Hillstone with David Phillips

"Hillstone with David Phillips" is Episode 50 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Hillstone with David Phillips" was released on April 28, 2016.

## Synopsis

Houston’s, Gulfstream, Bandera, R+D, it goes by many names, but in the end, it’s Hillstone. Writer David Phillips (*Brooklyn Nine-Nine*, *Rick and Morty*) joins to share his passion for this fine dining chain. Plus, a Cheez-It edition of Flavor of the Week.

## Nick's intro

Shortly after the founding of the Independent Republic of Texas in 1836 came the incorporation of its most populous city, named after the new nation's war-hero President, Sam Houston.

A century and a half later, long after Texas was annexed as a U.S. state, restaurateur George Biel and two business partners founded an upscale eatery in Nashville, Tennessee, naming it after Texas's oil-industry megalopolis.

Biel's creation brought fine dining to the masses, making it a stand-out in the chain-restaurant industry, which generally stresses cost-cutting and efficiency to maximize market share.

That atypical corporate philosophy carried through to its branding. As the chain grew, it expanded beyond Houston's to include over a dozen different names dotted across the country with heavily overlapping, but not 100% uniform, menus. Its stunningly consistent upscale food and service has earned the admiration of both civilians and hospitality industry elite. A recent *Bon Appetit* profile by Andrew Knowlton proclaimed it "America's favorite restaurant" and noted its popularity with food celebs Danny Meyer and David Chang, as well as regular celeb Shaquille O'Neal.

It's a brand that, under the stewardship of Beal's son Brian, now encompasses nearly fifty restaurants nationwide: Houston's, Bandera, Grill, Gulfstream, R&D Kitchen, and as of 2009, one with the same name as the restaurant group itself.

This week on *Doughboys*: Hillstone.

## Fork rating

* Margarita
* Barbecue Pork Ribs
* Espresso
 Mike Mitchell
* Diet Coke
* Famous French Dip
* Espresso
 David Phillips
* Cheeseburger
* Espresso
 shared
* Spinach & Artichoke Dip
* Deviled Eggs 'SBG'
* South Beverly Brownie
* Key Lime Pie

With these scores, Hillstone joins the Platinum Plate Club and the Hand-Holding Club.

Hillstone is a a whole group of restaurants, with different names, albeit with similar menus (as Nick explains in his intro). The Doughboys went to the South Beverly Grill in Beverly Hills.

**A note**: in episode 67, Mitch explained how they went to Hillstone together and he bit into a bone in his French Dip sandwich, and knocked his score down a full fork, but because they saw Boston Celtics/Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers there, he bumped it back up half a fork more. Nick tries to talk him out of this readjustment. Its position in the Platinum Plate Club seems to be unclear.

## Flavor of the Week

In this segment, the Doughboys try a variety of flavors of one brand.

For this episode, they have four flavors of Cheez-It Crackers.

 Mike Mitchell
 David Phillips

Italian Four Cheese Cheez-ItPepper Jack Cheez-ItExtra Toasty Cheez-ItCheddar Jack Cheez-It

## Hashtags

* #PulpFiction vs. #PulpNonfiction vs. #JackieBrownPulp vs. #IHateJewsPulp
* #BigDipper vs. #LittleDipper
* #BrownieWithNuts vs. #InglouriousBrownie
* #GoNuts vs. #NoNuts
* #BlackPlusRed or #ChocolateSolo vs. #ChocolateKylo

## The Feedbag

Carl's Jr.: Four dollars for a Double Cheeseburger, Spicy Chicken, small Fries, small drink.
Wendy's: Four dollars for Junior Bacon Cheeseburger or Chicken BLT, four nuggets, small Fries, small drink.
McDonald's: Pick two for five dollars: Big Mac, ten Mcnuggies, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, or 'fish filet'.
I know this seems arbitrary as a question, most of these combos are the same. Burger King has a similar deal but I think that you are overlooking the budget of a lot of your listeners of the podcast. The 'corporate values/dollar value' category in the Chompionship was half of a great category. College students like me have about fifty dollars to spend every week and so the cheap stuff is really where I'm looking. The tournament made me want to try Shake Shack until I realized it is over ten dollars.

## Restaurants

 Langer's
 Nate 'n Al's
 Philippe The Original

## Drops and Plugs

* Bill Clinton
* *The Cosby Show*
* *The Fresh Prince of Bel Air* (tv)
 * Evan Susser
* Hitler
 * *Brooklyn Nine-Nine*
* *Rick and Morty* (tv)

## Related Episodes

* AD3. After Dough with Joe 3
* 97. Chicken Fight: Finals
* BC2. White Bread
* 175. Canter's Deli
* 342. Hero's Journey: Sub-Optimal: Semi-soft Finals