I’m lucky to have four of the Hillstone Restaurant Group’s restaurants within a five-mile radius of home. I’m a big fan of Gulfstream, R&D Kitchen, Bandera and Houston’s…all long time local favorites. At each location, there are specific menu items I rarely waiver from repeating over and over, and find many of my friends do the same. The consistency of serving quality food with attentive service in a relaxed setting is impressive. When I stumbled upon this article in Bon Appétit magazine on Hillstone, I immediately searched to see if recipes were included in the write up…and to my pleasure, found a treasure trove of eight. Immediately bookmarked! I’ll be trying all of them at home!
Here are just a few notes from the article I found interesting which explain why Hillstone is so special:
“It’s their ability to put out the same great product no matter what the location, again and again, that amazes me”
“…if you were a server at a Hillstone, you would never be saddled with more than three tables. That’s why at every Hillstone restaurant, the total number of tables is divisible by three. There are no food runners or bussers. It’s a team effort, which means your server will take your order, but anyone on staff can help you out. The dismissive “Let me get your server” is something you’ll never hear here.”
“…secret formula behind Hillstone’s powerful allure—Is it the napkins with buttonholes, just in case you need to affix one to your shirt? Is it the fact that every location has a single Mauviel copper pot that it uses to toss the just-fried fries with kosher salt in? Or is it the fact that you’ll never have to fix a wobbly table because they’re all drilled into the floor, thereby eliminating the single biggest annoyance in the history of dining?” …”every table should feel like it’s in the VIP section. “Seclusion not exclusion” is his design philosophy.”
“…what Ralph Lauren is to American fashion—approachable, reliable, and nostalgic but forward-thinking—George Biel and the Hillstone Group are to American restaurants.”
Source: PHOTOGRAPHED BY EVA KOLENKO
Gpc
Thank you for sharing this – I miss SoCal tremendously!
Sheri
Thanks for sharing these recipes from our fav restaurants!
Ginny
Was just there today in Rutherford, California. I am so excited to have found these recipes.
Debbie
I just left Hillstone in Santa Monica. I had the Campfire Ribeye steak and it was amazing!! Now trying to find the rub they used on the steak!
Karima
Please let me know if you find it!