Not surprisingly, people have used stones for cooking for millennia. But, Australian chefs perfected this ancient method for modern diners who want a multi-sensory, healthful restaurant experience. Now, Midtown, Sacramento debuts the ultimate in Stonegrill dining - drawing upon a tradition that may, in fact, be millions of years old.


Archeologists have identified prehistoric stone pits that were used by early humans throughout evolution. Researchers surmise these archaic cooks discovered and took advantage of the ability of rock to retain and emit heat.


Australia and New Zealand (along with South Africa) have some of the earliest evidence of cooking with stones. As early as 1896, Australian archeologists were writing about a remarkable prehistoric 50-foot table-top rock having numerous deep depressions that formed, what is believed to be, the ovens of Aboriginal people. In New Zealand, the Maori continue their own ancient tradition of cooking with stones placed in a hole in the ground.


Later, in the Americas, Native Americans made good use of stones. In Texas, one researcher found evidence that stones were being used as "griddles" for baking bread. Proper, flat rocks were heated in a bed of coals and once hot enough, they were removed. Then, a mix of ground "flour" from acorns and water was poured over the hot stones and baked into a tortilla" or flatbread.


It is the quality of stone to hold heat and to radiate it at even temperatures over its surface that makes it ideal for cooking. Because of its origins, lava rock is particularly suited for this style of cooking. Formed from molten materials embedded deep in the Earth and spewed-up in great cataclysmic events, it changes from magma to solid rock. The lava rock is the product of very slow cooling to hardness. Once lava rock is formed, it has the same characteristics as its origins. When heated to about 750º F in a modern oven, (which takes about 8 hours, according to Stonegrill chef Matt Young) it retains this high heat throughout a meal. Diners can cook, talk, sip wine, turn and slice an entrée, and talk (and sip) some more. There is no outside heat-source - yet the stone remains hot.


From the simple, outdoor kitchens of humankind's earliest cooks to Sacramento's Stonegrill and Bar, where an accomplished chef and staff create dishes in a professional kitchen, tradition continues, offering the region's "Uniquely interactive dining experience."

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