What distinguishes our upscale destination-restaurant from other Hill Country establishments? Delectable food served in a relaxed, rustic, romantic setting. And the widest selection of Texas wines of any restaurant in the country. As our Wine Country’s fame blossoms, so does our pride in showcasing this amazing regional resource. Join us for an unparalleled Texas Hill Country dining experience.
With expertise and passion as compelling as Ross Burtwell’s, it’s no surprise the Cabernet Grill regularly tops the Hill Country’s Best Places to Eat list. In fact, this Hill Country landmark has been named one of the top-10 restaurants in the country!
Ross’s culinary education began in the late ‘80s, leading to an apprenticeship with the Texas Chefs Association (TCA) and, afterward, training at Dallas’s renowned Westin Hotel restaurant. In 1989, he was appointed Executive Sous Chef at San Antonio’s Cascabel Restaurant and Bar, helping to launch the notable fine-dining restaurant, which featured Ross’s beloved Southwestern cuisine.
In 2002, Ross and his wife, Mariana, purchased the Cabernet Grill. The must-visit venue provides limitless opportunities to create new recipes—including those captured in Ross’s Texas Hill Country Cuisine cookbook―and experiment with all of the irresistible flavors that have inspired this gifted chef for decades.
Mariana Burtwell has been cooking professionally for over 30 years and has been by her husband Ross’s side, both in and out of the kitchen, for more than 25 of those years. Mariana was the first person Ross met in 1989 when he moved from Dallas to San Antonio as Cascabel Restaurant’s newly hired Sous Chef. And the rest, as they say, is history.
At the Cabernet Grill, Mariana is responsible for the flawless day-to-day production and execution of Ross’s ever-evolving recipes. She also hires, supervises, and trains the kitchen staff.
Hunter is the son of chefs Ross and Mariana Burtwell. A local graduate of Fredericksburg High School, Hunter started helping in the restaurant when he was just eight years old. On busy nights, and with the help of his sister, he would help roll silverware in napkins in his parent's kitchen office. As a teen he worked in the Cabernet Grill kitchen on the salad and dessert station before eventually moving on to work at other various Fredericksburg establishments such as Tubby's Ice House and Ottos' Bistro.
After graduating, Hunter moved to Austin to attend the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. While in Austin he developed a wide range of skills by working in a multitude of kitchens, most notably, the Austin hot spot Easy Tiger. He brought his refined skills back to Fredericksburg to lead the day-to-day operations at the Cabernet Grill restaurant as sous chef.
Hunter is the son of chefs Ross and Mariana Burtwell. A local graduate of Fredericksburg High School, Hunter started helping in the restaurant when he was just eight years old. On busy nights, and with the help of his sister, he would help roll silverware in napkins in his parent's kitchen office. As a teen he worked in the Cabernet Grill kitchen on the salad and dessert station before eventually moving on to work at other various Fredericksburg establishments such as Tubby's Ice House and Ottos' Bistro.
After graduating, Hunter moved to Austin to attend the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. While in Austin he developed a wide range of skills by working in a multitude of kitchens, most notably, the Austin hot spot Easy Tiger. He brought his refined skills back to Fredericksburg to lead the day-to-day operations at the Cabernet Grill restaurant as sous chef.