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After recovering from a life-threatening illness, Grillin & Chillin Alehouse owner Chuck Frowein is back on his feet, holding down the fort at the restaurant while expanding his offerings with a new secret menu and almost 100 high-end tequilas.
“The biggest challenge for me right now,” he said, “is letting people do work I normally do. I can only carry 20 pounds, but a lot of our supplies weigh 50. And I’m not the person who goes, ‘Hey, can you come and do this?’”
Frowein went through a series of surgeries and hospitalizations that began in October last year and lasted through January. During those months, he was only able to return home for a brief break. Discharged on a Monday, he returned to the emergency room on the following Friday.
Frowein credits the speed of his recovery to his wife, Joanne Kim Frowein, who was by his side at every possible moment, to the point where the hospital staff thought she might be his private nurse.
“The love of a wife is like a pitbull,” he said. “She was watching out for my best interests all the time and really took care of me. When you say for better or worse, she definitely went through the worst.”
Frowein is also grateful to his customers and the local community, who rallied around him, both through a GoFundMe campaign that raised nearly $5,000 for his medical bills and from the emotional support he received during his recovery.
“One night,” he said, “they had a big band in here and everybody kind of passed the phone around on FaceTime. The band said something, customers would say something. I was on the other side of that, crying. I’ll do whatever I can to pay it back”
One side effect of his medical issues was that Frowein went from being a “bourbon guy” to discovering the drink no longer agreed with him.
“I went to tequila,” he said. “And I discovered that I no longer had the same problems. My doctor said, ‘Yeah, it’s the agave.’ The body digests tequila better than alcohol made from sugar or wheat. It’s an easy drink that doesn’t burn.”
Frowein’s infatuation with tequila has resulted in his currently stocking 97 varieties, displayed in a new case at the bar.
“If you had told me five years ago I’d be this into tequila, I would have laughed,: he said.“I’m used to just a shot of tequila to toast to someone. I didn’t realize how complex they are and how much flavor they can have.”
Frowein also expanded his already-existing “secret menu,” with new items like a bacon-based spin on his popular 831 Cheeseburger that emulates Wendy’s Junior Bacon Cheeseburger. Frowein refers to it as a “crackburger” because, he said, you can’t eat just one.
It was a nod to the struggle the Wendy’s franchise is having in opening their Hollister location and Frowein said it was a “whimsical ‘let’s do it’ kind of thing.”
“We make off-the-menu stuff all the time,” he said. “If a customer mentions something they wish we had, a lot of times we’ll just make it so that everybody’s good. They don’t have to wait. I can make it that day.”
His devotion to the wants and needs of customers and the inventiveness of the menu make Grillin & Chillin Alehouse more than just a place to grab a bite or a drink, and has earned him a loyal customer base.
“We have a unique situation,” Frowein said. “Our shopping center is old. I have toned windows in the front. So, if you haven’t been here, what is it? An old dive bar? We’re like more of a family here and that word of mouth brings us new faces and new people.”
The Secret Menu and Curated Tequilas of Grillin & Chillin Alehouse
831 Bacon Cheese Burger – A secret item now, Frowein plans to add this wonder to his regular menu soon. Made with a quarter-pound Angus patty, cheese, two slices of bacon, ketchup and mayo served on a potato bun, it reminded me of the iconic burgers I had in my youth at department store lunch counters. And Frowein was right: the first time I tried the burger, I immediately ordered a second one.
“I just wanted a simple burger that tastes good,” Frowein said. “Some people don’t like mayonnaise. Some people don’t like ketchup. But I tell them just to try it with everything on there. It all goes so well together.”
The DLo Dog – A version of one of the great hot dogs served at the Taylor Brothers stand in Watsonville, Frowein gives all the credit for this secret menu item to regular customer Dave Lopez. It starts with a barbecued one-third-pound beef hot dog from Gilroy’s Silva Sausage and is served with mustard, relish, onions, and Frowein’s house-made beef chili.
It is a sloppy knife-and-fork dog, but the complex flavors that come through on that first bite makes you instantly wonder why you do not order hot dogs more often. The chili is mild, but substantial, the flavor of the hot dog is slightly sweet with hints of herbs and pepper, and the mustard and relish provide the exact notes to balance the whole dish.
Fortaleza Blanco – Estate bottled and 100% agave, this crystal-clear and clean-tasting tequila has notes of citrus and pepper, which are very easy to pick up.
“Sometimes,” Frowein said, “depending on what you have with it, you get a little basil or olive oil. It’s a sipping tequila, with a lot of flavor that really opens up, especially with food, and it enhances a margarita or a paloma.”
The desirability of the tequila is, in part, driven by its scarcity: Frowein is only allocated two bottles a month by the distributor, and the distillery’s rapado and añejo tequilas are even harder to get.
Adictivo Doble Reposado – This remarkably smooth tequila boasts a sweet smoky-caramel flavor acquired from bourbon barrels, one of the two types of barrels used in its aging process. The stopper is hollow and contains an extra shot of tequila. It is a beautifully easy sip, with a touch more of a burn than the Fortaleza.
“Initially, I brought it in because of how it was aged,” Frowein said, “It is especially good in a cocktail. But what first caught my attention was that stopper. There’s a little extra at the end that we sometimes give to the person with the last pour.”
Cazcanes No.7 Reposado – Frowein said the distiller claims the recipe dates back 300 years to a tribe from Jalisco. Starting as a blanco and then aged in batches at different times in barrels charred to varying degrees, each blend of tequila has a unique flavor. The result, with this batch, was peppery but sweet, with a lemony aroma and notes of vanilla and butterscotch on the palate.
Frowein said the distiller claims the recipe, basically Mexican moonshine, dates back 300 years to a tribe from Jalisco. “It really comes down to water,” he said. “It comes from a volcanic spring rather than what a lot of tequila producers use, deep well water. They drive an hour and a half from the distillery to get it.”
San Matias 135 Years Anniversary Blend Añejo Tequila – Aged in American and French oak, this is one of Frowein’s recent acquisitions. This a wildly complex tequila and also has the most elaborate packaging, with 135 Preciosa crystals (in honor of the tequila’s anniversary) ringing the neck of the bottle.
“It has a bounty of flavors,” Frowein said “and a strong and appealing aroma of caramel and bourbon. It is not quite as sweet as some of the other tequilas but it has more of the charred flavor and a smokiness.”
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Grillin & Chillin Alehouse
401 McCray Street, Hollister
831-637-2337
Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (with two locations in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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