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    Lone Star Culinary Mecca

    Texas inn reopens and aims for national recognition as a revered 'culinary sanctuary'

    Shelby Hodge
    Jul 25, 2016 | 11:10 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 Michelin-starred/James Beard award-winning notoriety.

    Devotees of the luxe life have already discovered the bucolic caravansary an hour and 15 minutes northwest of Houston. 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.

    Today, 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 5-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 says. "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 over-used. The resort boasts more than 40 acres of organic gardens, today 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 day of the week, casita room rates including breakfast range from $499 to $879; for the haciendas, the range is $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 from $1,059 to $1,889 for hacienda accommodations.

    Breakfast is served in the room for all guests.

    Breakfast at Inn at Dos Brisas
      
    Photo by Shelby Hodge
    Breakfast is served in the room for all guests.
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    Outside Ideas

    New podcast provides on-the-ground news from Texas state parks

    Brianna Caleri
    May 20, 2025 | 10:15 am
    Better Outside podcast host Morgan O’Hanlon
    Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)
    Podcast host Morgan O’Hanlon captures ambient sound from a river.

    Outdoorsy Texans have a new way to keep track of conservation initiatives within Texas' parks. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will launch a new podcast, Better Outside, on May 21 on all major podcast platforms.

    A press release promises that listeners will "travel the woods and waters of Texas through an array of awe-inspiring stories about conservation, recreation and the outdoors."

    The podcast does mean "travel" in a literal sense, taking listeners out in the field to experience the environments firsthand. They'll have a knowledgeable guide in host Morgan O’Hanlon, who is a senior writer at Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, as well as TPWD executive director David Yoskowitz.

    “People are at the core of conservation work in Texas,” said Yoskowitz in the release. “I’m excited for you to hear their voices straight from the field, so they can share why the work they do matters and the impact it makes.”

    David Yoskowitz and Morgan O\u2019Hanlon recording Better Outside podcastDavid Yoskowitz and Morgan O’Hanlon record in the studio as well as in the field.Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)

    Some examples of the work featured include creating a new trail across the state, touring an existing park, and restoring bighorn sheep (which were on the brink of being wiped out by 1900) in West Texas. Another episode in the Hill Country follows feral hog bounty hunters. Although well-informed listeners may already know about some of these subjects, the podcast specifically hopes to focus on hidden gems and expanding horizons.

    “I love adventure sports and am excited to inspire people to try new, and sometimes scary, things,” said O’Hanlon. “In our episode on the Devils River, I took my non-outdoorsy mom on one of the state’s most feared paddling trips. You’ll hear straight from her about the challenges I put her through — and why she would do it again.”

    Better Outside isn't TPWD’s first podcast. It was Under the Texas Sky, which launched in 2019 and followed similar themes, with a notable focus on culture. Some episodes followed the Indigenous history of Texas parks, cowboy poets, and chefs who are involved in sustainable farming and cooking. Under the Texas Sky stopped being made when its host, longtime Passport to Texas radio host Cecilia Nasti, retired.

    The new podcast is sponsored by the Austin-based Whole Earth Provision Co., which originally opened in 1970 as a real-life manifestation of the Whole Earth Catalog, and is now a cross between a camping, home goods, and outdoorsy gift store. It operates six locations in total in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas.

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