January 15th Chapter Meeting - Soliel Bistro & Wine Bar

By: Rob Burlingame, AFF President

PLEASE NOTE!!! The January meeting will NOT be at our regular location and NOT on our usual meeting night! It will be at Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar on Thursday, January 15th.

As has been a tradition with the Alamo Fly Fishers for many years, our January meeting will be a fabulous cooking demonstration for our members to learn yet another tasty way to prepare their latest catch. After a fun filled and excellent presentation from last year's meeting, we will be changing locations to Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar at 14415 Blanco Road, hosted by owner Jean-Francois Poujol. Our January meetings are always a popular meeting and a great "couples" event, filled with camaraderie and conversation in a casual dinner setting.

Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar is a neighborhood style bistro featuring dishes inspired by the cuisines of France, Italy, Spain and the Mediterranean. Their emphasis on freshness and quality service is evident to anyone who has dined there. In addition to great food, atmosphere and service, they offer a thoughtful wine list and an eclectic beer selection to compliment the menu. This year, Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar was proud to be named the Critic’s Choice Best New Restaurant for 2008 by the San Antonio Express News.
Jean-Francois Poujol is the owner and front of the house manager of Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar, bringing with him an astounding resume with over 20 years in the restaurant business. Jean-Francois came to San Antonio about 6 years ago, after nearly 15 years in restaurants around the Los Angeles area. Prior to opening Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar roughly a year and a half ago, Jean-Francois has worked for some of the most notable restaurants along the San Antonio Riverwalk, including his role as the general manager of Biga on the Banks and as front of the house manager at La Mansion del Rio Hotel. The experience that Jean-Francois brings with him is evident in the exquisite menu and exceptional service that you will find at Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar. Reviews of the restaurant commend the authentic European and Mediterranean flavors that are maintained throughout the broad menu choices. You can visit their web site at www.soleilbistro.net to gain a better appreciation for the variety and value that they offer.

The January meeting will be held at Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar on Tuesday January 15th starting at 7:00pm. The restaurant is located at the corner of Blanco Road & Cadillac Drive, roughly half way between Loop 410 and Loop 1604. We are still working out the final details of the event with Jean-Francois, but expect it will be similar in format to last year, with a couple of exceptions. They are putting together a menu suitable to our club for a reasonable cost of about $20 per person. The cost will include a four course meal, with the main entrée served family style featuring several types of fish caught right here along the Texas coast. There will be a cash bar as well for anyone wanting to sample the wonderful beer and wine selection.

As I write this, I am anxiously waiting on my third annual new year’s trip to the coast, in search of your dinner for that evening. It is a tough job put on the officers to supply fish for our January meeting, but if we have to go fishing for the benefit of the club, I guess we will survive!

Please help us spread the word. Our January AFF meeting will NOT be held at the Alamo Heights Presbyterian Church as it typically is. We will be meeting at Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar at around 7:00 PM on January 15th.

DIRECTIONS: to 14415 Blanco Road

FROM LOOP 410
- Take Blanco Road north from Loop 410
- In about 3.9 miles, the restaurant will be on your left hand side at the intersection of Cadillac Drive

FROM LOOP 1604
- Take Blanco Road north from Loop 410
- In about 2.5 miles, the restaurant will be on your left hand side at the intersection of Cadillac Drive

The phone number for Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar is 210-408-2670.

We will have an abbreviated meeting up front, and suspend the fly raffle until next month so that we may get started as soon as possible. Hope to see everyone there! Please feel free to call any of the officers with questions. Until then, get out and do some fishing.