Kevin is anti-the term “date night.” He doesn’t think couples should need planned date nights and that they should just spend time together when they can. I don’t really care one way or the other if we have “date nights,” but when we do go out to eat, one of my favorite “date” places is Hillstone (formerly Houston’s) in Winter Park.
I love the atmosphere and the service is always top notch. Kevin first introduced it to my for my last birthday dinner almost a year ago.
The other evening Kevin and I went on a non-date night dinner there with one of our friends who had never been. Our friend Judy is always introducing us to new restaurants, so we wanted to return the favor. She is the one who first took us to The Ravenous Pig.
We started out with an order of the wood grilled artichokes, which a favorite dish of mine from any restaurant (although I really want to make the leap and try the smoked salmon one day). However, I forgot to snap a picture in all my excitement. It is truly wonderful. You get three very well seasoned artichoke halves, and you can taste the smokiness from the grill as you make your way through the leaves to the heart. It also comes with a wonderful dipping sauce. I’ve never had artichokes prepared so well or with so many flavors.
For our main courses, Judy ordered the sashimi tuna salad, which she really enjoyed.
Kevin ordered a hamburger. Hillstone has great burgers, which they grind the meat for each day, and they also have an amazing ahi tuna burger on their lunch menu.
I ordered the veggie burger, which was topped with a nice, thick slice of jack cheese. It was really good and hearty.
The burger was sweet, which went well with the egg bun. It was also massive, so I ended up eating half of it without the bun to save room in my belly.
After dinner, we walked around the area behind the restaurant, which has a dock and Adirondack chairs for people to lounge in while sipping wine and looking over the lake. Actually, one of my dad’s and step mom’s first dates was at Hillstone, and they sat on the dock and watched the sun set.
What do you think of “date nights?” Do you and your significant other have them? Kevin and I actually don’t do a lot of activities that involve just the two of us. We usually are inviting friends or family to join, so when we do something alone, I consider it a “date night” without telling him.
I agree – every once in a while it’s nice to just have a special thing that the both of you do together. My boyfriend and I are kind of the opposite – we tend to do everything together so we often call it a “date night” when we’ll actually get dressed up and go out and do something fun
Thanks so much for this review! I’ve passed this place a dozen times when driving through Winter Park but have never actually gone. Now that I’ve seen this post I’m going to have to change that
Will & I do have “date nights” but they’re usually on our little celebratory nights (like anniversaries and such)
My ex and I used to have nacho dates where we go out and have a drink and a plate of nachos. I don’t really have any issue with the term “date night”, but I do think there should be certain nights that are special and not just normal hanging out
Thank you for this review! And I agree that it is nice to have special time together. It helps to keep the relationship close
I couldn’t go a week without having some time with just the two of us! We do date nights at least a few times a month, but sometimes even just hanging out or cooking dinner together is just a special to me. But I do love when I get all dolled up : )
We ALMOST went to Hillstone on Saturday night – too funny. I love that place – for the artichoke hearts AND the BYO wine. Oh, and the gorgeous views help too!
I thought date nights were silly whenwe were first married — and then we had kids! I love having nights OUT with just my hubby. Sitting on the couch or hanging at home is just NOT the same.
The Hubs and I definitely do date nights. We are so busy that we have to literally calendar our time together. It works!
I haven’t been to Houston’s since they changed to Hillstone. Is it a similar menu?
My Kevin isn’t a fan of date nights either. He’s pretty much the least romantic man I’ve ever met, but I still love him. Someone’s got to, right?
So I definitely had to run over to your blog to make sure we weren’t dating the same Kevin, lol! I feel like I’ve said the exact same thing about my Kevin!
I think every couple is different, sometimes having a set date night is key if you’re both super busy, sometimes it sucks the romance out of the dates. I’m good with either option as long as there’s dates
Aww, parko is so gorgeous! I like the thought of having date nights! Shane and I don’t have a date on every third tuesday or anything, but every now and then we make sure to get out of the house and dress up