Ah, the never ending quest for some good BBQ north of the Mason-Dixon line…
For A-Tooch and friends, girls night out is hardly ever feminine. This round of dinner took us to the “esteemed” Hill Country BBQ, a fan favorite in NYC.
I had never been to Hill Country before, so was eager to try. Despite the fact that: 1) It was a Tuesday night; 2) The place is fairly huge with two floors for seating; and 3) You essentially serve yourself, we were still greeted with a 45 minute wait. No matter, the 2-for-1 drinks kept us occupied.
Vegetarian readers, don’t quit just yet! Before I detail the meat I will begin with my veg friend who actually suggested the venue for our dinner (my kinda veg!)
“Veg C” consuming what may have amounted to more food than us meat eaters
(L to R – mac n’ cheese, green bean casserole, corn pudding, sweet potato bourbon mash)
So the set-up at Hill Country is, you sit down and order a drink then get up with your individual ticket and stand on either the meat, side fixin’s or dessert line. I went up to the butcher first, at least that’s what it felt like. Would have liked some pulled pork but temporary Texas resident friend M instructed me that “Texas-style” BBQ places like Hill Country specialize in beef. Cool, I ordered the moist brisket, 0.4 lbs. of it to be precise. Highly recommend this over the lean brisket as it has much more flavor.
It was pretty tasty but very fatty. The mac n’ cheese side was made with a very aldente penne which I’m not too fond of unless it’s in dad’s tomato sauce. I prefer my mac n’ cheese as gooey and soft as possible. The two really delicious sides, though, were the green bean casserole and the white shoepeg corn pudding. I never thought I would say this, but I actually preferred them to the mac n’ cheese!
Though the rest of the ladies were too stuffed after dinner, I took it upon myself to get two desserts for the group. When I saw PB&J cupcake, I just had to try it. We also got a cup of the fresh peaches n’ cream ice cream which was delicious.
The cupcake was just OK, a little dry but the flavors were there. Hey, if it’s not pecan pie from a BBQ joint what do you expect? Reeses and a light peanut butter frosting were on top and the inside was filled with a small amount of a grape-jelly like substance. Not nearly as gross as it sounds, I promise!
The Hill Country verdict: overrated. Like many NYC places, it’s all about the experience. Drop by if you’re in the area but don’t go out of your way. Yee haw!
