Family restaurant serves the flavors of the Southwest

Chisos Grill takes a fine dining, gluten-free approach to Southwestern cuisine, co-owner and Executive Chef Chad Jones said.

"We are not a Tex-Mex restaurant. We are not a steakhouse," he said. "We are a little bit of everything all in one. ... If you are used to eating at Chili's or you're used to eating at Hudson's on the Bend, you can find what you are looking for here."

Chad and his wife, Lily, previously worked in fine dining, Chad said. When a space opened in the Hill Country Galleria, they and Lily's parents, John and Eileen Kuhn, decided to start their own place.

Chisos Grill opened Nov. 25, 2011, with a focus on the flavors of Central and southwest Texas and eastern New Mexico—"basically everything from Corpus Christi to Sante Fe," he said.

The restaurant's pulled pork is popular with customers and is featured in the Presidio Tostadas and pulled-pork sandwich (both $9), Chad said.

Chisos Grill's hamburgers, such as the Chisos Burger ($9) and the New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger ($10), are also best-sellers, he added.

Seafood continues to be a hit with diners, he said. Tortilla Crusted Salmon ($19) and fried Gulf seafood baskets (starting at $13) appear on the menu.

Chad credits the menu's extensive gluten-free options as the reason Chisos Grill caught on as a concept. Roughly 85 percent of the menu's options are gluten-free, he said.

Using local and regional ingredients and distributors is also important to the Joneses.

"We use a lot of Texas farm-raised beef," he said. "We do farm-raised quail. All of our seafood [except for] two products come from the Gulf [of Mexico]."

The restaurant features many Texas beers and makes cocktails using Texas spirits such as Deep Eddy Vodka and Tito's Handmade Vodka.

With Chisos Grill Chad said he aimed to revisit "the way restaurants were 20 or 30 years ago."

"We focus on the atmosphere, the quality of the service and the quality of every product we put on the plate," he said.

Chisos Grill, 12921 Hill Country Blvd., Ste. D2-130, Bee Cave, 512-263-7353, www.chisosgrill.com

• 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily