This post is sponsored by Cabernet Grill. All photos and opinions are mine. This post contains affiliate links.
This past week, my husband and I were invited by Cabernet Grill to come and stay in Fredericksburg, Texas and try their fine dining restaurant. This hill country eatery was not at all what I expected to find. Although now that I think about it, I’m not sure what I was expecting to be honest. Regardless, the place was awesome! Before we arrived, I knew that it was voted one of America’s Top 100 wine restaurants in America. That’s huge, and especially for a small place in the Texas hill country that only serves Texas wines. 
So we pulled up and saw this rustic looking building right off the highway. They had ample amounts of parking and you’re still close enough to the main part of town that an Uber or Lyft ride isn’t going to cost you a bunch if you don’t feel like driving. The courtyard area is so cute! They have fire pits and tables with heaters and water features. If it wasn’t so cold, I think it would have been awesome to have sat outside…maybe next time.
We had a reservation (I encourage you to make one if you go) and were seated right away. Our waiter, Joe, and Wine Director Elizabeth were so hospitable. They made sure that we knew everything we were eating and drinking and even told us a little history on each wine and where it was from. I love knowing the background of the products because it makes dining so much more personable and meaningful, don’t you think?
I’ll go ahead and walk you through the courses we had. We had smaller portions than their full entrees so that we could get a little taste of everything.
This is the butternut squash soup. It was creamy and delicious with a little bit of heat on it – not too much though if you’re a spice wimp.
The Hilmy Viogner (above) was paired with the crab cake (below). We actually passed the Hilmy Cellars on the way into town on 290 and it’s not one of the larger vineyards we saw, so that impressed me. 
The McPherson Albarino (above) was paired with a Mexican Street Corn (below). McPherson Cellars is located in Lubbock, Texas and is one of the oldest vineyards in Texas. The Mexican street corn it was paired with was definitely a more upscale version of the regular ol’ street corn you find at a flea market or food truck. It was amazing!
The CL Butaud Rose (above) was paired with the “Texas Twinkie” (bacon wrapped jalapeno below) and the arugula and beet salad. The jalapeno was delicious and came with a mustard-type dipping sauce. The dipping sauce provides the acid you need to break through the heaviness of the jalapeno, but I wasn’t really a fan of the sauce – I guess I’m a purist when it comes to my bacon wrapped jalapenos. The Rose was delicious! The CL Butaud 
The arugula and beet salad (below) wasn’t my favorite – although that’s not really fair because I don’t like beets. But the 25 year aged balsamic vinegar and goat cheese were great!
They then served a palette cleanser that was a rosemary and Sangiovese sorbet. It was tangy and just what we needed!
The Kuhlman Cellars Merlot (above) was paired with pecan smoked quail and chipotle sweet potato mash (below). The merlot was great and I’m not usually a red wine drinker. The quail was both my husband and my favorite dish of the evening. It was perfectly tender and moist! 
Next up was the Brennan Vineyards Cabernet (below) paired with the 72 Hour Niman Ranch short rib atop cheese grits. I could have eaten an entire bowl of those cheese grits. Yum!
And last but not least, the llano Estacado Port was paired with German’s Chocolate Bread Pudding. If you don’t like an overly sweet dessert, then this is for you. It also comes served with a brandied Amarena ice cream that was delish!
Many courses later, we sat back in our chairs and reveled in the fullness or our bellies. And then, Chef and Owner Ross Burtwell came over to the table to greet us. He told us about his journey to get where he is today and the fun jobs he’s had along the way (chef for a hotel in Dallas and then Executive Chef on a Ranch in Bandera, Tx? How cool!) But he also gifted us with his latest cookbook, Texas Hill Country Cuisine. He was so kind to invite us to come dine with him and his food was amazing! We can’t wait to go back!
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