Milestones — Restaurant in Hamilton

Milestones - Hamilton (Red Hill): A Saturday Night Debrief

You come off a hot field, sweating, dusty, the kind of ravenous hunger gnawing at your gut that only real exhaustion brings, after watching history play out – the Battle of Stoney Creek re-enactment. Your mouth is a desert, your throat's a parched wasteland, crying out for something cold, something real, a liquid punch to the system. That was the situation for me, visiting Edward from London, Ontario, rolling into Milestones in Hamilton's Red Hill, around 7 PM on a Saturday. The place wasn't exactly buzzing, which, frankly, always makes you wonder on a weekend night.

The exterior? Delightful and tasteful, actually. It’s got that contemporary vibe – warm wood paneling, thoughtful lighting. The bar area has well-placed TVs that keep you casually aware of the outside world without being obnoxious. It’s designed to be comfortable without trying too hard. No clunky décor or cheap tricks; it just works.

First order of business: hydration. We weren't fooling around. Two one-liter bottles of San Pellegrino. Yeah, I know the drill on restaurant markups, but after that afternoon, every cell in my body screaming for moisture, that bubbly water, poured over ice, was nothing short of a miracle. It was pure, unadulterated liquid relief, a quenching flood, a true salvation hitting the back of your throat. Every sip was a victory against the dryness.

The opening act: Wham-Bam Shrimp. Edward, a man with clear preferences, dug into it. Me? "Crispy shrimp" isn't always my thing, and the "spicy" wham-bam sauce was just "okay." The wontons were decent, though, properly crisp, and the sauce came in a separate container. I took a few bites, did my due diligence, and let Edward have the rest.

Then, the main event. This is where Milestones often delivers, where fire meets protein. Edward went for the 7 oz Sirloin. Medium. Cooked properly. That deep, dark, tell-tale char, a beautiful, almost crusty exterior that promises flavor, yielding to a satisfying blush of pink inside. It was a no-frills, dependable plate. Garlic mashed and seasonal greens.

My own choice was tough: the steak or the "1989 Burger." I landed on the burger – ground chuck and brisket, smoked bacon, cheddar, "signature sauce" on a sesame egg bun. My side, the California Spring Salad, hit the mark. The honey mustard vinaigrette? Spot on. Not a nut person, so the pecans got shunted aside. The burger itself? "Good." It had that undeniable char taste, that honest-to-God grill flavor that only real flame can deliver. But the bun. Ah, the bun. A dry, crumbly affair that just couldn't hold its own. Halfway through, I ditched the bun and went at it with a fork and knife. I'd peg that patty at about 6 ounces.

No grand dessert. Just a couple of coffees, each with a shot of Baileys poured right in. A quiet, warm end to the meal.

Now, service. Alex, our server. Started strong, efficient. And then, a classic restaurant move: the disappearance. Fifteen minutes. Sitting there, waiting for the check, eventually having to flag down another soul. That impacts the flow. You notice it.

Despite that minor hiccup, my overall take on this Milestones was good. It's not my first time here, and I've always found it reliable. Maybe not a revelation, but dependable. Especially for a Saturday night that felt a bit… subdued. We got in, we got fed, and we got out. Sometimes, that’s all you ask for when you’ve had a long day and just want to take a load...

I had a gift card kicking around so tonight we decided to go to Milestones. I'll be honest I've never really fancied this place but again a gift card was involved so my bestie and I stopped by and gave this location a try. We first ordered drinks so I just had a coke zero with lime and my bestie tried the Chai expresso martini. I was happy that my lime wedge was fresh with lots of juice when squeezed and it wasn't dried out. My bestie said she really enjoyed her martini. I ordered us the spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer. It was good but I've had better. For our mains I ordered the 1989 burger minus the bacon and my side was fries. My bestie had the California salad with salmon added. The fries were hot which I was happy about I just wasn't expecting shoe string style. They were ok but I would have preferred thicker fries. I can get shoe string fries from McDonald's... The burger was delicious. My bestie said her salad was just okay. She mentioned she could have used a bit more dressing on the salad and she wasn't a huge fan of the goat cheese but she did eat most of it. Our server was friendly but a little stand offish and very slow...She checked in once I had to call her over twice once for a refill on my drink (she never offered and she definitely saw my glass empty) and then we had to chase her down to get our bill. It wasn't that busy either. We went on aTuesday night at 7 PM and we didn't get our entrees until about 8:15pm. I found the kitchen was slow I would hate to see a busy night there. I also had to ask our server to clear the appetizer from the table. We were finished it and she didn't clear it before bringing out our entrees. I've never had that happen before. I'm not trying to be picky but I just expected more prompt service and a little bit more attention to detail from our server. My bestie and I eat out often and try new places so I mindful of our experience from start to finish. So there you have it for an overall 3...

UPDATE! By the way its been over a month and although they acknowledged my concerns and act as though they will be doing something about it; they still have not! that reference number they've asked me to provide in an email is useless!. I did that over a month ago, and still have yet to receive any response Attempted to dine in at milestones at Stone Church rd. Last evening at approx. 1030 pm. It was my daughters birthday as well as her Preference of restaurant since she said the Kelsey’s across the street was not “fancy enough” (she’s only 10 mind you). We were not greeted as we entered, nor as we waited! After standing at the front entrance for approx. 8 minutes, and seeing staff look in our direction and continue on with their duties; I decided to start the timer on my phone. While waiting, I saw a large group of people dining with children using the knives on the table to play “hairdresser” In the one of the adults hair!!!! Despite being disgusted by that, my family was still willing to dine at milestones. We waited and waited and WAITED some more!!! (15 minutes in total to be exact) and still no host to acknowledge our presence. We finally had enough of waiting and my husband decided to walk over to the bar to find someone’s attention. After my husband had found a staff working at the bar he had asked if anyone was hosting to seat new customers. The staff member replied that at this time of the night “everyone is busy running around trying to close”... (it was almost an hour and a half before close) she then hastily proceeded to walk over and attempt to seat us. I refused and told my Family that we are leaving. In my opinion, that lack of customer service was only the preamble of poor service and long wait times to come where our food was concerned. It was an end to my daughters birthday that was ruined. We Will not be going back to this...