THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Guadalupe River Ranch

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Guadalupe River Ranch Restaurant Review:

Once the ranch retreat of actress Olivia de Havilland, the sprawling spread is now a resort center with a spa, hiking trails, a river for rafting and rustic lodging. The 1920s ranch house and surroundings retain their country charm, but the kitchen seems to have retreated to a safe simulacrum of its former self. No longer are locally raised and ranched products featured in a menu that begins prosaically with Boursin with a cracker medley and fried calamari. Glimmers of invention emerge with shrimp in a vanilla bean beurre blanc, and down-home delights such as fried green tomatoes are a reasonable response to the setting. But where "a tangible Guadalupe River Ranch cuisine" was once envisioned, sliced roast beef, bacon-wrapped filet mignon, a grilled pork chop with apple chutney and pan-seared salmon now hold sway. The venison brochette with prickly pear sauce does speak to local fare, and we applaud it---as we do in theory the pepper-crusted and bacon-wrapped quail. We do love a good chicken potpie with puff pastry, but are not willing to drive 45 minutes to get it.