Hilltop House

Saturday night we wanted to go out to eat; but we got in the car without a destination to go!\r \r Since it is the 4th of July weekend, we thought it would be unwise to go to a casino or anywhere near the Strip tonight!!!\r \r I drove North on Rancho and then I remember Hilltop House and the great food we always had there; and wondered if it was still open......\r \r Well, we drove slowly on N. Rancho, past Cheyenne and we were looking for the famous old Hilltop House signage and suddenly it popped into view, almost hidden by other businesses around it, almost swallowing up this prize in eating!!\r \r We received a nice hello and welcome and an offer to be seated in the choice or smoking or non-smoking; but we chose the cute little two person booths in the bar so that we could watch and hear what was going on there! (nosey, aren't we??? lol)\r \r The menu is small and the chef asks for patience in the preparation, for it may take awhile for all orders are prepared after each order and NOT in advance...\r \r I ordered the famous ""Pan-Fried Chicken"" with steak fries and my friend ordered the pan-fried scallops with baked potatoe and the salad bar comes with all orders and a loaf of fresh baked bread!\r \r The salad bar is small; but delicious with the normal eats plus a meat/cheese platter, pickles, cucumber salad, etc.\r \r Needless to say, the food was delicious. It was prepared the way only the Hilltop Chef knows how.....the chicken was crispy; but moist interior..and lots of it! The scallops were lightly battered and fried with NO greasy after taste! \r \r The server asked us if we wanted dessert; but I declined; but my friend ordered the chocolate cake and coffee! He said the cake was moist and very good and coffee was fresh, NOT burned or left over too long like some restaurants!\r \r Conclusion: The food was fantastic, the price was moderate for a Las Vegas eatery and we left the Hilltop House fully satisfied and definitely WILL be back soon!\r Pros: Truly great food, intimate setting, good value Cons: The only possible con is that the converted house is kind of crowded and possibly could have a bigger place for the salad bar; otherwise no complaints! more

The Hilltop House for locals is an institution. It's a place that unless you have lived in Vegas for the past 30 years you would not know existed. Hilltop House makes a great place to go for a really special occassion. Bring those you really enjoy, as the place is very intimate but old school. I recommend the steaks or the frog legs. The roughy is good but sometimes heavy on the almonds. Salad bar is no frills, but very fresh. The crowd are a little older, which is good as it adds to the charm of this nugget. more