Sports-themed restaurant revamps menu

Updated May 6, 2014, at 5:42 p.m.

HomeField Grill in Round Rock has retooled its operations in recent months—its menu included—and the restaurant has brought in a chef who cut his culinary teeth at a Wolfgang Puck–owned restaurant in Hollywood.

Chef Gary Beauregard began working at the sports-themed bar and grill Dec. 20 and has since revamped and added items to the menu.

"[The] chef has really been lighting in a bottle for our organization," said Greg Johnson, marketing director for the restaurant. "The little changes have been so positively received by the community."

Beauregard said he has taken a flavor-forward approach with a keen attention to quality. With a culinary background in Southern Mediterranean cuisine, the chef has the restaurant using fresh herbs in its offerings such as the new grilled sausage and pepper penne pasta.

HomeField Grill has left much of what it was previously offering with its burgers untouched, but a new offering is the Bleu Burger, which includes bleu cheese mixed into the patty as well as bacon and grilled onions on a sourdough bun.

"I think it's imperative that we have excellent burgers," Beauregard said. "That's really one of the cornerstones of our menu."

No longer featured on the menu is the contrarian Veggie-Bacon Burger. In its place, the chef created a proper black bean–based veggie burger without any ironic meat toppings.

Craft beer is also an emphasis of the restaurant's renaissance. HomeField Grill has 25 craft brews on tap, many of them locally made, Johnson said.

Beginning April 26, the restaurant will host Beer 101 in conjunction with next-door neighbor Flix Brewhouse. Different tapas selections from the restaurant will be paired with a craft beer. For example, one of the pairings is Hoegaarden, a wheat beer usually garnished with orange peels, with a citrus-glazed New York Strip Steak. Johnson said the event is part of the organization's aim to become "not just a restaurant, but a resource."

Director of food experience—the position created for Beauregard's introduction to Flix Entertainment Group, the organization that owns HomeField Grill as well as Flix Brewhouse—entails directing the kitchen staff and operations. Beauregard said he has noticed a boost in morale among the cooks because of the heightened attention to quality.

Flix Entertainment will have a celebration June 17 to formally present Beauregard to the community.

Not only has HomeField Grill heard positive feedback from customers, but the restaurant has also noticed an uptick in its Yelp rating. Prior to implementing the menu changes, the restaurant received mostly one- and two-star ratings on a scale of five stars, Beauregard said. In recent months, cyber reviewers have given it four and five stars.

"People are noticing the focus we are putting on food quality and not just phoning it in," he said.

New and tweaked menu items

Grilled sausage and pepper penne pasta

Wood-grilled, sweet Italian sausage, sweet peppers and mushrooms in a Marsala-marinara sauce over penne with shaved Parmesan cheese, served with a side salad and garlic toast ($12.95)

New York strip steak

12-ounce certified Black Angus, USDA-choice, hand-cut and grilled to order, brushed with garlic-herb butter and served with Yukon gold garlic mashed potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables ($19.95)

Bleu Burger

Patty is mixed with bleu cheese and topped with bacon and grilled onions on a sourdough bun ($9.95)

Cedar-planked salmon

Filet or fresh salmon grilled on a cedar plank and topped with a mild sweet chili glaze accompanied by roasted herb potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables ($15.95)

Grandma's Apple Crisp

Cinnamon-caramelized Granny Smith apples under a crisp and crunchy brown sugar topping ($4.95)

2000 S. I-35, Round Rock, 512-388-4663, www.homefieldgrill.com, Hours: Mon.–Thu. 4–11 p.m., Fri. 4 p.m.–midnight, Sat. 11–1 a.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–11 p.m.

Editor's Note: This story was updated to reflect a date change for the Flix Entertainment event. The event has been moved to June 17, 2014.