Let’s Dine Out – Diane’s Saddleback Grill

By TIM WILCOX

Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

It’s an interesting name spelling for an interesting individual: Garrhett Hill. Family members, friends and restaurant patrons know him as “Rhett.” Shades of Gone with the Wind? Yes, indeed!

Fittingly, Rhett is a leading “cast member” in a building that predates the celebrated novel and movie by some two decades. First opened in 1917, Saddleback Inn is a state historic site. Diane’s Saddleback Grill is the hotel’s upscale restaurant, whose interior of dark woods, antique lamps, burnished brass, rough-hewn timbers and rustic stonework clearly expresses and honors the venerable setting.

Rhett is the son of Diane Hill, the Grill’s proprietor. He’s also one of two head chefs and a key reason that the restaurant’s cuisine is so widely applauded. (An older brother lives near Redland and younger sister in Los Angeles.)

The family moved to Lake Arrowhead from Moreno Valley when Rhett was 4, 27 years ago. His father, Tim, who’s an attorney, relocated his practice here (The Hill Law Firm, a few doors south of Saddleback Inn on Highway 173). Diane began working almost immediately at the inn’s restaurant, known then as The Nest. She started at the front desk and eventually was named general manager, “basically running the whole operation,” Rhett recalls. He himself came on board at the age of 13, serving as a dishwasher, prep cook and then line cook on a part-time basis during school while investing more hours over the summer. He’s a 2009 graduate of Rim High.

About a dozen years ago, Diane struck an agreement with Kurt Campbell, owner of the overall property (from 7-Eleven to the stop sign), to lease the Grill and operate it as the restaurant’s principal. By that time, Rhett had gained substantial experience in the kitchen and was an especially capable cook. Appropriately, then, he’s been head chef now for several years. Rhett shares that title with Richard Johnston.

“Richard’s going on 80 and has a lot of experience in the restaurant industry,” says Rhett, noting that for 37 years he was co-owner and head chef of the Royal Oak in Blue Jay (now the Dogwood Tavern). “I’ve studied under a number of head chefs,” Rhett adds, “but Richard is by far the best.”

The two make a formidable culinary couple, setting exceptionally high standards for what Rhett describes as “contemporary American cookery, emphasizing steaks and seafood, with some Italian and German influences.” With obvious pride, he shares that “we cut all of our own steaks and make every single sauce and dressing from scratch.”

Asked to name a “signature dish,” Rhett immediately identifies a somewhat surprising entrée: German pork schnitzel. This $34 selection stars seasoned panko-crusted pork loin graced with lemon-caper Française sauce. On the side are garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies.

“This is our most popular dish,” says Rhett, “easily outselling the steaks and seafood.” He learned how to prepare it in the restaurant’s kitchen when he was just 13.

On the Menu

So what else is on the bill of fare at Diane’s Saddleback Grill? Among the appetizers, the most popular pick (according to Rhett) is the lobster escargot ($27). “It’s ‘escargot style’ and not actually stuffed snail shells,” he clarifies. Among the other options are crunchy crispy calamari ($17), barbecue baby-back ribs ($18), blackened tuna sashimi ($22) and sautéed scallops ($23).

The restaurant’s namesake salad features chopped Romaine lettuce with fresh tomato, sliced red onion, cucumber and shredded carrots. The savory dressing for this $19.50 order: sweet chili basil. Another leafy choice is the $18.50 Pixley pear salad with fresh baby spinach, candied walnuts, cherry tomatoes and finishing drizzle of raspberry vinaigrette.

All right, on to the main course. . . Two seafood standouts are the filet of fresh salmon with Hollandaise sauce and pan-seared sole with lemon-caper sauce. Tagged at $34.50 each, they’re served with wild rice pilaf and seasonal vegetables. Pan-seared mahi mahi is available, too, presented with angel-hair pasta, broccoli florets, black olives and roasted red bell peppers ($32). Shrimp fettuccine bathed in a creamy, champagne-infused Alfredo sauce (also $32) and calamari steak almondine topped with lemon-caper Française sauce ($34) round out the surf slate.

If you’re in a fowl mood, consider chicken Sheba bedded on eggplant with shrimp and mushrooms in Madeira sauce ($35) or chicken piccata on delicate marinara capellini with the popular Française sauce ($34). There’s also Maple Leaf Farms half duck roasted to crispy perfection with a stellar Mandarin-infused brandy glaze ($39).

Perhaps you’re a steak devotee. OK, the Grill’s top choice in that category is premium filet mignon with Béarnaise sauce ($48). On the side: garlic mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. The ribeye is a certified 12-ounce “Ultimate” cut served with crispy onion rings and creamed spinach ($46). And the ground-sirloin pepper steak—sauced with a rich, brown demi-glace—is garnished with fresh bacon bits and sautéed scallions ($34).

This historic, oh-so-refined dinner house is a magnet for customers from across the mountains and around the region. Rhett notes that many down-the-hill diners “are in the habit of staying at Saddleback Inn so they can enjoy a leisurely meal here, then retire for the evening.” He adds that “we also have patrons who regularly join us to celebrate special occasions. Some of them haven’t missed a birthday here in 10 years or more.”

Whether it’s a special occasion or simply an evening to indulge a preference for exceptional cuisine, the adage in dining-out circles holds true: “There’s no higher compliment than repeat patronage.”

Diane’s Saddleback Grill: 300 Hwy. 173 in Lake Arrowhead; (909) 337-3113; reservations recommended; major cards; $13-$48; dinner 5 to 8 p.m. Sun.-Thurs and 5 to 9 p.m. Fri.-Sat., happy hour 4:30 to 6 p.m. daily; special events such as birthday parties, anniversary celebrations and rehearsal dinners.