Last night, Eric had to work late and I had planned on getting sushi but I really wanted a martini so I figured I would go to Cherry Creek Grill. For some reason, I decided to go somewhere different so I went to Hillstone, formerly known as Houstons...also owned by the same company as Cherry Creek Grill. I know, I really ventured out there but it sounded good and I know they make good martinis! I wasn't aware but I realized once I got there that they also have a jazz trio that plays in the corner by the bar which was a nice touch. Here's the journey of my restaurant bought meal...
Here's the menu. It's not the best picture but you can also find it on their website: www.hillstone.com. It's pretty generic in topics: starters salads, entrees, sides, dessert, and this place has sushi, which the Houston's in Memphis does not. This is partially why I picked Hillstone instead of CCG last night.
Nothing crazy, just an extra dirty martini with Ketel One vodka. It was quite delicious though and definitely filled my martini craving.
I obviously need to get better at taking pictures of things before I start to eat them. This is the Thai Tuna Roll. It's probably one of my favorite rolls ever. It's a little pricey at $15 but it comes with 8 pieces and they're pretty good. It's filled with ahi tuna, avocado, and peanuts. They're wrapped in rice with sesame seeds and something that I haven't figured out yet but the dipping sauces are what make it great. There are two that come on the plate and one is spicy and the other "cooling." The process I have found that works best is to dip the roll in soy sauce and wasabi first, then dip into the other 2 sauces at the same time. They're right next to each other so you can get a bit of each and then eat the whole roll at once. I only ate 4 pieces since I had more food coming and saved the other 4 for Eric.
After my martini, I had a glass of wine. It was a Sauvignon Blanc. I don't know the brand because I didn't see the menu. I'm pretty sure they only have 2 on the menu by the glass and I ordered the one that was less fruity. I like CCG and Hillstone too because they don't pour dinky 4 oz glasses of wine. They actually give you a half glass which is nice since you are paying so much for it! The best thing about sitting at the bar is the ability to watch TV! I was lucky enough that no one cared about changing the channel so I watched the Cubs game and eventually the Playoff game as well. In the process, I met a man and his wife who are from Chicago and we talked about Derrick Rose and the Bulls and Memphis...It's always interesting to find random connections with random people.
I really need some of these sports to end!! I don't have enough TV's or eyes to keep up!!
For the entree, I ordered the Jumbo Lump Crabcakes. It usually comes with coleslaw but since I only like German Coleslaw, I got a side salad instead. The salad was refreshing. It was topped with their house vinaigrette which was good. The croutons weren't anything amazing though, so I did not eat them. The salad consisted of the lettuce mix, carrots, corn, cherry tomatoes, croutons, and dressing.
The crabcakes were fantastic! You can tell they make them in house because of how fall apart and flaky they are. There is just the right amount of breadcrumb and it isn't over fried. They sat on top of a dijon remoulade sauce, which was good but perhaps a little bland. Either that, or I just didn't get enough of it. The crabcakes were good enough that I don't feel like they even needed the remoulade though. The only critique I'd give is to add a little heat. I only ate one and brought the other one home for Eric.
So...completely forgot about pictures by this point. Not sure how that happened since I managed to take pictures of everything else but I decided it would be a great idea to gorge myself with dessert. This WAS a walnut brownie served a la mode with a champagne custard and caramel. I asked before ordering whether or not they made their desserts in house, which apparently they do. I hate when I order dessert and it comes from Aramark or some other frozen box so I was pleasantly surprised to hear they made them there. This was pretty amazing though. The brownie was the perfect amount of gooey and warm. The custard added a nice balance of unsweetness to the sweetness of the brownie and as always, being a la mode just makes every dessert better. I think next time I'll try the key lime pie. I hear it's wonderful.
So, I promise I will try to keep posting as often as possible this next week...it just may not be everyday but I will do my best!
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