Hillstone has a vintage feel; part of a chain of restaurants that includes Houston’s, it sits right in Faneuil Hall but is far more appealing on the exterior and the interior than many of the tourist-trap establishments surrounding it. $16 will buy you a burger, seemingly of the straight-forward variety, consisting of cheddar, tomato, lettuce and onion. It’s freshly ground Chuck on a homemade bun, and you guessed it, another Big Mac model. It makes sense, it’s a riff on the most popular burger in the world, but not as cleverly done as I’d like it to be. If you think about it, most burgers these days are different versions of the fast food model, after all that’s where it all started. But the missed opportunity here was the chance to elevate that classic burger, start with beef and add the usual condiments, but why not try to spin them in a unique direction instead of just re-hashing what we’ve already consumed a billion (trillion?) times over. But maybe that’s not the name of the game at Hillstone, it speaks to the classic look of the restaurant and they aren’t out to re-create the burger wheel. continue reading »
