Hilltop Restaurant

Having gone to the Houghton area many times in the past, I am surprised I never stopped at the Hilltop. My dad used to bring us back those giant cinnamon rolls when we were little filled with the apple in the middle and I remember it being such a treat. Now that our camp in Michigamme has been re-built, we are a pretty quick drive away, which is exactly why we decided one night to take a random trip to L'Anse just to eat here.

The size of the rolls that you get with your dinner are huge. I have pretty small hands as it is, but I'm pretty sure if I tried to put it in the palm of my hand, that it would take two hands to completely cover the roll (maybe more). Not only are they giant, but they are baked fresh and served to you piping hot. The outside has a slight crunch to it, but the inside is soft like a pillow.

My husband ordered the house ribs with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Real mashed potatoes I should add, still with a few clumps here and there which is how I like them. The gravy on his mashed potatoes was pretty good, even for non-gravy lovers such as myself. The house ribs smothered in barbecue sauce put the "almost famous" ribs from Up North Lodge (which used to be my favorite ribs in the UP) to SHAME. They were fall of the bone fork tender.

I ordered the homemade layered meatloaf for dinner. The homemade meatloaf patty sits on top a pile of mashed potatoes. Neither are really visible or recognizable because loaded on top is sauteed mushrooms, homemade gravy, shredded cheese and a mound of onion rings. The combination of all of those sounds like something I would create at home when I had a hankering for four different things and couldn't decide, so they all get put together. It sounds on the weird side but it goes together perfectly.

For dessert we wanted to share a piece of the peanut butter pie. Instead of just bringing us two forks, they brought us each a half slice on separate plates with the pretty chocolate drizzle on top. What they consider a half slice was huge.

I ended up taking 3/4 of my dinner home, half of my pie, and half of my bun. When you order a dinner, you also get the soup and salad bar. If you are hungry and feel like you could eat a Buick, this is the restaurant to go to. The food is homemade and comforting, and is a massive portion per person. Our waitress was cheerful and engaging and gave us helpful hints of what to order when we couldn't decide between different options. Make sure you order a cinnamon roll to go by the register before you leave, or if you forget to, you can always order them online off of their website!

Hilltop Restaurant, Main Site
Hilltop's Facebook Page

Rock Inn Mountain Tavern

The final post for places we ate while on vacation in Estes Park, Colorado is definitely saving the best for last. The Rock Inn was my absolute favorite restaurant in Estes Park. The hostess that greeted us was unbelievably nice, and made small talk and asked if we had a favorite table (even though I could tell by the look on her face that she knew by our accents that we weren't from around here). Our waiter was not only helpful, but bent down while talking to us which you don't see often, and made us feel like people who were regulars and ate their all of the time. The decor was gorgeous. It felt like we were in the middle of the mountains somewhere in a cozy lodge.

I didn't feel like an alcoholic beverage or soda, and water was too boring so I decided to get fancy and order the French press coffee. It was some of the best coffee I have had in years.  My husband, who is a tea person, also said it was delicious coffee.

For an appetizer we ordered the "Devils on horseback", which were dates stuffed with roasted garlic, and wrapped in bacon served with a fresh aioli. The only bad thing I have to say about these are that there weren't enough on the plate! The garlic and dates were so creamy, and the bacon had a perfect crunch on the outside.

My husband ordered the bacon wrapped meatloaf. The meatloaf was very moist and served with a garlic mushroom gravy on top. He also had a side of red potatoes and a carrot salad.

And now, for the best dish that I have had in months, and the best steak I have had in YEARS, is my main course. I ordered the Filet Mignon, bistro style which was peppercorn crusted and served in a port wine sauce. I also had the carrot salad on the side, and ordered mine with creamy polenta. The plate, taste aside, was gorgeous. Mine was cooked to a perfect medium rare and the slices were fanned out. The port wine sauce was rich and creamy and went perfectly with the hot peppercorns. It was definitely not one of the cheaper items on the menu, but sometimes you just have to treat yourself to something decadent.

I highly, highly recommend this restaurant if you are in Estes Park. We ate here on a Saturday and they even had live music. I wish I would have figured out the singer's name so that I could give her recognition on here because her voice was beautiful. The food is to die for, the staff makes you feel like family. If I could pick this restaurant up and bring it back to the Upper Peninsula I would.

Rock Inn, Main Site
Rock Inn, Facebook Page

Bob and Tony's Pizza

While in Estes Park, Colorado and walking around down town looking in all of the shops, it happened to be lunch time and my husband and I couldn't figure out what restaurant this amazing garlic-y smell was coming from. After about 5 minutes of walking around, letting our noses lead the way, we came across Bob and Tony's Pizza.

We grabbed two menu's and picked out the table that was closest to the door, but had actual armchairs to sit in. While picking out what we wanted from the menu, we watched a few people walk in the door and have the same reaction we did. We all pulled the door open, stood there for a minute and just smelled the air coming out of the restaurant. It is enough to make your mouth water.

For an appetizer we ordered the cheese bread. Description wise, it was a pretty standard cheesy bread. Crispy toasted garlic bread, strong but not over powering garlic flavor, and lots of melted cheese and Italian herbs. Very good.

Instead of picking one of the pizza flavor combinations from the menu, we decided to make our own. We ordered a small pizza with white pizza sauce (like an Alfredo butter sauce), with garlic, basil, spinach and pepperoni. The combination was amazing. I love spinach and garlic on pizzas but throwing the pepperoni and basil in there brought it over the top. We both had about two pieces and brought the rest to devour in our hotel room as we needed a quick snack. The best part? It was even better cold.

Bob and Tony's Facebook Page
Bob and Tony's Pizza, Main Site