lettuce. The hummus and naan bread were very good and fresh but that's the best I can say. I would think this was an isolated situation but when we went for dinner during restaurant week, the chicken had no flavor or seasoning to it and the only part of my meal that was flavorful was the roasted vegetables. My service on this visit was good and our server was very attentive. read more

Jardin - Smoked turkey and avacado Sammy. - Mediterranean Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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A very pleasant evening dinner on a Saturday evening! Our server (I forgot his name - he skillfully waited every table on the patio AND answered my plethora of questions about the menu! Plus he had cool socks too) was great and had recommendations. I felt like he was a foodie and appreciated what was on the menu. The food was fresh, beautiful and delicious. I had the hardest time deciding what I wanted to order because the whole menu sounded amazing. The hummus was brimming with olives- oh my favorites- and the portion was more than generous for my friend and I. The naan that I did not get a picture of was a pillow of perfection. The cocktail was perfectly mixed too! Will definitely come back for lunch and brunch too! read more

Jardin - Mezzo: Grilled cheese sandwich, Roasted Beets & Rising Sun Cocktail - Mediterranean Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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What a lovely spot to enjoy lunch while at the botanical garden! We sat outside since it was a cool spring afternoon, and really liked how peaceful it was. We enjoyed their three mezze option and went with the carrot hummus, whipped feta, and garden bruschetta to start. All the dips were tasty and went perfectly with their hot naan/pita. The pitas are quite big and enough for two. Since we wanted to try herbs and veggies from the garden, we also shared their fattoush salad. It was light and bright. Service was pleasant too. We'll be back! read more

Jardin - Garden bruschetta - Mediterranean Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I drive from Austin to eat here. Reservations helpful, especially in good weather. The peach Bellini is exactly the refreshment one wants on a San Antonio afternoon. Everything is extraordinary, and the service matches the high quality of the kitchen. I'm a fan of the small plates, but part of the fun is discovering the attention to detail. Who expects a cheese sandwich to be memorable, or that the pita is one of the best items on the menu? Jardín is worth every bit of planning required to visit. You won't be disappointed! read more

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it's all about the mezze's here! One of Chef Jason Dady's restaurants, you'll know the dining experience offers an impressive fare with wonderful service. Like I said, the Mezze's! Of the 16 on the menu, we ordered for early dinner shareable 5 apps (doubled up on one as suggested by David, our gracious waitstaff tonight) and ordered the one of a kind, blue crab and sweet corn hummus, it's perfect. The whole evening was a party palette on the tongue! Wonderfully intimate and unassuming, makes the evening easy and casual come-as-you-are or for an evening summer formal inside this historical Sullivan carriage house in the pretty SA Botanical Gardens Reservations highly recommended! read more

We have had our eye on Jardin for a while and finally got a chance to swing by. We opted for an outside table, which was wonderful. We had some amazing weather and when its nice out, their patio is absolutely perfect to relax and have a good meal. We ordered a 6 piece mezze plate (think Mediterranean tapas) with the grilled cheese, naan, spinach-feta dip, cauliflower, stuffed dates, and bruschetta. Then for our main we ordered the focaccia pizza. Starting with the mezze plate, everything was fantastic! Starting with the bruschetta we were blown away, only to be even more blown away by the dates! After the dates, I thought we had found our favorite but then we tried the grilled cheese. It was perfectly creamy and crunchy and the jam on top was the perfect bit of sweetness. While those were the standouts, everything was great. The pizza itself too was wonderful. Crunchy edges and fluffy in the middle. We have always been a fan of Jason Dady's restaurants and Jardin was no exception. Would highly recommend stopping by when it's nice out for some excellent food in a great atmosphere. read more

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Everything was perfect. The food is delicious. The drinks are great. The garden and patio are beautiful. The service was quick and attentive. read more

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We had a wonderful morning exploring the garden and wanted to have a nice drink and birthday lunch for me, the bar area was completely empty except for two seats that needed to be serviced and cleared. we were told we would not be able to be seated due to bar tender being behind for interviews that the manager was conducting at a different table. Hopefully it's not because we are alternative dressed as I would have loved to have a nice birthday lunch here. The host was extremely rude and the manager did nothing.... we will not be trying again. read more

Ambiance was totally amazing. Food was super delish. We got the price fixed with wine pairing and the salmon was off the charts superb. The meal and pairing would have cost easily over 100+ in LV.... The price point and quality could make one move from LV to San Antonio for the food. ;) read more

Came for Restaurant week... always wanted to come here since they have a nice patio and have a lunch wine paring for Restaurant Week. It did not disappoint!!! I ended up getting the salmon as per the waiter's (David L.) recommendation. It had a hard sear on it that it had a bacon-y crust. So if you're Jewish and miss bacon... order the salmon but ask for the creme-fraiche on the side if you want to keep kosher. Not sure if the kitchen is kept kosher though. The wines were delicious and a super deal for $12 for the flight. I also ordered the dessert as well which is pictured and a great blend of the rustic polenta mixed with the honey, ricotta, and gelato. 10/10 would come again and bring even the snootiest of my friends ^.^' If you go... ask for David if you care what the waiter has to say. He will take good care of you. Oh... one other thing was I forgot my wallet at home so I checked if they took Apple Pay... which they did not so I asked if he could key in the CC information. David confirmed that he could. I asked if I could advance pay to make sure that it would go fine w/o a hitch and David persevered. He had to put some things on hold so it all didn't come out at once and he came back to ask for a Zip. I appreciated him taking care of my neuroses and managing my faux pax. Super kind and knowledgeable. read more

Jardin - Mediterranean Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Ruuuuuuudest front staff. Bad attitude, bad customer service, ZERO accommodating. Coming to the botanical garden should be a magical experience. Place, decor and food are great. What a shame that because of the bad staff we won't go back. read more

Jardin - Empty restaurant yet hosts refused to sit any other parties. - Mediterranean Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

This place is the cutest environment!! The garden patio seating and the lazy jazz music - so perfect to sit and unwind read more

Jardin - The coziest environment with the garden and lazy music .... Perfect outdoor patio to sit and unwind - Mediterranean Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Jason Dady -- local restaurateur-cum-celebrity chef -- thrives on challenge and contrarianism. When the culinary illuminati stress the importance of "location, location, location," he shutters the popular Broadway location of his Tuscan-inspired Tre Trattoria and relaunches it in a largely inaccessible space tucked inconspicuously behind an art museum. When most visitors to The Alley (nee, Artisan's Alley) demand girly tearoom fare, he opens a hipster Asian fusion joint. Amidst a global pandemic (a time of anxiety for most restaurateurs), he announces Jardin, a Spanish/Mediterranean concept located in the heart of the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. A quirky restaurant premise like this would falter in the hands of a lesser chef, but Jardin is mostly a success, a veritable "greatest hits" of past glories (the Mediterranean and Spanish flavors of The Bin Tapas Bar combined with Italian favorites from Tre Trattoria) given new life in a gorgeous, enchanting stone cottage surrounded by manicured lawns brimming with flowers. Though the menu features several Dady favorites, including an excellent herb-stuffed branzino and fresh pulled-to-order mozzarella, the mezze sampler is arguably the best place to start. Regardless of which options you choose, make sure to order at least one pita, toasty along the edges, soft in the middle, brushed with ghee, and finished with fresh herbs and sesame seeds. The pita is delicious on its own but pairs especially well with a creamy labneh accented with green olives and an intensely smoky baba ghanoush. Another mezze standout, bolognese-stuffed arancini, resemble crunchy hushpuppies on the outside, but are filled with gooey mozzerella and a rich, meaty ragù alla bolognese. Even a deceptively simple crudite won me over with crisp vegetables ensconced in a thick, creamy lemon aioli resplendent with fresh lemon zest. Small/sharable plates include the aforementioned pulled-to-order mozzarella, several salads and soups, and five creative takes of hummus. This not-so-humble Yelper has been singing the praises of Dady's mozzarella for years now. The ball of cheese arrives warm and seasoned simply with sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Cut off a piece, place it atop a slice of oak-grilled toast, and join yours truly in simple, unadulterated bliss. The standout on a recent visit, however, was the iteration of hummus studded with pearls of lump blue crab meat, sweet corn, and brown butter. The sweet crab and crunch from the corn contrasted nicely against the cool, creamy hummus, while the brown butter added yet another savory component and brought the entire package together. Less impressive was a fococcia pizza topped with ricotta, shaved asparagus, fried farm eggs, a mountain of freshly shredded Pecorino-Romano, and a heavy-handed drizzle of truffle oil. The pizza was overwhelmingly savory and needed an acidic component (tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon) to cut through the denseness of the fococcia and the multiple layers of creaminess. I have read several words of high praise for a different pizza -- one topped with soppressata, jalapenos, and a chunky marinara -- so I will probably order it on a future visit. Desserts include a rich, decadent Nutella torte (another holdover from Tre Trattoria), a delightful raspberry panna cotta, and an intriguing deconstructed olive oil cake. The creamy sweetness of the panna cotta was offset by bits of crunch from pistachio, bitterness from dark chocolate nibs, and a pinch of coarse sea salt. The unqualified hit of the evening, however, was the olive oil cake, consisting of three moist, triangular slices of white cake separated by dollops of saffron-infused Chantilly cream, honey-drizzled mascarpone, and a nougat tasting of almond extract. The use of olive oil in a dessert might sound strange, but the flavor was nuanced and added moistness to the cake. During the course of five visits, servers have been comfortable describing items and offering recommendations, but the kitchen staff have stumbled in unexpected ways. The first time I visited, my dad made asked that his soup arrive prior to his salad course, yet both items emerged from the kitchen simultaneously. That same morning, a runner brought out a plate of hummus topped with pork belly instead of the crab meat iteration I had ordered. On my most recent visit, my pita bread arrived ten minutes before the other components of my six-item mezze sampler, suggesting that the kitchen was overwhelmed. Jardin is still relatively new, so perhaps Dady and his team still require time to iron out a few issues. Despite my misgivings with the service and the fococcia pizza, Jardin has become one of my favorite restaurants near Alamo Heights, a burgeoning foodie enclave featuring such culinary luminaries as Cappy Lawton, Damien Watel, and Chris Conger. I have to wonder what's next for Jason Dady, though. A Mexican-Pakistani fusion place accessible via a manhole cover on Poplar Street? read more

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Came for lunch. A big Dady fan here. Jardin has been on my list of San Antonio restaurants to try and today's lunch was a first go. We were a party of three girlfriends. GF #1 ordered from the Mezze Plates selection and had the Deviled Eggs: Saffron, Smoked Paprika Harissa & Olive, the Sicilian Cauliflower: Lemon, Golden Raisins Capers & Red Chile and the White Cheddar Stuffed Dates: Spicy Honey, Prosciutto & Pecan. GF #2 also ordered from the Mezze Plates and had the Grilled Cheese Sandwich: Chevre & Tomato Jam, the Bolognese-Stuffed Arancini: Mozzarella & Black Truffle Aioli, the Lemon Ricotta Spread: Olive Oil & Sherry Vinegar and the Naan Pita: Garlic, Butter & Zahtar. I had the Beef Kefta Kabobs with Herbed Yogurt; mine came with hummus and a mixed green salad. Madiso, our server was attentive and informative. All foods were two thumbs up. Can't wait to return for dinner! read more

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