Restaurant Review: Hillstone Restaurant, 1800 Montgomery St., San Francisco
by John Solaegui
Since I always invite my clients to celebrate the closing of their purchase and sale transactions with dinner at the restaurant of their choice, I am able to sample a lot of different restaurants. But when I’m out on my own or with friends, my all-time favorite is Hillstone (formerly Houston’s) for its consistently high quality food, service and ambiance. Remarkably, Hillstone is a chain restaurant, yet it feels so warm and comfortable. Reservations are highly recommended, but I’ve been known to just drop in. The big oval bar is lively and the inviting outdoor fireplace takes the chill off the San Francisco night.
For starters, I recommend the Kale Salad with fresh herbs and peanut vinaigrette dressing. For entrees, I usually have grilled fish such as the Arctic Char with one or more of the side dishes. The baked potatoes are enormous and can be augmented with butter, sour cream and chives. My partner’s favorite is the generous portioned Barbecued Pork Ribs with French Fries, which are served on an enormous platter. Be warned, if you get the ribs you will probably be taking home a doggy bag. For dessert, nothing satisfies quite like the Vanilla Ice Cream Sundae topped with whipped cream and accompanied by a big boat of Hot Fudge.
In the evening, a three-piece-band consisting: of piano, bass and percussion, plays light jazz and pop music. The dinner gets more expensive when I sit near the musicians because I like to ply them with $5 bills to play my requests.
You can’t go wrong with Hillstone.
