My wife and I took our second trip to Fredericksburg this weekend, and it was another hit. A little over two years ago, we made it down south for their Oktoberfest and had a blast. This time, we sort of just winged it. Thanks to some input from the locals, we came up with some great places for you to try when you’re in the area.
Main Street Soda Fountain – Ballinger, TX
This one caught me off guard. We were looking for a place to grab a bite on the way to Fredericksburg and remembered this place along Main Street. I’m glad we stopped. This was my first great burger on the trip and a sign of good things to come.
Alamo Springs Cafe
The burger at Alamo Springs came in at #3 on Texas Monthly’s list of The 50 Greatest Hamburgers in Texas. It was not a fluke. The burger and bun are all-time greats along with the roasted garlic, goat cheese, and crostini appetizer. The $2 “half” order of onion rings was still enough to share.
Pasta Bella
Great bread, great pasta, and great dessert (white chocolate raspberry cheesecake).
4.0 Cellars
We booked a tasting here solely because it also had cheese. And not just any cheese, fresh cheese from Veldhuizen in Dublin, TX. As it turns out, 4.0 Cellars is a collaboration between three wineries: Brennan Vineyards in Comanche, Lost Oak Winery in Burleson, and Lubbock’s own McPherson Cellars. We really enjoyed our time here and would recommend this to your Hill Country Wine Trail experience.
Pedernales Brewing
Our first taste of Pedernales beer occurred about 2 years ago, right about the time they were really starting to expand. Their Lobo Negro and Midnight Porter are my favorites, but according to one of the owners at the brewery, the Robert Earl Keen Honey Pils is by far the most popular. Look for them to start selling all of their products in cans in the near future, and be sure to check them out when you’re in the Hill Country. For a brewery that was established in 2009 and only started distributing in 2012, they really have come a long way.
Fredericksburg Brewing Company
We had a nice, German meal here and each paired it with delicious beers: the Enchanted Rock Red Ale and the Peace Pipe Pale Ale. I went with a jalapeno cheese sausage with German potato salad and cheddar ale soup. Prosit!
Lubbock Events
Thursday, January 14th
The Blue Light
Costello with The Powell
Brothers & Alyse Black
Friday, January 15th
McLeod Tennis Center
TTU Men’s Tennis v. Pacific – 11am
TTU Men’s Tennis v. Arizona – 3pm
The Blue Light
The Black Lillies with
Aaron Stephens
The Office
Mark McKinney with
Genuine Draft
Saturday, January 16th
McLeod Tennis Center
TTU Men’s Tennis v. New Mexico – 11am
TTU Men’s Tennis v. Pacific – 3pm
United Supermarkets Arena
TTU Men’s Basketball v. Baylor – 2pm
The Blue Light
Cody Jinks with The Hogg Maulies
The Office
Safira
Wild West
Josh Ward
Sunday, January 17th
United Supermarkets Arena
TTU Women’s Basketball v. Iowa State – 2pm
Monday, January 18th
McLeod Tennis Center
Men’s Tennis v. Arizona – 9am
Men’s Tennis v. New Mexico – 1pm
Tuesday, January 19th
The Blue Light
William Clark Green Acoustic Show
with Dalton Domino
More Burger Talk
24 Frames released a video this week talking to Gabriel Vitela of Twisted Root Lubbock and Dionicio Cordero of Basin Burger House in Midland about one of my favorite subjects.
Ongoing Events
January 1st – January 24th
TTU Museum
“Antarctica: Pioneering American Explorations of the Frozen Continent”
January 18th – January 24th
The Blue Light
Lubbock Music Week featuring Jerry Serrano, William Clark Green, Dalton Domino, Flatland Cavalry, Dix Hat Band, Saints Analogue, Red Shahan, Brandon Adams and Charlie Shafter.
Head over to New Slang LBK and enter to win free tickets.