On our way to the restaurant, I tried to call to reserve a table. However, no one picked up and I soon understood why. Even at almost 3 p.m. on a Wednesday, the place was packed.

We were told the wait for a table would be about 40 minutes, so instead, we decided to grab seats at the bar.

Once seated, the bartender provided us with folded cloth napkins and menus.

I noticed the menu said hot towels could be provided upon request. When I asked the bartender about it, she gave us steaming towels for our hands.

I thought this was a nice touch, especially on a chilly NYC day.

For an appetizer, we ordered the spinach and artichoke dip ($23), which came with salsa, sour cream, and warm tortilla chips.

The dip was salty and had generous amounts of spinach and melty cheese. The salsa was my mom's favorite, and I loved that just as we dwindled down to the last few chips, a server came by with a fresh refill.

My mom and I wanted to try Hillstone's beef, but we didn't necessarily want to have steak in the middle of the afternoon.

So, we decided to share the French dip ($33), made with USDA Prime beef. The sandwich was served alongside a mountain of thin-cut fries that were crispy and well-seasoned, and a bowl of horseradish cream.

We were also given an empty bowl, which confused us at first. However, the bartender filled it with au jus from a small, elegant jug.

The steak was pink, tender, and lightly seasoned, and the bread was nice and soft. It melted away along with the beef after heavy-handed dips in the accompanying sauces.

Overall, the sandwich was so good that my mom and I almost forgot about the fries.

When I visited Hillstone years ago, I ordered a delicious warm brownie ($15) with ice cream. I was excited to see that it was still on the menu during my visit, and knew I had to order it.

Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, the brownie was warm, covered in a decadent caramel sauce, and sprinkled with salty walnuts and peanuts.

Even though we were getting full, my mom and I finished the entire dessert.

After our meal, I wondered why I hadn't returned to Hillstone sooner. The food was excellent, the service was attentive, and we felt like we got great value for our money.

Our bill came out to $77.30 with tax and before tip. Although this price may be a little high for a casual lunch, it felt right for a nice, tasteful meal. The food was easy to share, the dining room was classy, and the menu had a little bit for everyone.

It feels like the type of place you'd go to for an anniversary dinner or special occasion — just be sure to make a reservation in advance.

The one item I always add to my cart is grated Mitica Parmigiano Reggiano. The Whole Foods product costs $26 a pound, but it's worth it.

It's an imported dream of beautiful, crystalized, salty cheese that adds creaminess and complexity to my pastas, soups, and roasted vegetables.

I like the grated version because it's ready to use whenever I need it.

I love 365's three packs of peppers for stir-fries, crudités, and frittatas.

I can order an assorted pack of three for $5 (less than $2 a pepper), which is great when I'm on a budget.

I use a lot of cilantro, but unfortunately, herbs can be expensive.

Luckily, the fresh cilantro bunches from Whole Foods are generously sized and super flavorful. A regular bunch is $1, and an organic one is $2.

I can usually make one bunch last a few days between cooking for my clients and my family.

I prefer buying meat from a butcher, but sometimes, I just don't have the time.

I'm actually very happy with the quality of Whole Foods' organic chicken. It's flavorful and cooks up tender and juicy.

I love getting skin-on thighs for grilled tandoori chicken or any one-pot dishes that call for crispy skin.

At $6 a pound, the price also feels reasonable to me.

Organic carrots with their tops on are my go-to for dinner-party crudités. They also go great on a pan of roasted veggies.

The $3 bunch of carrots cooks up beautifully, and the array of purple, orange, and yellow hues impresses kids and adults alike.

Many of my clients request different types of tacos throughout the week, so I always make sure to order good tortillas to elevate the flavors.

Vita Hermosa tortillas aren't available everywhere, but when I order via Amazon, they're usually in stock at Whole Foods.

I get an eight-pack for about $6.

This might seem random, but not many stores carry pre-roasted frozen corn.

I love adding 365's $3.70 pack of fire-roasted corn to my cart when I'm shopping online. I'll toss the kernels in salads, pile them on top of my tacos, or even add them to soups.

The first croissants I tried were from Key Food, an NYC-based chain with locations across the East Coast. A pack of four was $4.99, or about $1.25 each, which is a great deal.

The croissants were huge — easily the biggest I bought or saw at any store.

They were also slightly flat, with a pale golden-brown color.

The Key Food croissant hardly had any lamination — thin layers created by folding butter into the dough.

There weren't many distinct layers, and it didn't have the crispy, airy texture I expect from a croissant.

Trader Joe's croissants are regulars in my shopping rotation because I frequent the chain a lot.

The store sells a three-pack for $3.99, or about $1.33 each. I think that's a great price for the quality.

The croissants were medium-sized and had a nice golden-brown color.

Trader Joe's pastries have a lovely buttery texture and slightly more lift and airiness than the Key Food ones.

However, they still lack the crackly, messy quality that is so identifiable when it comes to croissants.

I enjoy these from time to time with just some jam, but they're not the crème de la crème.

The last croissants I tried were from Whole Foods, where a pack of four cost $7.49, or $1.87 apiece.

Despite being the most expensive of the bunch, they were absolutely worth it.

The croissants were the perfect size — exactly as big as my hand — and had nice domed tops that gave me a peek at the layers underneath. The deep-brown exterior was also tantalizing.

When I bit into the beautifully layered croissant from Whole Foods, I truly felt like I was eating a pastry, not just a piece of bread.

The flavor had a nice butteriness, but there was still that nice, slightly sour taste from the yeast.

Whole Foods was my clear and obvious winner. I'd rather have a nice pastry that's so good I'm guaranteed to eat the whole thing than opt for a cheaper version that's unsatisfying.

Without a doubt, I'll be returning to Whole Foods' bakery section for the four-pack. On weeks when I'm on a tighter budget, though, Trader Joe's pack of three is my runner-up.

With other, better options available, I don't think I'd buy the Key Food croissants again.

I always get milk for the house, and no matter where I shop, it has to be organic.

A half-gallon carton was $4.39 at Whole Foods, which isn't too far off from the $4.29 I usually spend at Trader Joe's.

Some sort of fruit makes it into my basket on every grocery trip, and when the weather cools off, it's usually citrus.

A bag of mandarins at Whole Foods cost a whopping $6.49, but luckily, I got it on sale for $4.99.

Unfortunately, that's still quite a bit more than the $3.49 bags I usually get at Trader Joe's. I balked at the $3 difference of the regularly priced oranges.

Avocados go quickly in my house, which is tough because they can be pricey.

At Trader Joe's, a bag of six organic avocados costs me $4.49, or about $0.75 apiece. At Whole Foods, however, they were $4.99 for four, or $1.25 each.

I can't justify that price difference, especially considering that the fruit tends to go bad quickly, making it hard to use it all up.

Seaweed packs are an essential part of our snack arsenal.

I get individual packs for $0.99 at Trader Joe's, so I was shocked to see the same-sized packs go for $2.99 at Whole Foods.

I like buying the 1-pound bags of organic brown rice and quinoa fusilli at Trader Joe's for $3.49. They're a great gluten-free starch option for any given week.

The only gluten-free pasta option I found at Whole Foods was a half-pound box of organic chickpea shells for $3.19. That's almost double the price I pay at Trader Joe's.

I love picking up a block of cheese for the week for snacking, grilled-cheese sandwiches, and eggs.

My block of choice is the Trader Joe's store-brand truffle cheese. It comes from Italy, isn't too truffley, and costs $13.99 a pound.

I found a similar store-brand truffle option at Whole Foods. Though the block I picked up was similarly priced to what I tend to get at Trader Joe's, this one went for $22.99 a pound, so it was quite a bit smaller than I'm used to.

Plus, I like the taste of the Trader Joe's brand more.

I make stir-fried tofu at least once a week. It's a reliable protein source I know the whole family will eat.

A block of Whole Foods organic firm tofu cost me $2.29 — a jump from the $1.99 pack I typically get at Trader Joe's.

I buy breaded chicken cutlets when I don't have time to prepare them at home. It's easy to crisp them up in my air fryer for lunchboxes and salads, so I'm happy to spend $8.99 for nearly 2 pounds of frozen tenders at Trader Joe's.

At Whole Foods, all I could find was a less-than-1-pound bag for $11.99.

It was a name-brand offering made with a cauliflower coating, so I'm not that surprised it was pricier than a standard store-brand option. I also enjoyed that it was gluten-free, and the meat was a little juicier than my usual Trader Joe's bag.

Still, I'm not sure I'd spend that much again.

Garbanzo beans are another trusted source of protein in my house — my daughter will eat them just rinsed out of the can. I also like to get them crispy in a pan with seasonings and some oil.

The $1.39 can of organic chickpeas at Whole Foods was more expensive than I expected, especially since I get the same thing for $1.09 at Trader Joe's.

I like having tortillas on hand so I can quickly make cheese quesadillas or breakfast tacos.

Trader Joe's sells a store-brand pack of eight tortillas for $1.99, or $0.24 a tortilla.

The 10-pack I found at Whole Foods from the Vista Hermosa brand was staggeringly more expensive at $4.59, or about $2 apiece. But the quality of the name-brand bag was noticeably better, and I'd buy them again if I had room to splurge.

I stock up on butter each week because I love baking and spreading it on toast.

A pound of unsalted organic was $6.29 at Trader Joe's and $7.39 at Whole Foods. I found them to taste virtually the same, so the $1.10 difference isn't worth it for me.

Mini cucumbers are another must-have in our fridge. My daughter loves snacking on them, and I like them as an addition to any meal.

At Trader Joe's, a pack is usually $2.49, and the same size pack at Whole Foods was $2.99.

The $0.50 jump isn't that much, but again, Whole Foods' consistently higher prices add up.

I couldn't help chuckling as I walked out of Whole Foods with my $60 haul — the price differences were that staggering.

The same list of groceries would cost me only $48 at Trader Joe's, and I would've been able to grab the frozen dumplings and chocolate-covered pretzels I like without breaking my budget (those items at Whole Foods were too expensive for me to include on this trip).

Plus, that price difference doesn't even take value into account. I got considerably less food at Whole Foods, largely because many of my items cost more for noticeably less product.

To be fair, some basic items were fairly close in price, and this was ultimately only comparing one list on one specific shopping trip. The things you buy every week may be a different story.

There are even a couple of higher-quality items I'd go back to Whole Foods for every once in a while. For a casual essentials run, however, Trader Joe's is still much more economical for my family.