Yes, Hill Country Barbecue Is Officially Coming to Fort Point

Last month, news surfaced that New York-based, Texas-inspired Hill Country Barbecue Market was applying for a liquor license at 374 Congress St. in Fort Point — the space that almost became The Ginger Man, a Texas export. Now, the Hill Country team confirms the news, announcing that a lease has been signed for that address and the targeted opening is late 2016.

Hill Country promises to bring "Texas-style barbecue, live music, and Southern hospitality" to the neighborhood. Founder Marc Glosserman has deep roots in Lockhart, Texas going back four generations, and Hill Country draws from the barbecue halls of Glosserman's youth, featuring "low and slow" smoked meats, ordered by the pound at the counter. (There are even a few sausages available that come in from the legendary Kreuz Market in Lockhart.) A variety of sides and desserts accompany the meat, and the restaurant features beer, tequila, and bourbon.

This is the fourth location for the restaurant, joining Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Washington, D.C. "Boston has been on our radar as a great food and music town for years," said Glosserman. "We’ve been looking for the right location for some time now, as we’ve been trying to understand the city’s unique dining culture and restaurant personality. The Fort Point area has several great old brick warehouse buildings that really match the type of aesthetic that we were looking for in a neighborhood. We’re excited to join the already thriving restaurant scene there and hope we can add something new to the mix. On a personal note, I have a lot of friends and family members who live in and around Boston, and I’m excited to break bread with them a little more often."

The team is still in the early stages of designing the new restaurant, so Glosserman couldn't share specifics in terms of similarities and differences among the Boston location and the others, but "we always like to riff when we open new locations," he said. "We expect that there will be some Hill Country firsts for us in Boston regarding design and menu."

In a general sense, the Congress Street space spans about 8,000 square feet and will include a main dining room, a marketplace, private club space, and a bar. Capacity and other details are still in the works.

"A handful of key employees" will likely come in from existing locations, but Glosserman intends to do a lot of local hiring — "and we're happy to start accepting applications now," he added.

Hill Country is one of New York City's top barbecue restaurants, according to Eater New York. Senior editor and resident carnivore Nick Solares describes it as "an almost completely faithful version of Central Texas barbecue, largely inspired by Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX. The brisket is smoked over post oak, sold by the pound, and served up on butcher paper — just like in Texas."

Provided

[Photo: The downstairs bar at Hill Country in New York/Provided]