Steakhouse News

Hilton Anatole bumps up artsy chef to top spot at SER Steak Spirits

There's a new chef in town at the Hilton Anatole.

Photo courtesy of Hilton Anatole

The Hilton Anatole has appointed a new chef for SĒR Steak + Spirits, the chef-driven steakhouse located on the 27th floor of the hotel. Mike Shetsky, who has served as executive sous chef, is being promoted to the top spot.

Shetsky came to Dallas in 2015 from the Opryland Hotel in Tennessee, where he was chef for more than five years. He moved to Dallas to join the staff at SĒR.

He replaces prior chef Kevin Spencer, who's been at SER since January 2016. Spencer replaced Anthony Van Camp, who left to take a position at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre. Spencer moved to Austin to open a restaurant called the Austin Taco Project.

The promotion represents a relatively quick rise for Shetsky, with a mere eight years under his belt.

Hilton Anatole's general manager Harold Rapoza says in a release that they anticipate great things from Shetsky, stating that "his creative flair will be a welcome addition."

Shetsky grew up around a farming community in Tennessee.

"I draw my cooking inspiration from my grandmother who grew up in Germany," he says. In addition to a natural culinary skill, Shetsky has a love of art and food that yields a distinctive and creative cooking style. You can see some of his artsy creations on Pictagram.

The menu includes Waygu steak with fingerling potatoes, a 45-day aged prime 22-ounce rib eye with tomato chutney, and daily specials such as scallops, salmon, and duck breast. Shetsky is expected to add new dishes this spring.

The Anatole boasts five restaurants and bars including SER, plus the high-tech Media Grill + Bar and the Gossip Bar. The most recent addition is JadeWaters at Hilton Anatole, a pool spa facility.

hotels chefs

Pizza News

Donatos Pizza totes its unique crust to new location in Flower Mound

dallas.culturemap.com

Donatos

A pizza chain with a quirky obsession on its crusts is coming to Flower Mound: Donatos Pizza, the franchise famous for spreading its toppings to the very edge of the pizza, will open a location at 1400 Long Prairie Rd. #160.

According to a release, it'll open on December 17.

Donatos Pizza was founded by Jim Grote in Ohio in 1963 from a single stand, and remains family-owned. Their signature is to place the toppings on their pizzas "edge to edge" — for clueless diners who do not like plain crust edges. (Come on, the crust is the best part.)

Their menu features more than a dozen varieties of pizza such as veggie, four cheese, and pepperoni with hot honey. Their signature crust is a thin-crust but they also offer thicker alternatives as well as a cauliflower crust. Pizzas come in a 7-inch individual and go all the way up to a 14-inch large. Prices range from $15 to $25.

Fans appreciate their better-than-average ingredients and describe it as more flavorful compared to other corporate pizza chains, with a crisp thin crust and generous toppings.

In addition to pizza, Donatos' menu includes oven-baked wings, sub sandwiches, including meatball and Italian cold cuts, plus appetizers and salads.

The Flower Mound location will be a family affair, owned by Lynne and Ralph Pence, whose son Travis will oversee day-to-day operations. The Pence family has deep connections to Donatos including the fact that Lynne's sister used to work for the company, while her brother-in-law still does.

"We're from Columbus, Ohio — it is where our kids grew up and where our family is—it also happens to be the hometown and birthplace of Donatos Pizza," Lynne says. "Our daughter in Oklahoma found out Donatos was coming to Edmond, where she lives, and called us. She was so excited that Donatos was finally coming down south and we wanted to be a part of it."

This is the second Donatos in the Dallas area: a location opened in Frisco in November — the first in Texas.

There are currently 470-plus locations in 28 states. That includes 175 stores plus nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants, sports, and entertainment venues.

openings pizza