Up & Coming Weekly

DECEMBER 2-8, 2009 UCW 27 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Friday, December 4 7:30 pm Sunday, December 6 3:00 pm Friday, December 4 9:30 am (school show) Saturday, December 5 7:30 pm Sun, December 13 3:00 pm For more information call Leslie Dumas 910.850.6363 iÌ`ÃÌÊ1ÛiÀÃÌÞÊUÊ,iiÛiÃÊÕ`ÌÀÕ >ÀiÀÊÃÌÀV>ÊÕ`ÌÀÕ call Leslie Dumas 910.850.6363 For more information call Leslie Dumas TICKET PRICES Methodist University And Garner {Ê>`ÊÕ`iÀÊvÀii Children 5 to 12 – $5.00 `ÕÌÃÊqÊf£ä°ää Group Rates of 15 or more, call Leslie www.dancetheatreoffayetteville.com STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or Stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com Business Profile: The Hilltop House by STEPHANIE CRIDER Restaurant owner Beth Shearin-Smith loves the food service business. She's been catering for years and when the opportunity to purchase the Hilltop House came about four years ago, she just couldn't say no. "It was a struggling business at the time," said General Manager Nicole Edson. "They did a lot of renovations, completely revamped the menu, the wine list and changed the focus of the restaurant to providing fine dining service for our guests." The hard work and shift in strategy have impressed the community. The Hilltop House was voted by Up & Coming Weekly readers as the best place for brunch, although that is not all they offer. With a menu inspired by her grandmother's recipes, the Sunday brunch includes omelets made to order, Belgian waffles, also made to order, carving sta- tions and all those comfort foods that Shearin-Smith knew would satisfy her guests. "There were things that I wanted to put on the menu that were my grand- ma's old southern recipes and we could not find a way to put them on our dinner menu because of the plate presentation," said Shearin-Smith. "Corn pudding, squash casserole, chicken divan — things like that just don't plate up on a fine dining din- ner plate. So when we decided to do our Sunday brunch we looked at things that I could use from my grandma's old recipes — her homemade biscuits, shrimp and grits — but mostly the biggest thing was to incorporate that corn casserole and the squash casserole and things like that." In addition to their fine Sunday fare, the restaurant boasts a wine selection that has been built specifically for the sophisticated and well-traveled guests that frequent the establishment. "We have worked really hard to develop a global wine list with something from just about everywhere," said Edson. "We find that lot of our guests are coming in with some sort of military affiliation and have been in a lot of different places and they want to be able to get some of their favorite wines that they could get in other places that they have lived. We've focused on making our wine list very diverse and one that covers a lot of regions and styles of wine so that a lot of people can find things here that they like and enjoy." Not only have they impressed the customers, but Shearin-Smith pointed out that they've been featured in Wine Spectator every year since she acquired the property and have also been in the Wine Enthusiast among other distinguished publications. Add to that the sophisticated ambiance that beckons throughout the four dining rooms, the impressive staff that Shearin-Smith credits with providing the customer service that keeps bringing people back and the cooks that she delights in praising, and it is easy to see why they were voted Best of Fayetteville's Best Brunch. The Hilltop House is located at 1240 Fort Bragg Road. They are open Tuesday – Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5-9 p.m. for dinner. On Friday and Saturday lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner is from 5-10 p.m., and Sunday brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more info, call at 484-6699.

• Cover