Biga on the Banks sits downtown along the San Antonio Riverwalk, an American restaurant in the city's higher-end dining tier. Chef/owner Bruce Auden, a North London native, has led the kitchen here, building a reputation for original, worldly menus over a long career in San Antonio.
A prix fixe option runs through the kitchen's changing menu and has developed a following among regulars looking for a curated path through the offerings. The lamb and salmon have built reputations of their own, though portions have drawn comment as running small relative to the price, a tradeoff some diners weigh against the cooking. Service reviews split — some nights praised for polish, others flagged as slow.
The restaurant's institutional weight is considerable. The James Beard Foundation named Auden a finalist for Best Chef in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2011, then a finalist again in 2012, and a semifinalist for Outstanding Service in 2013 — eight nominations across more than a decade, among the most of any chef in the region.
A prix fixe option runs through the kitchen's changing menu and has developed a following among regulars looking for a curated path through the offerings. The lamb and salmon have built reputations of their own, though portions have drawn comment as running small relative to the price, a tradeoff some diners weigh against the cooking. Service reviews split — some nights praised for polish, others flagged as slow.
The restaurant's institutional weight is considerable. The James Beard Foundation named Auden a finalist for Best Chef in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2011, then a finalist again in 2012, and a semifinalist for Outstanding Service in 2013 — eight nominations across more than a decade, among the most of any chef in the region.