Fish Sandwich Fridays: Hillstone

In honor of Lent and in an attempt to revive my own (lapsed) Catholicism, I will be reviewing a (loosely defined) fish sandwich each Friday from a local Houston restaurant. Sorry, Mickey D's fans: no Filet-o-Fish. Feel free to send in your suggestions even if you're not a Fish Eater with a capital F.

The Fresh Fish Sandwich at Hillstone

I decided to take it up a notch this week. While I will always enjoy the basic fried fish filet on a white-bread bun, sometimes one craves something a little more sophisticated. Just a little more. Which is why I took the advice of commenter Katie, who recommended the fish sandwich at Houston's, which, by the way, has officially changed its name to Hillstone, as the woman on the phone told me. Whatever.

I hate dining in at Hillstone (too dark and noisy), so I picked up one of its much-touted fish sandwiches to go in the early evening. The price tag ($15) made me grumble a bit, as did the fact that they initially forgot to give me any "Chef's dressing." The sandwich did, however, come with my choice of side, so I went the plain old fries. Couscous probably would have been a more fitting accompaniment, but ever since Kevin Shalin's post on his favorite fries, I've been jonesin' for greasy potatoes.

My high expectations for this fish sandwich were met, in large part: the sizeable black drum filet was tender and well-seasoned with a mix of Cajun spices. I'm happy I asked for my missing Chef's dressing, as it was not your standard tartar sauce but rather a tangier remoulade dotted with parsley and chives. One advantage of getting a sandwich to go is that the takeout containers often give you more of a condiment than is usually served on the sandwich. Such was the case with the Chef's Dressing, and I was able to smear it all over my sandwich.

Oh, and the bun. What really made Hillstone's fish sandwich stand out from others I've had recently was the fluffy egg sesame seed egg bun. Soft yet sturdy, it managed to hold together the big sandwich even after I added a few slices of avocado to it at home.

Lucky Burger's "Fish Burger" will always have a special place in my heart, but this Hillstone fish sandwich trumps them all so far with its more interesting flavors and fresher ingredients. Next week we'll see if anything can match it.

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