30 West 26th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway
New York, NY 10010
212.255.4544
Subway: F/V to 23rd Street; N/R to 28th Street
Bus: M5/6/7 to 28th Street
Hill Country has been all the rage lately, in every New York rag since it opened in June of this year. I would’ve been sooner, but the husband has been crazy busy with work, and it would be grounds for divorce had I gone without him.
They’ve done a pretty good job with appearances: ranch-style, all-wood walls, floors, tables and chairs. A Texas state flag hung in the stairs. It has the kitschy Texas feel. Except it all feels new. And not new to Manhattan; just new.
Then there’s the staff: very ordinary looking hostesses and waitresses. The hostesses appear happy by New York standards, but nothing like those who are actually from the State of Texas (loud greetings, big smiles – it’s really not a stereotype!). Our waitress on each visit actually seemed somewhat impatient.
Another thing to note is that on weekends, especially during earlier hours, there are many, many, many children. They’re screaming and crying, trying to climb up and down the stairs, tossing food – whatever it may be, they are very present. If I had kids, I may be more patient. But I had a headache, and it was all too much.
The cafeteria-style, self-service was initially a turn-off, but upon going, I actually like having the interface with the countermen who sometimes offer you little tastes of their offerings. I also like seeing everything in front of you and being able to tell the butcher how thick I want my prime rib.
So the food… the brisket is DELICIOUS. I like it moist (read: uber-fatty); the husband likes it lean. The option is there, which is different and smart. The sausage, trucked up from Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas, is quite good. I prefer the jalapeno-cheddar one, but both are spicy and porky. I would skip the pork ribs and the beef shoulder. I like the prime rib, but get a thin or small piece, and eat more brisket. And the beef ribs are decent… there was too much of a coarse black pepper coating on it for my taste, but if you like black pepper.
Of the sides, we couldn’t resist the Longhorn cheddar mac & cheese. The baked beans were sweet for my taste, but the beer-braised beans had layers of flavors, and the husband proclaimed that they were the best beans he’d ever had. I thought the chili was tasty, but a bit greasy. The shoepeg corn pudding was good, but not great. The green bean casserole had potential, but was just too mushy. I also loved the cucumber salad, which was crisp and vinegary; it was the perfect accompaniment to the spicy sausage.
The husband declares this place to be a winner. I think it’s because it reminds him of home. Unlike Blue Smoke, it’s a BBQ joint that lacks pizzazz, which you’d expect in NYC. But it does have really wonderful brisket.
