hill country

Hill Country
30 W 26th Street @ 6th Ave
New York, NY 10010
(212) 255-4544
http://www.hillcountryny.com/

The Passport blurb: Our inspiration is the grand old meat-markets-turned-barbecue joints of central Texas with their distinctive dry-rub style brisket, sausage, ribs and other meats smoked low and slow over Texas post oak. Live music goes with an extensive list of longneck beers, tequila, bourbon, specialty cocktails, plus a marketplace full of Lonestar State favorites including classic southern sides and sweets.

The deal: $2 off any NY State beer

The bar: This is a super yummy BBQ joint in the Flatiron area. To walk inside is to have your mouth water immediately. It smells like heaven, if heaven is what I hope it is: a really big BBQ pit.

I sat at the upstairs bar, which isn't very big, but I was able to find a seat at the end and order my NY State beer. I chose the Ithaca CascaZilla, a refreshing red ale. Mmm, beer...I could hear live music being performed downstairs, so I enjoyed that for awhile and considered grabbing a ticket to get food. They have a cafeteria-style serving situation, which can be confusing when you come for the first time but is well worth it once you figure out the system. Although I opted not to eat this night (things to do, people to see...) I have partaken before on a previous visit while checking out a friend's band. Since on that particular evening we all had dinner I can attest to how great the brisket is, and also recommend the downstairs area where there's a stage and another bar. Also pretty sure they had a PBR special going on at the time, either that or they just started giving me cans of beer out of pure admiration for my stamina. (there was probably a special)

Back to this night (a Tuesday around 7PM)...my bartender was somewhat absent when I wanted to get my tab, so I had to flag down a different one to cash me out. He was very pleasant and my original bartender was present when I needed a beer, so I'm not really complaining but it's worth a mention. I also don't want to always seem to rave about a place just because they give me beer. Unrelated: I LOVE YOU HILL COUNTRY!!

The narrative: After I whipped out my Passport to make my intentions known to the bartender, a lady sitting nearby asked me about my "coupon book." I talked her ear off for a solid 5 minutes, and then she took a turn doing the same while telling me about the time she got drunk at Brooklyn Brewery with her family so her dad had to swerve* them all home. This was my kind of lady! She also lives in Queens, so we talked about transportation and the ridonkulous fare hike for monthly Metro-cards. Eventually her brother showed up to meet her and they went to get their grub on, so I finished up my CascaZilla ($4 bottle after the discount) and headed out. It was a big night, I still needed to hit BBB & the Highline Ballroom...to be continued.

*terminology we coined in college as an alternate verb for driving while intoxicated.

The verdict: Great beer, good company, ok service. I'd go again and definitely get down on some BBQ tastiness, maybe I'll see you there. Cheers.