{"id":68234,"date":"2024-09-19T00:01:41","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T06:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=68234"},"modified":"2026-04-06T12:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T18:04:08","slug":"gristmill-river-restaurant-bar-new-braunfels-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=68234","title":{"rendered":"Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar – New Braunfels, Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
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The Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar in Gruene, Texas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My mom was born in 1929, the last year of the Great Depression.\u00a0 She still recalls that during her childhood, her family would take grist ( grain) and separate it from its chaff (seed coverings and other debris) in preparation for being ground into flour.\u00a0 They would then take the family’s horse and buggy over the precipitous mountain roads to Cleveland (the one in New Mexico).\u00a0 In Cleveland, they would have the grain ground into flour in “el molino,” the Cleveland Roller Mill<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0The Mill is a three story adobe edifice with a water-powered mill used for grinding.\u00a0 Today, that mill has been turned into a local museum where its original machinery remains intact and has been restored significantly to the point that it can be operated for demonstration purposes.<\/p>\n

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The Gristmill Complex<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I asked my dear friend and trusted guide Melinda Martinez to pick where our next culinary adventure would be, she selected The Gristmill River Restaurant,\u00a0 located on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Gruene Historic District, in New Braunfels, Texas. Gruene is located in the Texas Hill Country, 30 minutes north of San Antonio, and 45 minutes south of Austin, on IH-35.\u00a0 \u00a0The setting was spectacular, my delightful friend convivial and the food ambrosial.\u00a0 This was to be my last meal on my final day of a six-day peregrination to the San Antonio area.\u00a0 My journey reminded me just how grateful I was to the Air Force for having sent me to San Antonio several times.\u00a0 Had my Kim and I not retired to New Mexico, we would have decamped to San Antonio.<\/p>\n

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Extensive Indoor and\u00a0 Outdoor Seating For the Restaurant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Located beneath Gruene\u2019s landmark water tower in the ruins of an 1878 cotton gin overlooking the Guadalupe River, the historic Gristmill has been considered one of the most unique dining spots in Texas since it launched in 1977 (coincidentally when my Air Force career was launched in San Antonio less than an hour away).\u00a0 \u00a0The Gristmill is a rare combination of history, location and turn-of-the-century architecture.\u00a0 Is it any wonder its website calls it “A True Texas Experienc<\/em>e.”\u00a0 The Gristmill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 as part of Gruene Historic District.<\/p>\n

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One of Several Dining Areas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The refurbished multi-level restaurant features outdoor and indoor dining overlooking the Guadalupe River.\u00a0 Intimate dining rooms are kept warm with native stone fireplaces while the indoor bar has a wood-burning stove.\u00a0 Befitting the Hill Country’s Germanic influences, there’s a relaxing beer garden on the premises. At the bottom of the old water tower, you’ll find a merchandise store.\u00a0 The River Grove, added in 1998, is a refreshing bricked patio nestled in a grove of trees overlooking the river. Outfitted with 10 distinct dining areas, The Gristmill can accommodate nearly any size party from an intimate dinner for two to a large group of 65.<\/p>\n

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During Weekends Outdoor Seating is Full<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the Gristmill River Restaurant opened its doors in 1977,\u00a0 steaks and hamburgers were prepared in a tiny kitchen in the corner of a broiler room. Thick slabs of juicy meat remain staples of the current upscale casual dining menu, to which has been added such popular South Texas fare as chicken fried steak, fried catfish, grilled chicken, Texas-sized sandwiches, fresh fish and Gristmill\u2019s secret specialties. Desserts, including one which literally had Melinda raise her arms in thanksgiving, are popular picks for those of us who love sweets.\u00a0 It all washes down easily with a favorite from The Gristmill’s beer cooler, wine list or hand-crafted cocktail menu.\u00a0 Sadly, however, The Gristmill does not offer Big Red<\/strong><\/a>, my favorite soft drink when having barbecue or visiting Texas.<\/p>\n

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Not Quite Like The Outhouses of the 20th Century<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When in Texas, you do what Texans do.\u00a0 That means ordering a four per order appetizer of Texas Torpedoes<\/strong><\/em> (hand-battered, deep fried bacon wrapped jalape\u00f1os stuffed with Cheddar, Jack and cream cheese. Served with chipotle ranch.)\u00a0 \u00a0Contrary to popular belief, the size of jalape\u00f1os does not usually correlate directly with its piquancy.\u00a0 I’ve enjoyed jalape\u00f1os of all sizes and sometimes they water my eyes and make my nose run.\u00a0 Sometimes, they’re barely more piquant than a bell pepper.\u00a0 These were muy picante!<\/p>\n

After all my snide comments on this blog about Texans not being able to handle the heat of New Mexico’s chile, I couldn’t let Melinda see that the potent peppers were actually making me perspire.\u00a0 Thank goodness for the Cheddar, Jack and cream cheeses.\u00a0 Melinda, who doesn’t subscribe to macho affectations such as eating peppers that bring pain, also found the Texas Torpedoes almost too hot to handle.\u00a0 Okay, so they were caliente, but they were also muy sabrosos.\u00a0 So was the chipotle ranch dressing which also brought a level of heat.<\/p>\n

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Texas Torpedoes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Several years ago, my friend Bruce\u00a0 “Sr. Plata” Silver compiled a Chicken Fried Steak Trail<\/strong><\/a> in which he chronicled our efforts to find the best chicken fried steak in the Albuquerque area.\u00a0 It remains one of the most popular pages on this blog.\u00a0 \u00a0Author Larry McMurty said it best, \u201cOnly a rank degenerate would drive 1,500 miles across Texas without eating a chicken fried steak<\/em>.\u201d \u00a0 For Texans, chicken fried steak is a religion, one they preach with great enthusiasm.\u00a0 You might think my friend Bruce \u201cSr. Plata\u201d Silver is as Texan as they come, but he\u2019s a proud born-and-bred Californian.\u00a0 He loves chicken fried steak more than anyone I\u2019ve ever met.<\/p>\n

In my friend’s honor, I had to order chicken fried steak<\/strong><\/em> (hand breaded and deep fried, topped with cream gravy) at least once (or risk being called a rank degenerate).\u00a0 Sr. Plata would have loved The Gristmill’s version.\u00a0 Befitting of the Lone Star State’s “everything is bigger in Texas<\/em>” mantra, the fluffy-but-still-crispy buttermilk chicken fried steak covered much of the plate.\u00a0 Blanketed by a peppery white gravy, the lightly crusted breaded cutlet dish was (not surprisingly) better than just about any chicken fried steak in New Mexico.\u00a0 \u00a0To the detriment of the accompanying mashed potatoes, I finished the entire chicken fried steak and enjoyed every morsel of the behemoth beef.<\/p>\n

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Chicken Fried Steak with Mashoed Potatoes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After contemplating several options, Melinda took our server Anissa’s advice and ordered the pork chop<\/strong><\/em> special.\u00a0 Special is an apropos description for this porcine platter.\u00a0 Two glistening, bestriped slabs of pork were accompanied by three sauces: a honey lime glaze, a herbaceous chimichurri and a garlicky hot sauce.\u00a0 Also on the prodigious platter were two slices of lightly toasted bread, green beans and mashed potatoes slathered in white cream gravy.\u00a0 The pork chop Melinda shared with me was absolutely delicious.\u00a0 Melinda loved it, too, polishing off all but a small portion.<\/p>\n

I asked our server if she was named for Anissa Jones<\/strong><\/a>, the beloved actress who portrayed “Buffy” in the 60s comedy Family Affair.\u00a0 Her reaction and Melinda’s was perhaps what my stand-up comedian friend Bill Resnik experienced when telling a bad joke.\u00a0 In other words, no reaction.\u00a0 Anissa or Melinda aren’t nearly as geriatrically advanced as I am, but I thought Family Affair may have once been in syndication in the San Antonio area.<\/p>\n

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Pork Chop Special<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I have a compromising photograph (below) of Melinda’s raising her eyes as in praise as she gazed skyward in loving adoration.\u00a0 I jokingly accused her of giving thanks for the slab of Texas chocolate sheetcake a la mode<\/strong><\/em> (a Texas-sized slice of chocolate sheet cake with pecans, rich chocolate icing and topped with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream.\u00a0 Her retort: ”\u00a0I was thanking the Lord for a beautiful day and the delicious Texas chocolate sheet cake<\/em>.”\u00a0 Melinda has a beautiful heart and is unfailingly honest.\u00a0 The only thing I would have added is my gratitude for our friendship.<\/p>\n

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Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake a la mode<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Okay, we’re not here to sing Kumbaya.\u00a0 You want to hear about this chocolate sheet cake with which we were both besotted.\u00a0 It was one of the very best chocolate cakes it’s been my joy to experience.\u00a0 Every shared morsel was an experience in exhilaration.\u00a0 Intensely deep chocolate topped by a rich chocolate ganache…can anything possibly be better.\u00a0 Yes!\u00a0 Add Blue Bell<\/strong><\/a> ice cream, a Texas institution.\u00a0 \u00a0It’s rich, homemade-tasting with a special hand-cranked flavor that many (and not just Texans) believe is the best in the country.<\/p>\n

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Melinda Giving Thanks and Praise for the Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As with most prolific meals, particularly those involving chicken fried steak and colossal pork chops, a nap afterwards would have been nice.\u00a0 But, Melinda took me to Gruene Hall<\/strong><\/a>, the state’s oldest dance hall (circa 1878) festooned with photographs of a young George Strait.\u00a0 \u00a0She then took me to a local shop where vintage candies can be found.\u00a0 It was a fitting end to a wonderful visit to my favorite region of Texas with my new friend.<\/p>\n

Gristmill River Restaurant<\/strong>
\n1287 Gruene Road
\nNew Braunfels, Texas<\/strong>
\n(830) 625-0684
\nWebsite<\/strong><\/a> | Facebook Page<\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT:<\/strong> 19 September 2024
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 1
\nRATING<\/strong>: N\/R
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake a la mode, Pork Chop Special, Chicken Fried Steak, Texas Torpedoes
\nREVIEW #1421<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My mom was born in 1929, the last year of the Great Depression.\u00a0 She still recalls that during her childhood, her family would take grist ( grain) and separate it from its chaff (seed coverings and other debris) in preparation for being ground into flour.\u00a0 They would then take the family’s horse and buggy over the precipitous mountain roads to Cleveland (the one in New Mexico).\u00a0 In Cleveland, they would have the grain ground into flour in “el molino,” the Cleveland Roller Mill.\u00a0 \u00a0The Mill is a three story adobe edifice with a water-powered mill used for grinding.\u00a0 Today, that mill has been turned into a local museum where its original machinery remains intact and has been restored significantly to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,703,5647,79,35,553],"tags":[4372,838,4371,4369,4370,4374,4373,4353,4376,4368,4378,2729,4379,4377,4375],"class_list":["post-68234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american","category-dog-friendly","category-rating-n-r","category-steak","category-texas","category-across-america","tag-chaff","tag-chicken-fried-steak","tag-grist","tag-gruene","tag-guadalupe-river","tag-hill-country","tag-historic-district","tag-melinda-martinez","tag-national-register-of-historic-places","tag-new-braunfels","tag-pork-chops","tag-san-antonio","tag-texas-chocolate-sheet-cake","tag-texas-torpedoes","tag-water-tower"],"yoast_head":"\nGristmill River Restaurant & Bar - 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