All stories about "Hill Country"
The Week in Eater: Pies 'n' Thighs and SD26 Renderings, Inside Forge and Clover Club and a Florent Farewell
This Week's Stories: Florent Farewell: 2PM, Pies 'n' Thighs BLOCKBUSTER: Floor Plans, Renderings Resized and Revealed!!, San Domenico to Become SD26, Moving to Madison Square Park (renderings), Eater Contests: Which Food Network Chef Lookalike is the Best?, One Year In: Hill Country, Eater Inside: Clover Club, Eater Inside: Forge, and Menus Gone Wild: Matsugen's Sea Urchin Bukkake.
One Year In: Hill Country
Welcome to One Year In, a new feature in which Eater sits down for a chat with the chefs and owners of restaurants celebrating their one year anniversary. But not just any restaurants—those that were over-hyped and over-crowded, in some cases to the point of backlash. Now they have to survive with the rest of the pack.
Krieger, 06/12/08
Hill Country, the ginormous barbecue palace in the Flatiron District, is one of many restaurants dedicated to smoked meat to open in Manhattan over the last few years. However, unlike some of its brethren, HC was commercially and critically successful from the get-go and according to owner Marc Glosserman and operating partner John Shaw, it remains just as busy today. They had the usual setbacks— they went 100% over budget, ran out of food, and lost a pitmaster— but have recovered and are planning to expand. Did Hill Country grow into everything the owners dreamed it would? And how will they do things differently the second time around? We turn it over to them.
So, one year in, how's it been? M: It's a big relief to have this first year under our belt. It's really been an incredible ride as far as having a successful launch of Hill Country last June. We opened up during the weekend of the block party so it was utter chaos. So we were doing six thousand, seven thousand servings at the Block Party plus all the opening week. It was a good way to get your name out. M: Absolutely.
J: Go big or don't go at all. We were on a business trip recently looking at the possibility of expanding and we got a little bit of a chance to reflect on this incredible year and what we've done. It's kind of like having a child that is, you know... thriving. We built something from scratch that has a healthy life of its own now.
Did you expect it to be so hard? Have you opened restaurants like this before?
Thoughts on Robbie Richter, a catering company, and a second location.>>
A former US president who loves him some delicious barbecue. From the celebrity tipline: "So I just left Hill Country BBQ where I was watching the Lakers/Celtics game and there was a special guest in attendance...President Bill Clinton! No Chelsea with him, however he was in Chelsea...ironic!? He was there watching the game, and he stayed pretty much to the end.There were three secret service hanging around." [EaterWire]
EaterWire: Hill Country Brunch, Turntables at WTB Canceled
GRAMERCY— From the press release: "Hill Country will serve Sunday Tex-Mex Brunch every week from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. In addition to offering the award-winning Texas-style barbecue Hill Country is known for, Sunday Brunch will include a selection of Tex-Mex classics, available à la carte or as a five-item $25 prix-fixe menu." [EaterWire]
LONG ISLAND CITY— Water Taxi Beach is canceling its inaugural Turntables event tonight: "This evening was slated to be the opening night for the ultrafun Turntables on the Hudson fiesta’s Water Taxi Beach series of parties—but we just got the below missive from the gang. Phooey! 'Hello everyone—we’re very sorry to have to cancel the party on our first night of the season, but there’s a certain amount of rain...'" [TONY]
Eater Inside: Hill Country
Kalina, 6/9/07.
Hill Country, the first barbecue restaurant to open in New York in quite some time about the last 30 seconds, is a descendant of the great 'cue meat markets of Texas, specifically, here, Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas, which is widely considered to be one of the grandest barbecue restaurants in the universe. As is the case at any real barbecue joint, the pitmaster and his equipment are everything, and at Hill Country it's Robbie Richter, legend in his own time, who is leading the charge. He's cooking on Lone Star hardwood a wood that imparts a “wholesomely sweet flavor,” as Richter puts it in the PR blah-blah, shipped directly from Central Texas.
The place has those who love BBQ quite excited. In-person assessment from Mister Cutlets, "the place is the real deal." Further reading at Cutlets and Off the Broiler.
BBQ, Robbie Richter
30 West 26th St, Chelsea; (212) 255-4544
Open For Dinner Seven Days, Bar Until 2 AM; menu
PLYMANIA Hangover Redux: Hill Country
The fallout from last Friday's PLYMANIA blowout continues to swamp the Eater inbox...
Above, please let your eyes linger on what is soon to be one of the go-tos for BBQ fans in New York City. This is Hill Country, Marc Glosserman's shrine to all things pit-cooked, a massive venue coming to West 26th Street that will feature live music as well. Opening was pushed back from winter til what they're calling "early June"—which, per these pictures, will require hustle. But given the Big Apple BBQ on the weekend of June 9 (where Hill Country will be participating), we hear they're hoping to time the opening to that window.
Either way, the excitement is building. Here's one email to Eater: "Since I am a Texan and lover of all things TX, I'm very excited about Hill Country opening up. This is a description that was posted on my alumni chapters webpage looking for fellow Texans to join the Hill Country staff."
Continue reading "PLYMANIA Hangover Redux: Hill Country"Sign up for our email newsletter.
About Eater
From the newest temples of haute cuisine to the oldest dive bars in New York, from Batali to McNally, Eater has you covered. More about Eater...
Tipping Is Customary
Know about a restaurant opening or closing in your neighborhood, or other NYC restaurant gossip? Do let us know.
Restaurant Search
Archives & Feeds
Full-Content FeedContact Us
Email Eater
|
EATER
Editor
Amanda Kludt
Eater Radar Editor
Kelly Dobkin
Photography
Will Femia
Noah Kalina
Daniel Krieger
Interns
Noah Adler
Caitlin Dube
Banner Design
Khoi Uong
Editors-in-Chief
Ben Leventhal
Lockhart Steele
