Review: Dinner at Hill Country Chicken
I'd been eagerly anticipating the opening of the Hill Country family's second Texas-themed venture, a "fried chicken shack" aptly named, Hill Country Chicken. The vison behind this concept? Well, it's simple: introduce and serve Texas-inspired fried chicken and comfort food to hungry New Yorkers.
Located within a bi-level space - just a block from Hill Country BBQ - the self proclaimed "chicken shack" is hardly that: from its peppy-colored linoleum flooring, kitschy cafeteria-style ordering system, spacious atmosphere, and ample seating, Hill Country Chicken is kind of like a small town's homecoming-queen, or that girl whom you went to high school with that drastically outshone the rest of her less attractive, far less interesting "competition."
*Many of my photos from this meal can be found on Flickr
**Note: to date, I have both dined-in and taken-away from Hill Country Chicken
The good
Spacious setting
Kid-friendly
Casual and comfortable
Since you're basically serving yourself, you don't have to tip anyone
Bakery on-site
Cowboy Pie: aside from crack, this heavenly rendition of the "magic cookie bar" is laced with chocolate chips, shredded coconut, butterscotch chips, and pecans - bound together by sweetened condensed milk - and enveloped by a buttery, graham-cracker crust. I'm willing to bet money that this pie will send you in to the most intense, flavor-induced food orgasm that you've ever experienced. I recommend the $3 individually-portioned "pie cup," as opposed to the pricey $5 "slice." Go and get your fix today!
Take-out from Hill Country Chicken: "Cowboy Pie
Biscuits: dense, buttery, and both crunch and salty in all of the right places - if you're looking for "fluffy," then you're going to hate this version
Take-out from Hill Country Chicken: homemade biscuit
Chicken tenders: instead of manning-up and bringing my camera whilst "dining-in," I'm going to have to recount this chicken tender moment from memory. For $6.50, I received three mammoth-sized chicken breast strips that had been dredged in, what appeared to be, a Saltine cracker-based breading. The meat was incredibly juicy and moist, without the slightest discoloration or exposed vein. And, all three of my tenders were cartilage-free, thank god. To dip, I chose a honey-mustard sauce (first sauce is free), in addition to a side of ranch dressing that came with a price tag. "This sure ain't Whataburger," I mumbled, while recalling "the good ol' days" back in Texas when chicken-tender dipping sauces were free - even in mass quantities.
The bad
Pimento cheese: where I come from, this cheddar cheese + mayonnaise + pimento pepper "dip," if you will, is not only spreadable, but served at a temperature that's closer to "room temp," as opposed to "fresh out the ice box." Unfortunately, the version at Hill Country Chicken was dense, too chunky, and disturbingly chilly. I threw that crap out!
Take-out from Hill Country Chicken: fauxmento cheese
Strawberry-lemonade: to be fair here, I am NOT complaining about the *taste* of this beverage because, honestly, I enjoyed it. I applaud a glass of lemonade that seamlessly combines both sweet and sour. However, I am hard-pressed to believe that the version at Hill Country Chicken is "freshly squeezed," as the menu so claims. There's a suspicious Country Time-esque lingering aftertaste that I simply cannot explain, other than chalk it up to Hill Country Chicken being full of crap. There's not even an ounce of pulp, much less a strawberry seed, floating around! Something smells fishy to me.
There is no butter or honey to accompany the biscuits.
Extra dipping sauces come at a price.
The ugly
While it's a nice break to not have to tip someone every now and again, that doesn't mean that I'm any less disgusted by the prices that Hill Country Chicken is charging its suckers customers:
Fried breast of chicken, $5.50
Glass of "freshly squeezed" strawberry-lemonade, $3.25
Slice of pie, $5
Whole pie, $40 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
…
Until we eat again,
Lindsay, The Lunch Belle