- Design and Decor: 13,000-square-foot restaurant set up like a Texas barn with shared seating, neon lights, horns, photos and other Texas embellishments.
- Food: Large slabs of juicy meat with Southern sides and desserts.
- Drinks: Margaritas and beer.
- Price: Reasonable
I tasted my first Texas BBQ meal at Hill Country in Penn Quarter. Texans don't sauce up their meat. They eat it dry with rub.
Hill Country uses a simple rub with black pepper, cayenne and kosher salt. Marc Glosserman, owner, is originally from the DC area but his family roots are from Texas. He set out to recreate the experience of small town Texas BBQ in the big city of New York four years ago. Now Hill Country has made its way down to DC and it is just what the District needed. This isn't like many other restaurants in town with full service. You'll be given a meal ticket at the door. From there you go to the butcher stand and order your meat by the pound.
Hill Country imports post-oak wood from Texas and smokes it in huge Ole Hickory gas-fired, wood-burning pits.
We ordered just about everything (brisket, shoulder, ribs, hen, sausage, and the special cowboy burger) on the menu so I could experience all of it.
My favorite was the cowboy burger made with ground
short ribs and topped with with pickles, fried onions, chipotle mayonnaise and bacon.
After fetching the meat, you can choose between various Southern delights including: six cheese mac 'n cheese, green bean casserole with the traditional canned mushroom soup, pickled cucumbers to cleanse the palette, corn pudding, corn bread and more.
You might be tempted to overload on the main meal, but make sure you save room for dessert. My favorites were the apple crisp and banana pudding served in a cute jar.
Let your food settle and then head downstairs to the boot bar for some live music. The blue grass band was great. Hill Country has karaoke every Wednesday night. I reckon you head on in to Hill Country and give Texas BBQ a try!
(202) 556-2050
Penn Quarter
410 Seventh Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
www.hillcountrywdc.com
2 comments:
I'm from the same part of Texas as Hill Country's owner, and he got it right! I cut my teeth on the BBQ from that part of the state. Literally. Rib bones from Smitty's, Blacks or Kreuz in Lockhart (where Hill Country's sausages are imported from), Luling City Market or Gonzales Meat Market make pretty good teething rings, as I recall!
I've been to Hill Country in DC a few times and it has everything I grew up with in the Central Texas "Barbecue Belt".
This piece nailed it, except for just one thing...
Texas-ism correction...
In Texas, we wouldn't say " I reckon you head on in to Hill Country..."
The way we would say that is " I reckon you orta head on in to Hill Country..."
And if you are reading this, and can get there, well, you shore orta!
Thanks for the comment! Happy New Year!
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