June 15, 2007
Camera in the Kitchen: Hill Country
When we entered the new barbecue joint Hill Country on its opening day last Friday, we felt like we had immediately left NYC and stepped onto the set of a western. About obtaining meat. Lots and lots of meat. Gloriously juicy meat.
You order most of your meat by the pound, which is then presented to you on butcher paper. Beef (brisket, shoulder, ribs), pork (ribs, chops), sausages, and chicken, all of the above if you so desire (or happen to be eating with a large group of people who can polish off that much food). You also get sliced bread and crackers on the side, although we just went for the meat.
We were surprised by how much we liked the Kreuz Jalapeno cheese sausages considering how our stomach usually rejects sausages as something that is not entirely digestible. After our first bite of the mildly spicy, juicy, crisp-cased sausage we were tempted to finish off the whole link.
The cornbread was more cake-like than most other cornbreads we've had; it was light, fluffy and sweet, but not so sweet that it would be considered a dessert. If you do want a dessert, you have your choice of peanut butter and jelly cupcakes, banana pudding and pecan pie.
Hill Country is located at 30 W. 26th St (between Broadway and 6th Ave). 212-255-4544
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I went a couple days ago. TAKE THEIR ADVICE AND START OFF SLOW. I got 4 slices of fatty brisket and 4 ribs, and was unable to finish. My next time, I will get smaller amounts and work my way up to utter meat inebriation.
The pecan pie was f-ing awesome, so despite being so full I was having a hard time blinking, I was able to slide it down. Nice selection of beers, they have a very well stocked bar, and a fun selection of sodas. The mac-n-cheese was tasty, but I wasnt able to eat more than a couple bites. The other sides didnt get much more than a glance from me, and rumor has it there might even be some salad too. LOL, salad!!!
Again, the biggest n00b mistake was not taking their advice. they can sell you brisket one slice at a time if you so choose, ribs can be sold one rib at a time. I would recommend getting lean and fatty brisket, the fatty is FATTY. I didnt try the beef shoulder or boneless prime rib, which both sound really really good, nor did I get to try the poultry.
NYC now has some real bbq to boast about, for sure.
You're missing a bet if you don't get the moist brisket, Ed Levine has been kvelling about it, and rightly so.
The meat pictured is raw people . Try cooking it till all the juices inside are at least pinkishly clear !
To "guest | June 18, 2007 1:31 AM"
That meat is NOT raw! I guess you've never seen authentic (or as close to authentic as you can get in NYC) Texas-style barbeque brisket.
Lines, lines, lines. Lines at the door, for the meat, the bar and the ladies room. I wonder if lines are a tradition in the real Hill Country. But omg the meat. This is some of the best Bar-b-que I have ever had. My husband and I are big bbq lovers and this place knows how to do it right. The sides need a lot of work though. The mac n' cheese was rubber and what they call a salad is just and avacado and some onion slices. The pricing could be a little clearer too. My husbands an accountant and even he was a little confused by the meal pass they give us at the door. The staff is great though. The waitresses got our drinks as fast as lightning and the guy who cleared our table didn't just wait for us to leave. This kind of food creates a lot of mess and he was always around making sure our table was clean. Even the bartender was nice, which is rare in ny. Hill country has a few flaws but for meat this good I'm willing to put up with it.