Hill Country Barbecue Market, New York NY - March 23

Rating - 8.8

A REAL Texas bar-b-q in the middle of Manhattan........lots of fun with great food a great "vibe"and Texas decor........we went on a Tuesday night around 7 pm. Arrived just in time, because the lines got long after that....we asked for a seat downstairs and then walked back up to order. Probably about 4 in front of us, but as we waited the line grew to over 30.

A VERY DIFFERENT way to order, you get a card (much like a golf card) that has the selections for dinner and sides on it, go up to the meat counter and order whatever you want (brisket, steaks, ribs, pork) and the quantity you want. They carve it right up in front of you, put it on a old fashioned butchers paper (with a piece of bread) and then you head over for the sides. Again, this "old fashioned" like being in the butchers, with a big case of all the sides. They mark on the card what you ordered.

We headed back down to our table and waters in mason jars were waiting. Then the waitress came over and we placed drink orders, and she took the score card and a credit card, and came back with the drinks. Service was marginal throughout the night, we had to flag down one of the waitresses who were in our section --- they pool their tips and service suffers because of it. You sit at large picnic tables with white plastic coverings, it is a very authentic Texas experience!

FOOD was AWESOME.....I had the brisket and I loved every bite of it. The bar-b-q sauce was SO GREAT, and the meat was cooked to perfection. The side of mac and cheese was pretty bland (and cold) by the time I got to the table, but the German potatoes were great, and the boys loved the green bean casserole.

Tuesday night is karaoke night, and they have a live band that plays for those who sing. It was really fun, and we stayed for the first 6 or 7 regulars who sang....some were horrible and some were good. When we decided to leave we each took our scorecard to the cashier and she rang us up.

A very interesting and FUN experience......you MUST give it a try.

Kreuz Mkt Marg (3 @ 9.00) 27.00
Hacker Pshorr 9.00
PBR 4.00
Ketel One 9.00
Brisket - Moist 23.54 ** (this was mine, it was 1 pound)
Mac and Cheese 10.50 - SKIP THIS
Pork Ribs 6.48
Whole Hog 5.40
Brisket - Moist 7.48
Prime Rib 6.96
Gr bean Casserole 4.50
Pork Ribs 7.68
Brisket - Moist 14.52
Mac and Cheese 3.00
German Potato 4.50

Total - $156.30