This coming August Bonnie and Joseph Brantley will celebrate six years in their Boerne restaurant, Brantley’s Bistro. Located in the historic Olde Towne Boerne complex on Main Street, they are extremely proud to be a Go Texan Restaurant. They are known as “farm-to-table” sourcing local products and supporting local farmers and ranchers. “That and serving small wild game like Axis deer causes a smaller carbon footprint and therefore considered sustainable,” explains Joseph.
As the Master Chef of Brantley’s Bistro, Joseph uses local oak wood to smoke the meats. The canola oil he uses is 100% recycled and repurposed for home fuel for houses in the North. The Bistro serves only 100% Texas wines and beer. They use paper straws and the take-away containers are made of corn fiber. “None of the organic materials make it to the trash can; we compost the scraps at home and share with others.”
When the Brantleys took over that portion of the building, they did a lot of work insulating and caulking the building to be more energy-efficient. They have the two rooms for the bistro and expanded the kitchen with a back dish room and a walk-in cooler. Behind the building is the smokehouse and the old stone building was the location of the first bakery in Boerne. The couple owned the two buildings where the Mrs. ran the bakery and the Mr. ran the saloon where the Bistro’s bar is located now.
Joseph is a second generation chef who grew up in the food industry. His mother was classically trained and is now a private chef in Boerne. In California he learned brick oven cooking and studied with a California chef. Joseph was a sous chef at Welfare Café when he first got started. Then he and Chris Havens opened a restaurant at Riven Rock Ranch, a Resort B&B in Comfort. They gained some notoriety from that.
Joseph and Bonnie decided they wanted their own place and Brantley’s Bistro is it. The food is excellent and the service is great. They serve fresh salads, made-from-scratch soups, creative sandwiches, and items off the grill for lunch. The dinner menu includes Texas wild game, fresh fish and seafood specials. And don't forget about their home-made desserts! They employ fourteen full- and part-time staff; one of his step-sons is his sous chef. Bonnie’s other son used to manage the front of the house so it really is a family-run business.
Bonnie and Joseph are both from farm and ranch families. Bonnie grew up in Boerne and Joseph was born in Kerrville and after his dad’s military service in San Diego, they moved back and he graduated from Tivy. He met Bonnie in the restaurant business. They live in Comfort.
The Bistro is open on Tuesdays through Saturdays for lunch from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. They serve dinner from 5:00 until 9:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday brunch is from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. For more information go to: https://www.259brantleysbistro.com/ or call 830-331-8889.