To perk up a dreary day, I met a friend at Ocho, Hotel Havana’s pan-Latin restaurant. Ocho doesn’t host a Happy Hour, but we didn’t let that stop us.

Sitting in a glass-enclosed sunroom that overlooks the San Antonio River Walk, we ordered mojitos, traditional Cuban highballs, and dreamed of white sand beaches and sparkling blue water. Not really, but in hindsight, it seems like we should have. The lime juice, rum and mint were just what we needed to beat back the weather blahs. We sipped and caught up on the latest in our lives.

After taking a look at the menu, we decided to order the Huitlacoche Quesadillas with avocados and poblano sauce along with a couple of Shiner Bocks. The quesadillas arrived, and we dove in. They were absolutely delicious, and we practically licked the plate clean. If I’d known they were made of corn smut, I’m not sure that I would have ordered them. Some things are better left unknown. Don’t let this revelation dissuade you, though. I would order them again. However, first I want to give breakfast a whirl. Texas Monthly voted Ocho’s as one of the best in the state.

Hotel Havana is one of Liz Lambert’s Bunkhouse hotels that have been featured in The New York Times. My husband and I took a look-see around Lambert’s Marfa spread, El Cosmico, not too long ago, and we liked what we saw.

Ocho is open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 7 a.m. until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!