If you’re wondering where everyone in Downtown Santa Monica is at 8pm on a Tuesday, the answer is Hillstone. Yes, the upscale chain restaurant, with locations across 13 states, is the place to be for business dinners, seeing the in-laws, or rolling up your sleeves with an ice-cold martini and gooey spinach-artichoke dip. The air inside smells like tortilla chips and the overhead lighting is less than flattering, but none of that matters when you show up to the giant, two-story space for a reliably wholesome evening in a giant red booth. This moody American spot isn’t necessarily the best at any one thing, except maybe consistency. The service is fantastic, the crisp caesar comes on a chilled plate, and the juicy french dip is served on a roll baked in-house. Use Hillstone whenever you want a dim room, a good cocktail, and an enjoyable meal that plays out exactly the same way it did a dozen or so times before.