Adventures in Texas Hill Country

Auslander in Fredericksburg

This past weekend, my boyfriend and I hit the road to Fredericksburg, to see the beautiful Hill Country, eat delicious German food and of course, taste a little wine. The drive took about five hours, (it would have been much longer had I let Justin drive) and it was surprisingly scenic once we passed Waco. Lush green trees and vineyards dot hwy 290, giving passersby the feeling that they are no longer in Texas. We arrived at our Bed and Breakfast, called Inn on the Creek, only a short walk to Main Street; so that we would have access to shopping, dining and of course, wining.

Our first evening consisted of traditional German fare –basically an excessive amount of sausage, sauerkraut and potatoes. Now there are several establishment which claim to serve “authentic German food”, but we chose the Auslander because I specifically remember eating the best potato pancakes of my life at this place. My memory did not fail me, the crispy potatoes were exactly as I remember them tasting, full of herbs, soft on the inside with a crunchy fried outside. For an appetizer we selected Barvarian Potato Skins which were potato skins filled with German sausage, sauerkraut, red cabbage and covered in melted Swiss, served with a honey dijon dipping sauce. I felt very nervous about ordering this due to my unfounded hatred of cabbage, but the skins were surprisingly delicious—it is hard to make potatoes with cheese taste badly but it’s possible. We continued our meal with potato pancakes, two types of local spicy sausage and several beers from the biergarten.

Overall it was a fabulous welcome meal to the Hill Country, from the friendly service to the tasty cuisine, I couldn’t have planned a better first meal. Tomorrow I will tell describe our adventure to a bourbon distillery, a winery and a chocolate factory, also an encounter with the infamous “Death Burger” lies in the future… Come back to read more…