Hillstone Restaurant Group, although based in Los Angeles, has Texas roots —the founder and CEO is from Houston —and operates 13 different restaurant concepts nationwide. My focus this month is on their flagship restaurant concept, Hillstone, located in Preston Center Plaza.
Sister restaurant R+D Kitchen (Southlake Style June 2014) is only a stones throw away from Hillstone, which faces Preston Road as part of an upscale shopping center in North Dallas. Even on a weeknight, we were glad to have a reservation. Since the restaurant was bustling with diners the wait would have been nearly an hour. Hillstone exemplifies the company ethos of beautiful, elegant dining environments. The dining area d.cor is comprised of warm woods utilized in both seating and on the walls. Each seating location is highlighted with spot-lighting which creates intimacy and a sense of privacy.
As with most Hillstone Group restaurants the menu is simple and makes no attempt to offer page after page of dishes. Rather it focuses on fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch dishes beautifully presented to the diner. Because of this simplicity, there are six sections from which to plan your meal: Starters, Burgers & Sandwiches, Salads, Entr.es, Vegetables & Sides and Desserts & Coffee.
The highlight of the Starter menu is the grilled artichokes served with a fresh side of r.moulade. If you haven’t taken the plunge and sampled a well prepared artichoke, this would be a great way to start the adventure. It has limited availability, but definitely ask for it.
From the Burger & Sandwiches menu we ordered the Hickory burger. Fresh ground beef grilled to order —they can do medium —topped with finely diced red onions, shredded cheddar cheese, Canadian bacon and a tangy hickory sauce, makes this an amazing dish. Yes, I did write Canadian bacon on top of a burger. Trust me; it adds a nice twist. Our server also shared that the house-made veggie burger, again made fresh daily in the kitchen, would delight even the most dedicated diners on either side of the vegetarian table. We will save that for our next visit.
The most popular and well-known dish on the Salad menu is the grilled chicken salad. However, our server suggested the Thai Steak & Noodle salad, which was an excellent choice. The steak was tender and laid upon a bed of rice noodles, greens and mango slices, tossed in an amazing Thai dressing. It was definitely more noodle than greens, but who would complain about that?
From the Entrees menu —if they are available —order the jumbo lump crab cakes served with a flavorful mustard sauce. If seafood isn’t what you go for, any of their steaks are a sure winner with the star attraction being the Hawaiian rib-eye marinated then grilled over hardwood.
Hillstone is a great destination for a date night or an evening out with friends. Remember to make a reservation so that you aren’t left waiting for a table at this consistently stellar dining destination.
As Southlake Style’s foodie fellow, James is passionate about discovering unique dining experiences in the DFW area by night while crafting high impact marketing strategies by day as founder of Audacious Think. A native Oklahoman, he now considers the hometown of his beloved Dallas Cowboys to be his own as well.
Follow James on Instagram or Twitter: @james_a_reid