Hill Country BBQ
30 West 26th St
New York, NY 10010
The Setup: My mom, sister and I went to NYC for the weekend to visit my brother and sister-in-law, who live there. Some of my cousins came up for the day too, so we decided to have a nice lunch before setting out to see the sights. We had a total of 9 people for lunch on a Saturday, and my sister-in-law Kate found a place called Hill Country BBQ for us to try.
The Experience: Walking into Hill Country BBQ, the first thing I noticed was how big the space was. Most of the restaurants I've been to in NYC (actually - almost everything in NYC in general!) is usually small and a little cramped, but Hill Country had two levels, and there was plenty of open space on both. Hill Country dubs themselves as a "BBQ Market", based on the popular meat markets in Texas. Basically, the menu they give you is a small card that you take up to the counter when you're ready to order. They check off the items you order as they serve your food, and then you get your card back, which becomes your bill. They serve all of their meat by the pound, and then wrap it in butcher paper which gives it a more authentic meat market feel.
The Food: After looking over the menu carefully, I decided to get one of their specials - the "Longhorn Brisket Chomp". This includes 1/3lb. of lean brisket, an 8 oz side, corn bread and a drink. All of the side dishes sounded delicious (sweet potato bourbon mash, chipotle deviled eggs, and mac n cheese just to name a few), but I decided to go with the white shoepeg corn pudding. At just $12, the "Chomp" was definitely a great deal! The portions were so big that there was no way I could finish everything. I really enjoyed the brisket, which was dry rubbed and sliced super thin, which made it fall-apart tender. The meat is served dry, but each table has squeeze bottles of BBQ sauce so you can add as much or as little as you like. The one disappointing thing about my meal -- and really, it's just a small thing -- was the cinnamon butter they served with the cornbread. It had way too much cinnamon and it overpowered the bread. Other than that, I enjoyed the food. I won't go so far as to say it was the best BBQ I've ever had, but I would probably agree with a lot of previous reviews, which say that Hill Country is the best BBQ in the city.
The Verdict: B+ For the most part, I really enjoyed my meal at Hill Country BBQ, but there was nothing about it that stood out as being particularly special. I think a big part of the charm of Hill Country is the atmosphere, so if I go back, I'll definitely make sure to go on an evening when they have live music so I can fully immerse myself in the environment!
