Cooking Fearlessly is Chef Jeff Blank�s dictum, and in November of 2002 he brought his intrepid epicurean creativity to the banks of the Rio Grande for the Grand Opening of Lajitas, The Ultimate Hideout and more specifically, the Ocotillo Restaurant at Lajitas, where he is the co-proprietor and culinary advisor. Renowned for his flair with wild game at Hudson�s on the Bend in Austin, Chef Blank is serving up a twist at the Ocotillo Restaurant that he terms �Cowboy Cuisine Born on the Banks of the Rio Grande.� The restaurant�s Chef de Cuisine, Blas Gonzales, joins Lajitas after seventeen years of direction from Jeff Blank at Hudson�s on the Bend. The pair continue to work together to create specialty sauces and recipes indigenous to the area.

Venison chili topped with a jalapeno cheese cowboy biscuit and baked in a tin cup; bone-in cowboy cut rib eye grilled and topped with a West Texas cabrito enchilada and a mole sauce; and hot and crunchy trout with a Texas prickly pear glaze are a few of the Cowboy Cuisine offerings at the Ocotillo�offering a delectable end to a day of shooting at the Lajitas Hunt Club or chipping balls at the world-class Ambush at Lajitas.

�The Ocotillo Restaurant celebrates the Old West atmosphere of Lajitas and the exquisite scenery of the Big Bend region. I�ve coupled the native cuisine of the area with the beautiful way in which it should be served to honor this Texas enclave,� says Chef Blank. Prior to developing his Texas Hill Country Cuisine as proprietor and chef of Hudson�s on the Bend, Chef Blank owned and operated The Wineskin Restaurant in Aspen, Colorado. He received his culinary education at the Hotel and Restaurant School at Oklahoma State University. Chef Blank is the recipient of the most highly regarded recognition in the culinary field, including the Conde Nast Traveler Magazine Distinguished Restaurant Award; nomination for the �Tribute to James Beard;� 1996 and 1997 People�s Choice Award at the Texas Wine and Food Festival; �One of the 1994 Award of Excellence Winners� by Wine Spectator Magazine; and Conde Nast Traveler Magazine�s �Top 50 Restaurant�s in America.�

�At the Ocotillo, we have created an environment which complements the handsome cuisine,� notes Lajitas President and Managing Director Daniel Hostettler. �From the old-world smokehouse, to the second-level observatory to the outdoor terrace overlooking the banks of the Rio Grande and on into Mexico, the atmosphere is one of luxurious dining and relaxed entertainment.� The Ocotillo has recently been recognized as a four-diamond restaurant by the Automobile Association of America.

Aside from offering fabulous cowboy cuisine, the restaurant features a popular Chef�s Table room off the kitchen, where guests can watch the culinary team in action from behind the clear glass sliding door and enjoy the stars from a private patio overlooking the Rio Grande. The wine cellar below the restaurant is suited for groups up to twelve; a unique room filled with cedar shavings on the floor, creating an aroma from spilled wine while the walls are adorned with wine racks and colorful paintings by Shanny Lott, wife of Chef Jeff Blank. The Ocotillo is open for evening dining Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information on the Ocotillo Restaurant and Chef Jeff Blank, please contact Anne Bingham by phone at 432-424-5171.

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Media Contact: Tanya Raedisch +1 512-608-0557 marketing@lajitas.com