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I’ve never really understood the Hillstone Restaurant Group marketing strategy, which seems to be … whatever the opposite of building brand recognition is. Houston’s, Hillstone, R+D Kitchen, Honor Bar, South Beverly Grill — these are all Hillstone-owned restaurants with very similar menus but, obviously, very different names. I guess they don’t want to be grouped in with the other chain restaurants? Regardless, the strategy seems to be working for them, and I still love Houston’s.
Houston’s is fun because it feels clubby. It feels like a classy Cheesecake Factory. Dark wood, drawn shades, martinis at the bar, capacious booths. They still have their funny “no hats” policy but I’m not sure how strictly it’s enforced. Burgers and a fried chicken sandwich are solid, the spinach and artichoke dip is the gooey mess you need it to be, and salads — the emerald kale salad in particular — are better than you’d think. But sushi might be the real power move at Houston’s. The Thai tuna roll, which is, let’s just say, nontraditional, is stuffed with fish, avocado, crunchy coconut and macadamia nuts and reminded my dining partner of a bowl of cereal. It’s surprisingly good.
