633211 Wed Jul 01 13:52:41 -0700 2009 15 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 4822178 Seems the NYC joint is coming to DC next year to Penn Qtr. mmm Blue Bell Ice Cream! http://voices.washingtonpost.com/goingoutgurus/2009/06/on_the_horizon_hill_country_co.html?wprss=goingoutgurus Wed Jul 01 13:52:41 -0700 2009 55982 MrsWheatie 1 4823809 I've had mixed impressions with Hill Country in NYC.........very expensive.....inconsistent food..... Thu Jul 02 06:02:22 -0700 2009 4822178 29994 maypo 1 4823815 If it's anything like the NYC one, I'll pass. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2009/06/30/more-on-the-local-barbecue-trail-griffins-and-hill-country/#comments (read the second comment.) Thu Jul 02 06:03:52 -0700 2009 4822178 89996 4X4 2 4823918 So let me get this straight: An inconsistent New York purveyor of Texas-style barbecue is going to open a branch in DC? Forgive me for not getting too excited 'bout this. It's tough enough for legendary barbecue joints to open branches that don't suck (see, e.g., Maurice's Piggy Park (SC), Fresh Air (GA), Dreamland (AL). Thu Jul 02 06:36:13 -0700 2009 4823815 12829 Bob W 3 4824068 No! No! Get excited! I'm Texan and was living in New York when Hill Country opened. It's not as good as the original Kruez's, sure, but soooo much better than anything DC currently has to offer. Like 300% better. Y'all will see when it opens - Austin Grill and Capital Q will just suddenly seem so NOT TEXAN. They don't get everything right, but they are pretty darn close on a lot. This is exactly what DC has been needing. Now if we could only get good Vietnamese (inside the district), Korean BBQ (inside the district), Tex-Mex, mom and pop style Italian a la Frank or Max in New York, and if BYOB was allowed, I'd be happy. Oh yes, and a German beer garden. Whew. Thu Jul 02 07:29:10 -0700 2009 4823918 121362 mc22 4 4824409 Nam Viet is pretty good for one of your requests. Thu Jul 02 09:15:24 -0700 2009 4824068 11368 Dennis S 4 4825809 mc — did you see they're planning to serve big red and BLUE BELL! I don't give a whip about the barbecue — i'm looking forward to the ice cream :) Thu Jul 02 17:05:21 -0700 2009 4824068 181498 littlew1ng 1 4824482 For the benefit of those not familiar with Hill Country, would some of you please elaborate: - What kind of BBQ do they feature? Texas? Kansas City? Carolina? - What do you you consider "expensive"? How much is a full rack of pork ribs, for instance? - What kind of sides do they have? Also, its a pretty broad statement to say that they are better than anything in D.C.. Better than what? Famous Dave? Rocklands? Urban BBQ? Why? Thu Jul 02 09:37:30 -0700 2009 4822178 270174 Sean D 2 4825699 Okay, recent Austinite moved here willing to give it a try. Texas BBQ is beef brisket, with sausage (hot guts), ribs, chicken and turkey a follow up in more or less that order. Pork is not common and is almost always ridiculously thick pork chops. No rubs, no sauce during cooking, just lots of time and wood. If you can't smell wood smoke when you go in the door, it's not a good sign. Smoke ring on the meat is a sign of quality. White bread, sliced onions and sandwich dill pickles are a must, along with some kind of sauce (usually tomato-vinegar-spice based). You order by pound or part pound at a lot of places. Fairly typical sides -- coleslaw, ranch or borracho beans, potato salad, etc. Meat should be moist, good smoke ring, very tender and not require sauce to be good. Chewy brisket is a bad bbq place. Can't address the NYC expensive bbq question and there's little point comparing prices from Texas to here. Thu Jul 02 16:14:29 -0700 2009 4824482 17424 zebcook 3 4825818 zeb — i'm nodding along with your near-perfect description and i do believe there's a little drool on my face. don't know if you saw salt lick on the best thing i ever ate barbecue episode but man it made me miss texas. but if this place has big red and blue bell ice cream, which it allegedly intends to, I'll be one of the first knocking down their door. Thu Jul 02 17:07:58 -0700 2009 4825699 181498 littlew1ng 3 4835720 Texas BBQ is also about clod (beef shoulder). The only rubs should be salt, pepper, maybe cayenne, and the wood is either oak or mesquite. I have to wonder what kind of licensing you need to operate a wood smoker in Penn Quarter. I can easily see neighborhood condo dwellers complaining about the second-hand smoke hazard. Tue Jul 07 05:02:31 -0700 2009 4825699 12359 monkeyrotica 1 4824695 I was cautiously optimistic about this...not being familiar with Hill Country in NYC, I was wondering what to expect and how good this might be. I'm a Kreuz girl at heart - tried much in/around Lockhart and their brisket is by far the best! Any other thoughts on how good this place is? It's got to be better than Whole Foods (Fairfax) which we find currently is our best option. Thu Jul 02 10:31:13 -0700 2009 4822178 199621 cookie44 1 5022392 Anyone else notice a pattern to every single BBQ post on DC food boards? 1) New BBQ joint opens 2) Enthusiasts check it out 3) It's compared to the archetypal BBQ found in Memphis, N.C., Texas, St. Louis, and on back roads in the rural South, preferably in a shack. 4) Newcomer is declared to be crap The dishes that make other regions famous are naturally gonna be a lot better in those regions. Like trying to find NY Pizza in Roanoke, or decent deli in say, Moab, Utah. Fri Sep 11 10:49:22 -0700 2009 4822178 12752 MsDiPesto 2 5022443 This particular BBQ joint is modeled after the famous Texas ones. Having gone to the NYC location as well as Kreuz, Smitty's, Black's, Chisholm Trail, City Market in Luling, Gonzales Market, Southside BBQ in Elgin, Mueller's in Taylor, et cetera ....- it's decent, but not like it is back in Texas. And price wise....you'd swear BBQ was the food of kings and not commoners. I'm just hoping it's better than Capital Q. Fri Sep 11 11:03:14 -0700 2009 5022392 123581 WestIndianArchie 2 5022491 I usually compare it to barbecue I can cook at home on my Big Green Egg. I haven't found any local places really worth going to. Fri Sep 11 11:18:29 -0700 2009 5022392 89996 4X4 2 5022670 What I find almost a certainty is those that drink the "Holy Gail" Koolaid of it is better there, and go to those places almost always return thinking, ;'what was all the fuss about"? This wasn't worth the trip!!!! Yep sometimes it IS great there, but somehow you hit it on a bad day. It happens. I agree with big green egg man, 4x4, most local offerings, if you can cook, with our without an egg, are 2nd best. But folks cooped up in high rises in the city, that want to walk, or bike around have no choice. How many years have we been told Capital Q was the right stuff? More KoolAid please...... Fri Sep 11 12:11:13 -0700 2009 5022392 13879 RobertM