: Chef Steve McHugh, who opened New Orleans heavyweight John Besh’s San Antonio outpost, Lüke, now has his own place in the Pearl complex, and it's a flat-out paean to pork, grits, greens and other staples of Southern culture. The restored and embellished former administration building now greets the diner with a glass case of house-cured meats; the menu fulfills the display’s promise with compose-your-own charcuterie plates. Dishes change seasonally, but know that salads like beet and blood orange with beet “cracklings” shine, that the smoked pork gumbo is not to be missed, and that if slow-cooked beef tongue doesn’t need to be repeated, cabrito sliders with chayote pickles are a mini-miracle. Cocktails don’t quite yet reach the level of the cuisine (though sitting at the bar is often a good option), but there’s a well-curated wine list and an impressive selection of craft beers to pair with cured cuts.

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