3/13/22 Gruene River Grill?

     We celebrated my father in law's birthday Saturday morning at Gruene River Grill, which is really more than a restaurant, but a spot to spend a relaxing afternoon.  The whole block seems to be in a dead-end street where the buildings are all kind of frozen in time, and the German heritage of the area is celebrated.  I don't know how we have lived less than an hour from this little gem and never visited it before.  Maybe it was the weather being so pleasant, but I really enjoyed just coming out here and walking around for a couple hours.

    The restaurant itself borders the river and I would say sits cliffside to it, as I could see the river down below, but it is on the backside of the restaurant and we sat inside, so I didn't sit and focus on how deep it was to really determine if it is a cliffside or just sits a few feet lower.  We could have sat outside, but honestly, the wind was still a little too cold for me, we got probably the last cold front the day before, and the morning started in the upper 20s.  It was very mild by the afternoon, up in the 60s, so we couldn't ask for nicer weather.

    Other than the restaurant, there are areas with live music playing randomly, and many little shops to walk through, and window shop.  Boy joined us and he was very excited to go check out the antique store, which he has in recent years become a collector of a bunch of old stuff, like cameras and old video games.  There were all sorts of nick-knacks to see.  The whole area probably has about 30 shops and eateries to walk around and see.  We walked into a store that focused on olive oils, and balsamic vinegars, which were interesting to say the least.  I wasn't in the mood to buy anything, but it was still fun to take it all in.

    The food itself was good, I can't say it was the best.  I ordered catfish and although the flavor was very good, I found very little fish between the layers of corn breading or whatever it was dipped in prior to frying.  Still, it didn't take away from the whole meal.  The building looked to be quite old, with exposed beams everywhere, and big fireplaces in all the different halls to make it nice and cozy.  I liked it enough that I am planning on taking my parents out here when they come to visit later in the week.