BBQ Events: Hill Country Barbeque

I've been scooped by two different sources yesterday! Both my friends Matt Fisher aka The Hampton Smoker and Josh Ozersky of New York Magazine's Grub Street reported that our mutual friend Rob Richter and Mark Glosserman have just signed a lease for the space that will become Hill Country Barbecue. Congratulations guys.

Can Manhattan handle another barbecue restaurant? My answer is a resounding yes! Rob Richter is easily, and rightly, the most lauded competition barbecue cook in New York. If Rob can produce restaurant Que that is half as good as the food he turns in at competition, we're all going to be in for a major treat. Good luck Rob.

Here's Grub Street's article.....

Hill Country to Challenge Blue Smoke, RUB on Their Own Turf

Hill Country BBQ, we've learned from owner Mark Glosserman, has officially signed its lease and begun construction at 30 West 26th Street, just a few blocks from Blue Smoke and RUB . Isn’t it bad medicine to open so close to a pair of established, busy barbecues? Says Glosserman: “It's a great spot, and the price was right, and we're in a big office building, so there will be a lot of traffic even though it's a side street. We have a lot of faith in our product.” No doubt. But we actually like Hill Country's chances. New Yorkers have shown a willingness to go the extra mile to eat great barbecue: Daisy May's BBQ sat on a desolate stretch of Eleventh Avenue and didn't even have tables; RUB ran out of meat every night; Blue Smoke barely had any smoke flavor during its first year, as a result of chimney malfunction. Glosserman hired the best barbecue cooker in the city, Robert Richter. If Hill Country delivers the goods, New Yorkers will support it … right?