Johnny Nicholas and the Hilltop Cafe
From his website…..
“Inconveniently located in the middle of nowhere…”
It all started in September of 1980 in an old Texas roadhouse and gas station on the Mason Highway 10 miles north of Fredericksburg when Johnny Nicholas and his new bride Brenda packed all their belongings in Johnny’s 1950 Buick and left their home in South Austin for the Texas Hills. Johnny brought a successful music career and Brenda brought her recipes and culinary wizardry. With lots of hard work, love and intense dedication to excellence (and help of their carpenter friend Leroy ‘Pretty Billy’ Petrie), they created a restaurant and gathering spot of iconic, almost mythical proportions! The Hilltop Café continues to be a place where food and music-lovers gather to enjoy the sumptuous fare, the unique Hill Country ambiance and great Texas music.
From the two-burner hot plate on which Brenda prepared succulent pots of Port Arthur style Gumbo and Texas Chile (no beans allowed Pauli), the menu evolved. Soon after, Johnny got a call from his friends, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, who asked him to come and lay down some piano tracks on their new album. On the way back from Dallas, they pulled the old Buick into a restaurant equipment store and bought a used grill and broiler with the proceeds from the recording session. Now the menu expanded to include fresh stuffed, whole Gulf flounder, hamburgers and steaks. And this is how Hill Top Café evolved, piece-by-piece, board-by-board, song-by-song and recipe-by-recipe. And just as the food and building quickly grew and gained recognition, so did its character! Once inside, you are surrounded by it’s fun, endearing and eclectic décor; a result of horse-trading, collecting and any and everything left behind by happy customers showing appreciation.
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