Frank Giuffrida’s Hilltop Steakhouse will forever be right at the top of my list of all-time-favorite restaurants. The sights and sounds of this place were unique: rows and rows of long wooden benches filled with patiently waiting customers, huge dining rooms named after western cities, noisy babbling crowds and country music in the background, a fenced-in front patio filled with life-size plastic cows (ok, in retrospect that was a little weird), massive steaks served with Giuffrida’s enormous signature salad. And the smells were even better!

Photo by Brian Cummings via Boston.com

It was such an integral part of this iconic, Saugus landmark that I’ll bet the ghostly sounds of the loudspeaker can still be heard… “Party of Four for Carson City, Four for Carson City”.

My father-in-law, connoisseur of all things edible, had maybe two personal favorites, steak at Hilltop and seafood at Yoken’s in Portsmouth NH. He would be devastated to know that both restaurants are now gone.

I remember Sunday afternoon treks to Hilltop with the whole family. No one ever opted out of Hilltop. Dinner first (of course) then a family convention in the parking lot while one or two of us spent an hour in the butcher shop. Both the restaurant and the butcher shop closed some time ago, but I just heard yesterday that they’re finally tearing down the building.

The memory of this place will never fade because the aroma of a perfectly grilled steak brings it rushing right back like it was yesterday. RIP Hilltop. You will never be forgotten.

The above photo is one in a series taken by Brian Cummings and published on Boston.com. They’ll bring back dramatic memories for anyone who’s ever been to Hilltop. You can see the rest here. Thanks for the memories Mr. Cummings!