Hillstone

Reviews 4

JO

Joseph Angelo

A great thing about San Francisco is that the city has a wide variety of places to Drink, Dine, and Socialize, meaning that no establishment needs to satisfy everyone nor every need. In the case of Hillstone it became the host for my office teams self reward for accomplishing several goals, and No We Did Not Sandbag On Expectations So Goals Could Be Reached :) So with a party of 8, and some Petty Cash, 1/2 of our team headed out to make the journey from the South of Market to the Embarcadero and the environs of Levi Plaza. With our office located next to a busy hotel, and the Giants playing away getting a cab just before Noon was a snap, though we had to give the driver the exact address of 1800 Montgomery so he could figure out the route via the navigation system. It was an easy ride, but 4 of us got delayed due to a conference call, and those of us at Hillstone had to wait to be seated since the host would not seat our party unless more then 1/2 the party was there (4 is less then the needed 5 when you have 8). The positive of waiting was that I could check out all the Taxis roll up, and drop off customers many of which were wearing office/ dress jackets though few ties for lunch, Yup, good sign this is a good place for expense account lunches, and dinners. The space has a rich feeling due to how, woods, metals and stone are used, it is fitted with a large oval bar with hanging video screens so the game of the day might be watched for those that want to interact but may not feel the need to talk, and the dinning area is set with booth seating that is best for parties of 4 - 6. Okay, so after about 15 minutes or so of waiting the balance of the party arrived, and with an extra chair added to the table our group was seated. This was work, and lunch but we still covered a good portion of the menu, with the first easy recommendation being the Spinach Artichoke Dip, which the table started with. This was not only very tasty. but even with 8 of us this was a generous serving. Now to be fair I think that this is a great place if you are on an expense account, or if you are in the area, and just wanting a nice meal with a slightly upscale experience where price is not a huge issue. But that said, they have some nice beverages On Tap, and the dishes we had were all good, from the Burgers (including Veggie), Sandwiches like the French Dip (though the dip was just okay and did not taste like it was made from scratch), Salads, and Entrees with the Shrimp, Rib-Eye, Chicken, Barbecue, Prime Rib all getting good reviews. The only thing that seemed lacking other then the value were the House-Cut French Fries that reminded me of Potato Sticks. So in short, Hillstone is a good choice if you have no issue paying a premium or if you are not footing the bill, and want a nice semi dressed place to meet a client or just have a nice meal.

GE

Gene N

With so many choices to pick from in the city, we just picked this simply because it looked like a nice place. Right on the Embarcadero, it set a nice mood for the evening. The restaurant itself was modern and oozed out some class, but not too much to a point that you felt underdressed if you werent in a suit and tie. Im sure many tourist also frequent the place as seen by several families we saw dining at the time. The lighting was very dim. It does assist in setting the mood properly for a date night. Some may consider it too dark, but it didnt bother myself or my wife. I had the Prime Rib, and my wife had the steak and fries. My prime rib was requested medium and it came out just right. It was a nice thick cut. Definitely more than enough leaving me so full at the end of the night. Mind you this is without any appetizers or bread which they do NOT provide if you were wondering. So NO, if you were wondering, there is no complimentary bread. My prime rib came with a fully loaded baked potato and a side of horseradish sauce. The potato was ok, nothing spectacular, but everything you expect it to be. Overall the prime rib was good. Would I recommend it over House of Prime rib? I forgot the price of the prime rib here, but I know it was around the same price as a smaller cut at the House if Prime rib. So if you want a bigger cut for same/similar price you cant go wrong here. But all the additions at the "House" may consider that to be the go to place. I did fully enjoy my prime rib here and would get it again. My wife ordered her steak medium well and it came out just as it should. It was tender and very tasty. They had a marinate on it that really was evident with each bite. Overall, we had a splendid time here. The staff was very nice and the food was good. It wasnt mind blowing good, but I had no issues with my experience. Your in a prime location in the city, nice dining atmosphere, and good food. Cant go wrong, and didnt during our time here.

SH

Sherry Li

Ive never had a bad experience at a Houstons chain, and last night, my parents and I had an amazing dinner at Hillstone! Heres what we loved: 1. No corkage fee for 2 bottles for 3 people. Im guessing the number of complimentary corkages depends on how many people in your party, but 2 bottles for 3-4 people is plenty! Hillstone also has a pretty decent wine list themselves, so theres really no reason to bring your own bottle if you didnt have one in mind. 2. Kale salad. Im not a huge fan of kale, but this salad was delicious! There wasnt much of the bitterness of the kale because of the cilantro and light dressing. The salad was a pretty good portion, but didnt fill us up before our entrees came. The peanuts added a nice crunch to it. 3. Awesome steak! My dad had the prime rib, which was so tender that I couldnt believe it was beef. I got the hawaiian ribeye which was wonderfully marinated and had just the right amount of fat for my liking. The meat was also really tender and flavorful. Both steaks went wonderfully with a bottle of Chalk Hill blend that we brought. It was one of the best food and wine pairings Ive had. 4. Portion size. You will not go hungry at Hillstone! My moms steak salad was humongous and she couldnt finish it. No matter what you order, you will get a hearty portion. But the portions arent so big that you feel like a pig. The steaks were a good size and I was able to down 2 glasses of wine with mine. Go to Hillstone for a solid delicious meal. You can safely pick this restaurant knowing there will be good food, with plenty of options for everybody. The quality of food and service is always consistent and something you can count on.

NI

Nikolai Hedler

Service was frazzled, and it took more than an hour to finally order the main meal (drinks came fairly promptly, appetizers came out after a while, and then we sat around joking about stacking our empty water glasses for a half hour). The ribeyes are pre-cut (!!!), and - although this is not mentioned on the menu - theyre covered in coffee grounds (!!!!!). We refused to eat them and sent ours back, and instead got the (previously unavailable?) prime rib (itll be out in 30 seconds! Those were the longest 30 seconds Ive ever lived; my phone said it was a half hour!). When it finally came, the prime rib was amazing; a huge slab of meat that couldnt have been less than 2 pounds, still on the bone, and bright red and juicy. After all of the nonsense, the whole dinner was comped, including free desserts, which was greatly appreciated; aside from the wait, the dinner we finally ate was well worth the price, but the frankly unbelievable steak and the very long wait times, in addition to the confused or overworked service staff, actually led me to wonder if we were being pranked. Based on our experience there, I cant recommend this restaurant, at least during busy times. P.S.: the live "jazz" combo was decent, but their choice of repertoire was at times excellent and sometimes quite strange.