Hiltop Grill

I've been to the Hilltop a number of times since moving to Fredericton, and so will write about it generally rather than one particular time. I've always thought of the Hilltop as something of a Fredericton institution-we've brought visitors and out-of-town co-workers there for brunch or lunch on numerous occasions. They have a really neat décor, friendly staff, and not-unreasonable prices for breakfast/brunch. It's a shame about the food though. See, the thing is, I keep ordering something different every time I go to the Hilltop, hoping to eventually eat something that helps me understand just why this place is an institution. I started by trying diner staples like Philly cheese steaks-these sorts of things were ok, but not on their own worthy of returning as often as I did. Then, eventually I decided to try their well-known Chinese lunch buffet; this must be what everyone comes here for, I thought. Well, I certainly hope not-I found the variety sorely lacking and the food unenjoyable. Breakfast/brunch is better. They typically do a nice eggs benny and their different breakfast plates are good. I can't recall their prices exactly, but I believe they were pretty reasonable. The one note I'd like to attach is that I have fond memories of the nachos here from when we passed through once in my childhood, and have been told that the nachos are still great. I've yet to try them in recent memory, but I'll update if I do. Overall, you could come to the Hilltop for a nice atmosphere, and super friendly service, in a bit of a Freddy institution. I would recommend that, if you do, you come for breakfast/brunch (and be prepared for a line!) since it's squarely better than lunch. If you do come for lunch, you might try the nachos; if you find something else good, please send me a message or comment on this post and let me know!

Blue Door

I was recently treated to lunch at the Blue Door by a family member. I hadn't been there before myself, but was under the general impression of the place as being sort of ritzy and expensive. That impression turned out more or less correct-the décor is nice, but not necessarily fancy, just classy. The prices, on the other hand, are rather expensive-everything on the lunch menu runs in the $10-20 range, with a tendency towards the top of that scale. The both of us settled on the $15 Blue Door burger. The menu does a good job of gushing about a variety of local and high quality ingredients in the burger (and all of the menu items), and this was what really got my attention. It came with fries and a giant knife stuck through it so you could cut it-a messy job indeed. The burger didn't hold together super well, but it did taste very good. I couldn't really distinguish any of the individual, high quality ingredients I was excited about-the cheese didn't stand out, nor did the sauce-but the whole thing was enjoyable; probably not Fredericton's best burger, but definitely up near the top. The dessert menu ran in the $8 range if I recall correctly, and I'm told it tends to vary. I liked the way in which the menu was divided-a chocolate dessert, a cheesecake dessert, and a cardamom dessert-but found the layout confusing, as descriptions of the dishes weren't really kept separate from the names. I wound up choosing a foam blueberry cheesecake with toffee crumble. I didn't fully appreciate what was meant by the description until it came in a bowl of whipped cheesecake innards and blueberries. To be sure, the individual ingredients were tasty (particularly the toffee) but I wouldn't order a foam cheesecake again-it just lacked the texture. Overall, it was an enjoyable meal and a good place to bring someone if you're looking for something classy, and willing to pay for it.