I’m mourned out. When you grow up here and consistently see things from your childhood imploded or taken down to make room for a Linen ’n’ Things, where do you go for the encore? This past week, word spread that the Hilltop House, located off Rancho just north of Cheyenne, was closing after 46 years as a supper club (35 years under the Wojtowicz family). It was reported that its last day would be Sunday, and I stopped by that evening to get some frog legs to go—those famous Hilltop House frog legs. And what do you know? I pulled up at around 5:45 p.m., and there were a bunch of people reading a sign and looking dejected. The place had already closed! The sign was singularly unsentimental—no “Thanks for your business,” no “We’ll miss you,” just a note that they couldn’t open that day.
The customers who remained in the dusty parking lot looked perturbed. But I welcomed this brusque stance. Look, I’m all for championing the mom-and-pops of Vegas, but these things happen, and the Hilltop’s hard-nosed goodbye just made the whole thing go down easier. If I have to settle for my fond memories of the place anyway, why not start now? The fact the Hilltop closed a day early just saved me a day of moping on their premises. So enjoy your new chapter, Wojtowicz clan—if it’s time, it’s time.
–Michael T. Toole