North San Antonio Edition - July 2022

I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING RECOGNIZABLE, LIKE POUTINE, BUT WITH A SLIGHT MODIFICATION. BARBACOA IS KING IN SAN ANTONIO ALONG WITH BRISKET. IT’S CERTAINLY AN HOMAGE TO THE PART OF THE COUNTRY THAT WE LIVE IN. JAMES MOORE, EXECUTIVE CHEF, COOWNER

DINING FEATURE

James Moore, executive chef and co-owner at Full Belly Cafe + Bar, decorated the interior of his Stone Oak restaurant with custom works by local artists and with records from his personal vinyl collection.

EDMOND ORTIZCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

Full Belly Cafe + Bar Stone Oak eatery caters to the brunch crowd T ucked away inside a small Stone Oak retail center along Loop 1604, Full Belly Café + Bar BY EDMOND ORTIZ

3 DISHES TO TRY Executive Chef and co-owner James Moore shared some of Full Belly Cafe + Bar’s most popular menu items, nearly all of which involve bread baked in-house.

1 Pecan pie French toast ($13.75) is garnished with brown sugar whiskey caramel, candied pecans and sweet cream. 2 2-hour brisket pot roast ($21.25) is topped with chimichurri and white cheddar grits. 3 Eggs Benny ($14.50) is eggs Benedict with pulled pork belly covered by an espresso rub, red-eye gravy, hollandaise, grilled sourdough and home fries.

“We decided to drop dinner and focus on what seemed like what most people were interested in. It’s de- nitely been a work in progress. We’ve had to be malleable with it and bend so that we didn’t break,” Moore said. Moore said he and his partners looked closely at what Full Belly’s diners were enjoying the most and developed a menu lled with fun breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes and drinks that would appeal to many patrons. “The response from the crowd— they kind of tell you what it’s going to be. You shape and build around what people enjoy,” Moore said. According to Moore, several Full Belly dishes have won raves from many customers, including the Eggs Benny, Not Yo Mama’s Breakfast Sand- wich, the Patty Melt, Pecan Pie French Toast, 12-Hour Brisket Pot Roast, baked eggs with toasted milk bread and the Barbacoa Breakfast Poutine. Moore said entrees, such as the barbacoa poutine, tend to help distinguish Full Belly from its contemporaries. “I wanted to do something recog- nizable, like poutine, but with a slight modication. Barbacoa is king in San Antonio along with brisket. It’s certainly an homage to the part of the country that we live in,” Moore said.

is a spot that is particularly popular with people who love breakfast, lunch or brunch anytime during the day. “Brunch has gotten more popular. I feel like we hit this at the right time,” Executive Chef and co-owner James Moore said of Full Belly. Timing for the restaurant was initially a challenge for Moore and his Full Belly co-owners Blade Haddock and Bryan Pape. Moore said it was in 2019 when he and Haddock originally mulled creating a spot focused on cooking up creative takes on casual, traditional daytime eats. Accompanied by curated coee and cocktail programs, Full Belly’s culinary concept revolves around bread, Moore said, with all breads and desserts baked by Pastry Chef Deanna Lansing. “We do all the baking in house— buns, bread, pastries—everything is done here,” Moore said. Full Belly launched in February 2020—one month before the arrival of COVID-19 forced restaurants and bars to shut their doors to the public. Moore and his partners waited until October 2020 to reopen Full Belly, but only for breakfast, lunch and brunch.

COURTESY FULL BELLY CAFE + BAR

Full Belly Cafe + Bar 427 N. Loop 1604 W., Ste. 202, San Antonio 210-236-5374 www.fullbellysa.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

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