The inspiration behind Skip Robinson’s restaurant comes from breweries and distilleries.
From small pours of whiskey and beer.
Two years ago, Robinson wondered if the concept of beverage samples could be turned into flights for food.
With zero experience in the restaurant industry, Robinson opened Stone Terrace Gastropub with an intriguing menu. One section featured five food flights: beef, chicken, seafood, pasta and surf-and-turf.
Another section featured uncommon offerings: beef Wellington, chicken cordon bleu and a red wine balsamic filet mignon.
An unconventional menu was not Robinson’s only gamble. On Aug. 9, 2024, he launched the gastropub in a troubled commercial space on Stone Oak Parkway.
And yet, here he is, preparing to celebrate his two-year anniversary with a growing customer base.
“It’s a big milestone for us,” Robinson said. “Our hope was to put up a restaurant the neighborhood could be proud of and that would be a great addition to the community.”
Robinson is a Navy veteran with nine years in the alcoholic beverage industry. He once owned four liquor stores in Colorado and six in South Texas. Then he sold them to take a chance on a swath of real estate that had swallowed six restaurants in Stone Oak.
“I had concerns,” Robinson said. “When people try something and are not successful, you’ve got to go in with your eyes wide open.”
Since 2008, the following restaurants have opened and closed in the Stone Terrace space: Ciel and Caio2, Cabo Seafood + Bar, Knife & Fork Gastropub, 1718 Steakhouse, Ace of Steaks and White Rabbit.
Ace drew attention for a $1,000 gold-plated Tomahawk steak, but the steakhouse lasted less than a year.
“You can’t just be flashy and expensive,” Robinson said. “I don’t think that’s what Stone Oak wants. Stone Oak wants a quality restaurant and not necessarily an expensive restaurant.
“They want high quality, a scratch kitchen and scratch ingredients. But it costs to make things from scratch. The product has to match the expense. It’s a hard balance.”
Dining in Stone Oak
Every startup needs a break. Stone Terrace caught an unexpected one. Soon after opening, Robinson heard guest after guest repeat a similar story.
“Probably half the tables told me they saw the post on the San Antonio Restaurants Facebook page,” Robinson said. “I said, ‘What post?’ I had to go find it. That page really helped us get off the ground.”
A warm aesthetic enhances the appeal. Polished bar. Comfortable booths. Tiled floor dining room. Natural light from large windows. A spacious outdoor patio.
Elevated American fare keeps patrons coming back.
The truffle mushroom ravioli tossed in a creamy cheese sauce is a top-selling flavor bomb. The surf-and-turf flight is another specialty, offering one mini beef Wellington, one mini chicken cordon bleu crab cake and two black tiger shrimp remoulade.
Fahron Jones drives the culinary magic. He began as a line cook on opening day, worked his way up to sous chef and became executive chef in July.
“There are certain dishes that we’re known for,” said Jones, who brings extensive hotel kitchen experience to the gastropub. “People come here for the beef Wellington. We’re one of the few restaurants in San Antonio that serve it.”
It isn’t easy to prepare beef Wellington, a cut of tenderloin coated with mushroom paste wrapped in a puff pastry. Meat, crust and seasoning must be in alignment.
Robinson gambled with the dish and cashed in. While the beef Wellington and truffle mushroom ravioli are big sellers, Stone Terrace’s identity is largely connected to food flights. The pasta flight (filet mignon with mushroom ravioli, chicken parmesan mac and cheese and crab cake with mac and cheese) ranks right behind the surf-and-turf in popularity.
“I think the pasta is the best one,” Robinson said.
Robinson studies the market and trends. He visits other restaurants to see what works and what doesn’t. He recently explored another neighborhood space known to bury eateries, one in Stone Oak Plaza.
Five restaurants have folded there since 2011.
Katerina Restaurant & Bar, though, seems to have found a groove. Large weekend crowds are stirring echoes of Reggiano’s, which enjoyed a strong run in Stone Oak Plaza until it closed in 2009.
“I had dinner there the other night and it was fantastic,” Robinson said. “My wife and I had an outstanding date night experience. I was interested to see what they were going to do given the history of the spot. But I think they’re hitting a home run.”
Katerina’s, Robinson says, has found a culinary sweet spot in Stone Oak. It offers fine food and good service at reasonable prices. Just like Stone Terrace Gastropub, where the chef specials range from $31 for bruschetta chicken to $57 for the wine balsamic filet mignon.
The most expensive flight – the sur-and-turf – is served with garlic mashed potatoes and chipotle honey brussels. Designed for two, the flight costs $70.
“We’re learning new things every single day,” Robinson said. “We learn. We tweak. We adapt. I don’t think the full story of this restaurant has been written.”
