The Corner Grill
When local restaurateur Shabi Balila decided to open a new dining concept in a fast-growing, formerly rural area between Amarillo and Canyon, he approached Brian Mason for help with the menu. Balila had been operating the now-closed J’s Bar & Grill on Soncy, while Mason was known for higher-end cuisine, from the late, great Zen 721 and BL Bistro to a more recent stint at Crush.
“Shabi said he wanted Blue Sky and Cane’s to have a baby,” Mason remembers.
The pairing—of the menu idea as well as these two veterans of the local dining scene—ended up being a positive one. After helping develop the menu, Mason found himself actually running the kitchen of the Corner Grill and enjoying a more low-key restaurant vibe.
As for the concept itself, it started with available land. “[Shabi] came down here and saw what was happening, the actual development, and he just knew this was going to be a good spot,” says Jacob Balila, Shabi’s son and a manager at the Corner Grill. Tired of operating according to the late hours of the bar scene, the Balila family was ready to move to a quieter intersection—and in a more family-friendly direction.
The restaurant opened last summer south of Amarillo, and has steadily been building its clientele. “The menu was supposed to be something super basic from the beginning,” Jacob says. “We started off with burgers and chicken, and then we wanted to diversify it a little bit.”
That’s when Mason began shaping its menu into what might best be described as an elevated American grill. He started with a reliable selection of Angus burgers, chicken sandwiches and super-creamy milkshakes, then started adding some upgrades, like grilled salmon with a sambal glaze or penne rosette pasta in homemade sauce. Recent patrons have been delighted to find a resurrected version of the fan-favorite spinach artichoke dip from BL Bistro.
Now, Jacob says, “it’s a little bit of everything. Salmon, steak, chicken, salads. We do it all. Our food quality is always going up.”
Like any restaurant, the first months served as a learning experience—for the family and for the neighborhood. “People don’t expect there to be a restaurant out here,” Jacob adds. But families who lived nearby have gradually discovered The Corner Grill, along with residents driving from Amarillo to Canyon or vice versa. “We even get traffic from Hereford sometimes.”
The Corner Grill has a full bar and regular drink specials and Happy Hour deals, plus a lot of televisions. Locals have been enjoying the patio on quiet spring evenings. Jacob even runs a drive-thru coffee shop out of the north side of the building.
And the development just keeps booming, with more houses going up and people moving into the neighborhood. The Balila family believes this summer will be a busy one. “I think a lot of people are going to come along,” he says.
14588 FM 2590
806.806.0007
thecornergrills.com
