Table Talk

A couple of weeks ago, I stopped by On The Rocks in Cottonwood Shores to find out what they have been up to lately. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon and some friends were there watching the football game while Matt Orlando and his mother, Leslie, were experimenting in the kitchen with some wonderful Italian appetizers.

The Bluebonnet Chorale was formed in the fall of 1999 when a group of 16 women from Horseshoe Bay met at The Church at Horseshoe Bay to form a singing group. Long-time director Wenona Burks likes to tell the story that they started out just singing simple rounds. With the help of accompanist Helen Carpenter they soon progressed to three-part and then four-part music.

San Saba is a small community of about 3,000 people a bit north and west of Horseshoe Bay. You can get there in about an hour. Go west to Llano and head up picturesque Highway 16 through some rolling hills. Look at a map and you’ll see it is almost smack dab in the middle of the state. Like many of the communities in central Texas, the town of San Saba can trace its roots to the mid 19th century.

Executive Chef Scott Mechura arrived in Escondido just in time to celebrate the opening of the new club house earlier this summer. The Great House, as the club house is called in the Escondido literature, is an imposing structure which is at the heart of this exclusive and elegantly designed community that provides the utmost in service and amenities to its members. Recently, I had the opportunity to tour the property and admire some of many areas where members can enjoy all the thing ...

I had never heard of Bunco until I moved to Horseshoe Bay. Occasionally, some of my golfing buddies here would mention that they were playing Bunco, but they all seemed to have well established groups to which newcomers were seldom, if ever, invited. I began to think it might be a kind of Southern sorority which required mysterious initiation rites. I was flattered—and, I have to admit, a bit relieved—when I finally received an invitation to substitute in a group one eveni ...

Or is it uptown Texas craft beers and down-home food? Double Horn Brewing Company, which celebrated an eagerly awaited opening this last weekend in Marble Falls, does not fit readily into either category. Both its beer and its food boast a level of sophistication that defies easy description. If you are thinking home-brew and bar food, you will be delightfully surprised by how much more this establishment has to offer.

When Chuck Ely at The Bottle Shop mentioned to me not long ago that there is a bourbon distillery in Hye and that it might make an interesting story, I had no idea of the learning experience I was about to embark on. I’m no expert, but I certainly know a lot more now about bourbon, how it is made and the fascinating role it has played in the history of our country. The first question: Where is Hye?

The ideal summer dessert, to my mind, is light and cool—no heavy cakes or steaming hot cobblers when the temperatures hover in the upper reaches. The recipe should be simple and not require a lot of ingredients and, if at all possible, it should require minimal, if any, cooking or baking.

This Saturday a lot of folks in Horseshoe Bay will be gathering around Horseshoe Bay Boulevard, Hi Circle North, Red Sail and Quail Point for our annual Fourth of July celebration. With the land parade, boat parade and all the activities planned at Quail Point, the festivities always draw a big crowd.

Many people in Horseshoe Bay are unaware of the existence of a community garden club in our midst. It is not exactly a secret. After all, this fall it will have been operating for 25 years and over that time many people have worked in the garden and enjoyed the harvests.