Dining and drinking review: Hilltop Kitchen (not currently on Hilltop)

Hilltop Kitchen is currently located upstairs at 728 Pacific Avenue

Review and photos by Ted Broussard

Same Name, Different Place
One of the first places we heard about for great food and drink when we moved to the Esplanade was Hilltop Kitchen. At that time, it was located in a very non-descript brick building in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood. You had to look pretty hard to see the sign and if you missed it, you’d never guess there was a restaurant there. We did try it out a time or two and were favorably impressed but it was a bit of hike to walk there. Fast-forward to 2016 and Hilltop Kitchen lost the lease at their old place and is now temporarily housed in the upstairs area of Tacoma Cabana at 728 Pacific Avenue. The owner must have an issue with signs because there’s nothing to let you know they exist in the new location.  Their front door is actually labeled only with the letter “A” with Tacoma Cabana’s door labeled “B”. No worries if you forget, just ask the Tacoma Cabana host to point you to HK and they’ll gladly oblige.

Hilltop Kitchen was originally designed to be a neighborhood craft bar with food offerings inspired by the owner’s travels to Latin America and the American Southwest, all with a NW sensibility and a respect for fresh and seasonal ingredients. These days they describe themselves as “a collection of itinerant cooks and bartenders who are sharing our passion for fancy cocktails and delicious food wherever we can.” And boy, is downtown Tacoma lucky they are sharing it here!

The new space is dimly lit, giving a bar vibe more than a restaurant. It’s not quite as dark as El Gaucho (who by the way must be saving tons of money on electricity the way they keep that place lit) but dark enough to pull out the flashlight app to read the menu. There are several small tables, counters with stools, and high table tops around the perimeter with a couple of dark, heavy leather chairs right in the center of the space, with a pool table oddly placed in the middle of the tables. No one played pool the night we were there and the tables and counter stools filled up pretty quickly around 6. There are white sheets and red silk curtains hanging on the walls in an effort to hide unfinished sections and walls, but I can forgive that, given that this is a temporary location. I should probably even cut them some slack on the pool table, since it will not be their permanent location, but the quality of the food and drink clearly outpace the look and feel of the space.

If you’ve been on a search for the best craft cocktails downtown, search no more. Each one has a clever name and if the name doesn’t entice you, the ingredients will. On our visit we tried Gin & Juice, a refreshing blend of gin, grapefruit, amaro (an Italian herbal liqueur with a bittersweet flavor) and lime served tall on the rocks. If you prefer something sweeter with a velvety texture and killer flavor, go for the Lavender: vodka, lemon, coconut, lavender and lemon oil served up. We also found our new favorite margarita made of tequila, lime brandy, amontillado sherry, and salt water served on the rocks. No salt on the rim but the flavor will more than make up for it. The cocktails were so delicious it almost made me sad we’re such lightweights where a couple of cocktails is all we can manage in one sitting.

Hilltop Kitchen advertises as currently having a limited menu that changes weekly, but is posted on social media. We learned from the server that the owner also owns Marrow Kitchen and Bar on 6th Avenue, which in my humble opinion, is one of the best restaurants in town. On our visit the shared options included queso truffle popcorn; spicy meatballs; almonds, parmesan and a tapenade with a charcuterie plate; and a cheese board rounding out the choices. There were two pasta entrees and we tried them both. Fusilli with Mornay sauce, chipotle in adobo, crushed almonds, lemon oil and an add-on of meatballs for $4 more was our first choice, and we thought we had died and gone to heaven. The pasta is made in-house at Marrow and the meatballs are far and away the best we’ve had in recent memory -- meaty, well seasoned and flavorful. The server had described the dish as a “spicy mac and cheese” and she wasn’t far off. It was outstanding. The second dish was big hit with us as well: Cavatelli with beans, rosemary, sage, tomatoes, onion, pancetta and Parmesan with the optional meatballs again. Delicious flavor in every bite and perfect blending of spices and seasonings made this dish sing. I thought the Cavatelli pasta was just a bit too al dente for my liking at first but after learning from the server that it’s supposed to be a cross between gnocchi and pasta I relaxed and enjoyed every scrumptious bite.

Hilltop Kitchen is a winner whether they are located on the Hilltop or not. It’s not clear how long they will stay at their temporary location on Pacific Avenue but I’m hoping they find a permanent space downtown.  This is the kind of great food and drink that makes a walkable neighborhood a destination and one more reason to love living at the Esplanade.