occasion venue for area residents. His signature is a Chicken
Fried Wild Boar cutlet topped with jalapeño cream gravy,
adding a shot of culinary adrenaline to the chicken-fried
steak that’s a diner staple throughout the state. Two other
items that can never go off the menu, even with a change of
seasonal sides, include a pan-seared, potato-crusted black
cod and a ten-ounce achiote marinated steak with green
chile-bacon scalloped potatoes.
In any direction from the Canyon of the Eagles base camp
you’ll find eateries specializing in Texas-sized portions of
comfort food. Mama’s Home Cooking is known for its
blackened catfish and chicken-fried steak with a generous
choice of sides, as well as its addictive deep-fried jalapeño
rings. The “hometown buffet” at Highlander House of Buffet
& Steakhouse features fried chicken and barbecue ribs to
rival the gentrified versions created by hipster
establishments in New York and Los Angeles.
Trailblazer Grille is worth a visit for live music sets on a
par with Austin venues. The expansive menu is a show in
itself, with chicken pot pie as the stand out. Its croissant-like
crust holds a creamy but surprisingly nuanced chicken and
vegetable filling. The hash brown casserole, sold as a side
but a meal in itself, is also worth the calorie splurge.
Other much-recommended picks include Opie’s BBQ
(specializing in mesquite smoked brisket, paired with spicy
corn, butter beans, or a tater tot casserole) and the Blue
Bonnet Café which has been fixing dessert pies since 1929.A Different Gold in Those Hills
Over four decades ago, Northern California wineries put
everything on the line to gain respect and prestige amid the
wine producers’ establishment — and prevailed when Napa
wines were besting French wines in international
competitions. Today, with Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, and
other California wine production areas standing as the
establishment, Texas Hill Country’s wineries are headingdown the same trail. Burnet County also has world-class,
small-production beers that would wow beer lovers who
think they’ve tried everything.
Work to accomplish that dream has been underway for
a while. While Napa’s wines were making their way onto
prestigious wine lists, Ed and Susan Auler found
themselves getting into the game when they travelled to
France in 1973 to scout special cattle breeds for their ranch
and ended up exploring Reims, Burgundy, the Rhone,
Bordeaux and Loire. Two years later, with the support of
Texas A&M and Texas Tech Universities, the Aulers set up a
test plot on a corner of their Fall Creek Ranch to
experiment with wine growing. Fall Creek Vineyards was
officially established in 1980.
The Aulers spent much of the decade researching the
success of growers and winemakers in Napa and Sonoma
and working with noted wine consultant André
Tchelistcheff to perfect the growing and winemaking
processes. They also found time to establish a Wine & Food
Festival in 1986 with the intention of promoting the Texas
Hill Country as a wine region. The efforts were a success, as
Ed’s application to the US government for the Texas Hill
Country wine appellation was granted.
In the living room of the couple’s Wine Country Inn
visitors can meet director of winemaking Sergio Cuadra,
and sample hearty pours of the winery’s award-winning
Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Merlot
wines, as well as a couple of exciting new releases, with
artisanal cheeses. All grapes used in the wines are 100
percent Texas grown, in soils Ed compares to some of the
those he encountered in France.
While Blake and Karen DeBerry, like the Aulers,
converted their cattle ranch into a winery/vineyard, their
inspiration sprang from a 2012 wine tour of Australia. In
2014, soon after the couple planted their first vines, Torr Na
Lochs Vineyard & Winery was officially established. In 2015,38 TAST E&^ TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL^ APRIL–JUNE 2019
DESTINATIONS BURNET COUNTY
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