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Ok, my partner has moved down from MA and we've settled in Dripping.

I didn't see a specific post, so lemme know your favorites.

Where we've gone, limiting to roughly Nutty Brown to Henly:

Natkhat Flavors - Indian food; don't really remember what we ordered, but it was good and the proprietors were friendly.

Turcotte Butchers & Delicatessen - Really wanted to love this place. It is good not great. They have some New England roots and advertised a Super Beef 3-way... it didn't have an onion roll, it had yellow american, the meat was overcooked and sliced with the grain. I went again and got a cheesesteak that was a lot better. You can sit and get a beer and watch the game. 

Pig Ben BBQ - Got a brisket sandwich; think Pok-e-Joes or Bert's.

Oak Creek Cafe - Is this the oldest restaurant in DS? It was decent, got a CFS with mash and fried okra, would eat again.

Flores - The taco shack by the high school, not the chain tex-mex east of town. This place kicks ass, every taco I've had has been spot on. Red and green hot sauces are both delicious.

Pizza Cave - Growing up outside of NYC, my partner is super picky on what is good pizza and what isn't, like me with BBQ. She thinks Pizza Cave is good pizza.

Pieous - The pastrami kicks serious ass. The pizza was meh.

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39 minutes ago, Masshole Horn said:

Ok, my partner has moved down from MA and we've settled in Dripping.

I didn't see a specific post, so lemme know your favorites.

Where we've gone, limiting to roughly Nutty Brown to Henly:

Natkhat Flavors - Indian food; don't really remember what we ordered, but it was good and the proprietors were friendly.

Turcotte Butchers & Delicatessen - Really wanted to love this place. It is good not great. They have some New England roots and advertised a Super Beef 3-way... it didn't have an onion roll, it had yellow american, the meat was overcooked and sliced with the grain. I went again and got a cheesesteak that was a lot better. You can sit and get a beer and watch the game. 

Pig Ben BBQ - Got a brisket sandwich; think Pok-e-Joes or Bert's.

Oak Creek Cafe - Is this the oldest restaurant in DS? It was decent, got a CFS with mash and fried okra, would eat again.

Flores - The taco shack by the high school, not the chain tex-mex east of town. This place kicks ass, every taco I've had has been spot on. Red and green hot sauces are both delicious.

Pizza Cave - Growing up outside of NYC, my partner is super picky on what is good pizza and what isn't, like me with BBQ. She thinks Pizza Cave is good pizza.

Pieous - The pastrami kicks serious ass. The pizza was meh.

Pieous is open indoors again now, right?

Have you been to The Switch for BBQ? Haven't been in probably 2 years but it was excellent when I did.

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22 minutes ago, NoName said:

Pieous is open indoors again now, right?

Have you been to The Switch for BBQ? Haven't been in probably 2 years but it was excellent when I did.

Yeah, we were indoors at Pieous.

Haven't been to The Switch, how does it compare to the original?

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Man, 290 through there is just a beating. In-laws are in the Hill Country and I don't feel like I'm out of Austin until I reach Henly. 

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23 minutes ago, Masshole Horn said:

Yeah, we were indoors at Pieous.

Haven't been to The Switch, how does it compare to the original?

Pieous has been through a lot, but every time i've been there the pizzas have been fantastic - they were closed inside from the start of COVID until maybe the last 6 months and had a ton of staffing issues during COVID.

The Switch it's different and was from day 1. it's a sit down vs BBQ place and had more cajun styling when i last went.

i used to order from there and pieous a TON to go when i was leaving Austin headed west

21 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Man, 290 through there is just a beating. In-laws are in the Hill Country and I don't feel like I'm out of Austin until I reach Henly. 

has anyone been to the boil shack/place in Henley? is it any good?

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WE dont live there, but we are in the area plenty for vacation. Rolling in Thyme, as another said, is good. Claerly you're going for places to eat here, but your really going to make hay on the booze options.

Treay Oak Distillery is an amazing space with a pretty damn good restaurant.
Family Business Beer Co. - Plenty of food trucks usually, good beer.
Dipping Springs Vodka - Big Outdoor Space, think they serve good now
Deep Eddy Vodka - Great indoor space, don't know about food
Parmesan Wines - No Food
Bell Springs Winery - Nice spcae
Texas Olive Oil Co. - Serves Food, not a brewery or distillery

Other Breweries nearby - Twisted X, Ghost Note, honestly too many to remember off the top of my head. 
 

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Yeah, we were indoors at Pieous.
Haven't been to The Switch, how does it compare to the original?

I think it’s better, but that is just based on the menu creativity. If you’re just going for meat by the pound you may disagree with me. The Q is solid, but they also serve brunch. My kind of place.
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Ok, my partner has moved down from MA and we've settled in Dripping.
I didn't see a specific post, so lemme know your favorites.
Where we've gone, limiting to roughly Nutty Brown to Henly:
Natkhat Flavors - Indian food; don't really remember what we ordered, but it was good and the proprietors were friendly.
Turcotte Butchers & Delicatessen - Really wanted to love this place. It is good not great. They have some New England roots and advertised a Super Beef 3-way... it didn't have an onion roll, it had yellow american, the meat was overcooked and sliced with the grain. I went again and got a cheesesteak that was a lot better. You can sit and get a beer and watch the game. 
Pig Ben BBQ - Got a brisket sandwich; think Pok-e-Joes or Bert's.
Oak Creek Cafe - Is this the oldest restaurant in DS? It was decent, got a CFS with mash and fried okra, would eat again.
Flores - The taco shack by the high school, not the chain tex-mex east of town. This place kicks ass, every taco I've had has been spot on. Red and green hot sauces are both delicious.
Pizza Cave - Growing up outside of NYC, my partner is super picky on what is good pizza and what isn't, like me with BBQ. She thinks Pizza Cave is good pizza.
Pieous - The pastrami kicks serious ass. The pizza was meh.

Pizza Cave is very good pizza and the new location has a wonderful view and a bar.

Please give Turcotte another shot. Their fries are incredible and the hot sandwiches are loved by everyone in my family. Maybe they had an off day? The service can be less than awesome if they are short staffed. They regularly carry hanger steak in the butcher case, which I pick up every time I’m there. Local rancher.
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23 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

Flores taco shack is solid.  El Rey, further down the road, not so much.  

El Rey seems to be SUPER busy every single time i drive by - i assumed it was good based on that alone. unfortunate

 

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3 hours ago, Masshole Horn said:

Pieous - The pastrami kicks serious ass. The pizza was meh.

So CSB alert, but I was doing a five day Prolon fast with a group a few years ago and my first meal after the fast concluded was at Pieous.  I ordered five pizzas, a pound of pastrami, and probably ate about half of everything. 

The stomach distress to follow, however, took years off my life. 

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25 minutes ago, tigol said:


Pizza Cave is very good pizza and the new location has a wonderful view and a bar.

Please give Turcotte another shot. Their fries are incredible and the hot sandwiches are loved by everyone in my family. Maybe they had an off day? The service can be less than awesome if they are short staffed. They regularly carry hanger steak in the butcher case, which I pick up every time I’m there. Local rancher.

Yeah, their fries were real good. I'm sure we'll be back; we've been there twice already. The only issue I had was my expectation on the super beef 3-way was too high. It's like ordering BBQ in MA, John Mueller (RIP) isn't manning that pit.

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The mexican food at Beerburg was legit.  Sad to see it close.

If you want to extend the area of DS to "15 minute radius", you get into places like Shady Llama, Vista Brewing, Trattoria Lisina, and Hays City Store.

I've heard good things about the food at Paloma, but mixed on the service.  It's a restaurant at the putt-putt place by the Y and DSYSA Soccer Fields.

Homespun downtown Drip is pretty damn solid.

Is Jester King still around?  I haven't been in years, but it was a great place to hang out, drink beer, and eat pizza.

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Oh, and I forgot about Suds Monkey.  Fun place to let the kids play with friends.  Pretty good beer, lots of TVs.

And Dreamland is the place to be if you're into Pickle Ball.  I'm not, but Dreamland is a common meeting place for soccer parties, and it's fun to watch others play.  Or they have 2 legit putt-putt courses.  Or just sit and drink beer.  It's self-serve and they charge by the ounce.

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2 hours ago, Wiler77 said:

The mexican food at Beerburg was legit.  Sad to see it close.

If you want to extend the area of DS to "15 minute radius", you get into places like Shady Llama, Vista Brewing, Trattoria Lisina, and Hays City Store.

I've heard good things about the food at Paloma, but mixed on the service.  It's a restaurant at the putt-putt place by the Y and DSYSA Soccer Fields.

Homespun downtown Drip is pretty damn solid.

Is Jester King still around?  I haven't been in years, but it was a great place to hang out, drink beer, and eat pizza.

Shady Llama and Vista Brewing are fucking awesome. I've added the other two to check out. 

Jester King and Twisted X are still both around. 

2 hours ago, Wiler77 said:

Oh, and I forgot about Suds Monkey.  Fun place to let the kids play with friends.  Pretty good beer, lots of TVs.

And Dreamland is the place to be if you're into Pickle Ball.  I'm not, but Dreamland is a common meeting place for soccer parties, and it's fun to watch others play.  Or they have 2 legit putt-putt courses.  Or just sit and drink beer.  It's self-serve and they charge by the ounce.

Never heard of Suds Monkey or Drinkland. Will also add to the list. 

Fitzhugh was another one. I don't remember the beer or food being anything special, but it's a pretty place to hang out on a nice day.
https://www.fitzhughbrewing.com/

That being said, I'd rather go to Vista Brewing and their giant compound, or Family Business or Ghost Note. 

 

12 Fox was another one with a big space, which as a father, stand out to me in decision making process. It also let you buy a beer forward for a veteran, which I thought was cool. 

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25 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I've added the other two to check out. 
 

Never heard of Suds Monkey or Drinkland. Will also add to the list. 
 

12 Fox was another one with a big space, which as a father, stand out to me in decision making process. It also let you buy a beer forward for a veteran, which I thought was cool. 

Trattoria Lisina is an Italian Restaurant on an absolutely gorgeous piece of land, and it's owned by Damian Mandola of Houston restaurant fame.  He's cut back in recent years in terms of visibility, but it's still outstanding.  If your kids are still of the age they enjoy a good playground, and the weather cooperates, there is a large playscape outside under an oak grove that makes for a good place to set up camp.  You can order pizza and drinks to go inside and bring it out to eat on the picnic tables under the oak trees.

There is a winery on the same grounds that is quite popular as well.  Different owners after Damian and his business partner/friend had a falling out.  Damian took the restaurant, and the other guy took the winery.

Dreamland is a trip.  It's out west of Drip a few minutes and is a Pickleball mecca--16 courts with professional matches.  2 really fun putt-putt courses meandering through the oak trees.  Splashpad on hot days.  Large covered seating area with a few TVs.  And a half-decent beer and wine selection that feels like being at Dave and Busters.  You get a Dreamland card, and the dispenser tells you how much per ounce.  Swipe card, fill cup to desired level, drink.  Food is meh, but edible.  It's not a place my wife and I will go on a date night, but when there's a party there or a post-game gathering of the soccer team...yea, that'll do.

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6 minutes ago, Wiler77 said:

Trattoria Lisina is an Italian Restaurant on an absolutely gorgeous piece of land, and it's owned by Damian Mandola of Houston restaurant fame.  He's cut back in recent years in terms of visibility, but it's still outstanding.  If your kids are still of the age they enjoy a good playground, and the weather cooperates, there is a large playscape outside under an oak grove that makes for a good place to set up camp.  You can order pizza and drinks to go inside and bring it out to eat on the picnic tables under the oak trees.

There is a winery on the same grounds that is quite popular as well.  Different owners after Damian and his business partner/friend had a falling out.  Damian took the restaurant, and the other guy took the winery.

Dreamland is a trip.  It's out west of Drip a few minutes and is a Pickleball mecca--16 courts with professional matches.  2 really fun putt-putt courses meandering through the oak trees.  Splashpad on hot days.  Large covered seating area with a few TVs.  And a half-decent beer and wine selection that feels like being at Dave and Busters.  You get a Dreamland card, and the dispenser tells you how much per ounce.  Swipe card, fill cup to desired level, drink.  Food is meh, but edible.  It's not a place my wife and I will go on a date night, but when there's a party there or a post-game gathering of the soccer team...yea, that'll do.

Yeah, we've been to the Duchman winery on a few occasions. We're familiar with the playground. Like all things, it's dependant on having other kids there for his interest, and I feel like that place gets less traffic with other kiddos in tow. I didn't realize the ownership of the winery and restaurant had separated. Maybe that's been somewhat recent? Not that they'd advertise to visitors. I think we last went 2 years ago, but we've never eaten at the restaurant. 

 

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Leyla’s Kitchen is a Lebanese food truck on Hamilton Pool that is really good.  Carmela’s is serviceable Italian and decent pizza.  Route 12 Filling Station has decent reviews but I haven’t eaten there so can’t vouch.

You’re right about Oak Creek Cafe, there’s been a restaurant there forever, used to be Hamburger Hill long ago.  Menu has stayed relatively the same and they have really good breakfast too, aside from burgers and CFS.  

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Reminder, stay off highway 165 and 12. Thanks


That's my route to come off Creek Road, then go down to Blanco & on to San Antonio. Do you live down thataways?

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Have been to Dreamland a few times for Scout "fun day" activities & we built the stage out back. (Attached pic)

Every time we go to El Rey, a reasonable % of patrons appear to be Hispanic / non English speaking & that seems to be a decent reference.

& FWIW, I think their food is good.

The Flores taco stand is also good & IIRC, you can also get a brisket Taco.

Don't base Pig Pen solely on a sandwich , the ribs are good & they have a good stuffed baked potato offering. I'm not a fan of Railroad BBQ for various reasons.

One Shot Distillery is owned by folks that were "on scene for J6 but we didn't go in... I swear!" folks, so do with that whatever you want.

Oak Creek is serviceable generic food; I try to go primarily because it is local & reasonably priced.

I like Homespun. This location has been many different restaurants overr the past 15 years or so with the current owner doing the best, especially after they added the back / outdoor part. In many of the floods since the Homespun people have operated it, they keep asking for donations to help out.

Turcotte... didn't you specify the cheese you wanted? Never a bad sandwich there & yes, I'm usually getting the Philly.

Pizza Cave has a good pork soup & good slices with a nice view off the back of the building.

For what you get, IMO the Filling Station is a tad bit overpriced. YMMV.

Thyme & Dough is a good small-ish sandwich opportunity & @ one time, we occasionally sold eggs to them. I honestly have Ø idea what keeps them in business because they never seem to be busy / have enough seating to afford the space & all the costs associated with that (also, shared parking 290 frontage with Pig Pen).

Back East in Belterra Spoon & Fork is good. Thai w/ lots of good broth stuff & just enough sweet / generic "Asian" to satisfy the average American's palette.

I'm 50-50 on Switch. The "switch" part is ½ Cajun / ½ Q, however they never really have figured out what they wanted to be.

The League has an excellent fish & chips & a good price for "Burger Monday". My son likes their pot pie, says it's the best ever (he's 17, so what life experience does he have?). The dirt year or so that we went there, every.single.time we ordered anything fried or with French fries , the waitstaff seemed to fear they were being "Mystery Shopped" & would always ask "Would you like to 'Truffle Up' that ____ ?" & it became sorta tedious. Shrimp cocktail is usually very fat offerings. I think they make their own pickles.

West Henly Boilshack is close by & you're maybe paying $ 1 extra per pound due to location / distance to other options. Never a bad time there.

Hill Country Ranch Pizza, when they first opened - the pie itself was cardboard crap. They must have received feedback because something got fixed & it's now more like a 7.5 / 10.

I have been 1× to Tillie's @ Camp Luch & liked it, however my wife thinks it's "too strange & high priced" (she is more of a generic / typical offerings kinda eater). It has been some years, so I don't recall what we got.

The building for Tillie's is interesting & has a background of "relocating" the structure from Vietnam.

I don't remember the handle, however we have a Shag² member who lives across from Camp Lucy.

& That's my perspective on the "Locals" review.

d289de0b332910e05630f26e7bd16617.jpg



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20 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

One Shot Distillery is owned by folks that were "on scene for J6 but we didn't go in... I swear!" folks, so do with that whatever you want.
 

 

Read that they are hosting a pep rally for the border convoy dorks this evening. Watch out for wannabe Rittenhouses.

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On 1/31/2024 at 6:49 PM, ROFL BOX said:

 


That's my route to come off Creek Road, then go down to Blanco & on to San Antonio. Do you live down thataways?

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Have been to Dreamland a few times for Scout "fun day" activities & we built the stage out back. (Attached pic)

Every time we go to El Rey, a reasonable % of patrons appear to be Hispanic / non English speaking & that seems to be a decent reference.

& FWIW, I think their food is good.

The Flores taco stand is also good & IIRC, you can also get a brisket Taco.

Don't base Pig Pen solely on a sandwich emoji849.png, the ribs are good & they have a good stuffed baked potato offering. I'm not a fan of Railroad BBQ for various reasons.

One Shot Distillery is owned by folks that were "on scene for J6 but we didn't go in... I swear!" folks, so do with that whatever you want.

Oak Creek is serviceable generic food; I try to go primarily because it is local & reasonably priced.

I like Homespun. This location has been many different restaurants overr the past 15 years or so with the current owner doing the best, especially after they added the back / outdoor part. In many of the floods since the Homespun people have operated it, they keep asking for donations to help out.

Turcotte... didn't you specify the cheese you wanted? Never a bad sandwich there & yes, I'm usually getting the Philly.

Pizza Cave has a good pork soup & good slices with a nice view off the back of the building.

For what you get, IMO the Filling Station is a tad bit overpriced. YMMV.

Thyme & Dough is a good small-ish sandwich opportunity & @ one time, we occasionally sold eggs to them. I honestly have Ø idea what keeps them in business because they never seem to be busy / have enough seating to afford the space & all the costs associated with that (also, shared parking 290 frontage with Pig Pen).

Back East in Belterra Spoon & Fork is good. Thai w/ lots of good broth stuff & just enough sweet / generic "Asian" to satisfy the average American's palette.

I'm 50-50 on Switch. The "switch" part is ½ Cajun / ½ Q, however they never really have figured out what they wanted to be.

The League has an excellent fish & chips & a good price for "Burger Monday". My son likes their pot pie, says it's the best ever (he's 17, so what life experience does he have?). The dirt year or so that we went there, every.single.time we ordered anything fried or with French fries , the waitstaff seemed to fear they were being "Mystery Shopped" & would always ask "Would you like to 'Truffle Up' that ____ ?" & it became sorta tedious. Shrimp cocktail is usually very fat offerings. I think they make their own pickles.

West Henly Boilshack is close by & you're maybe paying $ 1 extra per pound due to location / distance to other options. Never a bad time there.

Hill Country Ranch Pizza, when they first opened - the pie itself was cardboard crap. They must have received feedback because something got fixed & it's now more like a 7.5 / 10.

I have been 1× to Tillie's @ Camp Luch & liked it, however my wife thinks it's "too strange & high priced" (she is more of a generic / typical offerings kinda eater). It has been some years, so I don't recall what we got.

The building for Tillie's is interesting & has a background of "relocating" the structure from Vietnam.

I don't remember the handle, however we have a Shag² member who lives across from Camp Lucy.

& That's my perspective on the "Locals" review.

d289de0b332910e05630f26e7bd16617.jpg


 

 

I started typing out my responses, then read your post.  You nailed everything.  I mean, it was pretty much exactly what I was writing.  Kind of uncanny, really.

I'm the one across from Camp Lucy.  Have been in this area since graduating from the 40 acres in '01.  Our food options in DS mostly suck.  Tons of average pizza and a few places that are good one day and sub-par the next.  Flores for breakfast tacos and Leyla's are the only two I puff my chest out for.  

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i lived in dripping in the late 90's, had 4 acres out there, but got transferred to san antone.  at that time it was dry, so we had to go to wimberley to drink.  closest liquor store was sunset valley.  it had an iga (no heb), and a true value (no home depot).  all the restaurants were terrible.  so i envy all you pricks.

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On 2/1/2024 at 3:18 PM, royiv said:

Read that they are hosting a pep rally for the border convoy dorks this evening. Watch out for wannabe Rittenhouses.

The owner is way more involved than just being on the scene.  He was one of the 30 unindicated co-conspirators.  He was responsible for PowerPoint that was circulated around DC on ways to stay in power.

"The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol announced Thursday that it subpoenaed James P. “Phil” Waldron, a retired Army colonel who spread misinformation about election fraud and circulated a PowerPoint document detailing ways to undermine the 2020 presidential election outcome."

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4 hours ago, 1978horn said:

The owner is way more involved than just being on the scene.  He was one of the 30 unindicated co-conspirators.  He was responsible for PowerPoint that was circulated around DC on ways to stay in power.

"The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol announced Thursday that it subpoenaed James P. “Phil” Waldron, a retired Army colonel who spread misinformation about election fraud and circulated a PowerPoint document detailing ways to undermine the 2020 presidential election outcome."

Rumor has it he used Papyrus with Comic Sans footnotes

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just brought home a few items from The Great British Baking Co. They're on Mercer, just off of RR12. The pot roast, chicken curry hand pies and sausage roll were all good. Also got cookies and a sticky pudding for later. They have daily specials besides what's listed on their website. Overall, a good option for the area.

The Mighty Fine Burgers in Belterra Village has closed. Rumor is it will become an Italian place.

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