Hill Country
About 2 days ago while near Union Square, I wanted to go for lunch at the Shake Shack (who's burgers are amazing by the way). I went over to Madison Square Pack only to find a atrocious line that had a wait time of at least 45 minutes. So I said nay to the Shake Shack. Then I thought to myself "Self, why don't I go to Hill Country about 3 blocks away". Hill Country is a Texan BBQ joint that I've been really wanting to try. Since my pleasant experiences at Wildwood BBQ, I've been really into Barbecue and its really becoming a trend due to the recession (young people are always looking for inexpensive good food). I've tried Blue Smoke, and wasn't too impressed but Wildwood serves up some pretty good BBQ. Hill Country is a bit different however. You don't get served by waiters and waitresses but, its cafeteria style. Meaning you go up to the 3 counters they have and order your food on a tray and bring it back to your table. Upon arrival, you will be given your "Meal Ticket". You present this ticket to all of the counters after your order your food. The server will check off what you order on the ticket, and you will present this ticket to the cashier and pay when you finish eating. After you get your ticket, you make your way over to the meat counter. The meat counter consists of 3 butchers who serve you. If you order ribs they cut them right in front of you, and same with the brisket and any other meats you order. Then they weigh the meat, and depending on the weight they'll give you a price (the average prices are written above the counter). So the sign above the counter could say $12.00 for pork ribs, but you could end up paying only $11 if they weigh light enough. After the meat counter, you make your way over to the sides counter where you pick your side dish/dishes. After the side counter, you make your way over to the bar where you can get any beverage you like. I decided to go for the pork ribs. I learned shortly after Hill Country's specialty is their brisket and beef ribs, but that doesn't mean their pork ribs were no good. Hill Country's ribs put Blue Smoke's to shame. They were meaty and tender. The butchers don't give you any sauce on the ribs, so you need to apply BBQ sauce as you see fit (in my case I use a pool of sauce). But what made the ribs was their rub. Hill Country provides you with a rub that tastes salty, spicy and flavourful and really gives a nice touch to the ribs. That is actually the one issue Wildwood has, their rub tastes like nothing. But Hill Country fixes that and actually perfects it! Their corn bread was also very good (not too much I can say there). Hill Country is a great place to go with friends for great, inexpensive barbecue. I highly recommend it!