One of the first things I do after deciding I’ll be attending a convention is to research the local food scene so that I don’t end up having to settle for hotel restaurants. Not that hotel restaurants aren’t capable of delivering peak culinary experiences—Lai Wah Heen at Toronto’s Metropolitan Hotel and Cafe Bolud at Toronto’s Four Seasons are two examples—but those instances are rare. And so, many months ago, knowing I’d be heading to LoneStarCon 3, I began looking into what San Antonio has to offer.

The first restaurant I decided I needed to hit was Bliss. Opened by chef Mark Bliss and his wife Lisa early last year, it was named San Antonio’s best new restaurant of 2012 by Texas Monthly, and seemed to have a menu capable of delivering what I’m always seeking—food that’s more that just sustenance, but capable of leaving me gobsmacked. Not wanting to take a chance I’d miss out, I emailed the restaurant directly and made a reservation long before OpenTable’s online system allowed, and worried about filling the table later.

Which is how I found myself the Friday of Worldcon pulling up to Bliss in a cab along with Ellen Datlow, Pat Cadigan, Malcolm Edwards, and Eileen Gunn.

We knew immediately that we wanted to sample the restaurant’s impressive charcuterie menu …

… and so after some (but not too much) deliberation, we chose Jamon Serrano, Duck Salame (which I was campaigning for), Paleta Iberico, Humbolt Fog (Ellen’s idea, I believe), Ubriaco, Honeycomb, Calimyrna Figs, and Castelvetrano Sicilian Olives.

The menu was too enticing for us not to order appetizers as well, and so I asked for a dish which had been tempting me ever since I’d seen it on the menu months before: Grilled Spanish octopus, crispy Yukon Gold potatoes, Revilla chorizo, capers, smoked paprika remoulade, arugula, lemon vinaigrette.

Malcolm asked for Oyster sliders: Crispy fried gulf oysters, candied bacon, buttermilk chive biscuits, spinach, brown butter hollandaise, and chives.

When it came time for the entrees, it turned out that four of us had fixated on the same dish: Grilled Szechuan peppercorn & five spice crusted duck breast and seared Grade A foie gras, sweet potatoes, pepper, Brussels sprout, Yukon potato, duck confit hash, watercress, black pepper cherry cider sauce.

Pat was the outlier, choosing “Pork and beans” for her entree: Grilled & braised red chile rubbed pork shank, corona beans, brocolini, peach mango glaze pineapple relish, buttermilk onion rings.

When it came time for dessert, there was no repetition, as we each made a different choice, but I fear I was only able to snap photos of two of the desserts before our party began devouring them …

Chocolate bar: Dark chocolate bar, ganache, chocolate raspberry ice cream, raspberry coulis, vanilla anglaise

Key lime: Key lime mousse, passion fruit coulis, tropical fruit, chocolate pirouette

Bliss was everything I’d heard it would be, and did not disappoint. Excellent food (which would occasionally cause me to emit a moan so primal I’d feel a need to apologize), elegant presentation, attentive service.

Can I go back to San Antonio so I can work my way through the rest of the Bliss menu, please?