Bright Light Vegas
I’ll admit it, this was a novelty trip, but look at that sign. It’s a giant neon light cactus with some of the lights missing. I swayed the group to give the Hilltop Steakhouse a try and we were all pretty excited in the parking lot.
The inside was quite large, but pretty empty and had a bit of a depressed air to it. We were seated next to a pair of giant bison heads which covers a multitude of sins. Strangely, I’m actually not sure why it was so empty. The Hilltop’s food was actually pretty good.
As this blog is called Hamburger Calculus rather than Steak Calculus, I decided to get the bacon cheeseburger rather than one of the many steak options. The menu was quite meat heavy with many options including steaks of all cuts and sizes. The hamburger was located in the small sad part of the menu for those who might want chicken or something non-steak.
Hill Top Burger Platter
The Cactus Burger
I ordered the burger medium rare and it was delivered perfectly cooked. The grilled half pound patty was lightly seasoned, juicy, and with a crisp char. The standard white hamburger bun was buttered and lightly grilled. It came with a large amount of Swiss cheese, fresh leaf lettuce, tomato slices, and two slices of thick cut, smoky bacon. If anything, there was too much cheese that overwhelmed the beefy taste of the patty and the bun was a little plain. Really a top burger.
The side of onion rings weren’t quite up to accompanying the burger. These were house made but had a fairly run of the mill tempura-like batter.
The beer selection is a little on the limited side. I settled on the local Harpoon IPA which was passable for an IPA, but nothing mind-blowing. It was probably the best thing on tap, nestled among various American macros and Sam Adams.
Hilltop Steakhouse actually lived up to its glitzy neon cactus. My co-workers liked their various large steaks. I should mention that the Hilltop also has a butcher shop where they sell their own steaks and other cuts of meat. They also have a location inside Fenway Park according to their website which may actually make for a quality ballpark burger which are traditionally pretty elusive. So, when you’re on Rt.1 North of Boston, stop for the cactus, stay for the burger.
The Fourth Dimension
Verdict: Hilltop Steakhouse has a Third Dimension atmosphere, but is taking meat to the Fourth Dimension. We’ll give it to ‘em because of the cactus.
Tags: boston, hamburgers, meat, neon cactus
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