Don't let the new menu and name fool you, Houston's (aka Hillstone - even though I will never call it that) is a staple chain restaurant you can always count on. There are two in the city, one in Midtown near my office and the other in Murray Hill near my apartment - coincidence? I think not. There are always waits for lunch and dinner and the menu stays the same throughout the day. Why is it so good you may ask? I don't have the answer for you, but it could be that they inject thousands of calories into each of their menu items to make them delicious. That's why they changed their name to Hillstone in the first place. They didn't want to abide by the new NYC rule of calorie posting on the menu. While it doesn't stop me from eating a 270 calorie serving of McDonald's french fries, or a 500 calorie Crumbs cupcake, I'm sure some people with more restraint have really changed their eating habits.
I went to Houston's last night to meet an old friend of mine (and new reader of my blog!) because not only do they have a new name and menu - they have a new BYO policy! That is - there isn't one. Bring your own bottle of wine or two and there is NO corkage fee. Sounds pretty incredible for a restaurant like Houston's right? BYO is one of the best things about a restaurant but usually the food is just okay and perfect for a night out, but now you can have great food with your own bottle of great wine too!
It doesn't make your meal that much cheaper - beware. Houston's is pretty pricey compared to it's New Orleans or Atlanta counterparts down south. Where the veggie burger is $14 dollars in NYC, it's only around $10 elsewhere. And I was pretty shocked when I saw their amazing spinach dip with the 13 dollar price tag. Even though I'm a Houston's frequent visitor, I have to admit that it usually goes on the company credit card.
They've also changed the menu quite a bit! They no longer have the original seared tuna salad and have changed it to a vegetable medley with tuna on the side. And they've added a ton of sushi to the menu and changed up the sides. I can't complain that much because they do still have the fall off the bone ribs, the chicken salad with peanut dressing, the veggie burger and their amazing skinny fries and honey mustard dressing. With their new BYO policy, I'll still be waiting at the bar for my spinach and artichoke dip and more. 
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