Chisos Grill’s logo is a monumental West Texas rock formation set against a cool desert moon. With a scene like that, it’s easy to picture cowboys sharing food by the campfire — grits, smoky meats, crawfish, tortilla soup, and tequila. That’s what you get at Hill Country Galleria: all-natural, Texas-raised, Southwestern-style comfort food.

Burgers, pulled pork, and queso get high marks from diners, and while the menu might not be as authentic as it claims, it’s reliably tasty stop at the mall. Do some down-home drinking, too; the bar sports 30 beers, 25 wines, and 20 spirits, all made in Texas and memorably deployed by a crackerjack bar staff. Nearly everything is gluten-free, and there’s happy hour every day.

Check Chisos Grill’s site for specials and live music details.

Chisos Grill
12921 Hill Country Boulevard
Bee Cave, TX 78738
(512) 263-7353
http://www.chisosgrill.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chisos-grill-bee-cave

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/goodiesfirst

Blue Bamboo believes in quality ingredients and fresh dishes. Start your meal with their trademark crispy egg rolls, or try the satay, a traditional Thai skewer of beef, chicken, or tofu served with honey cucumber sauce. Blue Bamboo features numerous noodle and rice-based entrée options. Regulars rave about the sizzling chicken, a specialty entrée of stir fried chicken and veggies in a honey-lime ginger sauce.

Other options include wok-tossed filet mignon, Thai basil chicken, and red curry with vegetables, pineapple, and your choice of meat or tofu. Round out your order with a cup of pho soup on a cool night. For an all-in-one dessert and after dinner pick-me-up, try the Vietnamese iced-coffee made with sweetened condensed milk.

Blue Bamboo is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. If you’d rather stay in than dine-out, order takeout and grab your food to-go.

Blue Bamboo
12918 Shops Parkway, Suite 300
Bee Cave, TX 78738
(512) 263-8889
http://bluebamboo71.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-bamboo-bee-cave

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/mimolag

Chess variants are other games derived from or inspired by the game of chess. Most of these games use different pieces, have different game boards, or use different rules from traditional chess. Whether you already play and love chess or you simply can’t get into the game, just about anyone will love to play these exciting and logical alternatives to the historical game of chess.

Chess960
Chess960 is a chess variant that uses the same pieces and the same game board, but the pieces in the first rank are randomized, with opposing pieces mirroring them. This is a great game for expert chess players, because it makes it impossible to memorize opening lines.

Glinski’s Hexagonal Chess
This derivation of chess uses a unique hexagonal board instead of the standard square chess board. The board contains 91 cells in three different colors, and it uses the usual chess pieces, with the addition of one extra bishop and one extra pawn. Glinski’s chess is an incredibly popular variant, especially in Eastern Europe.

Apocalypse
Apocalypse is played on a much smaller scale than regular chess, using only a 5×5 board and two horses and five footmen on each team. The two players make their moves simultaneously, and the game is over when one player captures all of the other player’s footmen.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/soupboy