Ribs with Style

Hillstone

60 State St.

Boston, MA 02109

617-573-9777

When you want to know someone, and I mean really know someone, your best bet may very well be to go out for ribs.

Ribs come in many varieties. There are the beef ribs and pork ribs (Baby back/Memphis). There are the sauces and the rubs. There are smoked or cooked over an open flame. Reheating ribs should be outlawed….any restaurant reheating ribs does not show sufficient rib reverence.

The reason I like ribs is you can’t eat ribs with someone and not be friendly with them. While the same can be said of fried chicken and corn on the cob, there is something about sitting around a table, sleeves rolled up and elbows on the table, eating a good rib.

(I may have a predisposition for ribs: my parents dated at the Tick Tock Tavern in Cleveland, and it remains a family favorite.)

There are a number of good ribs served around Westborough. There’s Texas BBQ in Northborough, Fireflys in Marlborough, and one of our favorites is Tennessee’s BBQ in Framingham. You have your Blue Ribbon in West Newton, and your Redbones in Somerville. There’s even United BBQ in Providence. All specialize in ribs, and, with the exception of Fireflys and Redbones, tend to be small restaurants. None are great for a business meeting.

So where do you go for a great rib and have it be a little more upscale?

Enter Hillstone in Boston.

Hillstone is at 60 State St. in what I would call the walk-out basement of this high rise office building. Now, please, it is a nice walk out basement - opening onto Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Folks familiar with Boston may remember the restaurant as a Houstons.

Hillstone is a beehive of activity, with an active bar scene and large seating area. On warm days, the bar windows open up to the small patio outside, where patrons can also congregate.

The ribs are baby back style, cooked expertly to a fall-off-the-bone consistency. Served with nice coleslaw and obligatory fries, a couple can comfortably split an order after enjoying a spinach and artichoke dip appetizer.

Service is impeccable. My normally very decisive companion was vexed over a Pinot selection. “No problem, we want you happy.” Selection after selection was poured for sampling, reminding me of passing out “tastes” on a hot summer day. The choice was made after a recommendation of the server, and continued tests and ranking, demonstrating the recommendation as indeed “best.” 

Hillstone is a great place to watch people and meet someone.

Thinking to dinners I have enjoyed there, they have been a mix of romantic and business. Hillstone hits both right. You can have a quiet couples dinner or a business dinner.

Gale Sayers and I had dinner there discussing NFL Player Retirement needs and technology, and a good friend and I often find reasons to meet there to catch up.

Ribs are only part of the Hillstone story. Their menu has breadth, from sushi and salads to steak and prime rib; and their wine list is respectable, yet narrow.

So when you want to know someone better over ribs, and want to do it in a nicer setting, Hillstone is the place.

Parking is complementary nights and weekends at 60 State, or park at Dock Square and enjoy a leisurely walk through the marketplace on the way to the car.

Hillstone gets a

       Green Light – Go and enjoy

About the scale

       Green Light – Go and enjoy

       Yellow Light – Use caution

       Red Light – Save your time and money

The Author

Gary Kelley has lived in Westborough since 1994. His reviews are what he would tell friends and are not an academic analysis.