Hilltop Cafe in Wilton, New Hampshire
We went to the prettiest little place last night for dinner in Wilton…… the Hilltop Café. What a gem! For dinner service you can sit outdoors in the open air in their beautiful farmhouse backyard surrounded by the barn of Abbot Hill Creamery, lush shrubbery and a gorgeous mature maple tree. We sure did pick the right evening for our reservation because the weather was perfect and so incredibly comfortable.
Such an incredibly lovely rural place, and we are so lucky to have little country spots like this in NH.
Appetizer: A Favorite of the Meal
My favorite thing we had was the Beer Battered Chile Relleno Popper for the appetizer. The fire-roasted poblano chile was large and amazingly delicious and stuffed with jalapeno cream cheese. The housemade salsa verde was loaded with cilantro and lime and was just so fresh and flavorful. Delicious!
And no, for the appetizer we opted not to get the Abbot Hill cheeseboard. As a cheesemonger, my whole life is a cheeseboard and sometimes I just gotta take a break from cheese. I would much rather have a chile relleno than a cheeseboard any day, no question.
Dinner Menu Entrees
At Hilltop Cafe, they have four dinner entrees to choose from, along with a burger/sandwich section. Dave chose the Stock Yard Burger ($22) which has Abbot Hill Cheddar, Cob Smoked Bacon, Carmelized Onion, and Tomato, along with a side of organic twice roasted garlic potato wedges. The burger itself tasted fantastic. The bun, however, was kind of a problem. At the time the burger arrived at the table, it was already very soggy on the bottom. And as the meal went on, the burger bun continued to become more and more wet, and just conpletely fell apart. So while the bread tasted very good, it didn’t do its job as a vessel for the burger.
My entree choice was the Haddock Beurre Blanc ($34). This dish also comes with the option for sirloin instead of the haddock. The Beurre Blanc is a a classic French hot butter sauce made with a reduction of white wine, vinegar, and scented with minced shallots, lemon, and white pepper, and suspended in butter and fresh cream.
This sauce was incredibly light and delicately flavored. I mean so light that I barely noticed it was there. The haddock was flaky and light, and although it was perfect for such a beautiful summer evening, I was kinda wishing with every bite that I had gotten the Fajitas Platter instead. Especially after how amazing that chile relleno was!
Hilltop Cafe only does dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings, and they do require reservations. They have a small number of tables, a small kitchen and a small staff. Enjoy this hidden gem on a lovely summer evening—believe it or not, summer is already over halfway done!
Hilltop Cafe
195 Issac Frye Hwy
Wilton, New Hampshire
HIDDEN GEM RESTAURANTS
New Hampshire Food Photography
Erika Follansbee is a published Goffstown, NH food photographer whose job is to make food look amazing. She is available for hire to help small restaurants and cafes to create beautiful images of their dishes to use for marketing, websites, and social media. Magazine-quality food images are the best form of advertisement.
Erika is also a wedding photographer. Visit www.erikafollansbee.com for more information.
