Whether it’s front porch margaritas, charcuterie with the book club, or an impromptu Love Island watch party, summer entertaining should feel effortless. This year, skip the fussy recipes and formal tureens. These San Antonio shops make hosting seem as easy as ordering Uber Eats.<\/p>\n
Karolina’s Antiques Honey Mercantile Pullman Market Rancho Diaz Sunset & Co.
<\/a>It\u2019s Friday, there\u2019s still two Zoom calls left, and you suddenly remember you\u2019re hosting Saturday brunch. Head to this Beacon Hill staple for bestselling concha heart mugs<\/a> or cantaritos<\/a>. While you\u2019re at it, pick up a few heart-shaped saucers<\/a>, too. The rest is an afternoon sprint \u2014 a few blush peonies from Central Market or Trader Joe\u2019s, assorted pan dulce from the closest panaderia, and bacon, eggs, and tortillas from H-E-B. Fill the cantaritos with a tequila cocktail, pour some salsa verde into the mugs. Done.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Almost everything at this North Side boutique works together, like a capsule wardrobe for the table top. For a casually elegant get-together, load a brass-trimmed marble platter<\/a> with salami and olives and serve a wheel of D\u00e9lice de Bourgogne under a dramatic glass cloche<\/a>. Turn it into cocktail hour by serving Kir Royales in rose stemless flutes<\/a>. Most of the tea towels work with the color scheme, but we like to add some nonchalance. The Marva Lu Tea Towel<\/a> does it with a swatch of picnic plaid.<\/p>\n
<\/a>While many may associate this Pearl market with a night on the town, it brings just as much razzle-dazzle to a night in. Grab a scratch pasta and a sauce from Fife & Farro, salad greens from produce (no Cyclospora worries here), and a sourdough baguette. Take a hard left and find a Texas grapefruit sorbet; veer to the right and find a darling dried arrangement. No one says you have to sweat to throw the perfect dinner party, but we\u2019re not above dusting our apron with flour to look like we did.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Desert modernism took a few knocks in recent years with a glut of faux kilim pillow and buffalo prints. This Pearl boutique does it right. Mix in neutral pieces like hand-blown tamarind glasses<\/a> with a little whimsy, say an extra-large vaquero platter <\/a>or a preening pakka spoon<\/a>. Shoppers will still have to brave the grocery store if they want to impress a potential suitor. But cue up the Netflix and toss some pistachio salsa macha<\/a> with microwave popcorn; it\u2019s entertaining for one.<\/p>\n
<\/a>We know of no other store in town that offers both drain pipe augers and deliciously patterned dinner plates. But for patio season, we stroll past the putty and porcelain to stock up on paper and melamine plates. Be aware that this Alamo Heights staple sticks to an aesthetic \u2014 it\u2019s all shivering hydrangeas, fluttering butterflies, and English manor lattice. Tone it down with a cabana striped runner<\/a> or a set of unbreakable wine glasses in ring pop tones.<\/p>\n