San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
5 best area restaurants for loaded spuds
Humble potatoes transformed into indulgent meals
A loaded baked potato embraces an essential contradiction within its layers of cheese and meat.
It’s a thrifty, value-conscious choice coming in at a pound or more — and that’s just for the giant potato before it’s topped with two food pyramid levels, making it a complete meal for the price of a side dish. But it’s also an indulgence, with creamy butter, melted cheese and rich bacon all wrapped up in a blanket of starchy carbs that go down like a warm hug for your belly.
It’s both sensible Midwestern meat-and-potatoes heartiness and the perfect blank canvas for a chef ’s creativity. It’s the food equivalent of a Dodge truck that’s as good with a basic options package as it is tricked out a la “Pimp My Ride.”
What started as a classic steakhouse side has evolved in the social media era of food photography to the point where entire restaurants are now dedicated to the art of the loaded spud. Because what’s more photogenic: A basic baked potato or a tater towering with half a brisket and encased in the golden glow of melted cheese and butter? And which are you more likely to order?
These five San Antonio-area restaurants know the answer, serving the best loaded baked potatoes I’ve tasted.
B-Daddy’s BBQ
The $11 potato at B-Daddy’s is a “some assembly required” venture due to COVID. Customers are given a container with sour cream, shredded cheddar, butter and two types of barbecue sauce that includes a sweet and bold option. But there is no questioning the pillow-soft spud that ranks among the largest I have seen and could double as free weight. I opted for the tender and smoky pulled pork, and it came with enough to load
the potato and take the rest home to make a sandwich. 14436 Bandera Road, Helotes,
210-275-9995, bdaddysbbq.com
Brooks BBQ & More
This is the place for folks who love their food smoked. Pitmaster Robert Brooks loves cooking with mesquite, and the smell permeates everything. This loaded $8.99 smoked spud is loaded with chopped brisket, melted cheese and a hearty mix of sour cream and barbecue sauce with a few slivers of jalapeño peppers. 13777 Nacogdoches Road, 210-474-0243, brooksbbqmore.com
Dignowity Meats
At this East Side restaurant standout, the $12 tater comes loaded with its signature brisket burnt ends, served sauced and with a flavor that’s somehow equal parts beef and bacon. Not sure how they do it, nor do I care, because the whipped butter and cheese combine with this meaty goodness for one of the best potatoes in the city.
1701 E. Houston St., 210-462-1496,
dignowitymeats.com
Jacked! Potato
At this build-your-spud-own spot, the assembly line starts with a choice of a russet (starting at $9) or sweet potato (starting
at $9.25). You can’t go wrong with either. All the potatoes come with sour cream and chives, and then customers pick from eight proteins, three cheeses, nine types of veggies and seven types of sauces. This is the place for baked potato connoisseurs who want to experiment or who have some control issues. 8340 FM 78,
Suite 4, Converse, 210-462-3072, Facebook: jackedpotato
Mighty Oak BBQ
The bar patrons at the Black Clover pub on Thousand Oaks, where the Mighty Oak food trailer is parked, often make bets on whether those who
order the loaded potato ($11.99) will be able to finish it. It easily weights in at more than 2 pounds, perfectly cooked and tricked out with butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, onions, and chives and your choice of pulled pork, brisket or sausage — all solid meat choices. For pitmaster David Stokem, the potato is a source of pride, and it should be. 3030 Thousand Oaks Drive, Instagram: @mightyoakbbqtx