Hill Top Mexican Grill

Sunday in a small town can turn dinner into a search for an unlocked door. Hill Top Mexican Grill was the only place open in the area, which settled where the meal would happen before anyone had to debate it. That kind of necessity can lower the bar. Here, it only got us through the door.

Arroz con pollo took one side of the table, carnitas street tacos the other. The first was a full-plate commitment; the tacos came topped with chopped onion and cilantro, with grilled jalapeños and onions alongside. Two different approaches to the same problem, neither pretending Sunday supper required ceremony.

Coke with the arroz con pollo, Coke with the tacos. There was something right about the repetition: no pairing strategy, no attempt to turn limited options into an occasion. The drinks kept the order direct and left the plates to make their separate cases.

Being the only open restaurant earned Hill Top the visit, but it did not earn the verdict. The food was very good, which matters more when there was nowhere else competing for the compliment. Altamont gave us one choice that Sunday, and Hill Top made it feel like we had chosen well.