Area fine dining is served with a side of bacon

Friends Jennifer Halpine and Robert Joseph Kinslow were having a drink in April 2013 when they decided they, with some help, were going to buy a bar of their own.

"I was in St. Louis when they called to tell me what they wanted to do," said Jeff Damgen, Halpine's husband.

Damgen, who had experience as a chief financial officer before moving to Spicewood, said he was busy running the numbers in his head while Halpine and Kinslow discussed the details.

"I was trying to figure out if it was even possible while they were chatting like it already happened," he said.

Halpine said the timing was just about perfect, as the longtime owner of Emcee's Eatery was looking to sell her bar and step down.

"Within weeks of having the idea we were signing the lease for [Briarcliff Bistro & Bacon Bar]," Halpine said.

The trio, who had previously worked together at Moon River Bar & Grill before deciding to open their own place, became a quartet with the addition of Rachel Coppedge, who helped run Emcee's.

"We all sat down at my kitchen table and hammered out the details over eight weeks," Halpine said.

The restaurant opened July 25 but wasn't exactly what the group expected.

"We thought we were going to open a bar that served some food," Kinslow said. "We ended up opening a restaurant that happens to serve liquor."

Damgen said the restaurant is now the only place on the peninsula where Spicewood and Briarcliff residents can get fine dining.

The menu was created entirely from scratch by Coppedge and Kinslow and was designed around bacon, Kinslow said.

"We have bacon bloody marys, cheesecake with maple bacon, what we call 'pig wings,' which are chicken wings wrapped in bacon, and many other things," Damgen said. "Bacon is our focus, but it's not the only thing we have."

Located on Pace Bend Road near the Pedernales River, Damgen said he used to see boats lining the road, but the low lake levels haven't hurt business too much.

"We knew going in that we couldn't rely on lake traffic," he said. "That is why we put our focus on the community of Spicewood."

Residents have noticed that commitment, Halpine said.

"There are days where we will have people in for brunch, then they will leave, run some errands and then come back for dinner that same night," she said.

The restaurant also puts an emphasis on local products, Kinslow said. The bar taps sell local brews from Infamous Brewing Co., Lobo, Convict Hill and Independence Brewing Co.

"We try to be as much farm-to-market as we can," he said.

The bistro offers live music featuring local musicians for Sunday brunch and on Wednesdays from 7–10 p.m., but Damgen said the restaurant may expand the music side of the business in the future.

"We would like to eventually put a stage out front and call it the Frontyard," he said. "Our vision is to be a destination indoor/outdoor venue."

Creating the menu

While working on the menu Robert Joseph Kinslow and Rachel Coppedge said they went through about 40 pounds of bacon in different recipe experiments. Jeff Damgen said the original menu had to be cut down as there were just too many options.

"Originally our Infamous BBBBLT sandwich had 20 strips of bacon," Damgen said. "Then we realized that would be about a $20 sandwich."

Kinslow said he and Coppedge created a number of dishes that did not make the menu, but could make an appearance in the future.

Cookin' up the bacon

Kinslow estimates that Briarcliff Bistro & Bacon Bar goes through about 90 pounds of bacon a month.

Briarcliff Bistro & Bacon Bar, 108 S. Pace Bend Road, Spicewood, 512-264-0029

• Wed.–Thu. 4–10 p.m.
• Fri.–Sat. 4 p.m.–midnight
• Sun. 10 a.m.–8 p.m.