WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Hill Country glamping resort rustles up new Texas-style supper club
Glamping in the Texas Hill Country is about to get even more glamorous, as one Wimberley-based retreat is rolling out its new chef-driven Texas-style supper club.
Collective Hill Country, located on the bucolic Montesino Ranch in Wimberley, about an hour south of Austin, will host its first supper club event May 6 through May 9. With two dining time slots available daily (5-7 pm and 8-10 pm), the supper club will seat only 25 diners for each seven-course meal ($150 per person plus $50 per person for wine pairings).
The inaugural supper club menu was created collaboratively by Collective Hill Country executive chef Ezra Lewis — who previously honed his culinary chops at Augusta National Golf Club and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak, in addition to his stint as personal chef to stars like Drake and Alicia Keys — and chef Owen Laufersweiler, previously of New York’s Oxalis restaurant and Acadia House Provisions in Maine.
The event kicks off with welcome cocktails (the Campfire Fizz with mezcal, Topo Chico, burnt honey, and lime; and the Lemon Kiss with sage syrup, lemon vodka, and limoncello); a chilled watermelon, chile, and mint Champagne granita amuse-bouche; and a mix-and-mingle with the chefs that also includes bites of sweet Sichuan pickle and pimento cheese profiterole (Yep, that’s a cheese-stuffed cream puff!).
With Collective Hill Country cleverly boasting that it is “socially distant by nature,” the beauty of the Wimberley Valley backdrop is sure to charm supper clubbers as they’re treated to the multi-course meal, which concludes with not one, but two desserts.
- First course: crispy squash blossom, lady peas, and pickled shallot
- Second course: braised pork belly with cauliflower, cinnamon, and green apple
- Third course: beef shoulder with red mole and marigolds
- Fourth course: Texas antelope with coffee, creamed turnips, and pickled blueberries
- Intermezzo: blackberry sage sorbet with smoked salt and sunflower seed oil
- Fifth course: dessert of peaches, cream, and coriander
- Sixth course: chocolate hazelnut tart with thyme
Of course, it wouldn’t be a glamping adventure without the actual glamping, and Collective Hill Country offers a variety of upscale accommodations — from its luxurious Summit Tent with a private deck, to its family suite Summit Tent, and its secluded honeymoon suite Summit Tent — so it may be worth kicking back and staying awhile.