Big Country Beer Garden and Cocktail Courtyard is a fun spot with outdoor seating and tasty eats

Chips and homemade salsa

The Big Country Beer Garden and Cocktail Courtyard is a new spot in Abilene in the SoDA (south of downtown) district off of S. 1st and east of Treadaway. Recently, a few female friends and I got together for lunch on a Saturday to celebrate a birthday. We wanted to try somewhere new in town. 

Nashville chicken sandwich

The food menu isn't extensive but most anyone should be able to find something they like. There are several appetizers, a smashburger ($17), an upscale hotdog, a pork belly sandwich, a chicken sandwich, salad options, a meatball sub, and a grilled cheese. The sandwiches come with crispy fries and the bread on all the sandwiches was fresh. The people who own the Taylor County Taphouse in Abilene also own this establishment. If you like the food at Taphouse, chances are you will also like the food at the BCBG. The quality is high and the prices reflect it. 

Service was spot on, friendly, and attentive without hovering--pretty much perfect. We opted to sit inside instead of on the covered patio simply because it was a windy West Texas spring day. However, it was tempting to sit out there instead.

For our starter we ordered the chips and homemade salsa ($8). The salsa was flavorful but without a lot of heat. Quite enjoyable. The chips were thin and crispy with a bit of seasoning on them. As you would expect by their name, there was a fairly large menu of beer options and also a craft cocktail menu with some tempting creations listed.

Grilled cheese

The birthday girl ordered the Nashville chicken sandwich ($16). The chicken breast was hand battered (if a little heavy on the batter) but the flavor was great and the sauced cole slaw on top had a good crunch. She enjoyed it.

I ordered the grilled cheese sandwich ($14) made with Muenster and sharp chedder. It was perfectly "melty".  I could tell it had been done on the same grill as a burger so be advised that there may be a bit of smashburger clinging to the bread on the grilled cheese. If you are looking for a out of the ordinary grilled cheese sandwich, give it a go. 

Banh mi sandwich

One friendn was adventurous and ordered the Vietnamese bahn mi sandwich ($17). The portion of pork belly was generous and it had lots of fresh jalapenos on it as well. The meat was perhaps a little leaner than one would expect from pork belly but is was quite flavorful and worth the price. 

The last order at the table was a "build your own" smashburger wrapped in lettuce. The usual smashburger is served on a bun with three types of cheese but my friend needs to eat gluten and dairy free. She liked the smash sauce and she said the burger was good but she did not finish it. It looked like she only got one patty instead of two. The burger likely tastes better in the original form since smashburgers are known for their crispy edges and the cheese helps the texture and fat content of the burger to help it stay juicy. I am not sure if she had to pay the regular price or if it was discounted a little bit since there was no bun or cheese.

Build your own smashburger with lettuce wrap

However, for those who are gluten free there are salad options; a garden salad (can add salmon or chicken for an upcharge), a green chile grilled chicken salad, and a spinach salad. Price range on the salads was $13-$20.

Everyone at lunch that day said they would definitely return. The next time, I plan to try the Hatch chile queso or the fried cheese chunks appetizer. Other unique options on the appetizer menu are chicharrone encrusted boudin balls, a sausage board, and a meatball trio. For an entree the fancy hot dog is tempting. I almost ordered it this time. One of my friends would like to order the homemade meatball sub with the scratch made sauce next time. 

The restaurant is on the corner of S. 2nd and Pecan St. Be sure to check their social media pages for live music and other special events. Parking in the area is primarily street parking so keep that in mind. There is one small lot on the Pecan St. side. There was a mention of brunch being served on the weekend on their website but I did not see a brunch menu when we arrived at 12:30pm.

Next time you are looking for a fun spot to meet friends or have an adult beverage and some apps, go to the Big Country Beer Garden and Cocktail Courtyard.

HOURS

Monday CLOSED

Tuesday CLOSED

Wednesday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Thursday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Friday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Saturday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Sunday 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM

(325) 704-3181

806 S 2nd St

Abilene, TX 79602

https://www.bigcountrybeergarden.com/

https://www.facebook.com/bigcountrybeergarden

Whiskey Ridge in Driftwood, TX, offers "upscale casual" dining in a western contemporary enviroment. Make reservations, especiallly on the weekend.

Whiskey Ridge is a contemporary Western restaurant located in the quickly developing Hays county area off a two lane road between Kyle and Wimberley. My date and I were in the area visiting family and decided to go there for dinner on a Saturday night evening.

The restaurant is fairly new and extremely popular. Upon arrival we quickly figured out that we should have made a reservation. By 5pm, the place was already packed. There were several large groups seated (this was between Christmas and New Year's Day) both inside and outside. We decided to put our name on the list since it would take us a while to get back into town to find another place to eat. After that we headed out to the patio bar area but after not seeing a server, we decided to go around the front of the restuarnt where there were a couple of fire pits, a porch swing, and two patio chairs. We watched the sun set as we waited about a little over an hour for our table.   

Once seated on the outside patio, the server arrived quickly to welcom us and give us our menus. The menu was not huge but there were several intriguing options. Steak, of course, some interesting appetizers, upscale sandwiches, salads, and items such as a chicken fried ribeye or a Wagyu burger.

We ordered our drinks but did not get an appetizer, even though some of them were very tempting. I decided to go with the fried jumbo gulf coast shrimp ($23) for dinner. It came with cole slaw and a blackberry horseradish dipping sauce. My date ordered the center-cut filet ($65), cooked medium rare (sides were extra), and we shared an order of fries ($7).  

The food took about 30 mintues to arrive. This was not terribly surprising since the place was extremely busy. The server did check on us and kept our water filled. Fortunately, we were not in a hurry but by the time the food arrived we were quite hungry. It was getting close to 7pm and we had been at the restaurant since about 5pm. 

My shrimp were good-sized but had cooled off a bit by the time they got to the table. Perhaps waiting for my companions steak to be done? Not sure. They were tasty and not overcooked but the breading could have been a bit lighter. I did not care for the sauce that came with the dish, so I asked for tarter sauce and cocktail sauces. They did not have any tarter sauce so they brought me some hot sauce and cocktail sauce. 

The steak was cooked perfectly to order and served with a dollop of garlic butter with parsley on top. However, the server did not wait and have him cut into it to be sure it was how he wanted it. 

It was a very good steak but perhaps could have done with a little less "dressing" up so that the flavor of the meat would shine through. 

The fries were the closest thing to a McDonald's french fry that I have ever tasted outside of Mickey D's. Whiskey Ridge must have figured out the secret recipe! They came out hot and crispy with a side of ketchup.

The service was attentive and considerate, if a bit slow. The restaurant's ambiance is certainly a draw, particulary if you would like to sit on the patio when the weather is pretty. The view from the patio was of a pasture. 

The adult beverage menu was extensive. I can certainly understand why it is popular, even if there were more restuarant options within 5 miles of  the immediate area, which there are not, except for the Hays City Store & Icehouse across the road.

I would go back when I am in the area but next time I will make a reservation and/or avoid going on a weekend.

Whiskey Ridge

Sunday - Wednesday - 3 PM to 10 PM

Thursday - 3 PM to 11 PM

Friday - 11 AM to 11 PM

Saturday - 3 PM to 11 PM

https://www.whiskeyridgetx.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076531110232

https://www.instagram.com/whiskeyridge.tx/#

8750 W RR 150, Bldg 300, Driftwood, Texas 78619

MOVED now a food truck at Peacock Patio on Hickory St--Matera Bar & Grill--New use for a historic space

This past Saturday I went for a late lunch with a friend at the Matera Bar and Grill. The restaurant's space was previously occupied by the Sockdolager Brewing Company. The structure was built on land that was the historical Matera Paper Company. The building burned down in 2012. When the brewery went out of business earlier this year, this new restaurant took over the building. It is one of the few places in town with covered outside seating as well as the requisite indoor seating. There is a bar area and a small seating nook with a couple of couches but most of the public space inside is tables. I saw two top and four tops inside. Larger picnic benches are outside, along with more regular tables. It is recommended going in the north door, versus the west or south door, since on the north is where the host/hostess stand is located without having to walk through the seating areas. There is a small parking lot to the east of the building off of S. 1st but be careful as we saw a three car accident while having our meal which looked like it was caused by someone either pulling in or out of the lot. Like most of the SoDA (south of downtown) district, most parking is on the street or over by the courthouse. 

I suggest checking Matera's social media sites to see if live music or some other event is occurring in the evening before going for a family meal or quiet dinner as the atmosphere becomes more bar-like when those are happening.

We arrived about 1:30pm and waited a few minutes to be seated. The restaurant was not crowded but they did look bit short-handed. A server seated us outside, which we asked to do since it was a pleasant day. The server took our drink order and then returned in few minutes with the waters we requested and to take our food order.

I  heard good things from others about the onion batter-coated (gluten-free) deep fried green beans, so we had that as an appetizer ($8). They came with a zesty sauce and were very tasty. I do recommend them. he portion was just right for two people to share but if you have a larger party you will need more than one order.

For my entree, I got the shrimp po'boy sandwich ($12.95/$15.95--not sure which we were charged as I did not pay but both prices were listed--lunch vs dinner?) It came with fries, regular or sweet potato choices. My shoestring potato fries were limp and not hot. This happens a lot, I have found, from what I have read this occurs with hand-cut fries when they have not been soaked and dried before being fried or they were fried in oil that is not hot enough. The sandwich had four large breaded shrimp, homemade coleslaw, and pickles on grilled hoagie roll. I was very happy with it. The shrimp were juicy. They did not taste like frozen breaded shrimp which pleased me. The coleslaw was on the sweet side and very fresh.

My companion order the candied bacon Brussels salad ($17) which was served with raspberry vinaigrette.  The salad consisted of mixed greens, fried Brussels sprouts, candied bacon, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, and pecans. Despite the variety of ingredients, my friend said it lacked the flavor he expected. Visually, I didn't see much but lettuce and a few Brussels sprouts and a sprinkling of bacon (apologies for no picture.)

Service was attentive and friendly though a bit slow but as I mentioned, I think they were short-handed, and we were sitting in one of the farthest tables out on the deck.

Overall, we enjoyed our lunch and it a perfect day to eat outside with mild temperatures and only a slight breeze. I am certain I will return and try some of their other offerings to find my favorites. Several of the items on the menu were tempting though they did seem to be out of a few items. Prices were not out of bounds with what dining out costs right now. Appetizers from $5 (chips and salsa) to $23 (charbroiled oysters). Lunch options started at $9. Dinner entrees ranged from $13 (chicken tenders) to $55 (filet and shrimp). They have only been open for a few weeks so there are still a few flow issues to work out but they are off to a strong start. Also, any new restaurants in Abilene tend to get slammed with customers at first and have to adjust to normal traffic once the "new" wears off.

Matera Bar and Grill

833 S. 1st St 

Abilene, TX 

325-704-1073 

https://www.facebook.com/MateraBarAndGrill/

Hours--

Monday--Closed
Tuesday-Thursday--11am-2pm/4pm-10pm
Friday-Saturday--11am-11pm

Sunday--11am-2pm