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Hill Country, 30 West 26th Street Their tagline is “Music to your mouth.” I tell you, I could have that BBQ singing its bluegrass to my mouth all day. And I don’t even like bluegrass. To preface, I should really tell you how we ended up there. It all started - as most things do - with a night of watching the Food Network. AJ and I were watching some kind of competition - probably the Food Network Challenge - and the theme was barbeque. Ribs and brisket and various meaty, saucy, juicy things tauntingly danced across the screen out of our reach. To add insult to injury, that show was followed by an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in which Guy is in search of the best barbeque. Naturally. We couldn’t take it anymore. Lunch. Tomorrow. BBQ. There was no question about that. The question was: Where? Without missing a beat, Shuan recommended Hill Country. His lack of hesitation was more than enough of a selling point. Sold! We got there and the place was empty. And HUGE. I was just getting used to NYC having no space at all and being packed with people, like when I’m at the super market and have to reverse all the way out of the aisle because a lady in a wheelchair is coming through. The space was refreshing. Our water came in jars, which is one of my favorite ways to have water served to me in a restaurant. (I’m totally serious.) They serve food market style, so you go up to the counters and they weigh and measure your grub, then you take it back to the table. I always enjoy a different and interactive way to dine, so I appreciated this. Food experiences are about much more than eating to me. Anyway, AJ and I decided the right thing to do was get a bunch of different things and split it. The meats we got were beef ribs, pork ribs, and a portion of moist brisket. I live for sides, and could have had them all, but our stomachs and wallets would probably only allow for two. We settled on mac and cheese and slaw: one on the cheesy, carby side, and one on the light(er) veggie side. Balance is vital. And as you can see from the picture, a slice of white bread was happy to join the party. Everything was as delicious as expected - except I’ve had better mac and cheese - but, if we’re carrying the music metaphor through, the glory note of this performance was definitely the moist brisket. As it’s name suggests, it was perfectly moist, as well as meaty and flavorful. That first bite was like hearing the high note of “Seasons Of Love” from Rent. (Sorry for the genre change. It’s one I’m more familiar with.) Not the cheapest eat in town, but I look forward to splurging again.

Hill Country, 30 West 26th Street

Their tagline is “Music to your mouth.” I tell you, I could have that BBQ singing its bluegrass to my mouth all day. And I don’t even like bluegrass.

To preface, I should really tell you how we ended up there. It all started - as most things do - with a night of watching the Food Network. AJ and I were watching some kind of competition - probably the Food Network Challenge - and the theme was barbeque. Ribs and brisket and various meaty, saucy, juicy things tauntingly danced across the screen out of our reach. To add insult to injury, that show was followed by an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in which Guy is in search of the best barbeque. Naturally. We couldn’t take it anymore. Lunch. Tomorrow. BBQ. There was no question about that.

The question was: Where? Without missing a beat, Shuan recommended Hill Country. His lack of hesitation was more than enough of a selling point. Sold!

We got there and the place was empty. And HUGE. I was just getting used to NYC having no space at all and being packed with people, like when I’m at the super market and have to reverse all the way out of the aisle because a lady in a wheelchair is coming through. The space was refreshing. Our water came in jars, which is one of my favorite ways to have water served to me in a restaurant. (I’m totally serious.) They serve food market style, so you go up to the counters and they weigh and measure your grub, then you take it back to the table. I always enjoy a different and interactive way to dine, so I appreciated this. Food experiences are about much more than eating to me.

Anyway, AJ and I decided the right thing to do was get a bunch of different things and split it. The meats we got were beef ribs, pork ribs, and a portion of moist brisket. I live for sides, and could have had them all, but our stomachs and wallets would probably only allow for two. We settled on mac and cheese and slaw: one on the cheesy, carby side, and one on the light(er) veggie side. Balance is vital. And as you can see from the picture, a slice of white bread was happy to join the party. Everything was as delicious as expected - except I’ve had better mac and cheese - but, if we’re carrying the music metaphor through, the glory note of this performance was definitely the moist brisket. As it’s name suggests, it was perfectly moist, as well as meaty and flavorful. That first bite was like hearing the high note of “Seasons Of Love” from Rent. (Sorry for the genre change. It’s one I’m more familiar with.) Not the cheapest eat in town, but I look forward to splurging again.

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