Cowboy Chef Mike Newton set to open new restaurant in downtown Stephenville this fall.
Updated: Aug 13, 2020
By SARA VANDEN BERGE
It’s time to get excited, Stephenville.
Cowboy Chef Mike Newton has plans to open a new restaurant in Stephenville this fall inside The Cellar on College Street.
“We are going to serve some amazing food,” Newton told BTS News on Thursday. “It’s going to be very nice, but not stuffy. It will be a place where you can come sit and have a comfortable dining experience.”
The restaurant will be open for dinner three nights a week from Thursday through Saturday.
“We are going to start slow at first and I eventually hope to expand for lunch,” he said.
The menu will change weekly and include Newton’s specialties like a two-inch filet with chipotle mashed potatoes, pan sautéed duck with cherry port wine sauce, smoked wild boar chop with peach demi-glace and a variety of seafood.
The restaurant will not serve alcohol, but customers will be able to bring in a bottle of wine or their choice of adult beverages.
“It’s BYOB,” Newton said. “Hearsay Wine Bar is just three doors down, so you can buy a nice bottle of wine there and bring it to the restaurant. There will be no corkage fee.”
ABOUT CHEF NEWTON
I became a fan of Chef Newton when he appeared on the eighth season of MasterChef and I recently watched his appearance on Supermarket Stakeout.
He is a native Texan and Lipan resident known for putting a unique spin on food that is popular in the Lone Star State.
“I always say that Texas food should not be pigeonholed,” Newton told me a couple of months ago during a private dinner at his home. “My cooking style is a mish-mash inspired by French and Mexican cuisine. I like to change the nuances of ordinary dishes by adding something unexpected.”
Newton’s interest in food started at a young age.
“My grandmother and my two aunts were great cooks and I learned a lot from them,” he said. “The first time my aunt made me crepes Suzette, I was hooked.”
Newton went on to work at several high-end restaurants across Texas, where he spent years learning from the state’s top chefs.
His popularity skyrocketed after his appearance on MasterChef.
WHEN WILL HE OPEN?
That’s what we all want to know, right?
Chef Newton said he hopes to open the restaurant in September, but that will largely depend on what happens with the COVID pandemic.
Meanwhile, he plans to fine-tune his menu and prepare to launch his first restaurant right here in Stephenville.
“I have always enjoyed Stephenville and it’s close to where I live,” he said. “I have been approached several times over the years about opening a restaurant and I’m looking forward to finally doing it.”
Do it! I like the cross commerce aspect, and no corkage fee! Sounds like a fun evening.