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Lone Star Culinary Mecca

Renowned Texas inn reopens with goal to become nation’s culinary mecca

Shelby Hodge
Aug 1, 2016 | 9:17 am

A culinary mecca deep in the heart of Texas — if Inn at Dos Brisas owners Jennifer and Doug Bosch have their way, that is exactly the moniker that will soon wrap the exquisite hideaway in award-winning notoriety.

Devotees of the luxe life have already discovered the bucolic caravansary less than three hours east of San Antonio in Washington, Texas. They have relished the splendid quiet and remarkable service in this posh Relais & Chateaux property, and they have savored the cuisine of a variety of chefs.

For those unfamiliar with the property spread across 313 acres in the rolling countryside, the inn offers accommodations in lavish Spanish-style haciendas and casitas, a total of nine overnight residences beautifully appointed and offering sweeping views of the verdant landscape. The restaurant, a destination in itself, serves fewer than 30 guests, and while already popular, it is poised to garner even greater praise.

This week, after five months of closure for retooling on numerous levels, the inn is open again for overnight guests with an invigorated team hand-selected by the Bosches to further enhance the property's already elevated status. Securing the inn's national reputation as a "culinary sanctuary" is the ultimate goal.

A new team
In addition to cosmetic touch-ups, the Dos Brisas leadership team is all new, starting at the top with GM Ruben Cambero Sedano, who honed his hospitality management skills as general manager of his family's Relais & Chateaux property, Hotel El Peregrino, in the Basque country of northern Spain. His mother, in fact, is a Michelin-starred chef, giving him a special appreciation of the culinary element.

"Basically, we needed new ideas, new blood, a new team," the soft-spoken Sedano explained. "But also the passion for what we do."

The leadership change included tapping Jonathan Cartwright, former executive chef and GM at the Forbes five-star-rated White Barn Inn Restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine, as the Inn at Dos Brisas' visiting chef in residence and Matthew Padilla, fresh from element 47 at The Little Nell in Aspen, as executive chef.

"My goal overall is to make this a culinary destination known around the country," Padilla said. "Really be able to showcase my food in the way I did learning under other great chefs that I worked with."

Delicious dining
Of the four dinners and several lunches experienced at the Inn at Dos Brisas over the years, our party found Padilla's work in the kitchen masterful and the best to date. From the Dos Brisas caprese salad loaded with fresh from the garden tomatoes to the soft shell crab with ratatouille to the Broken Arrow Ranch venison, the meal was superb. And who could forget the strawberries and cream dessert, an airy confection of white chocolate cremeaux, farm strawberries, and angel food cake.

"My food is a constant evolution," the chef said. "It's very simple food. I like to showcase the ingredients first. That's what was so great about coming to a place like this because the ingredients are first."

This is the ultimate farm-to-table menu, even if Padilla fears the word is overused. The resort boasts more than 40 acres of organic gardens, overseen by former Texas A&M professor Steven King, who holds a Ph.D. from Cornell. Affectionately known as "Farmer Steve" or "Dr. Steve," the new overseer of all things edible is bringing a fresh, more scientific approach to the farm products.

Under his guidance, the production of tomatoes alone has expanded to the extent that you can buy crop extras at the Urban Harvest Market and further surplus is delivered to food pantries in the area.

Padilla and King are in close partnership in the process. "This translates to more of a respect for the ingredients, all the way to the plate," Padilla said.

Summer offerings
The Inn at Dos Brisas is currently offering a four-course summer dinner menu priced at $95 per person, tax and gratuities extra. And, as Michelin judges might say, it is "worth the drive."

Overnight rates this summer are particularly attractive. Depending on the day of the week, casita room rates including breakfast range from $499 to $879; haciendas range from $869 to $1,699 a night. The inn also offers a "Farm Dinner Package," which includes dinner for two and breakfast. Those tariffs range from $689 to $879 for the casitas and $1,059 to $1,889 for hacienda accommodations.

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Dos Brisas tomatoes caprese on the four-course dinner menu.

Inn at Dos Brisas caprese salad
Photo by Shelby Hodge
Dos Brisas tomatoes caprese on the four-course dinner menu.
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Movie Review

Life lessons abound in Oscar hopeful Armageddon Time

Alex Bentley
Nov 4, 2022 | 1:01 pm
Life lessons abound in Oscar hopeful Armageddon Time
Photo by Anne Joyce/Focus Features

Banks Repeta and Anthony Hopkins in Armageddon Time.

When a filmmaker decides to tell a personal story about their life growing up, it can go one of two ways. It can be a nostalgic, candy-coated vision of an idealized childhood, or it can be a warts-and-all endeavor, digging deep to expose their bad family experience and the state of the world at that time.

Writer/director James Gray tries to find the middle ground in his new film, Armageddon Time. Set in Queens, New York, in 1980, the film centers Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), a Jewish tween boy with a love of art and a bent toward troublemaking. His mom, Esther (Anne Hathaway), and dad, Irving (Jeremy Strong), have kept him in public school even though his brother, Ted (Ryan Sell), goes to a private school.

Banks Repeta and Anthony Hopkins in Armageddon Time
Photo by Anne Joyce/Focus Features

Banks Repeta and Anthony Hopkins in Armageddon Time.

Paul strikes up a friendship with Johnny Davis (Jaylin Webb), one of the few Black kids at his school. Finding common ground over raising the ire of their teacher, whether warranted or not, the two conspire on a number of minor-to-major infractions. Paul is also close with his grandfather Aaron (Anthony Hopkins), who provides him with pearls of wisdom that come with his age and worldly experience.

On the surface, the film is a type of coming-of-age story as Paul pursues his passion, learns about bigotry, and tries to survive his sometimes-abusive father. Taken on this level, it’s an interesting if uncomplicated narrative. The situations that Paul goes through are typical of a suburban New York kid, with some slight deviations given his choice of friend and inability to stay on the right side of his parents and teacher.

There are several elements that indicate Gray is trying to tell a deeper story. Paul’s family being Jewish is a big part of the film, whether at family dinners or stories about past persecution. And the treatment of Johnny by his teacher and others is an undeniable parallel, with him experiencing subtle and not-so-subtle acts of racism on multiple occasions.

But a few other storytelling choices make it seem as if Gray wants tell an even more expansive allegorical story, as the film’s tagline – “The end of an era. The beginning of everything.” – illustrates. Ronald Reagan, who was running for his first term in 1980, pops up in television clips on a couple of occasions, even referencing his fear of Armageddon in one interview.

Fred Trump (John Diehl) and his daughter Maryanne (Jessica Chastain) are benefactors of the private school, making an appearance in one brief scene (why an Oscar winner was chosen to deliver less than 30 seconds of dialogue is unclear). Fred’s son Donald is not present, but the inclusion of the Trump family at all, especially for the very short time they’re on screen, speaks volumes.

Child actors can be hit-and-miss, but both Repeta and Webb turn in solid performances, making it feel like their characters have a true friendship. Both Hathaway and Strong live up to their reputations, inhabiting their roles fully, although their strong accents might be too much for some. Hopkins, who speaks in his normal voice, doesn’t exactly scream “old Jewish grandfather,” but his excellent acting makes up for that fact.

No matter if you fully grasp Gray’s actual intentions with the film or just take in its basic story, Armageddon Time is one of the best-acted films of the year. At its core, it’s a tale about a family going through a time of change, a universally-relatable idea regardless of where you grew up.

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Armageddon Time opens in theaters on November 4.

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CMT Awards

Texas will host CMT Music Awards for the first time ever in 2023

Hannah J. Frías
Nov 4, 2022 | 10:56 am
Carrie Underwood Kelsea Ballerini Moody Center
Getty Images for CMT
Airing April 2, 2023, the awards ceremony will be hosted in Texas for the first time ever.

Big news for country music fans: During Carrie Underwood's sold-out show in Austin on November 2, CMT Music Awards co-host Kelsea Ballerini came on stage to announce that the CMT Music Awards will come to the city's new Moody Center next year. Airing Sunday, April 2, 2023, the fan-voted awards ceremony will be hosted in Texas for the first time ever.

Ballerini will return as the event's co-host for the third year in a row, which she also shared during Underwood's set. The Austin stop of Underwood's Denim and Rhinestones Tour was the perfect time to share the announcement, since Underwood currently holds the title as the winningest artist in CMT history. According to a release, she has garnered a total of 25 trophies, and she will be the first performer for the 2023 show.

“Both Austin and Nashville are two of the world’s greatest music cities and we couldn’t be more excited to announce the return of the CMT MUSIC AWARDS on CBS than with co-host Kelsea Ballerini surprising Carrie Underwood, our most awarded artist, in the middle of her incredible live performance at Moody Center – the exact venue where we’ll all be back exactly five months from today!” shared CMT Music Awards executive producers Margaret Comeaux, John Hamlin, Leslie Fram, and Jason Owen.

“Our fans are in for an unforgettable night of music with plenty of surprises, as the Live Music Capital meets Music City for the first time ever on a national stage in what will be a true country music extravaganza.”

The 2023 CMT Awards is the result of two years of planning between CMT, CBA, Paramount, and the Moody Center team. The show will make its global premiere exclusively on the CBS Television Network, available for both live streaming and on demand on Paramount+. For its inaugural year on CBS, the 2022 CMT Music Awards delivered 5.89 million viewers, a 529 percent increase from June 2021.

“The programming team at Oak View Group and Moody Center have spent the past two years cultivating this relationship and working to endear CMT, CBS and Paramount to Austin and our new, world-class arena," says Michael Owens, vice president of programming at the Moody Center, in the release. "CMT’s commitment to Austin reflects those efforts and we couldn’t be more grateful and excited to host them next year."

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When in Spain

San Antonio's Steve McHugh hosts collaborative dinner with Michelin-starred guest chef

Hannah J. Frías
Nov 4, 2022 | 9:23 am
Steve McHugh
Photo by Josh Huskin
Steve McHugh will host a one-night-only collaboration with guest chef Periko Ortega on November 9.

If there's anything San Antonio chef Steve McHugh is known for besides his award-winning local restaurants, it's bringing people together. McHugh regularly collaborates with well-known chefs from around the state, country, and the world for exclusive, unique, and (of course) deliciously unforgettable experiences.

San Antonians won't want to miss his next event on November 9. Starting at 7 pm , McHugh will host a one-night-only, five-course meal in collaboration with guest chef Periko Ortega.

Ortega's award-winning restaurant ReComiendo is considered one of the top 10 restaurants in Spain. According to a release, Ortega's Michelin star came from his time as head pastry chef at Café Paris in Malaga, Spain, and ReComiendo is his "gastronomic temple."

McHugh's travels through Spain have provided endless inspiration for both his San Antonio restaurants and his forthcoming Austin concept, Luminaire. The collaborative dinner will showcase the two chef's cooking styles and the distinct, but complementary, flavors of Spain and Texas. With Spanish cheeses, olive oils, and curated wine pairings, the mouthwatering menu features South Texas quail sausage, wild boar shoulder, masa tres leches, and more.

The event will take place at Cured in the Pearl, and tickets are available via OpenTable.

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