There’s Texas as we know it, and then there’s the dusty, cowboy cattle-driving Texas of legend and lore. The latter is the one Chef Tim Love looked to for inspiration when creating Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, his temple to the masculine, hardscrabble culture and cuisine of the American West. The original outpost in Fort Worth’s Stockyards District opened in 2000, and as of last summer, the capital city has one to call its own. Sparsely outfitted with its whitewashed plaster, heavy iron chandeliers, taxidermied game and antlers, Lonesome Dove Austin offers slight menu refinements for our local palate, such as wild game fettine, a roulade-like combination of mesquite-roasted meats, thinly sliced and pressed with flavorings—think elk, pork spinalis, huckleberries and black garlic.
