First-of-its-kind Hill Country resort blends acclaimed Texas winery, brewery, and spa

Texas getaways

Photo courtesy of Carter Creek Winery Resort

When he’s a beer-loving outdoor enthusiast and she’s a wine-loving spa junkie, agreeing on plans for a quick Hill Country getaway can be tricky. My husband likes to spend the day climbing hills in state parks; I’d rather climb on and off a wine tour bus. He hunts down hoppy craft beer in town; I search for lavender bath products.

So a new(ish) Hill Country resort with our vacation trifecta - winery, brewery, and spa - beckoned to us for a weekend away. Carter Creek Winery, Resort & Spa stands high on a hill overlooking U.S. Hwy. 290, just off a swerve-fast-or-you’ll-miss-it exit outside Johnson City.

Thirty miles east of Fredericksburg, it’s along a stretch of the famous “Texas wine road” between Johnson City and Stonewall that’s become an attractive destination for a slightly more laid-back oenophile experience. (Locals are quick to make Napa-Sonoma comparisons.)

Carter Creek Family Winery has been bottling wines in the area since 2016, and they come with fine Texas pedigree: Head winemaker is Jon McPherson, son of Texas wine industry pioneer "Doc" McPherson and brother of renowned winemaker Kim McPherson. Jon McPherson has teamed up with winemaker Javier Flores to turn out award-winning Carter Creek wines for several years.

In December 2019, owners Jim and Dawn Carter opened Carter Creek Winery Resort in Johnson City as a sister property to their South Coast Winery Resort & Spa in Temecula, California. Knowing how much Texans like their beer, they say, they threw in a microbrewery, too. The Hill Country resort debuted with a winery and two tasting rooms, onsite brewery, restaurant, seasonal smokehouse, outdoor events center, and 78 luxe private villas.

Then COVID-19 hit weeks later and shut it all down.

As restrictions loosened and tourists came back to the area, the owners continued with their plans, finally adding a long-anticipated spa in summer 2022.

Carter Creek now has the only spa in the eastern section of the Hill Country. It’s also the only winery resort with a brewery in the area.

Rooms and brews
After a longer-than-usual drive from Fort Worth to Johnson City (who knew Marble Falls and Burnet had rush-hour traffic?), we checked into villa #2704, our own private palace: separate living room and bedroom, two 55-inch flat screen TVs and an electric fireplace, bathroom with double vanity, and porch with seating area.

We couldn’t help but compare this $209-per-night Hill Country castle to more high-profile Texas hotel-resorts - with tiny rooms - that cost double or triple as much. We were also thankful our quiet villa was one of the farthest back from the highway.

A (recommended) dinner reservation at the resort's Old 290 Brewery Restaurant awaited, just a short walk down a well-lit path across the property. “Old 290” refers to the road that runs along the resort - the actual old 290 road to Fredericksburg from Johnson City.

Here, head brewmeister Justin Zimmerman crafts award-winning small-batch light ales, medium-bodied pale ales, and stouts. Folks were buzzing about his Hell Raiser Bourbon Brown, aged for two months in nearby Garrison Brothers Bourbon Barrels, which won a coveted gold medal in the Fredericksburg Craft Beer Festival last summer. His El Bigote Mexican Lager took home a bronze.

The brewery’s adjacent Hill Country-fine dining restaurant serves the steaks, burgers, and CFS Texas diners demand, with some cheffy twists. The Old 290 Bison Burger, for instance, is topped with brie cheese, tomato bacon jam, horseradish pickles, and crispy onions on a pretzel bun. At a breakfast buffet, “Chef Trey” cooked eggs to order for every guest.

Over housemade garlic knots with tomato garlic compound butter, my husband sampled a flight of Old 290 beers - the IPA earned a rave from the self-proclaimed "hophead" - and I tried Carter Creek wine for the first time. (Tip: Take advantage of the free samples offered before committing to a glass.)

Without evening plans, we’d considered driving 30 miles to legendary Luckenbach to enjoy some live music. No need. A local musician entertained on the restaurant’s stage for hours. Outside, guests gathered around fire pits on the patio and played cornhole on the lush lawn that doubles as a wedding venue with beautiful vistas.

Spa with panache
The next morning, I arrived far too early for my facial and had the intimate spa all to myself. The 1,500-square-foot Carter Creek Spa might be small, but it’s got a mighty name behind it. Spa director Gülçin Johnson is a well-respected aesthetician with an eponymous skincare line called Gülçin Johnson Botanicals carried at top spas across the country.

Carter Creek Spa offers a variety of massages, body treatments, facials, and foot reflexology treatments for individuals or couples. A dry sauna, outdoor pool, and hot tub are just steps away. While priority is given to resort patrons, the spa welcomes day guests for appointments, too.

My refreshing, 50-minute Carter Creek Classic Facial - featuring some Eminence Organic products I've long loved - ended with a glass of crisp Muscat Canelli wine in the relaxation area. (So what if it was not quite 11 am?)

Wine time
An afternoon wine tasting revealed that, unlike other Hill Country wineries with lists as long as a Cheesecake Factory menu, Carter Creek zeroes in on a handful and does them well - currently, four whites, four reds, a rose, a sparkling, and two dessert wines.

The winemakers lean into European varietals, producing crisp whites such the popular Gloriosa ($24), a not-too-sweet blend of Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Muscat Canelli; and complex reds, such as the top-selling Maverick ($39), a Rhone-style blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Viognier.

Carter Creek also makes a Sparkling Peach ($35) that’s such a sensation, they have trouble keeping it in stock. It also has a fun backstory: When the Carters asked Jon McPherson - a master winemaker with special expertise in sparkling wines - to create a peach sparkler as a nod to the Hill Country, it took some arm-twisting. He wasn’t going to make some cloying hot-tub sipper, he told them; he would make it his way, as a “serious” wine.

A blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat Canelli, and Pinot Noir results in a lightly sweet, refreshingly crisp and only slightly “peachy” bubbly. It won Double Gold at the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, in fact.

We couldn’t resist purchasing a bottle, along with three other favorites. (Looking back, we should have joined the wine club on the spot and saved 25 percent; there was no pressure to do so.)

Outdoors and out-of-this-world
After spa-ing and sipping, it was time for an outdoor adventure together. Pedernales Falls State Park was just a picturesque, 30-minute drive away. We laced up our hiking boots and drove down hilly backroads to the park, where my husband’s handy Texas State Parks Pass got us in free.

On this sunny afternoon, a lot of other people had the same idea. We hiked out to the famous river rocks - mostly dry after a season with little rain. To break from the crowds, we sat for a spell in the bird blind and viewed bright red cardinals a chirpy finches darting around the trees.

At dusk, we drove up to the park’s star theater for a stargazing session led by a state park ranger. While we bundled up in a blanket and gazed up at the stars, “Ranger Steve” laser-pointed to constellations and recounted their humorous and harrowing origin stories.

Then, he paused and told us to look up at a blinking light streaking overhead. We waved hello to the International Space Station as it cruised by for four minutes, then disappeared among the million stars in the night sky.

We left the Hill Country, this time, having sampled a bit of everything we were craving - wine, beer, pampering, and nature.

Everything, that is, except bluebonnets. Now, to plan that spring wildflower excursion.

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Carter Creek Winery, Resort & Spa, 4064 W. U.S. Highway 290, Johnson City. Rates start at $209, plus $19 per-night resort fees. Discounts available for AAA, AARP, and more. Family-friendly and pet-friendly. Check website for days and hours at tasting room, restaurant, and spa.

Photo courtesy of Carter Creek Winery Resort

Carter Creek Winery Resort opened in the just-before-covid month of December 2019.

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Japanese-style 'sandos' pop-up finds permanent home in downtown Dallas

Sando News

A popular sandwich pop-up has found permanent quarters in downtown Dallas: Sandoitchi, which serves Japanese "sandos" with creative fillings, will move into the space near the Joule at 1604 Main St., next to/under the Joule Hotel. It's the space that was previously occupied by La Tarte Tropezienne, the French bakery that closed in 2021.

Sandoitchi has already started to use the space for pop-up events, with a remodel in the works for later this year, says spokesman Keith Tran.

"We've had a great partnership with Headington Companies, who own the space, for more than a year, doing pop-ups at Midnight Rambler and at the Eye Ball," Tran says. "Their marketing team has been working to bring energy to their spaces and this gives us the benefit of having a permanent location."

Sandoitchi was founded in 2020, part of a wave of pandemic foodie pop-ups, but has persevered long past the pandemic both with its consistency and its ever-evolving menu of trademark sandos and other Japanese eats.

Their sandwiches are served on soft, rich milk bread, with fillings that include egg salad, Nashville-style hot chicken, pork katsu, and even Japanese wagyu topped with caviar, as well as dessert sandos filled with fruit and cream.

Their branding and packaging are sharp: The sandwiches are trimmed neatly, like finger sandwiches, and come in cute little boxes that display the ingredients winningly.

They also come with serious culinary firepower: Chef Stevie Nguyen worked at Uchi in both Dallas and Houston before heading to New York where he worked at Momofuku Ko, the two-Michelin-starred crown jewel in superstar chef David Chang's culinary empire. Nguyen shows off his techniques in a number of ways, including by using three different egg preparations to make his egg salad and coating the chicken with an umami-packed "wet shio koji solution."

They use social media skillfully and have won legions of fans, not just in Dallas but also at road-trip pop-ups to the West Coast and cities such as Houston, Austin, Fort Worth, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City.

They plan to continue doing pop-ups — for example, they have one this weekend in Orange County, California. But there's something to be said for having a home.

"Our model was built during and post-COVID, but with the return to normal, it's tougher to find spaces to host pop-ups," Tran says. "Our team includes high-end chefs with strong pedigrees who continue to evolve and remain creative, and we want to have a home base."

The location will definitely require some retrofitting; they'll start serious renovations at the end of the summer. In the interim, they're hosting pop-ups at the space, usually on weekends, over the next month or two.

"We've been experimenting, we recently tried doing breakfast — it's been a valuable opportunity to gather data on what does well," Tran says.

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Eric Sandler contributed to this story.

Refined lounge to open in Dallas' West Village with star behind the bar

Fancy Cocktail News

There's a swanky new bar and tasting restaurant coming to the West Village: Called Colette, it will open in the former Pok the Raw Bar space at 3699 McKinney Ave. #306, with a seasonal menu of signature cocktails and small tastings.

The concept is from Brandon Cohanim, (Pok, Namo), who has partnered with Ruben Rolon, who previously served as head bartender at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Miami and Le Jardiniere Miami where he was awarded the 2022 Florida Exceptional Cocktails Award by the inaugural Michelin Guide Miami.

Their vision: an intimate space, an artisan aperitif destination offering a sophisticated and upscale experience that pulls inspiration from the bar and food culture of Europe.

According to a release, it'll open later this year.

Dishes could be an exquisite croissant savored during a morning stroll in Paris or a prosciutto and melon appetizer enjoyed in the streets of Parma.

Furnishings will be top-notch, from bespoke glassware to custom marble tabletops and designed floors.

The bar will focus on European spirits, with a "science-forward" cocktail process that includes ingredient preservation, fermentation, and clarification, as well as creating in-house chartreuse, vermouth, and bitters to accompany select spirits.

“Colette will be an establishment for a quality crafted cocktail that leaves guest nostalgic and fondly looking back on their experience,” says Rolon. “An ever-rotating menu will mean something new upon every visit and provide a sense of whimsy & wonder, like that of travels. While a destination can be visited multiple times each trip holds something new to be explored and we are delighted to offer guests this journey brought tableside.”

These are the 17 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Weekend Event Planner

This weekend in and around Dallas is jam-packed with events, to the point that it was difficult to pare down the list. Choices that made the cut include five theater productions, a music festival, several big concerts, art openings, the annual Pride celebration, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events. Find some big food and drink events here.

Thursday, June 1

Josh Gates: An Evening of Legends, Mysteries and Tales of Adventure
Adventurer, television personality and author Josh Gates is the host and executive producer of the Discovery Channel series Expedition Unknown. The show follows Gates as he sets out on a global journey to explore archaeological discoveries, historic mysteries, and scientific breakthroughs. Gates immerses himself in each story, conducting his own investigations, showcasing the work of dedicated explorers while also highlighting vibrant cultures and fascinating destinations. He'll talk about his experiences during this event at Winspear Opera House.

Undermain Theatre presents The Way She Spoke
The Way She Spoke is a haunting and theatrical one-woman play which travels from the stage to the treacherous streets of Juárez, Mexico, where thousands of women have been murdered in an epidemic of violence that has yet to stop. The play is a raw and riveting exploration of responsibility: one playwright's journey to give voice to a city of women silenced by violence, fear and a world that has turned a deaf ear to their stories. The production runs through June 18 at Undermain Theatre.

Uptown Players presents Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical
In an epic game of cat and mouse, two diabolically charming step-siblings place a bet, and vow to destroy anyone who gets in their way. Seduced by passion and revenge, this devious duo spins a web of dangerous liaisons and find themselves entangled in the cruelest game of all: love. Based on the cult classic film and featuring favorite '90s hits, the production runs through June 11 at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Belle Sauvage presents The Last Flapper
Is she mad… or just angry? Alone in a mental hospital, Zelda Fitzgerald, icon of the Jazz age, asks the questions her doctor should have. Did F. Scott steal her words? Did he claim she was insane just to gain his freedom? Can a woman decide her own fate? In this poignant, playful and truthful one-woman show, Zelda finally gets to tell her side of the story. The historical play wrestles with issues that are not at all a thing of the past. The production runs through June 11 in Theatre Too at Theatre Three.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Poems for Broken Screens
Part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project series, Poems for Broken Screens is a transmedia performance art project spanning multiple genres and disciplines. It is an adventurous expression of 21st century poetry, broadly interpreted: the poem as sound, as image, as movement, as media. This ambitious project is an avant-garde interpretation of poetic forms translated through technology and experimental performance. There will be three performances through Saturday at Hamon Hall inside Winspear Opera House.

Theatre Three presents Next to Normal
The Goodman family is just a “normal” family: Dad's an architect, mom packs lunches and makes birthday cakes, and their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens. Under the surface, their family is anything but. Next to Normal is an emotionally charged Tony-Award winning musical that explores a family’s raw and emotional journey with a mother struggling with chronic bipolar disorder as they navigate a world of therapists and medication. The highly anticipated production runs through July 2 at Theatre Three.

Friday, June 2

Dreamhack
At Dreamhack, guests can participate in a variety of activities, including esports tournaments featuring Counter-Strike and Halo, cosplay contests, shopping expo, visiting with content creators, and more. The event runs through Sunday at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

Stonebriar Centre presents Disney and Pixar’s Elemental Experience
Disney and Pixar’s Elemental Experience invites fans into the world of the new film Elemental, featuring fun film-themed activities like photo and video opportunities, a chance to draw with Pixar artists, a movie-ticket grab in a wind tunnel, plus giveaways and special film content. The event runs through Sunday at Stonebriar Centre ahead of the film's opening on June 16.

KHYI 95.3 The Range Radio presents Texas Music Revolution
KHYI 95.3 The Range Radio presents the 27th annual Texas Music Revolution, a two-day event featuring over 75 bands on 15 stages throughout downtown McKinney. Performers will include Charlie Robison, Kevin Fowler, Chris Knight, John Baumann, Shane Smith & the Saints, Robert Earl Keen, Adam Hood, Micky & the Motorcars, and more.

Spark presents Prismatic
Prismatic is a pop-up experience where visitors can immerse themselves in rooms decorated with one single color and theme, designed and built entirely by local high school students. Taking place on weekends through August 27, the event is open to all ages, but will also include a variety of adult-only nights.

Janet Jackson in concert
Janet Jackson comes to Dallas as part of her ninth concert tour, Together Again. The tour will celebrate Jackson's 50th anniversary in entertainment and spotlight milestones for two of her most critically acclaimed albums - 25 years of The Velvet Rope, and 30 years of janet, featuring her biggest chart-topping hits, plus new music. The concert will be at Dos Equis Pavilion.

Lady A in concert
What's in a name? Lady A has seemingly found out since shortening the former "Antebellum" part of their name in 2020. Prior to the change, each of their seven albums had reached No. 1 or 2 on the Billboard Country charts, and come in near the top of the Billboard 200. Their only album since the name change, 2021's What a Song Can Do, charted at No. 12 and 135 respectively, a far cry from their previous heights. And after playing at Dos Equis Pavilion in each of their three most recent visits to Dallas, they'll play the far more intimate Majestic Theatre this time around.

Rodney Crowell in concert
The soon-to-be 73-year-old Rodney Crowell has been a mainstay in country music since his debut album in 1978. Since then, he's gone on to release 22 albums, reaching his highest heights in 1988 and 1989, when all five singles off his album Diamonds and Dirt went to No. 1 on the Billboard Country charts. He'll play at Longhorn Ballroom in support of his new album, The Chicago Sessions. He will be joined by Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley.

Heather McMahan: The Comeback Tour
A beloved standup comedian, storyteller, and the best friend everyone wants, Heather McMahan has seen her popularity skyrocket with fans and the industry falling for her voice, wit and southern flair. Her podcast, Absolutely Not With Heather McMahan was named one of the 10 Best Podcasts of 2021 by Entertainment Weekly. She'll perform at Winspear Opera House on Friday and Saturday.

Saturday, June 3

Arlington Museum of Art openings
Even though it's an art museum, music will be the centerpiece of two new exhibitions at the Arlington Museum of Art. Piggybacking on the recent visit by superstar Taylor Swift, they'll host Taylor Swift: "The Eras Tour Collection," curated by the museum from Swift’s own private collection and featuring original costumes, photographs, and concert videos drawn from her creative periods, or "eras." Also opening is "Girl in a Country Song: Women of Country Music," featuring intimate portraits of female country music legends like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Tanya Tucker, LeAnn Rimes, and others. Both exhibitions will be on display through September 24.

Dallas Pride Weekend
Dallas Pride Weekend is a two-day event that includes a music festival headlined by Allison Ponthier on Saturday, the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade on Sunday, and other activities celebrating the LGBTQ community. The celebration takes place around Fair Park on both Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday, June 4

Photo by Preston Meneses

Janet Jackson will play at Dos Equis Pavilion on June 2.

Mary Chapin Carpenter in concert
Country singer Mary Chapin Carpenter debuted in the late 1980s, but she hit her peak in the 1990s with hits like "Passionate Kisses," "He Thinks He'll Keep Her," "I Take My Chances," and "Shut Up and Kiss Me." Those songs are more than enough to keep her relevant 30 years later even though she's continued to release new albums, most recently 2020's The Dirt and the Stars. Carpenter will play at Majestic Theatre.

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