Hillstone Restaurants

Client: Hillstone Restaurants
Brand: Hillstone/Houston’s/Bandera,R+D Kitchen/ R&D Restaurant & Bakery/Honor Bar, Gulfstream, Rutherford Grill
Date: 1994 – Present
Project: Ground Up Hillstone Phoenix &  R&D/Honor Bar Santa Barbara, R+D Montecito, Bandera Chicago, Los Altos, Kansas City, Colorado, Texas, Old Town Scottsdale, Houston’s Scottsdale

  • Cadillac of Restaurant Industry
  • Finest design & materials in country
  • All renovation work performed at night and on weekends; restaurants never close due to construction
  • AB Licensed in Arizona, California, Utah, Washington, New Mexico, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Texas — Kansas City, Missouri — New Orleans, Louisiana

Hillstone

Hillstone Restaurant in Biltmore, Arizona is the first prototype concept restaurant for the Hillstone Restaurant Group who is rebranding some of their successful Houston’s Restaurants to have more local tastes. Casual, yet sophisticated dining experience. The restaurant’s design intentionally blurs the distinction of what is indoor and outdoor. Glass and moveable walls open views through the restaurant from interior out. The restaurant design explores a number of materials carried from the interior out including stone, copper, and wood.

The design team had a desire to carry the same materials in the restaurant to the building exterior and even further to the site and site lighting. Structura’s FSC certified wood poles are a part of the owner’s interest in designing this restaurant to LEED standards. Structura’s use of Accoya wood ensures the lighting will withstand the blistering, dry heat and intense UV found in this desert climate.

The design team selected Structura’s Bol family Accoya wood poles with Cumaru exterior stain and finish. These poles are round at the base and slowly taper to a square profile at the top. Provisions were made to run data cables for security cameras alongside of electrical power for outdoor site lighting.

Warm colors and tones were used throughout, in accordance to Hillstone Restaurant Group’s discerning design standards.

  • Ground up Construction
  • Design blurs distinction of indoor & outdoor
  • Rich woods & warm finishes promote a sense of comfort on the interior
  • Fireplaces and a Koi pond  on the patio heighten the outdoor experience
  • Misc Millwork
  •  Art & Architecture enhance the dining experience

Houston’s

Since 1976 Houston’s restaurant has been the driving force behind Hillstone Restaurant Group. Based in Los Angeles, CA the first Houston’s location opened in Tennessee in 1977. Since then there are 19 Houston’s located in 10 states.

The restaurant’s inspired settings of rich red leather booths, cherry wood, granite bars, dramatic lighting and art factor into the dining experience to enhance the senses.

  • Custom light fixtures
  • Open Kitchen plan within bar and restaraunt
  • Misc Millwork
  • Rich red leather booths combined with cherry wood
  • Restaurant build out
  • Custom Louvers

Bandera

Casual sophistication with quality service is the concept behind Hillstone’s Bandera restaurants which specialize in rotisserie meats and chicken. Keeping true to Hillstone’s design theme are red leather booths which surround cherry table tops and cherry top bar. The open kitchen plan is also a key factor in the Bandera restaurants which include hard wood fire cooking in custom stove ovens.

  • Revise Booth Layout
  • Bar Ceiling Renovation
  • Interior Remodel
  • Hand Built Louvers
  • New Cherry Bar top
  • Misc Millwork
  • Facilitate Design Team

R + D Kitchen

The style of the renovated façade is modern and takes cues from mid century California architecture emphasizing a connection between indoor and outdoor environments. As such, by the clever use of garage doors…the glass façade opens fully to the street to create an open air dining experience. With an emphasis on simplicity, the clean lined forms and authentic materials aim to have an approachable warmth.

To create a human scale, the height of the existing façade was reduced in several places and an exterior copper clad canopy was added at a lower height consistent with similar features on adjacent buildings. Built in planters along the sidewalk add a natural element of greenery to the composition. New landscaping further softens the western elevation which faces the alley.

With the kitchen in full view, a modern design with striking lines, and eclectic art punctuating the space, R+D seamlessly integrates indoor and outdoor environments to create a dining setting that is an extension of home.

The big garage door at R+D Kitchen in Santa Monica opens the restaurant to the city streets, Hillstone Restaurant Group’s in-house design team wished to capture the town’s mid-century modern ideas and warm materials in R+D’s design.  higher-end oak, walnut, and Douglas fir.” A stacked norman brick chimney and thin but durable copper canopy are visible from outside. “Over time, the copper will patina and turn bronze. Inside, glulam beams cut across the space, effectively lowering the high ceilings.. “You can look through it and see the skylight, but the theatrical lighting and essential mechanical and electrical treatments are up high in the space so you don’t notice them so much. I think that sort of compression creates an intimacy in the restaurant.”

  • Full View Kitchen
  • Exterior Copper Clad Canopy
  • High End Oak, Walnut & Douglas Fir
  • Light and Airy where there is a Connection to the outside
  • Glulam Beams used to lower ceiling height in areas
  • Soft boundaries that redefine the separations of exterior from interior
  • We would like to convey our utmost appreciation for the dedication you and your team have given to our many construction projects over the years. Your thoroughness and meticulous attention to detail Is evident from the compliments we receive from our management and staff, as well as patrons, during and after construction. We are keenly aware that it takes a certain caliber of workmanship and planning to execute any project while a restaurant is fully operational; Angelone Builders has proven itself more than capable of this task time and again. Please thank your team for supporting us on our endeavors and we look forward to working together for many years.

    Allen Goode
    Allen GoodeHillstone Restaurant Group / Vice President Design and Construction
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