Get Your Fill at Hill Station’s Summery Patio

A nice thing about late June is the longer days that stretch socializing-without-illumination deep into the evening hours. A frustrating thing about this past June, though, was the unrelenting heat wave. What to do when you have a review to write for AY’s June Patio Bucket List, but the thought of eating outside makes your spouse apoplectic?

 

You grab a snack, then push back those dinner hours until past 8 p.m., when the day’s desert-level heat melts into light evening breezes. And you take yourself to the relaxing patio at Little Rock’s Hill Station, which stays open ’til 10 p.m. And you enjoy the heck out of your smart decision.

Hill Station opened in early 2020. Its patio spreads over most of the length of a Hillcrest block and has proven a welcome gathering space and watering hole for people seeking open-air socializing and refreshment. If it’s open, and it’s not raining, there are likely a good number of folks enjoying themselves outside. The restaurant has indoor dining as well with a large, prominent bar, and a second bar just for the patio. But the patio’s the main thing.

 

 

Hillcrest residents, almost by definition, love to walk their dogs along Kavanaugh Boulevard. It’s like a rule: move to Hillcrest, acquire an adorable dog of any sort, then take it for walkies. And a wonderful thing about Hill Station is they welcome furry friends to the enclosed patio, providing a water pump and dog bowls to give your good boy a cool drink.

 

Speaking of drinks, Hill Station has plenty of exciting options. Buncha beers on tap, including the standards, local brews and interesting crafts and ciders. The wine list also doesn’t disappoint. But my eyes went straight to their cocktail menu. Standouts included a pineapple jalapeño margarita, a blackberry buckshot sour, a strawberry rum mule, a Royal 75 (which is a classic French 75 made with Empress Gin to royal it up), and frozen Tito’s pink lemonade. There’s also a Tito’s cherry limeade made with “boozy cherries,” which sounds awesome, and not a bad roller derby team name. But I went for the Hill Glow, a summery blend of limoncello, Giffard raspberry liqueur, Frizzenti sparkling wine, fresh mint and raspberries, served in a coupe cocktail glass. It was as light and effervescent as it sounds, and did have a certain glow to it
(which transferred to my cheeks).

 

We ordered the “covered spuds” from the starters menu and “pan-fired chicken” from the entrees menu. My husband ordered the spuds – a massive, shareable pile (dare I say “hill”?) of fries topped with H.A.M. bacon (Hillcrest Artisan Meats), cheese curds, cheddar, red onion, fresh jalapeños and ranch dressing. Delicious, especially the bacon and cheese curds.

 

I tried to order the “Super Bowl,” which sounded fantastic, but they had just sold out. Had I been able to, I would have been dining on a bowl of tomato confit, local mushrooms, garbanzo beans, sautéed shallots, quinoa, sorrel, fried chèvre and pistachios. Alas, I’ll have to come back.

 

On our server’s recommendation, I instead ordered the chicken. She brought me a plate of comfort food: airline chicken (if you don’t know, that’s a boneless breast with the drumlette attached), served over local rice from Ralston Farms, Wye Mountain mushrooms, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, and crispy prosciutto with flavors of garlic, basil and rosemary, and a delicate garnish of microgreens. Mighty fancy food for eating in metal lawn chairs, but no complaints here.

 

The entire flip side of the menu is dedicated to Hill Station’s soda fountain. Yes, really! They have eight flavors of ice cream, sundaes and milkshakes, plus sweet baked treats like brownies, cookies and fried pies. Besides classic milkshakes, including upgraded versions like “Cereal Killer” (a chocolate malt with Cocoa Crispies) and salted caramel, they also offer boozy versions “for the grown-ups.”

 

I was awfully drawn to ordering their ice-cream version of a Brandy Alexander (cognac, creme de cacao, vanilla ice cream and nutmeg), but we instead decided to keep it simple and split a hot fudge sundae. It arrived looking smaller than expected, which is to say, just right. So many places give you a full pint of ice cream in a sundae and just heaps of toppings. 5,000-calorie concoctions. This was simple ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream and sprinkles, but with delicious caramel drizzle and pecan halves for crunch. See? It’s rich enough, already. And splitting it was all we could manage after our dinner.

 

So, two thumbs up. Whether you’re after beer and cheese fries, crafty cocktails, a casually elegant meal, or just a simple waffle cone to enjoy while the pup hydrates, you won’t find a better place than Hill Station to get your fill.

 

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