The meat is seared and the you cook it to your taste at your table. (David Boraks/CorneliusNews.net)
By DAVID BORAKS
CorneliusNews.net
Hot Stone Grill has opened at Kenton Place in Cornelius, bringing a dining concept you probably haven’t seen before: tabletop cooking on, well, hot stones. “It’s natural, it’s healthy, it’s tasty,” says owner Henry Lentzy.
The new restaurant began a “soft opening” on Thursday, serving up an diverse menu that reflects the international backgrounds of its partners. The menu boasts dishes from Germany, France, England, Greece, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, and Russia.
But at its heart, as its name suggests, is hot stone cooking, a concept Mr. Lentzy and partner/general manager Nazira Atme have borrowed from Europe. Ms. Atme, born in France with a Lebanese father, said there are similar restaurants in the U.S., in New York and San Jose.
The stones are heated 6 to 8 hours in a special oven.
“It’s a very unique way of cooking,” says Ms. Atme, who was born in France with a French mother and Lebanese father. “Each person gets his own stone. The stone is heated to 500 degrees in a specific oven that we have.”
In the kitchen, Chef Brian Hatten and his team put the stone on a ceramic plate, season it slightly with a special salt, and then place the meat on it to sear just a bit before it’s delivered to your table.
Stone-cooked entrees at the restaurant include aged filet mignon, pork tenderloin, lamb tenderloin, veal chops, scallops and shrimp, Arctic char, swordfish, and ahi tuna. They $18-$34. The partners are also planning to offer unusual specials, such as buffalo or venison, as they are available.
Nazira Atme and Henry Lentzy
We had a chance to try it out the other day, and found that cooking your own dinner can be fun. How many other restaurants here in the U.S. let you have that experience? Melting Pot fondu is the only one that comes to mind.
You can slice off a morsel and lay it down on a side of the stone until it’s cooked to perfection. Ms. Atme says the stones stay hot for 90 minutes, and she suggests that you can put your meat aside if you’d like to slow down your meal for conversation, then return it to the stone so it’s as hot as possible.
“It is very entertaining, it is very intimate,” she said. Could be the perfect fun outing with out-of-town guests, or a business meeting or special occasion, she says.
Chef Hatten says he hadn’t seen stone cooking like this before. “It’s sort of like a flat top. I was excited to be part of it.”
For those not interested in the stone-cooked experience, there’s a separate list of international dishes ranging from Shepherd’s pie to Greek Chicken to fettucini Alfredo.
There’s also an extensive wine list and plenty of salads and sides.
Hot Stone Grill
17015 Kenton Drive, Cornelius
704-765-5924
www.hotstonegrillnc.com
Hot Stone Grill on Facebook
Hours: Monday to Thursday 5-10, Friday-Saturday 5-11 , Sunday 5-10
