THEJNSREPORT

Welcome to THEJNSREPORT’S: HILL COUNTRY BARBECUE FOOD REVIEW EPISODE 1 Continued…

As I was saying after hearing the rave reviews from some friends, I decided my next course of action was destination Hill Country Barbecue Market.  Hill Country is located on W 26th St. between 5th and 6th Avenue.  Once I arrived at my destination fortune reigned down upon me as opposed to the rain drops from earlier as I approached the entrance to Hill Country. 

Uh Yessum!!! All you can eat for $27 I think is a good deal.  Will the food live up to the hype?  Let’s find out the evidence of the truth.

It certainly doesn’t hurt having an A in the window.  So with that being said I went on in to see what the Hill Country experience is all about.

Once inside the establishment, I was greeted pleasantly and then asked what I’d be having to eat before being shown my seat.  They apparently give you a ticket to show at each food station for proper checking off of what you select to eat during your stay in Hill Country.  I also received a green paper wrist band to indicate that I was indeed an all you can eat patron.  I didn’t feel quite like a V.I.P with it on since there was no free drink or desert included with my meal other than two glasses of water, but  it’s all you can eat for everything else.

Feeling quite hungry I got up from my table with ticket in hand and waited my time in line like everyone else to be served my meats and sides.

When it was my turn at the counter the carver saw my ticket and promptly cut my meats of Barbecue Chicken, Pork Ribs, and Brisket.  This how they present your meats to you on brown parchment paper of some sort.  In actuality they roll up the meats in the paper and you unwrap it yourself at your leisure.

Those ribs were everything.  They were juicy, moist, fall off the bone tender, and flavored with the right amount of spices so it hit on all cylinders for me.

Over there be the sides.  Now I ask you to look below.  Does that look like traditional Mac N Cheese to you?  Once again with the hoodwink!  That is Ziti not Macaroni people.

After tasting it though I have to say I’m  a fan of Hill Country’s Longhorn Cheddar and Ziti.  It’s just plain good.  It was an extra charge for the “Longhorn Cheddar Ziti but I didn’t mind it.  Taste wise it’s not too salty, and has just the right balance of a tangy cheese flavor blanketing well cooked Ziti.  MMm Mmmm son, what’s not to like?  It was so good in fact I went back for a second helping as seen below.  😀

I didn’t even mind the char on it.  

Looks like the Ziti N Cheese went on trial and clearly by the evidence in this photo “through the fire” as well for pleading the 5th on whether it was authentic Mac n Cheese or not.  In the end it’s all good.  Up next for tackling were a pair of corn breads sitting in a basket asking to be sampled.

The red skin potato salad was also good but not great.  I think i’m just more of a fan of a sweeter, vinegar, and mustard potato salad.

The Cole Slaw was good, fresh and crisp.   I devoured it after handling the Potato Salad.  This is what happened to the first round of meats while joking with an Italian couple who were seated next to me.  As they both looked on at my meal the lady in the couple said with a heavy native Italian accent that I ate two people’s worth of food.  I laughed at her and put up four fingers.  She, her man, and I all laughed a good laugh before I refocused on my meal telling them how good it was.

“The field has been laid waste to sir!  Reload Soldier!!! RELOAD!!!”  Was all I could hear LOL!!! However the sides and meats filled me enough to only have enough room for some brisket and desert.  I drank only a few sips of water during the meal relying more on my chewing and tasting so as not to over fill myself and also dilute my digestive juices for what was coming.

Check out the smoke ring and the glisten of moistness on them there pieces of brisket.  Makes me wish for some burnt ends right now.

Succulent perfectly smoked and flavored Brisket!!! I now know why there was such praise and rave reviews.

When the last bites of brisket were gone I went to see what they had for desert and was recommended what you see below.  The Lemon and Blueberry Merengue Cake.

The cake like the rest of my meal was very good and I was more than adequately satiated by the time I put down my tools.  Hill Country I’ll definitely be coming back.  I’ve found yet another good BBQ place in the city.  I mean after the disappointment I suffered in my last visit to Virgil’s, Hill Country Barbecue just reminded me that there are places where the food is done right and comes to you hot and ready to eat.  Give this place a try if you’ve never had the pleasure of eating here.  I give Hill Country and 9 1/4 out of 10 rating.

Till next Food Adventure this has been Hill Country Barbecue Food Review 2013 by THEJNSREPORT.