192. From 8 Tables to the St. Anthony: Chef Leo Davila on Bringing San Antonians Back Downtown to Eat

I think it's interesting you mentioned that because earlier you said that in your childhood they were like field trips to downtown.

So it's really a sense of an excursion, you know, for folks coming from the Woodlawn Lake area to go downtown or likewise I feel that for my family too.

You know, right now we're a little bit further out but pretty close to Woodlawn still.

Yeah, if you could say more about that, like what do you think for the vision for downtown's dining scene? Where is it at, you know, right now? And how do you feel like we can break down that barrier, encourage it to feel more so like it's for locals, you know, and bring people down here?

Yeah, you know, I think, you know, I had the opportunity to live in Houston for a little bit.

And when I lived in Houston, everything was 45 minutes plus as a drive.

I lived in Katy.

If I wanted to go downtown to the Galleria, it was a 30, 40 minute drive.

If I wanted to go to cross town to Pasadena, it was an hour drive.

So in other cities, I think driving and having to venture out a little bit is just part of who they are, what they do.

Growing up, like I said, field trips.

I grew up on the northwest side of town.

I live almost near Castroville right now.

To get to downtown is just a feat.

A lot of that has to do with like parking.

A lot of that has to do with the quality of restaurants or the caliber is we're being looked at as very much a special occasion.

And I want to break that stigma to be able to still have affordable options.

I frame the word affordable as now coachable.

Because affordable to me may not be affordable to you and vice versa.

I'll give you an example.

I love shoes, right? I have a very, very sweet spot for shoes.

I love the story of shoes.

I love when they represent something.

I love the colors of it.

And that to me is like the experience.

I think it's interesting you mentioned that because earlier you said that in your childhood they were like field trips to downtown.

So it's really a sense of an excursion, you know, for folks coming from the Woodlawn Lake area to go downtown or likewise I feel that for my family too.

You know, right now we're a little bit further out but pretty close to Woodlawn still.

Yeah, if you could say more about that, like what do you think for the vision for downtown's dining scene? Where is it at, you know, right now? And how do you feel like we can break down that barrier, encourage it to feel more so like it's for locals, you know, and bring people down here?

Yeah, you know, I think, you know, I had the opportunity to live in Houston for a little bit.

And when I lived in Houston, everything was 45 minutes plus as a drive.

I lived in Katy.

If I wanted to go downtown to the Galleria, it was a 30, 40 minute drive.

If I wanted to go to cross town to Pasadena, it was an hour drive.

So in other cities, I think driving and having to venture out a little bit is just part of who they are, what they do.

Growing up, like I said, field trips.

I grew up on the northwest side of town.

I live almost near Castroville right now.

To get to downtown is just a feat.

A lot of that has to do with like parking.

A lot of that has to do with the quality of restaurants or the caliber is we're being looked at as very much a special occasion.

And I want to break that stigma to be able to still have affordable options.

I frame the word affordable as now coachable.

Because affordable to me may not be affordable to you and vice versa.

I'll give you an example.

I love shoes, right? I have a very, very sweet spot for shoes.

I love the story of shoes.

I love when they represent something.

I love the colors of it.

And that to me is like the experience.