Fredericksburg

[Johnny Sack 8397]

36 minutes ago, NoName said:

Lincoln St is a legit great place that I almost always recommend to people in town. Laid back, cool wine bar that has a very limited food menu but a really cool vibe and a large outdoors area!

Been going there for 15 years or so.  Love that place.

[Mac8111 2105]

Been going there for 15 years or so.  Love that place.

Made out with naughty nurse there one time on a Sat afternoon. I know one of the Managers. He was pretty entertained.

[CycleTex87 2965]

Came through Fredericksburg and on into Austin on 290 on Friday.  I guess I haven't been down 290 west of Austin in quite a while.  There must be a hundred wineries and distilleries along the road.  How can they all stay in business through this covid BS?  Anybody tried Hye Rum?  Worth a stop on my next trip through?

[NoName 16350]

On 8/23/2020 at 6:47 PM, CycleTex87 said:

Came through Fredericksburg and on into Austin on 290 on Friday.  I guess I haven't been down 290 west of Austin in quite a while.  There must be a hundred wineries and distilleries along the road.  How can they all stay in business through this covid BS?  Anybody tried Hye Rum?  Worth a stop on my next trip through?

this is obviously way after the fact but the big answer is there are just so damn many people out here they can jump on the wine bus, hit up a bunch of them, maybe join 1 or buy some bottles and there is enough $$ out there for everyone.

they don't seem to think they are anywhere near saturated either, there are some more opening up towards Johnson City, and off of 290 now and they think there is going to be a ton more additional growth up towards Burnet/San Saba as well.

it will be interesting to see if COVID slows any down but as far as I know only one winery near FBG has actually "closed" even with everything that is going on and there is a pretty big one one opening up next to Grape Creek on 290 and what appears to be a new, decently sized one opening up across from Fat Ass in the middle of nowhere (it is on 290 but right where you turn to go to Becker)

Rumor is that in Blumenthal (tiny "town" between FBG and Stonewall) that 2 big parcels of land were purchased - one for a winery/shopping area and another for a Salt Lick BBQ/winery. I know the 2 pretty decent sized lots were purchased, but not sure who actually bought them.

i've heard decent things about Hye Rum, been open a while and they did a ton in the community with hand sanitizer so i need to swing by and at least buy a bottle of something.

Edited September 21, 2020 by NoName

[CycleTex87 2965]

I've been through there a couple times now, looks like the drive between Houston and the Permian will be part of my life for a while until my company feels it's safe enough for me to fly out there rather than burning a day driving each way.  I may hit up Hye Rum on the next trip.  On the way home, its right around lunch time.

[NoName 16350]

3 minutes ago, CycleTex87 said:

I've been through there a couple times now, looks like the drive between Houston and the Permian will be part of my life for a while until my company feels it's safe enough for me to fly out there rather than burning a day driving each way.  I may hit up Hye Rum on the next trip.  On the way home, its right around lunch time.

if you care there is a coffee place in Johnson City that is pretty solid, right off of 290 on your right if you are coming to FBG

[CycleTex87 2965]

2 minutes ago, NoName said:

if you care there is a coffee place in Johnson City that is pretty solid, right off of 290 on your right if you are coming to FBG

I'm always on the lookout for quality coffee places, and also ones not named Starbucks.  Local owned and operated is preferred.

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

Ok seriously, what percentage of the wine actually comes from the locally grown grapes?  I know the winery in deep Rio uses a significant percentage of California juice.

[HenryJames 66035]

If it says Texas on the label, at least 75% of the grapes have to come from Texas. If it has a specific AVA, at least 85% of the grapes have to come from that AVA. If it says estate, 100% of the grapes have to come from that estate.

[texasdago 7566]

More and more wineries are either using local grapes or grapes from the High Plains.  From what I know, guys like Ron Yates, William Chris, Duchman, Perissos, Hye Meadow, Bingham, etc. use 100% Texas grapes.  Go somewhere like Augusta Vin and they have 60 acres planted there and 100 acres total but pretty sure they also supplement with High Plains.  Perissos, on their page says, "100% Texas Grown - Since our first harvest in 2006, 70% of all the wines made at Perissos have been from Estate-grown fruit. The other 30% is grown by other extraordinary Texas farmers."

[NoName 16350]

2 hours ago, CycleTex87 said:

I'm always on the lookout for quality coffee places, and also ones not named Starbucks.  Local owned and operated is preferred.

Caliche Coffee in Fredericksburg is my favorite: https://calichecoffee.com/

 

Johnson City Coffee Co:https://johnsoncitycoffeeco.com/

[NoName 16350]

1 hour ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

Ok seriously, what percentage of the wine actually comes from the locally grown grapes?  I know the winery in deep Rio uses a significant percentage of California juice.

last I heard about 80-85% of the grapes grown in Texas are from the High Plains.

1 hour ago, HenryJames said:

If it says Texas on the label, at least 75% of the grapes have to come from Texas. If it has a specific AVA, at least 85% of the grapes have to come from that AVA. If it says estate, 100% of the grapes have to come from that estate.

this is correct.

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

More and more wineries are either using local grapes or grapes from the High Plains.  From what I know, guys like Ron Yates, William Chris, Duchman, Perissos, Hye Meadow, Bingham, etc. use 100% Texas grapes.  Go somewhere like Augusta Vin and they have 60 acres planted there and 100 acres total but pretty sure they also supplement with High Plains.  Perissos, on their page says, "100% Texas Grown - Since our first harvest in 2006, 70% of all the wines made at Perissos have been from Estate-grown fruit. The other 30% is grown by other extraordinary Texas farmers."

William Chris was leading a push to try to make a label saying "Texas" to have 100% from Texas but that's really tough and it didn't make it.

There is a big focus on using Texas grapes these days, but to do it on a larger scale it's tough to do 100% Texas grapes.

Most folks are getting a decent % of their grapes from High Plains just due to how many grapes are grown there vs Hill Country AVA

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

Well that's all good to know.  

[texasdago 7566]

I don't have a problem with them sourcing from the High Plains, per se.  Was perusing the web page of Perissos today and they do a good job of explaining where their grapes come from.  Some might show percentages of estate vs other vineyards and they'll call out the specific vineyards.  I think big advancements are being made in Texas wine and I like what's being done.  

[CycleTex87 2965]

It seems like the little vineyards you see from 290 are just to drive past to get to the tasting room.  Perhaps there are a lot more acres somewhere else.  Doesn't seem like the terroir is great around there for quality wines but what do I know.  I've only ever been to the Livermore valley in CA, but it felt more like France than the Hill country.

[NoName 16350]

On 9/21/2020 at 4:50 PM, CycleTex87 said:

It seems like the little vineyards you see from 290 are just to drive past to get to the tasting room.  Perhaps there are a lot more acres somewhere else.  Doesn't seem like the terroir is great around there for quality wines but what do I know.  I've only ever been to the Livermore valley in CA, but it felt more like France than the Hill country.

this is based on the USDA 2019 Texas Wine Grape Varities report here: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Texas/Publications/More_Features/tx-wine-grape-varieties-2019.pdf

I recreated with % here - part of the reason High Plains has so much more production, on top of how much more there is, is that their yield per bearing acre is MUCH higher than the rest of Texas (3.14 vs 2.1 in Hill Country or 1.4 in North Texas/DFW)

Regions:

 

 

that said, some of the road-side vineyards are legit and some are not.

I know Kuhlman does a decent amount of estate wines from their on site vineyard, but a ton of other ones along 290 are just for show based on size alone.

my understanding is that there was a large family owned/run vineyard in Doss (aka middle of nowhere in Gillespie COunty) that was sold maybe 5? years ago after hail took out the entire crop.

[texasdago 7566]

You can tell which ones tend to be for show.  Ron Yates, for example (as much as I love their wines), only has 10 acres in Hye so I'm not sure that's producing much.  Their estate vineyard at Spicewood Vineyards (I say "their" because Ron owns both) has 28 acres.  A lot of them work with a few different vineyards.  Here's what it says on the Newsom Vineyards page:

 

"Starting with 2 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon in the spring of 1986, Newsom Vineyards now grows a total of 148 acres, 19 varietals and supplies fruit to 12 wineries in the state."

Also

"We currently contract grow for 12 wineries, some of these since we started. Our grapes have almost always wound up in every winerys reserve program with vineyard designation. We have won several international medals (Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego & Switzerland), and gold and silver medals in most regional events that we have been entered into by our wineries. Visit the wineries using our grapes, and see whats been In the News about our vineyards."

Edited September 24, 2020 by texasdago

[msudawg 371]

this is obviously way after the fact but the big answer is there are just so damn many people out here they can jump on the wine bus, hit up a bunch of them, maybe join 1 or buy some bottles and there is enough $$ out there for everyone.
they don't seem to think they are anywhere near saturated either, there are some more opening up towards Johnson City, and off of 290 now and they think there is going to be a ton more additional growth up towards Burnet/San Saba as well.
it will be interesting to see if COVID slows any down but as far as I know only one winery near FBG has actually "closed" even with everything that is going on and there is a pretty big one one opening up next to Grape Creek on 290 and what appears to be a new, decently sized one opening up across from Fat Ass in the middle of nowhere (it is on 290 but right where you turn to go to Becker)
Rumor is that in Blumenthal (tiny "town" between FBG and Stonewall) that 2 big parcels of land were purchased - one for a winery/shopping area and another for a Salt Lick BBQ/winery. I know the 2 pretty decent sized lots were purchased, but not sure who actually bought them.
i've heard decent things about Hye Rum, been open a while and they did a ton in the community with hand sanitizer so i need to swing by and at least buy a bottle of something.

It's tasty for what it is. I've bought a couple of bottles. Benjamin Calais is part owner who is a friend of mine, and an exceptional wine maker at Calais and french connection.

#HailState - Go Bulldogs

[BillyMadison 7]

Just did our annual F’Burg trip

This was our first time to Augusta Vin-definitely setting the bar high for F’Burg both with the experience and the wines. Dude dropped a ton of coin on that place and with consultants to get it right but it was our favorite 

Ab Astris-another place that we tried for the first time. Solid wines and a great setup, especially to spend a day outside on the patio

Kuhlman-first time here too. Every wine we had was solid

Signor-all wines were Oregon fruit. Really nice place but wished we knew about the fruit slicing ahead of time

Becker-actually had solid wines from their in-town spot while burning time before dinner

William Chris-did a library tasting. Honestly, we were really underwhelmed. There were some nice wines, but for all of the hype, didn’t really get it.

Restaurants-we went a couple of places-decent food, but not worth the hassle (won’t name them-not their fault, there’s just too much demand for decent food there). We are thinking next trips we’ll just go with another couple and get an Airbnb with a decent kitchen and/or do carryout. Don’t know that there’s restaurant there with an experience we can’t get in Dallas.

We usually go to Hondos for nostalgia, but didn’t make it this time. 

We also squeeze in a half day of fly fishing - did the Guadalupe with all water guides out of Austin. Trout still strong on the Guad. Should be through March

[CycleTex87 2965]

How bad did the vineyards get hit in the arctic weather?  I drove through there last week and noticed a ton of tree limbs down, so there was lots of ice/snow on the area. 

[BillyMadison 7]

3 minutes ago, CycleTex87 said:

How bad did the vineyards get hit in the arctic weather?  I drove through there last week and noticed a ton of tree limbs down, so there was lots of ice/snow on the area. 

Still waiting to see. Most of the feedback was that initial indications are the vines are still alive, but we won’t know the extent of the damage for at least a few more weeks

[Etexhorn13 3045]

German restaurants in Freddy town? Is the Auslander still cool? Went there back in college to visit a friend and had an really cool time. 

[BillyMadison 7]

3 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

German restaurants in Freddy town? Is the Auslander still cool? Went there back in college to visit a friend and had an really cool time. 

Otto’s is the German spot of choice but is hard to get into. Auslander is fun if you’re in the right mindset 

[billfromlaketravis 11447]

6 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

German restaurants in Freddy town? Is the Auslander still cool? Went there back in college to visit a friend and had an really cool time. 

Still my favorite place, but it's been a couple years. The schnitzel is great. 

I'll get flamed, but I love Messina Hof. Their winery only stuff is pretty good. Good sparkling white wine, zinfandel, and the blends are great.  

The Garrison Bros tour is fun. Just don't buy anything. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by billfromlaketravis

[Etexhorn13 3045]

35 minutes ago, BillyMadison said:

Otto’s is the German spot of choice but is hard to get into. Auslander is fun if you’re in the right mindset 

Care to elaborate on said mindset?

[tx 3 putt 76868]

43 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

German restaurants in Freddy town? Is the Auslander still cool? Went there back in college to visit a friend and had an really cool time. 

 

i liked Rathskeller three weeks ago on a Monday night. very low key and neighborhood vibe 

Sozial Haus was GREAT for lunch

Campo Azul for mexican, ridiculously cheap 

[Neonmoon 38129]

Rathskeller is great 

[tx 3 putt 76868]

17 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Rathskeller is great 

 

it really was and very low key. mon / tues / wed in fredrickburg was damn perfect for me. 

[NoName 16350]

sharing some update/new recommendations for Fredericksburg:

• Caliche Coffee - best coffee shop in town, gets crazy busy on Sat mornings if you aren't there early but absolutely worth the wait compared to anywhere else locally. Have a killer seasonal avocado toast. You can park behind it if you can't find parking on Main St.
• Prometheus Pizza - best pizza in Fredericksburg, it is a food truck and just far enough off of Main St. that it isn't overrun by tourists. BYOB and lots of locals come here - plus it's kid friendly. Can order online for pickup to take home if your wife has a little too much fun at the wineries Saturday.
• Chase's Place - best cocktails in town and really excellent food on a small menu. the shrimp and grits here is a top 5 meal in FBG. Ask for Tristan if you are there, she's the best server by far.
• Granite House Lounge - owned by same people as Woerner Warehouse and Sunset Grill. New Orleans style food with outdoor seating + indoor in an old house. Go to their website and put your name on their waiting list, they give you a 5 min time frame to get there when you are at the top of the list.
• Emma + Ollie - if you want bougie breakfast, this is the place. be prepared to wait though. food is excellent.
• Campo Azul - best tex mex in town, and only place in Fredericksburg worth going for tex mex. this does not extend to breakfast tacos unfortunately.
• Other Breakfast options
  • Snooze In - small chain from California, not cheap but you get huge portions and really solid food. just off Main St. so you get long waits unless you are there early.
  • Sunset Grill - off Main St but also gets crazy on weekends, park across the st at the Freemasons Lodge or just pull a little past it and park at Windcrest Inn and walk down like half a block
  • Airport Diner - funky hours but this is at the airport (duh) next to Hanger Hotel. Not super crazy on weekends, but again check hours and menu. make sure you get a seat next to the windows so you can see the planes!
  • If you just want breakfast tacos, order them from Hilda's - can call ahead and it will be ready by the time you are there. if the drive through has more than a few people in it, just go in - it will be much faster

People already know about Otto's, Hondo's, Tubby's (great burger, not cheap), etc

If you are thinking of coming to FBG just know parking is a nightmare right now, even more so than normal. REALLY busy from Thur night to Monday - lots more people coming over that timeframe. If you are wondering if you need a reservation somewhere, call to find out/make sure - especially any time on Sunday. This extends to restaurants as well, just call and find out vs getting there and waiting an hour and a half for a seat (at Hondo's!!!)

If you are here Sunday, do your research because most places aren't open Sunday evening/night or close earlier than you would think (Tubby's is an exception to this.)

Always happy to answer any questions about FBG via PM or in the thread, so feel free to ask away.

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by NoName

[thrillhammer 683]

55 minutes ago, NoName said:

sharing some update/new recommendations for Fredericksburg:

• Caliche Coffee - best coffee shop in town, gets crazy busy on Sat mornings if you aren't there early but absolutely worth the wait compared to anywhere else locally. Have a killer seasonal avocado toast. You can park behind it if you can't find parking on Main St.
• Prometheus Pizza - best pizza in Fredericksburg, it is a food truck and just far enough off of Main St. that it isn't overrun by tourists. BYOB and lots of locals come here - plus it's kid friendly. Can order online for pickup to take home if your wife has a little too much fun at the wineries Saturday.
• Chase's Place - best cocktails in town and really excellent food on a small menu. the shrimp and grits here is a top 5 meal in FBG. Ask for Tristan if you are there, she's the best server by far.
• Granite House Lounge - owned by same people as Woerner Warehouse and Sunset Grill. New Orleans style food with outdoor seating + indoor in an old house. Go to their website and put your name on their waiting list, they give you a 5 min time frame to get there when you are at the top of the list.
• Emma + Ollie - if you want bougie breakfast, this is the place. be prepared to wait though. food is excellent.
• Campo Azul - best tex mex in town, and only place in Fredericksburg worth going for tex mex. this does not extend to breakfast tacos unfortunately.
• Other Breakfast options
  • Snooze In - small chain from California, not cheap but you get huge portions and really solid food. just off Main St. so you get long waits unless you are there early.
  • Sunset Grill - off Main St but also gets crazy on weekends, park across the st at the Freemasons Lodge or just pull a little past it and park at Windcrest Inn and walk down like half a block
  • Airport Diner - funky hours but this is at the airport (duh) next to Hanger Hotel. Not super crazy on weekends, but again check hours and menu. make sure you get a seat next to the windows so you can see the planes!
  • If you just want breakfast tacos, order them from Hilda's - can call ahead and it will be ready by the time you are there. if the drive through has more than a few people in it, just go in - it will be much faster

People already know about Otto's, Hondo's, Tubby's (great burger, not cheap), etc

If you are thinking of coming to FBG just know parking is a nightmare right now, even more so than normal. REALLY busy from Thur night to Monday - lots more people coming over that timeframe. If you are wondering if you need a reservation somewhere, call to find out/make sure - especially any time on Sunday. This extends to restaurants as well, just call and find out vs getting there and waiting an hour and a half for a seat (at Hondo's!!!)

If you are here Sunday, do your research because most places aren't open Sunday evening/night or close earlier than you would think (Tubby's is an exception to this.)

Always happy to answer any questions about FBG via PM or in the thread, so feel free to ask away.

 

do you live there? if so, for how long?  i used to go every october for about 11 years for an anniversary trip, but that ended with the marriage.  its been probably 10 years and none of the places you mentioned were around then.    does rebecca rather have anything going there now?  she had two great places at one time, and i always thought she was a star.

[NoName 16350]

28 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

do you live there? if so, for how long?  i used to go every october for about 11 years for an anniversary trip, but that ended with the marriage.  its been probably 10 years and none of the places you mentioned were around then.    does rebecca rather have anything going there now?  she had two great places at one time, and i always thought she was a star.

Rather is a partner at Emma + Ollie I believe. Their entire menu is fantastic.

Prometheus, Chase's Place and Granite House Lounge opened up in the last 12ish months. Granite House opened after the first of the year i think and Chase's Place literally was the last place I went - for their soft opening - before COVID shut everything down in 2020.

Caliche opened in 2018? and took over for Ranch Road Roasters (same location with a ton of updates, on Main St.) Emma + Ollie opened up in early 2019. Snooze has been open probably since 2019.

Ottos has been around since early 2010s - same folks own Tubbys, Caliche, La Bergerie and Hoffman Haus. The Washburns are great folks and I can't wait for their new Italian place to open up!

guessing most of these places have popped up in the last 10 years for sure.

 

[tokamak 6391]

How family friendly are the wineries? As in, do any of them have a good space for my kids to run around while their mom and I get lit (responsibly, of course)?

[Mac8111 2105]

Becker is big enough for kids to run around.

Alstadt brewery probably would work as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[twosheds 374]

I did a tapa search for Fredericksburg yesterday with zero results. And now this is at the top of the feed. Alien stuff going on.

I’ll be in Fredericksburg In two weekends with a group for a birthday party. The weekend has been planned by the wives and I hope to be able to escape for at least an hour or two for my sanity. If I break away what are my options for downtime? Local bars? Food trucks off Main Street? All help will be appreciated! lol

[miguelito 11253]

I always enjoy walking around Wildseed Farms a few miles east of town.  They sell beer there. 

[SWCFROG 39]

14 hours ago, twosheds said:

I did a tapa search for Fredericksburg yesterday with zero results. And now this is at the top of the feed. Alien stuff going on.

I’ll be in Fredericksburg In two weekends with a group for a birthday party. The weekend has been planned by the wives and I hope to be able to escape for at least an hour or two for my sanity. If I break away what are my options for downtime? Local bars? Food trucks off Main Street? All help will be appreciated! lol

Just sneak over to the 87 icebox.  Nothing fancy but cold beer with salt of the earth folks.

 

SWCFROG

[NoName 16350]

On 3/11/2022 at 4:10 PM, tokamak said:

How family friendly are the wineries? As in, do any of them have a good space for my kids to run around while their mom and I get lit (responsibly, of course)?

some of them are, generally the further from FBG you get (and closer you get to Johnson City) they better. Kuhlman Cellars is kid friendly and has a deck that catches the wind nicely. Another good one off the beaten path is going to be Narrow Path. Becker is huge, so lot's of space there.

AVOID WILLIAM CHRIS, HEATH AND GRAPE CREEK - they DGAF about kids and cater pretty heavily to their wine club, which is fine, but isn't kid friendly.

Other Kid Friendly spots:

Pecan Grove Store is a hamburger place that is north of town, only have burgers/fries on weekends though so check times. lots of room for kiddos to roam.

Piccolina is an italian ice food truck that is fucking amazing. owner is great and she moves it around so check her instagram to see where she is. basically it's ice + fruit and that's it.

Pontotoc Vineyard has a tasting room is downtown - like 3 doors down from Hondos - and is quiet and has some solid stuff there too. get the picnic basket and drink a glass of sangria. there are always kids there and the owners are good people.

Munch Food Park: off main and has like 4-5 food trucks plus a kids playground and a beer+wine bar

On 3/12/2022 at 10:07 PM, twosheds said:

I’ll be in Fredericksburg In two weekends with a group for a birthday party. The weekend has been planned by the wives and I hope to be able to escape for at least an hour or two for my sanity. If I break away what are my options for downtime? Local bars? Food trucks off Main Street? All help will be appreciated! lol

Go get a pizza at Prometheus Pizza - off main st, legitimate great pizza and BYOB.

Chase's Place for drinks if you want a good selection of whiskey+bourbon. I would say their apps are good as well but they just had kitchen turnover last week.

Caliche Coffee is on main and is the best place in town, open until 5p i think? Can sit on the back porch and enjoy a little bit of quiet.

La Bergerie is a good spot behind the Nimitz Museum if you want a (good) glass of wine.

Munch Food Park: Off Main also and has like 4-5 food trucks

18 hours ago, SWCFROG said:

Just sneak over to the 87 icebox.  Nothing fancy but cold beer with salt of the earth folks.

bad news my friend, it is no longer open. the building is (still) for sale though if you want to re open it!

 

---

shoot me a PM if you want more in depth answers or have specific questions, happy to answer them

Edited March 14, 2022 by NoName

[SWCFROG 39]

On 3/14/2022 at 8:06 AM, NoName said:

some of them are, generally the further from FBG you get (and closer you get to Johnson City) they better. Kuhlman Cellars is kid friendly and has a deck that catches the wind nicely. Another good one off the beaten path is going to be Narrow Path. Becker is huge, so lot's of space there.

AVOID WILLIAM CHRIS, HEATH AND GRAPE CREEK - they DGAF about kids and cater pretty heavily to their wine club, which is fine, but isn't kid friendly.

Other Kid Friendly spots:

Pecan Grove Store is a hamburger place that is north of town, only have burgers/fries on weekends though so check times. lots of room for kiddos to roam.

Piccolina is an italian ice food truck that is fucking amazing. owner is great and she moves it around so check her instagram to see where she is. basically it's ice + fruit and that's it.

Pontotoc Vineyard has a tasting room is downtown - like 3 doors down from Hondos - and is quiet and has some solid stuff there too. get the picnic basket and drink a glass of sangria. there are always kids there and the owners are good people.

Munch Food Park: off main and has like 4-5 food trucks plus a kids playground and a beer+wine bar

Go get a pizza at Prometheus Pizza - off main st, legitimate great pizza and BYOB.

Chase's Place for drinks if you want a good selection of whiskey+bourbon. I would say their apps are good as well but they just had kitchen turnover last week.

Caliche Coffee is on main and is the best place in town, open until 5p i think? Can sit on the back porch and enjoy a little bit of quiet.

La Bergerie is a good spot behind the Nimitz Museum if you want a (good) glass of wine.

Munch Food Park: Off Main also and has like 4-5 food trucks

bad news my friend, it is no longer open. the building is (still) for sale though if you want to re open it!

 

---

shoot me a PM if you want more in depth answers or have specific questions, happy to answer them

Just send a very sad PM

 

SWCFROG

[After irth 1243]

Currently doing a Mon-Wed Fredericksburg trip here. We tend to start early and crash early, and we’ve been loving the non-weekend crowds. Wife has never been here before, so I’ve been content to just let her wander all the Main Street shops and get her chick-stuff fix. My souvenirs so far include some Der Kuchen Laden goodies and a case of Viognier Reserve from Becker. 
 

Comfortable old stuff:  Been 15 years for me, but I was enjoying a Scotch Egg and an Enchanted Rock Red Ale within 5 minutes of pulling into town, and complimenting the brewer on his product. An afternoon bottle at Lincoln Street every day has been mandatory. A rowdy evening at The Auslander was great. 
 

New stuff (to me):  A day-killing lunch at Vaudeville was insanely good. Amazing service and product. Drinks and snacks at Chase’s last night were a wonderful capper on the day. They are introducing a whole new menu today, so we plan to be back at 5pm. Breakfast this morning at Emma + Ollie was a great time (pastries acquired for the road tomorrow). Gonna close out our trip at Der Daiwel tonight and cap the trip off in Metal style. 
 

There’s a possibility of future business endeavors in this area, so…looking forward to future trips. 
 

Off to downtown Austin for 2 nights before heading back home on Saturday. Not a bad week at all, I guess. 

[NoName 16350]

1 hour ago, After irth said:

Currently doing a Mon-Wed Fredericksburg trip here. We tend to start early and crash early, and we’ve been loving the non-weekend crowds. Wife has never been here before, so I’ve been content to just let her wander all the Main Street shops and get her chick-stuff fix. My souvenirs so far include some Der Kuchen Laden goodies and a case of Viognier Reserve from Becker. 
 

Comfortable old stuff:  Been 15 years for me, but I was enjoying a Scotch Egg and an Enchanted Rock Red Ale within 5 minutes of pulling into town, and complimenting the brewer on his product. An afternoon bottle at Lincoln Street every day has been mandatory. A rowdy evening at The Auslander was great. 
 

New stuff (to me):  A day-killing lunch at Vaudeville was insanely good. Amazing service and product. Drinks and snacks at Chase’s last night were a wonderful capper on the day. They are introducing a whole new menu today, so we plan to be back at 5pm. Breakfast this morning at Emma + Ollie was a great time (pastries acquired for the road tomorrow). Gonna close out our trip at Der Daiwel tonight and cap the trip off in Metal style. 
 

There’s a possibility of future business endeavors in this area, so…looking forward to future trips. 
 

Off to downtown Austin for 2 nights before heading back home on Saturday. Not a bad week at all, I guess. 

if you come back to town, shoot me an PM and i can share some more recs. Let me know how the new menu at Chases place is!

[After irth 1243]

17 hours ago, NoName said:

if you come back to town, shoot me an PM and i can share some more recs. Let me know how the new menu at Chases place is!

New menu was great. Enjoyed some Lobster Tacos and Short Rib Guisada sandwiches last night. Totally worth it. 

[mdmost 42999]

We took the kids this weekend. Drove down on Friday and did the Willow City Loop Trail which was nice. Went to Altstadt Brewery on Friday night. That was a really awesome place. I can't imagine how much money they sunk into it. Stayed just outside of town west off 290 at a really cool ranch house. Drove to Enchanted Rock on Saturday morning and hiked up to the top. Spent the day in town. Some recommendations on here came in handy like Tubby's Ice House, Prometheus Pizza, and Caliche Coffee. Woke up on Easter morning to head home. Ate breakfast at the Airport Diner which was awesome. My youngest loves planes and she really enjoyed eating next to the runway. Drove through LBJ State Park and toured the grounds. Headed back home after that. It was a great weekend and the recommendations came in handy. If I was into wine, it would be a nice destination for the wife and I. 

We're planning to go back in early July for Old Tunnel State Park to see the bats and to cool off at Pedernales River State Park. Probably will stay in Johnson City. 

[NoName 16350]

1 hour ago, mdmost said:

We took the kids this weekend. Drove down on Friday and did the Willow City Loop Trail which was nice. Went to Altstadt Brewery on Friday night. That was a really awesome place. I can't imagine how much money they sunk into it. Stayed just outside of town west off 290 at a really cool ranch house. Drove to Enchanted Rock on Saturday morning and hiked up to the top. Spent the day in town. Some recommendations on here came in handy like Tubby's Ice House, Prometheus Pizza, and Caliche Coffee. Woke up on Easter morning to head home. Ate breakfast at the Airport Diner which was awesome. My youngest loves planes and she really enjoyed eating next to the runway. Drove through LBJ State Park and toured the grounds. Headed back home after that. It was a great weekend and the recommendations came in handy. If I was into wine, it would be a nice destination for the wife and I. 

We're planning to go back in early July for Old Tunnel State Park to see the bats and to cool off at Pedernales River State Park. Probably will stay in Johnson City. 

glad the recs worked out for you!

haven't been there since early in COVID but make Alamo Springs Cafe is like 100' from the parking lot for the Old Tunnel State Park. pay the little extra for the going down part for the bats!

budget *PLENTY* of time to get back too, because there are so many deer between there and 290. most white knuckle drive of my life was on those backroads from Alamo Springs Cafe > to 290.

i should probably drop in some JC recs in this thread as well...don't have as many but have a few.

[mdmost 42999]

3 minutes ago, NoName said:

glad the recs worked out for you!

haven't been there since early in COVID but make Alamo Springs Cafe is like 100' from the parking lot for the Old Tunnel State Park. pay the little extra for the going down part for the bats!

budget *PLENTY* of time to get back too, because there are so many deer between there and 290. most white knuckle drive of my life was on those backroads from Alamo Springs Cafe > to 290.

i should probably drop in some JC recs in this thread as well...don't have as many but have a few.

I am all ears on Johnson City recommendations. We drove through there to head back on 281. Looked like a cool town. I think I haven't driven through there since the late 90s. And yes, was excited to see just how close Alamo Springs Cafe is to Old Tunnel. I'm planning on getting the lower level bat viewing tickets when they pop up. We may also check out Blanco State Park and I would love to go to Real Ale Brewing. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by mdmost

[thrillhammer 683]

didnt emma+ollie permanently close?

[tx 3 putt 76868]

Any recs for a spot with water access ?

[texasdago 7566]

On 4/10/2023 at 3:29 PM, mdmost said:

I am all ears on Johnson City recommendations. We drove through there to head back on 281. Looked like a cool town. I think I haven't driven through there since the late 90s. And yes, was excited to see just how close Alamo Springs Cafe is to Old Tunnel. I'm planning on getting the lower level bat viewing tickets when they pop up. We may also check out Blanco State Park and I would love to go to Real Ale Brewing. 

I like Johnson City - laid back and most of the traffic moves on down towards Fredericksburg.  The family that owns Crowson Wines (strongly recommend an appointment for a private tasting - Henry is very cool) opened up a little sandwich shop next door which is quite nice.  Can't go wrong with Farmhouse Vineyards (something like 90% of their fruit gets sold to William Chris, Becker, Ron Yates, Pedernales, etc.) but they make their own wine.  Tatum just opened up a tasting room in the space that used to be called Parlour.  Lots of people tend to like the brewery... always busy and have been told the beer is excellent.  Just outside of Johnson City is Lewis Wines - great spot, good wines.  There's a new winery that opened up next door... starts with an A (too lazy, sorry) but supposed to be pretty good.

Edited April 12, 2023 by texasdago

[NoName 16350]

22 hours ago, thrillhammer said:

didnt emma+ollie permanently close?

yup. with 1 days notice.

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

I like Johnson City - laid back and most of the traffic moves on down towards Fredericksburg.  The family that owns Crowson Wines (strongly recommend an appointment for a private tasting - Henry is very cool) opened up a little sandwich shop next door which is quite nice.  Can't go wrong with Farmhouse Vineyards (something like 90% of their fruit gets sold to William Chris, Becker, Ron Yates, Pedernales, etc.) but they make their own wine.  Tatum just opened up a tasting room in the space that used to be called Parlour.  Lots of people tend to like the brewery... always busy and have been told the beer is excellent.  Just outside of Johnson City is Lewis Wines - great spot, good wines.  There's a new winery that opened up next door... starts with an A (too lazy, sorry) but supposed to be pretty good.

agreed on the family that owns Crowson. don't know them personally but know people who do and they rave about them.

The Parlour was a tasting room for Southold, wasn't open too long before they closed it and their restaurant on site at the winery. saw they were opening something new there, good info to have!

Sibony opened up literally next door to Lewis, just the next street down towards FBG on 290! heard good things from friends who are members

Couple more Johnson City recs:

• Pecan Street Brewing is convenient, and that place really is busy all the time. only ever had pizza from there though. it was decent.
• Johnson City Coffee Co is just down the street from the square. They also have a handful of food trucks there all the time that have varying hours, but good food. coffee is excellent in my opinion. https://johnsoncitycoffeeco.com/food-trucks
• Bryans on 290 is a great date night spot. good food and choices. it too is pretty busy, they have good specials.
• Fat Boys Burgers is a solid spot to get a burger.
• Nice N Easy does some cool stuff. i linked their current menu, but check FB or Insta for updated info or any special events they may be having: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f7b219693dbb434699d07e9/t/63e4e9495dcb775faaaf16b9/1675946315237/Easy+Menu+012623.pdf
• it's in Stonewall now, like 15 min down 290, but Hye Thai (https://www.hyethai.com/)  and OroBianco Creamery are next to each other. Really solid Thai food and the gelato at OroBianco is fucking amazing (https://www.orobiancomilk.com/products/) - citrus crema is AWESOME. "Hints of orange and lemon zest and fresh Madagascar vanilla bean brighten this gelato custard made with local pastured eggs." worth a drive.
• if you have kids, the Science Mill is a worthy stop.

[texasdago 7566]

Sibony... that's it.  Somehow I had Ab Astris on the brain although I knew that wasn't the winery.  Sibony is relatively new.  

Owner of Tatum said Nice N Easy is awesome and the hot dogs are legit (yes hot dogs).

Proof and Cooper is an easy option at Johnson City... I like the original one better but it will do in a pinch.  For a small town, JC has a few decent options.  

On Southold's restaurant, we went back in 2021 and it was great but don't know if they ever did anything with the space since they shut it down.  Once again, I could use Google but Surgoogle will do.

[NoName 16350]

47 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Sibony... that's it.  Somehow I had Ab Astris on the brain although I knew that wasn't the winery.  Sibony is relatively new.  

Owner of Tatum said Nice N Easy is awesome and the hot dogs are legit (yes hot dogs).

Proof and Cooper is an easy option at Johnson City... I like the original one better but it will do in a pinch.  For a small town, JC has a few decent options.  

On Southold's restaurant, we went back in 2021 and it was great but don't know if they ever did anything with the space since they shut it down.  Once again, I could use Google but Surgoogle will do.

Southold Kitchen they closed after like 6 months of actually being open but are doing pop ups right now. i'm assuming they will be doing more pop up style stuff, they spent a fortune on the building

https://www.southoldfarmandcellar.com/reservation#/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqtly6UpPx4/