I met a friend at the Bright Shawl for lunch recently. I haven’t been in awhile so I was excited to see if anything had changed since my last visit. I spent a lot of time in that beautiful building. I was a member of the Junior League of San Antonio for years and I am currently a sustainer. A sustainer is basically a “retired” member that still pays dues to support the League. I love this organization. I knew exactly four people in San Antonio when we moved here over 14 years ago. I had given up my career to be a stay at home Mom and had a 4 month old baby and a husband that worked all the time. I can honestly say that this organization helped me in more ways than they can imagine. I not only met some life long friends, I fell in love with San Antonio. The JLSA works with over 60 non-profits throughout our community and this is where I experienced the true heart of our wonderful city by working hands on with these various organizations. The Bright Shawl is one of the JLSA’s main fundraising sources to help support all of their programs. So when you eat at the Bright Shawl or book a wedding reception there, you are in turn helping our community.
The Tea Room of the Bright Shawl is located in the Gallery. They are open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:00am to 2:00pm. Not only do you have a seat by some extraordinary art, you have a beautiful view of the courtyard. I found a few new items on the menu and they have added a hot buffet in addition to their soup and salad bar, but I went with my favorite salad. I love their grilled chicken caesar salad. It has a lime-marinated chicken and lots of roasted garlic croutons. My friend opted for the soup and salad. I was going to take a picture of her asparagus soup but she ate it too fast. It looked good and she said it was delicious! They serve a basket of bread with your meal. Lucky for us, they brought enough so we could each sample the orange roll and cheese dollars. Neither of us had tried the cheese dollars before and they were our top pick. They are both cheesy and crunchy and have a little kick at the end. They are a cross between bread and a cracker with pecans for an added texture. They are so popular that they are available for purchase along with the almond crunch cake. This cake has long been a staple at the Bright Shawl. It is heaven on a plate. It has a very moist center and a whipped cream type icing that is covered with almond sugary goodness! The ladies at the table next to ours ordered a round of cake for everyone but I was good and resisted. It is so worth the calories though if you want to give in and try it!
I was happy to know that with some only minor changes the Bright Shawl is still basically the same. The food seemed to taste even better than I remembered. They recently have added a Sunday brunch that offers a waffle station, shrimp and grits and buttermilk biscuits and so much more. The hours are 10:30am to 2:00pm. For more detailed information visit BrightShawl.
The JLSA has a couple of brand new events this weekend. The Fete du Cuvee Fine Wine Auction will be held on Saturday evening. The Bright Shawl will also be open and serving boxed lunches on Sunday for a picnic in the courtyard for attendees of the Better Block Project and Siclovia as well. For all this new and exciting event information, please visit JLSA.
Please support this wonderful group of women. They take the time out of their busy lives to volunteer in an effort to make San Antonio a better place to live. They have a long history of doing this with the founding of Sunshine Cottage for the Deaf as well as assisting in founding our beautiful Botanical Gardens. These are just a couple of examples of their hand in changing our community since their very first meeting took place in 1924. These women discover a need and they do something about it. We are so very fortunate because they really do make a difference, day in and day out. Help support them with something as delightful as a tasty lunch with your friends!
Stay Sassy Y’all.
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