While On The Rocks does serve whiskey on the rocks, a mignon menu dish is actually the muse behind the moniker.
The new Italian steakhouse in Burleson comes from the owners of La Bistro in Hurst and Chef Kent Rathbun, an “Iron Chef America” winner. La Bistro was one of the first fine dining restaurants in North Tarrant County when it opened in 1984.
Owner Jason Benouared added a filet that cooks tabletop on a hot lava rock stone to La Bistro’s menu when he took over 10 years ago. Since then, a restaurant centered around the “On The Rocks” menu item has stuck in his brain.
On the Rocks Italian steakhouse in Burleson is centered around the concept of Filet “On the Rocks” which is cooked at the table over a heated lava stone. Justin Runyon Courtesy photo by Jason Benouared
“I think everybody thinks they’re coming for bourbon on the rocks,” he said. “But this is about cooking really, really, really good meat at the table. Come out and have an experience — not only a great meal, but a good experience.”
So, when a La Bistro regular told him about an empty Razzoo’s storefront in Old Town Burleson, a deal was made within three hours of seeing the space.
Culinary director Kent Rathbun and On The Rocks owner Jason Benouared, on the right, accepting the BTX Best Fest award for their lobster arancini cappuccino, an ode to Rathbun’s iconic lobster shooter served at the former Abacus restaurant in Dallas. Courtesy photo by Jason Benouared How will On the Rocks differ from La Bistro?
Benouared has brought in celebrity chef Kent Rathbun from Dallas. Rathbun founded Abacus, an eatery that was inducted into the Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame. He also beat Bobby Flay while being featured on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and served as the featured chef for President George W. Bush’s 2001 inauguration.
The lobster arancini cappuccino is a play on, On The Rock’s Culinary Director Kent Rathbun’s famous lobster shooter at his former Abacus restaurant in Dallas. Courtesy photo by Jason Benouared
One of Rathbun’s most popular Abacus creations — the lobster scallion shooter — takes on a new life at On The Rocks.
“We are doing what’s called a lobster arancini cappuccino,” said Benouared. “So it is a little espresso shot cup filled with lobster bisque, and in the bottom is an arancini, which is like an Italian hush puppy filled with little nuggets of lobster, finished with a chive caviar cream, basil olive oil and a couple of scallions over the top.”
The appetizer has already a “BTX Best Fest” award, even though the restaurant has not officially opened.
42-years of hero dishes, including the eggplant parmesean, from Hurst’s La Bistro have made their way over to the Benouared’s family newest concept, On The Rocks Italian Steakhouse in Burleson. Courtesy photo by Jason Benouared What else is On The Rocks?
For La Bistro loyalists, Benouared assured that the lobster bisque, chicken marsala, chicken parm, eggplant parm, veal parm, veal marsala, veal La Bistro and other staples have made their way to the Burleson menu.
But the obvious crown jewel is the “On The Rock” meat offerings, which is inspired by the way a porterhouse steak is served in Florence.
“In Florence, when you go to have a Bistecca alla Fiorentina [porterhouse steak], it comes out sliced on hot stone. But think of that hot stone like a fajita plate. It’s not meant to actually cook it. It’s just meant to keep it warm,” he explained. “Our rocks are meant to cook the protein. So it’s a La Bistro original, but it’s not too far deviated from what you would find in Florence when you go into a steakhouse.”
As for the meat, Benouared has collaborated with the Fort Worth Cattle Company to source their steaks to ensure he can get the meat as fresh as possible to his dry aging refrigerators.
“He [the FWCC meat supplier] shows up to the back of my restaurant with his horse trailer on the back of his truck with his horses in it, because he’s on his way to the Friday night rodeo, and it has all of my beef that was just processed less than half an hour ago,” said Benouared.
On The Rocks restaurant will also serve another dining experience: tableside “pasta alla ruota,” which is pasta in a melty and flaming cheese wheel.
Owner Jason Benouared says customers at On The Rocks Italian steakhouse can find a $21 meal with fresh pasta or splurge on a $100 steak. Either way, he says it will be one of the best meals ever. Courtesy photo by Jason Benouared Another fine dining option in Burleson
On The Rocks is currently in a soft-launch phase to train staff through reservation-only dinner service. Reservations can be made on the restaurant’s Resy page.
Benouared says that the restaurant will work on rolling out more dishes over the next two weeks so that by Sept. 15, the full dinner menu will be available to order.
During the week of Oct. 1, the restaurant plans to introduce daily lunch, and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
“You can come and absolutely eat for $21 and it’ll be one of the best meals you’ve ever had,” Benouared says. “And on the flip side to that, you can also spend $100 on steak and lobster. And so we cover the whole spectrum, right? I did that on purpose and by design.”
On the Rocks Italian Bistro is located at 135 W Ellison St. in Old Town Burleson.
Culinary Director for On The Rocks Italian steakhouse in Burleson is celebrity Chef Kent Rathbun, a Dallas restaurateur and former “Iron Chef America” winner. Courtesy photo by Jason Benouared 
Inspired by the way porterhouse steaks are served in Florence, On The Rocks steakhouse makes its own original flair by offering steak that cooks On The Rocks (a heated lava stone) at the table experience. Justin Runyon Courtesy photo by Jason Benouared
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Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Ella mainly writes about local restaurants and where to find good deals around town.