Kerrville, Ingram
Broken Arrow Ranch (43)
104 Hwy. 27 W., Ingram, 830/367-5875 or 800/962-4263
Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
Mike Hughes is well known to chefs and discriminating game lovers around the country for his meat products harvested from free-ranging axis, fallow and siku deer, nilgai antelope, and wild boar. Some stars of his product line are an assortment of gourmet wild game sausages (wild boar, Italian, venison Italian, venison bratwurst, etc.). Hughes’ expertise is so respected nationally that he consulted on the wild game recipe section of the latest edition of The Joy of Cooking. Check out the Broken Arrow Web site for information about ordering his exotic game products.
Cowboy Steakhouse (44)
416 Main, Kerrville, 830/896-5688
This quintessential West Texas steakhouse serves everything from buffalo to lobster to quail, plus beef steaks of every size and description, cooked to order on the mesquite grill. Side dishes are the simple and traditional soup, salad, potatoes, vegetables, and generous slices of Texas toast. The groaning board of decadent desserts is positioned in the front of the restaurant to encourage you to save room for them. Steaks are cooked exactly as ordered. Have a buffalo steak and you’ll really know you’ve eaten a piece of meat. Service is small-town friendly but professional and efficient. Cowboy Steakhouse isn’t trendy and is not an example of urban cowboy chic. It’s the kind of steakhouse that I remember from my childhood: no tofu, no arugula, and no apologies.
The Cypress Grill & CarteWheels Caterers (45)
2124 Sidney Baker, Kerrville, 830/257-7171
Breakfast, Tue-Sat, 7am-11am; Lunch, 11am-2pm; Dinner, 5pm-9pm; Sun, 7-10am, 11:30am-2:30pm
Enterprising Kerrville chef Debbie Stein has moved her popular restaurant and catering business into new digs since our last visit to Kerrville and both are flourishing. Stop in at the Cypress Grill for Stein’s “comfort food with an attitude” or call ahead and have her catering department whip up a great picnic.
River Run Bed & Breakfast (46)
120 Francisco Lemos St., Kerrville,
800/460-7170,
Bed-and-breakfast travelers Ron and Jean Williamson became bed-and-breakfast owners several years ago, creating just the kind of place they’d like to visit. The house is built of native stone with a high-pitched tin roof and a deep front porch in the German Hill Country style. The Williamsons have filled it with antiques and Texana, making it a warm, inviting home. The house is located within walking distance of the Guadalupe River and the Riverside Nature Center. Ron Williamson is both innkeeper and breakfast chef, whipping up stellar country breakfasts with huge bowls of fresh fruit, light and delicate pancakes with warm maple syrup, sausage, and home fries. He’ll get your day off to a good start.
This article appears in April 5 • 2002.