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Home > Archive > Jul 26, 2007

Lava Stone Restaurant Provides Something Different
By Jade Weinheimer
When La Soiree Dining Experience opened over a year ago on Main Street, it was strictly a fondue restaurant, a romantic eatery that catered mainly to the feminine taste. However, in light of the demands of a St. George market, the owners have recently put La Soiree through an extreme business makeover, transforming it into what owners believe is the more universally-appealing Lava Stone Restaurant.
A family operation, Lava Stone Restaurant is owned by Dr. David Lanoue, his sons Justin and Matt, and Justin’s wife, Jessica Lanoue. Along with all the other changes – the business name and décor, for instance – the kitchen is also under new management, with “drastic changes” to the menu.
Chief among these changes is the introduction of a novelty called Australian lava rocks.
“It’s kind of an interesting concept because we have lava deposits here in Southern Utah, so there’s a symbolic aspect to the area,” co-owner and general manager Justin Lanoue said. 
Australian lava rocks are heated in a special oven for six hours at 700 degrees Fahrenheit, and the entrées are then served on the stones, creating a personal barbeque of sorts. The rocks are placed on a “stainless steel pottery apparatus” when presented, which all but removes the risk of accident. (In the six months since Lava Stone Restaurant began serving meals on stones, a customer has never been burned.)
Coarse sea salt is used to season the stones in advance – a low-sodium choice acceptable for sodium-restricted diets. The seafood and meat are seasoned with imported specialty spices, and customers then eat the entree right off the stone.
“The advantage over regular steak houses is that every bite is nice, warm, and juicy, and customers can get it exactly the way they like it,” Justin Lanuoe said,
“People love it because of the novelty; they get to have it right in front of them,” he continued. “For gentlemen, it’s like being the master of their own barbeque. We jokingly call it aromatherapy for men.”
Other lava stone dishes are very popular among women, such as those including portabella mushrooms and seafood.
It’s still a romantic place,” Justin Lanoue said, “but now we have live bluegrass, blues, and jazz groups; often we’ll have the Eagles playing on our big home theater unit. It’s a place that couples can enjoy together.”
The restaurant features live music Fridays and Saturdays, “from folk to country and everything in between,” Justin Lanoue said.
“It appeals to a wide audience. The stage in the center hints at a sense of vibrancy, entertainment and fun. And on our built-in home theater system, we’ll show concerts of the Eagles, Il Divo, Pavarotti,” Justin Lanoue said. “Sometimes we’ll just play music and show images of southern Utah from local artists; their photography or paintings.”
All these changes may have fondue fans worried about the state of the menu, but Lava Stone Restaurant still serves all of the fondues made popular by La Soiree. They also still serve all of their specialty salads, including, Lanoue said, “a very nice avocado one, a citrus, a Caesar and a chef salad.”
The biggest changes that have taken place in the kitchen are changes in the entrees.
“People still associate us with ‘the fondue place,’” Justin Lanoue said, “But in reality, that’s only part of what we are. There’s nowhere else in Utah where you can eat a piece of steak or seafood off of a 700-degree volcanic stone.”
Customers can customize their steaks and seafood by choosing among 15 different spices and 20 dipping sauces.
In addition to their prime select cuts of steak, ocean-caught seafood, and popular fondues, the Lava Stone Restaurant also offers a variety of exotic meats, including kangaroo, alligator, ostrich, buffalo and wild boar.
“We’ve deliberately adopted technology that’s safe for families,” Justin Lanoue said. “Instead of using flames like they do at other fondue restaurants, we use magnetic induction burners, which are really safe because they only heat where the pot touches, and that heat quickly dissipates when the pot’s removed.”
“When you come to Lava Stone Restaurant,” Justin Lanoue said, “you’re paying for the novelty of the experience and also for the choice cut of seafood or meat. … If they’re looking for something different than the normal restaurant experience, they’ll definitely find it here.

The Lava Stone Restaurant is open seven nights a week at 20 North Main St., # 105.

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