Chef Brooke Smith at The Esquire Tavern

Brooke Smith, a San Antonio native, was executive chef of The Esquire Tavern and Downstairs and built the tavern’s kitchen. She sits in the River Walk bar’s tufted leather booths beneath a mounted bison head and a wall of mounted fish. Detail photos cover the chef’s charcuterie board, from cured meats and pâté to terrine, blue cheese and pickled okra. The Big Red empanada is served with a can of Big Red, photographed for the San Antonio Express-News.

Chef Brooke Smith in a black chef's coat sits in an ornate chair behind a charcuterie board — Chef Brooke Smith, who built the kitchen at The Esquire Tavern, sits with a charcuterie board of cured meats, cheeses and terrines at the historic bar on the River Walk in downtown San Antonio.
Client: San Antonio Express-News

Chef Brooke Smith sits at a dark round table with a charcuterie board and a lit oil lamp.

Chef Brooke Smith in a black chef shirt sits beneath a mounted bison head on patterned wallpaper. — Beneath a mounted bison head.

Chef Brooke Smith sits with her legs crossed between two leather booths, a bison head mounted on the wall above her.

Chef Brooke Smith sits in a wooden booth behind a plated dish, a can of Big Red and a red drink on an Esquire Tavern napkin. — With the Big Red empanada and a can of Big Red.

Chef Brooke Smith smiles at a round table in a tufted leather booth beneath a stone wall hung with mounted fish and paintings. — At a tufted leather booth beneath a wall of mounted fish.

Chef Brooke Smith sits at a small round table with a charcuterie board and an oil lamp in a tufted leather booth.

An overhead view of a wooden charcuterie board with cured meats, blue cheese, pâté, pickled okra and olives beside a plate of toasted bread. — Charcuterie Board
Cured meats, blue cheese, pâté, pickled okra and olives fill the chef’s charcuterie board at The Esquire Tavern beside a plate of toasted bread.

A charcuterie board and a plate of toasted bread beside a lit brass oil lamp on a dark wooden table. — The chef’s charcuterie board at The Esquire Tavern, a mixture of cured and dried meats and cheese with condiments, sits beside toasted bread and a lit brass oil lamp.

A close view of pâté topped with lemon zest beside prosciutto, olives and pickled okra on a wooden board. — Pâté and Cured Meat
Pâté topped with lemon zest sits beside thinly sliced cured meat, pickled okra and olives on the chef’s charcuterie board at The Esquire Tavern.

Folded slices of prosciutto beside a small dish of whole grain mustard on a wooden board. — Cured Meat and Mustard
Folded slices of cured meat rest beside a dish of whole-grain mustard on the chef’s charcuterie board at The Esquire Tavern.

A wedge of soft cheese, an olive and pickled okra beside a dish of whole grain mustard. — Cheese and Mustard
A wedge of soft cheese, an olive and pickled okra sit beside a dish of whole-grain mustard on the chef’s charcuterie board at The Esquire Tavern.

A slice of terrine, sliced pear, a dish of fruit preserves and blue cheese on a wooden board. — Terrine and Compote
A slice of terrine shares the chef’s charcuterie board at The Esquire Tavern with pâté, a dark red compote, pear slices and blue cheese.

Thin slices of cured meat fanned across a wooden board beside pickled okra and blue cheese. — Cured Meat
Peppercorn-edged slices of cured meat fan across the chef’s charcuterie board at The Esquire Tavern beside pickled okra, pickles and blue cheese.

A close view of pâté dusted with lemon zest beside a black olive, blue cheese and pickled okra. — Pâté and Olive
Lemon zest dusts the pâté beside a black olive, blue cheese and pickled okra on the chef’s charcuterie board at The Esquire Tavern.

A golden pastry under green sauce, crema and cilantro on a cream-colored plate dusted with red spice. — Big Red Empanada
The Esquire’s Big Red empanada features Big Red-braised short rib, salsa verde, chimichurri, sour cream, cilantro and puff pastry.

An overhead view of a plated dish with green sauce, a can of Big Red and a red drink on a wooden table. — Served with a can of Big Red.

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