A warm welcome, oppressive summer heat, animals skipping across remote dirt roads, heavy German influence and old world architecture, BBQ, wineries and whiskey… just a few of the adventures had in Texas’ wild Hill Country.
The Renaissance Man and I took a road trip this August, stayed in one of only two guest rooms at the utterly remote, retreat-like, peaceful Tres Lunas Resort. The resort is off a few miles of dirt roads alive with jackrabbits, massive bugs, deer and cows. I’ll let my photos and captions tell the story.
OTHER-WORLDLY RETREAT: TRES LUNAS RESORT

Watching sunsets and deer – the main evening activity (besides swimming in the warm pool) at Tres Lunas

Tres Lunas’ inviting decor pulls from Southwestern and Mexican style with classic European and modern art in the austere yet comfortable two suites

Gracious, delightful husband-wife hosts, Craig & Carol Conlee, serve delicious, home-cooked meals (request when you book) that Craig cooks himself from what is fresh at the market that day
DELICIOUS MODERN AUSTRIAN FOOD: OTTO’S

Open since July 2013, charming Otto’s is a Fredericksburg gem and rarity amid generally dated, lackluster menus around town (http://ottosfbg.com)

After a lovely, spice-cured salmon gravlax ($14), I savored this duck schnitzel ($26), an inspired twist on the Viennese (Austrian) classic featuring breaded duck breast over spätzle and rotkohl (red cabbage) in a kirsch (cherry) demi-glace accented by duck cracklins
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The wine and cocktail list is surprisingly savvy at Otto’s with whisk(e)y flights and wines from Alsace, Austria, Germany, Sicily, TX and Piedmont, Italy. Though I appreciated the Zwack Sour (featuring Zwack, Hungarian herbal liqueur) and Parsley Martini, I especially loved the perfectly-executed Lepzig ($8), showcasing a house dry vermouth with muddled sage and fresh lemon. It’s a beauty. Many a big city bar can’t get a cocktail this right.
HILL COUNTRY WHISKEY: GARRISON BROTHERS
SMALL TOWN WITH GERMAN ROOTS: FREDERICKSBURG

The beautiful Vaudeville building houses a sophisticated decor shop and a fantastic international wine shop, bakery and coffee house – with (by far) the best coffee in town – in the basement

The basement at Vaudeville is home to their delightful bistro (www.vaudeville-living.com/gourmet/bistro), a culinary gem in Fredericksburg

Drinking beers at locals’ favorite, the old school German restaurant and inn, Friedhelm (it’s a huge, multi-room, beer hall-esque restaurant) – PS: don’t expect craft beers, just your basic, big brand, low-quality US beers

Tasting Texas wines at the friendly Texas Wine Cellars on Fredericksburg’s main street – wine highlights were from Beckers, Hilmy, Four.O, Brennans Rose, Grade Creek, Peaches & Studebakers
BBQ COUNTRY: COOPER’S in LLANO

Widely considered the “real deal” by many Texans, the remote Llano location (there are other less consistently raved about Cooper’s locations) of Cooper’s is hardcore Texas BBQ and a barbecue lovers’ destination

You choose your meats from the pit outside – conveniently, you can take a little slice of everything from sausages to brisket to ribs

While I prefer Killen’s outside of Houston above all TX BBQ (www.theperfectspotsf.com/wp02/2015/11/15/10-top-places-to-eat-in-houston) and found Cooper’s meats often oversalted the smoke on the uber-greasy meats was perfect, while sitting at long picnic tables under animal heads with friendly, unique staff and regulars felt like entering another, small town, decades-past world