Pete Wells Admires Hill Country

In celebrating America's independence, Pete Wells files a two star review on Hill Country Barbecue.  "The restaurant is a state-of-the-art Manhattan homage to the preindustrial craft of Texas barbecue."  He's a big fan of the "moist brisket," the "greasy paper," and the beef and pork ribs, which he makes sound remarkably similar to a Butterfinger with their "similarly peppery, crunchy top layer."

Despite the 1,500 pounds of oak shipped from Texas that Hill Country burns through a week, "it doesn't produce that kind of deeply smoky barbecue" that Lockhart, Texas is known for.  It's a fact that doesn't keep Wells from dropping two stars on Hill Country.

Wells points out Peter Meehan's opinion of Hill Country from shortly after it opened in 2007, when Meehan said, "No other barbecue place that has opened in New York in recent years has gotten it so right, right out of the gate."  Wells feels the same way five years later, "Hill Country may not be the real thing. But it plays the part better than anybody else in town."