EatMore DrinkMore had a fun team outing two weeks ago exploring the new Hill Country BBQ in Chinatown. For those of you who have not had the chance to check it out just yet, you are in for quite the experience. The restaurant is very large, and starts you out with a meal ticket that you take with you as you hit the different counters to order your food. Meats such as chicken, brisket, sausage, and ribs can be ordered by the pound with saltines or texas toast, and there are heaping portions of rich side items that include macaroni and cheese, baked beans, sweet potato mash, and collard greens. The laid back atmosphere of Hill Country allows for you to graze for hours and kick back and enjoy your food and drinks with friends or family. And to boot there is live music downstairs and karaoke every other Wednesday night which is sure to pull in a fun crowd. Although I think there are some positive elements to Hill Country joining the local scene, I also experienced some disappointments during my visit so I thought I’d share some of my likes and dislikes for our readers to give you an honest take on the new BBQ joint:
Likes:
- The lean brisket was delicious, and allowed for me to get some hearty meat without feeling like I was eating something fatty and terrible for me (although I do prefer my mom’s saucy brisket that she serves on Passover with carrots and potatoes).
- The macaroni and cheese side was gooey and rich and was even better when I topped it with the Hill Country red chili. What a great combo.
- We had the chance to check out the smokers which are called Ole Hickory pits that are gas powered and hold 1,000 pounds of meat! I learned there was a 12 hour smoking minimum for the brisket and their motto is “low and slow” when cooking the meat. Pretty cool.
- Banana cream pudding dessert with vanilla wafers? Yes please… I’ll take two.
- Live music is something difficult to find around town and I love that Hill Country dedicated their entire downstairs to a stage to allow for karaoke and bands to play.
The Meal Ticket Rules
Dislikes:
- The meal ticket concept is really a disaster. It requires you to keep this loose piece of paper with you as you move from station to station with sauce and sides all over your tray and hands. It is so easy to see how someone could lose their ticket, and in fact you might be better off losing your ticket since it only costs $50.00 to exit if the ticket is lost. It’s possible your meal could be more expensive than that and therefore this might be a dishonest yet better option for the shady folks out there.
- I don’t particularly care for the “sort-of” table service. Either I’m going to sit at a table and have a waiter, or I’m going to do it on my own. The in-between nature of having a waiter that checks on you and clears your plate yet doesn’t take your order or get your food is confusing, and a bit annoying that I have to provide a tip as I leave even though they technically didn’t do anything.
- Hill Country is expensive, and don’t expect to leave without paying a lot more than you expect to. They charge you by the pound for the meat and it really adds up fast. I had a few pieces of brisket, a piece of chicken, and one side for $30.00. Last week I had an entire pulled BBQ brisket sandwich with cole slaw, a pickle, veggie nachos, and a beer for $18.00 at American Ice Company. And I enjoyed the smaller space as well as the table service I had during that experience more than the chaotic nature of Hill Country.
Sausage and Brisket at Hill Country
Overall I think that Hill Country BBQ is a fun place that will create a great atmosphere for a party or a group gathering. The food is good and it is in a great location that will provide them with a lot of foot traffic both during the week and on the weekend. I think the logistics are a little less than ideal and it is a bit more costly than it should be, but I’m sure this place will do well. People love good barbecue, and Hill Country makes it easily accessible to the masses… in a Disneyworld sort of way.
For more photos of our trip to Hill Country check out our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/eatmoredrinkmore
Hill Country BBQ
410 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
www.hillcountrywdc.com
