As a restaurant critic with a specialty area of comfort food and American Southern cuisine, Hill Country Barbecue resonates with me because the menu is comprised of foods that have grown up eating and cooking.  The collard greens are smokey, enhanced by the flavor of the smoked applewood bacon.  The creamy mac & cheese served with penne pasta is a nice touch.  Typically creamy is not a favorite of mine but there is a thickness to this mac & cheese.  Green bean casserole is an unexpected offering for a menu.  The julienne cut beans are fresh tasting, lacking the saltiness of can beans.  However, this dish could stand to have more of the thick consistency of the casserole.  The Texas Caviar(Black-eyed peas) is good.  The campfire bean are listed as a house specialty on the menu and it is deserving of the kudos with its rich sauce.  The coleslaw offering is a red cabbage minus the mayo in favor (my best guess) vinegrette.  The cornbread is anything special yet the butter which accompanies it is something to write home about with its touch of nutmeg.

Before discussing the meat, it is best to explain how the restaurant decor is functional.  There are stations, a meat market, a sides bar and bakery.  Like a buffet experience, the customer walks to each place to pick out the desire items but there are servers.  At the meat market, cooked meat is served by the pound for the exception of the ribs which are served by the bone.  The special of the day for my visit was the pork belly.  I highly recommend the pork belly, it stood out as one of the best things consumed that evening.  The moist brisket is a close second. What fell flat for me was the extremely tough beef rib.

Dessert is the grand finale.  My guest with southern roots and I decided to try two of the classic southern desserts and a dessert unique to the restaurant.  Up first the red velvet cupcake underwhelms.  The cake lacks flavor.  Good red velvet tends to have a buttermilk cake flavor or cherry flavor. The cupcake also came across as more frosting than cake. The banana pudding is tasty; however, my dining companion mention that the pudding screamed boxed.  Don't worry dessert lovers, all is not lost in the dessert department.  The PB &J(Peanut Butter & Jelly) Cupcake is scrumptious creation.  The PB& J cupcake takes the classic comfort food to a gourmet level with jelly filling, a delightful peanut butter frosting with sprinkles of miniature reese's piece is a crowd pleaser worth picking up a batch for events.  Hill Country Barbecue caters.

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