Hotel News

Hotel Vin in Grapevine to open restaurant helmed by ex-Bullion chef

Steak's on the menu, natch.

Hotel Vin

The day draws closer for the opening of Hotel Vin in Grapevine, and now there's news regarding the hotel's in-house restaurants and culinary team.

First, some prelude: Hotel Vin is part of Marriott's Autograph Collection, a division that specializes in one-of-a-kind properties; if you must know, its real name is Hotel Vin, Autograph Collection. Located at 215 E. Dallas Rd., it's part of Grapevine Main, a new mixed-use development that also includes a European-style food hall called Harvest Hall.

The 120-room boutique hotel will open September 3.

The hotel will feature two eateries: Bacchus Kitchen + Bar, and the Rioja Rooftop Terrace.

Bacchus Kitchen + Bar will feature contemporary cuisine in an upscale and approachable setting, with two private dining rooms as well as a sunroom with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the vintage railroad station.

Bacchus is the Roman god of wine, and the release says that the restaurant will pay tribute to the ancient Roman tradition of feasting and celebration. The menu theme is "traditional favorites with modern cooking techniques, with a North Texas touch."

It will include locally sourced fare from nearby purveyors and farms; handcrafted cocktails; craft beer; and an elevated wine program including a temperature-controlled wine wall stocked with hundreds of Old and New World classics.

Breakfast will feature innovative takes on classic favorites such as New Orleans-style beignets, eggs benedict, and salmon on rye.
Lunch includes Profound salad (a nod to Profound Farms), a fried oyster BLT, and a Bacchus burger made from Texas-sourced Angus beef and topped with bacon, caramelized onion jam, and provolone cheese.
Dinner includes grilled lamb porterhouse with marinated eggplant, Cartermere Farms roasted chicken, and large format entrees from whole fish to a 32-ounce ribeye.

Ladies and gentlemen, the appointments:

William Salisbury has been named executive chef.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he was previously with Bullion in downtown Dallas. Before relocating to North Texas, he worked at several high-profile restaurants in New Orleans. He's also made connections within the local agricultural community, enabling reliable sourcing from nearby farms and ranches.

Nicole Haarklau has been named director of food and beverage.

She comes from Marriott International’s Operations Support Resources team, where she was deployed on assignments to a dozen properties.

Prior to that, she was at the New York Marriott Marquis, the Conrad New York Hotel, and the Wyndham Hamilton Park Hotel and Conference Center in New Jersey. The release calls her a "rising star within the hospitality industry," and who are we to dispute.

Haarklau and Salisbury will deliver a high quality, yet approachable, dining experience at the two hotel outlets and will also provide operational support to the seven kitchens in Harvest Hall, whose operators will include Easy Sliders, Arepa TX, Chick & Biscuit Comfort Cuisine, Four Sisters – A Taste of Vietnam, Spuntino Bites of Italy, and Zatar, a Fort Worth food truck that does Mediterranean cuisine.

openings wine hotels

End of the Road

Hill Country's Enchanted Rock opens expanded backcountry to hardcore hikers

Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Enchanted Rock Ranch is a new purchase that was added on to the state park in 2025.

Confident hikers have a new area of Enchanted Rock State Natural Area to explore in the Texas Hill Country. On July 7, the park opened the Backcountry Area, which invites visitors to stop by during the daytime for self-guided use.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says additional amenities will be added later to accommodate visitors of all experience levels.

This marks the first phase of development for the newly expanded state park, which doubled in size thanks to a 3,073-acre acquisition in 2025.

Enchanted Rock, in Fredericksburg, is one of Texas' Centennial Parks, a group of parks purchased or expanded through the $1 billion Centennial Parks Conservation Fund that Texas voters approved in 2023. Each is on a timeline that guides how the public will use them; at 12 months, they should be ready for guided hikes, and in 18 months, visitors can "explore on their own," a webpage about the Centennial Parks explains.

“This first wave of development will be a good fit for true adventurers who want a more rugged experience than what they’ve been currently experiencing at Enchanted Rock,” said superintendent Doug Cochran in a press statement. “Future phases will see closer parking so people of other experience levels can enjoy the beauty of the Backcountry.”

For now, the only way to access the Backcountry is through park headquarters, followed by a roughly two-mile hike to the pedestrian gate. Visitors can find their way through new trail maps at the headquarters and online.

Because the park expansion is still early in its development, visitors should take extra precautions. Trails are "rugged," TPWD says, and there is not much shade. There are two water refill stations in the new area: one at the entrance and another toward the center of the property with a portable restroom.

TPWD further cautions that hikers bring their own water, salty snacks, sunscreen, long shirts, a buddy, and a cellphone. Having a hiking plan in advance enhances safety, especially if it includes heat safety precautions.

The Backcountry Area at Enchanted Rock will have different hours from the rest of the park. The Backcountry will be open from 8 am to 6 pm.

Texans plugged into park news have likely heard about several new park projects. In Central and South Texas, they include the newly purchased Silver Lake Ranch, Bear Creek State Park, and an area in Burnet and Lampasas Counties including Yancey Creek.

hiking nature parks state parks enchanted rock hill country