Just gotta get out of Blanco for dinner sometimes. Bryans on 290 was so delicious last night!…read moreRestaurant has a Speak Easy vibe that I absolutely love (although it can make it hard to read the menu when you get to a certain age ). I made reservations for 6:45 and was seated immediately. I had two glasses of Rosé and the duck breast (medium) with quail and au gratin potatoes. Everything was cooked perfectly; I would have licked that reduction off my plate, it was so good! Adequate portion size. My date had the salmon with mashed potatoes and green beans, and added the squash with pecan relish (more of a sauce). The salmon was cooked well and had a great crust. The squash was delicious. Will definitely be back (hope they have the creole red fish on special again because I've got to try it!).

We have been coming to Bryans for last 5-6 years. Our recent visit on a Saturday night was not…read moreindicative of most of our past experiences but is consistent with a slight decline in quality. I am so happy to have a fine dining restaurant in Johnson City but with that comes a higher expectation. We typically have a reservation but we walked in and were offered bar seating. Beautiful bar and very comfy chairs. We were happy when they added this a few years ago. Service was friendly enough but it lagged at different points during our experience. Here is a review of the food. Wedge Salad - nice iteration of this salad included bacon, onions, cherry tomatoes and blue cheese ranch dressing. Could have used more dressing but serving was big enough for 2. Lamb Osso Bucco - looked good on the plate, tender and tasty but I struggled to find enough meat on the shank. Green Beans - forgot to bring out with entree and were completely overwhelmed by dill Signature Mac & Cheese - nothing signature about it. Thin sauce, bland I have to be honest, I yearn for the days of their blue crab dip and exceptional tenderloin steak. I think Bryan's has lost a step but we'll come back and sit at a table try something else.

Johnson City has a winner of a brewery with Pecan Street! I…read morewas not there for the beer, which I will be back to try, but wanted to check out their smash burger, and it did not disappoint! Swapped out the normal bun for a jalapeño cheddar option, went for sweet potato fries, and it was a winner. The fries came with catchup and a chipotle aioli that would be equally awesome on the burger. The stuff is delicious. Our waiter, Max, could not have been any friendlier or attentive. If the entire crew is as good as him, they are pretty lucky! Cool ambiance, nice crowd, festive, just a winner of a spot. The wife got fish and chips and we split the cast iron pecan pie. All were top notch.

Great place, food/drink and staff! Came in today for a quick bite and had a great conversation with…read moreDon the owner. I recommend the chicken sandwich. Just wish they used barley malt from a domestically owned malt provider, not Canadian(BSG, CMG).

We have dined at Jack' s Chophouse many times and it has always been a wonderful experience. We…read morelove the attention to detail in the decor, food, ambiance, and even our name on the table. The service is A+. Jack's Chophouse has a comfortable Hill Country feel blended with an upscale dining flair. The cocktails are yummy and a wide variety of meal choices which you can never go wrong. Try Jack's Chophouse and I know you will return and return. Amazing. 5 stars

Had an excellent time was here for my best friend's birthday party. The food was amazing. The…read moreatmosphere is amazing. We had Bryan as our waiter. He was on top of everything. Definitely recommend coming here and having Brian as your server.

There is nothing I enjoy more than wandering into a small town and finding a fantastic restaurant!…read more Trust me, you now have another reason to drive to Johnson City. Yes, they have antique stores, a mortor cycle museum, the annual Rodeo, and LBJ's boyhood home. But they have some very interesting restaurants as well. Let me tell you about Proof of Cooper. My wife and I were on one of my adventures, picking up some items an hour from home. It's hot, late afternoon and we wanted a cocktail and good food. We walked into Proof of Cooper to look at the menu, we were greeted by lovely smells of cooking coming from the kitchen. This was the place for us. We ordered an Old Fashion and a Peach Fashioned. My Old Fashion was perfect! Great balance of whisky and sweetness. My wife really enjoyed her Peach fashioned. The menu has a lot of variety, Texas favorites for sure. It was hard to choose. We were told they did their BBQ out back, this restaurant does not look like your typical BBQ place. The bar is home town but the dining room is Hunting club rustic. To order, I had the smoked turkey club on Texas toast with green beans, my wife had the BBQ sample plate with Mac and cheese & pit master beans. Her meat choices were brisket, pulled pork and spare ribs. My sandwich was great! The bread was toasted just right, the turkey has a nice smoky flavor with ham and bacon. Loved the green beans. Then I stole some of the pit master beans off my wife's plate. Oh some dam good. And so was the Mac and cheese. Brisket and pulled pork were tender, flavorful and just right, on par with some of the best bbq places I have eaten at here in Texas. Spare ribs were too firm for my wife but I enjoyed them. The staff was wonderful. Very helpful, nice and fun to work with. This is a family owned restaurant and the staff that we met were all born and raised here. We look forward to coming back to Johnson City and visiting Proof of Cooper again. If just to try the delicious looking desserts we had no room for, see our photos.

Let me first say I wish this establishment well, and hope they have success in their endeavors…read more I was in centex to visit daughter, and suggested a bbq tour of the small towns west of Aus. We arrived at P&C mid afternoon on a Monday. We were touring this and other towns, so only ordered the pulled pork sandwich, side of mac n cheese and side of mashed potatoes w gravy between the two of us. And some extra bbq sauce on the side. The pulled pork sandw comes premade with what looks to be homemade pickles, smoked pulled pork, coleslaw, & bbq sauce. The presentation is fairly impressive. Unfortunately, the taste did not measure up. We had bites of the sandwich as a whole, and also tasted the individual ingred by themself to get a feel for what contributed to the overall. The pulled pork was hit/miss. Some of it was generously smoked & that smokiness came through. Other bites of it the smoked flavor was not prominent. Mac n Cheese - solid. By far the best thing we tried. Super cheesy, flavorful. Nice work! Coleslaw - substandard. I'd say the C range. Pickles on the sandwich - they were thicker and appeared homemade. They didn't seem like they had been left to sit long enough on the shelf for the pickling to soak in. In appearance they were still very close to cucumbers instead of pickled cucumbers. Flavor wise they didn't taste like cukes, but nor did they add a dill-ish or sweet pickle flavor of substance. (Can see the pickles in attached pic, can see the color and texture doesn't look significantly pickled.) Sauce - extremely little flavor. The consistency was not watery, but you had to close your eyes and concentrate to taste what little flavor there was - as though it was watered down immensely. Sauce gets a D. Mashed potatoes & gravy. They served the gravy on the side. The potatoes themselves were good - a little buttery and therefore enjoyable. The consistency of the gravy was mealy - was unexpected, and odd. Lacked the common flavor of a hearty gravy begun with a roux of flour and meat drippings. (Zoom in on attached photo, you can see the mealy and almost-grainy texture of the gravy.) Overall we weren't impressed. The mac n cheese being the best thing is not what you expect at a bbq place. Like I said, we wish the establishment well. But we wouldn't come back when in Johnson City. Final note, the hostess/server was genuinely warm and friendly. She was wearing multiple hats, running around, but was pleasant and engaging.

Food - 4 Stars Atmosphere - 4 Stars…read moreService - 5 Stars We make regular trips to Fredericksburg and decided to try this place on the way. It is a part of Carter Creek Resort and Winery. After driving through the entry gate, I had mixed emotions. The entry road was not that well maintained, we passed several large parking lots that weren't really that well maintained either. There were some grape vines in view and they were in really poor shape, which made me question what the rest of the facility would be like. I am pleased to say that we were pleasantly surprised. The rest of the facility that we experienced was well maintained and pretty "cool". There was a really large grassy area accompanied by a covered Pavilion when you first walk in. We did not go into the Cottages that were for rent in the resort, but they looked cute from the outside. The restaurant decor was nice and the service was excellent. The food was good but not off the chain. The food was kind of "fusion" inspired and not your regular run-of-the-mill menu items, although there were a few of those, also. Most of the main entrees were a little bit pricey, in my opinion. We were there for lunch and so they did offer some lunch items but we opted for a main entree. The lunch options were more reasonably priced and consisted mostly of hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads. I opted for the Birria Beef Stroganoff (Yep, there's that "Fusion" thing). While it had good flavor, there was no "Stroganoff" component to it (that I could tell), other than a small dollop of sour cream that I discovered towards the end of my dish. It was more like Pasta Alfredo with Birria Beef on top. My wife had the BLT salad with the addition of grilled chicken. The dish was sort of anemic and lacked any creativity. In summary, I would go back, but would try some different menu items. Since we were there for lunch on a Friday there wasn't any other sort of entertainment other than the wine tasting room. We did notice that they have a comedy show and some live entertainment on weekend nights.

Stopped by Old 290 for dinner and enjoyed the atmosphere. The scenery is beautiful, and the live…read moremusic made it a fun place to spend the evening. The shishito peppers were good but needed a little salt. The chicken fried steak had really well-seasoned breading, but it fell off the meat pretty easily. The steak itself was a little tough and chewy. The mashed potatoes were cold and could've used a little more flavor, but the green beans were good. Overall, it's a solid spot for dinner. The atmosphere is definitely the highlight, and I'd come back to try something different on the menu.

We always love a good burger and this did not disappoint. We got the last half order of fried…read morepickles and I know why they sell out. Breaded really well and so good. The poppers weren't bad either. I got the dyna burger and my bf got their basic 1/2 cheeseburger. It did take awhile for the food to come out but it was hot and fresh. My dyna was served with shoestring fries which I expected kettle fries but they were good none the less. Place got packed right after we got there. They had a nice yard with covered seating outside. So glad we tried it. Highly recommend.

If your ever in the area make sure you stop by here. Huge amount of outdoor seating. Smaller…read moreinside. Food was fresh! Very delicious.

Hubby and I came here for Thursday lunch. We were immediately greeting by the super friendly…read morehostess and seated immediately. Everyone was very friendly and well, we got drinks quickly. There was a very large party in the restaurant and a few other couples. We ordered the pick two option with hubby getting a 1/2 Caesar salad and 1/2 club sandwich, I got half cup of French onion soup and 1/2 chicken salad on a croissant. Even though it seemed simple enough we waited right at an hour for the food, assuming due to the large party I think the chef brought our food out himself and apologized for the wait. I thought that was nice. Hubby said his sandwich was okay, it was very messy with avocado on it and the salad was good. My chicken salad croissant was absolutely delicious. The croissant was perfectly buttered and toasted enough that it held together well and was flaky and not over done. The chicken salad was the best I've had in a long time! The French onion soup was nice and light and simple. Perfect for an afternoon lunch.

My favorite dish at Uptown Blanco is the Pescado a la Plancha. It's one of the best seafood dishes…read moreI've ever had anywhere. It's light, healthy, and above all absolutely delicious. For me, the trifecta of culinary greatness is achieved when a dish is delicious, healthy, and set at a reasonable price, and Uptown certainly excels at this. Highly recommend: 11 out of 10.

I could just cut and paste Steve W and Jim N's reviews, as I agree Cabernet is a strong 5-star…read moreexperience. We were seated upstairs, which I highly recommend as it is a cozy room and is noticeably quieter than the large downstairs area. This is a Texas-themed restaurant with an expansive Texas wine and beer list. We began our night with two perfect Martinis and their Comp carrot soup. Our App, the pepper jack Lobster boudin balls, was unique and delicious. Plus one ordered the Filet, and it was cooked perfectly with a nice char and a medium red center. I went full throttle Texan with the chicken-fried ribeye. I'm not a chicken-fried guy, but man, was this delicious. The breading was lite and the steak was oh so tender. Our Ron Yates Cab was a perfect complement to our entrees. Service throughout our meal was very attentive, and the atmosphere made for a wonderful evening. If you are seeking a true upscale hill country dining experince then Cabernet is an excellent choice. Tip: Make reservations, especially on the weekends.

Cabernet Grill is a tough one for me. This place has so much potential but simply does not live up…read moreto the hype. I am not a local and it took me 3 visits before I had an opportunity to dine in their restaurant. I have been to my fair share of fine dining establishments but Cabernet Grill operates with an attitude as if they are above and beyond anyone and everyone. They think they're the best and you'll be hard pressed to convince them otherwise. I have family that have dined in Cabernet Grill with friends and their experience was mixed. When a server pours wine, spills it on your shirt and doesn't offer as much as an apology you know you're in for a bumpy ride. My first attempt was denied because we were 30min late to our reservation due to unforeseen circumstances and were turned away immediately. My second attempt was denied because I had my small dog with me at Beckers Vineyards and went straight to our reservation at Cabernet Grill and were told absolutely no dogs allowed. Bear in mind they have an extensive patio area with tons of space that would certainly accommodate a certified emotional support animal. We were told absolutely not. I told my family to stay while I took my dog back to the hotel and the host said all parties must be present during the reservation time. If I were to leave our reservation would be pulled and we would not be allowed to dine in the restaurant. So we left. Fast forward my 3rd attempt and we finally were offered access after complying with all their rules and regulations. At this point one would assume if a restaurant exudes this much attitude from the get-go then surely the food must be the best I've ever experienced certainly the best in Fredericksburg. That could not be further from the truth. For starters they offer an item called Honey Butter Drop Biscuits. They intentionally separated that item into its own section so they could poke a jab towards a food critic from San Antonio by name! Who does that? I have personally never seen a restaurant go so far as to single handily call someone out by name in their own menu because they were not satisfied with their remarks. I would have never known who he was or that he did not approve of the biscuits had they not laid it out point blank for all their guests to see. They have a plethora of wine bottles displayed throughout the restaurant. None of these bottles are designed for consumption. Granted they have an extensive wine menu. However, It's a shame they have chosen to let all the bottles on display go bad just for presentation purposes. I took a light to the inside of some of the display bottles and it's clear they had all turned a long time ago. At this point I'm ordering their 14oz USDA Prime Ribeye and expecting it to blow me away. However, I grew hesitant when the server offered several sauce options to pair with my steak. If the steaks are truly that good a sauce is going to take away from the flavor profile. Yes, the presentation was spot on. Unfortunately the steak did in fact need the sauce. Forgive me for expecting a top quality dry aged ribeye with a buttery complex flavor profile. This was not that. In fact, I could go to my local HEB, pick-up a prepackaged Prime Ribeye and the result would have been the same. That said, the best item I consumed were the grilled vegetables and the rest of my table can concur. The flavor was spot on, the pairings were truly unique making it a standout option from the rest of the meal. Yes, the steak was cooked to perfection but you cannot treat your restaurant to a Michelin Star standard with that level of beef. Cabernet Grill would be so much better off without the excessive attitude and all the hurdles I had to jump through just for an opportunity to dine at the restaurant. Those hurdles create expectations that are simply not met which only results in a level of disappointment that encourages me to look for alternatives while sharing my experience with friends and family that know my recommendations will result in a positive drama free experience. I'm glad I was finally able to experience Cabernet Grill. I'm just sad it did not live up to the expectations because I was genuinely hoping it would. They could learn a thing or two from Mastro's in terms of hospitality and expectations.

I would just like to start with this. my server tonight, Evan. This young man was so thoughtful and…read more polite while taking out orders and he is just such a charming young man and he has a lot to come for him.

Yummy food and excellent service. I hope to go back when it's cool enough to be outside.read more

So we made a mistake eating dinner elsewhere and came here for dessert. There were no empty tables…read morebut we were okay sitting at a high top counter across from the bar. The host said normally you order from the bar when sitting there but he volunteered to take care of our order and he did a wonderful job. We got the peach cobbler and the banana pudding. Both were delicious! The peach cobbler was hot with vanilla ice cream. It is served in a cast iron skillet. The crust was perfect - not over baked and not under baked. The peaches and sauce were really good. I've had a lot of peach cobbler and this was definitely in the top 3. The banana pudding was also wonderful. It was served in a mason jar. The flavor was perfect. The pudding was smooth. The bananas were the perfect ripeness and the whipped cream and caramel drizzle on top added the perfect touch. We will absolutely come back here for a meal because of the food is nearly as good as the dessert - it will be a winner!

Great food!! Huge portions! Definitely a great place to eat while in…read more Fredericksburg and you can go shop after you eat. The chicken fried steak is delicious!