A Little Bit Of Chicken Fried

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Nancy Farrar

When people want some down-home Texas flavor, they often head to Grapevine. Now when the mood strikes, we can head to a new family-owned restaurant along Route 114 in Grapevine’s restaurant row. At the newest Hoffbrau Steak & Grill House, owners and founders Rainey Fogiel and her husband Aron continue to share their Texas pride through mouth-watering steaks and made-from-scratch, Hill Country-inspired dishes.

The Hoffbrau concept started in 1978 in Austin, and with the doors now open in Grapevine, the couple has five locations in Texas with more in the works.

“Grapevine is just such a beautiful, tight-knit community,” Rainey says. “We have been blown away by how welcoming everyone has been. We have a beautiful building in a great town and we feel fortunate to be here.”

The concept may be over 40 years old, but upon entering the restaurant housed in the former Brick House Tavern, you aren’t bombarded with too much kitsch or memorabilia. On the contrary, this new and improved family restaurant has a clean and minimalist yet retro-rustic decor, emphasized by a large format Marlboro Man portrait and weathered windmill ceiling light fixtures.

The environment is friendly and welcoming, but there’s no question about what has patrons coming back for more than four decades — it’s the steaks.

“Our customers love our steaks,” Rainey says. “We’re really well known for [them]. Our chicken-fried steaks are really popular too.”

Hoffbrau is proud to serve certified Angus Beef, which are much more consistent, tender and flavorful. The prize offering of the menu has to be the 16-oz. bone-in cowboy ribeye. Those looking for a little extra flavor might choose the coffee-rubbed ribeye or the smoked sirloin, which is pepper crusted, slow-cooked and served sliced with your choice of homestyle sides.

In true Texas fashion, Hoffbrau also serves up a complete line of chicken-fried steaks, each served with savory mashed potatoes, Texas toast and a house salad. The Traditional comes topped with a creamy peppered gravy, while The Revolver spices things up with jalapeno gravy. For the ultimate smothered experience, try the aptly-named Cowtown that adds a kick of heat with pepper jack cheese and pico de gallo to their traditional gravy.

Now adults, the Fogiels’ children are getting involved in the family business as well. Their daughter joined the ranks a few years ago as the chief financial officer, and their son has gotten involved on the real estate brokerage side. Together, they are a great mix of history and the future, taking advantage of Hoffbrau’s heritage yet also keeping an eye out for what’s to come.

One part of the future is to build upon Hoffbrau’s traditional drink offerings. Starting with the Grapevine location, Hoffbrau is investing in building an upscale bar that serves more than just domestic beers.

“We have expanded our bar menu greatly at this location,” Rainey says. “My son said we’ve got to punch up the bar menu, so we now have a lot of new craft cocktails and spirits.”

At Hoffbrau, the bar menu has a full breadth of margaritas. The house margarita is priced to please and comes frozen or on the rocks in a variety of flavors like mango, peach and raspberry. Purists will be happy to know they also have more elevated options like The Rodeo ‘Rita that includes Jose Cuervo 1800 Silver and the Perfect ‘Rita which stars Patron Silver.

For any bar worth its salt, executing top-shelf margaritas is a given. Now Hoffbrau’s bar is also primed and ready with elevated wine, craft whiskey and gin offerings. Whistlepig rye and Fort Worth’s own TX Whiskey are both utilized in tasty old-fashioned forms. Those looking for more floral notes will enjoy The East Texas Garden Smash, a gin-based delight with fresh cucumber, mint and basil for a light, refreshing afternoon sipper.

Cuervo Silver has a second act at Hoffbrau as part of the ever-popular ranch water craze. Theirs is served with Jalapeno infused Jose Cuervo Silver, lime juice and soda water for a refreshing sip for any meal.

Great steaks and comfort foods paired with tasty beverages and served by a generational family business is a model that always works in Texas. It’s all a part of what the Fogiels believe provides a consistent quality experience at each and every one of their restaurants.