Hickory Hollow — Restaurant in Florida

This place has all the makings to be a great hole in the wall BBQ joint but I have to stop right there. The term BBQ is used very loosely.

Let's begin: My wife ordered a full rack of baby back ribs. Smoke ring- nope, dry rub - nope, flavor - nope. She described them as dry and tasteless. Probably baked.

I ordered a combo plate of pulled pork, smoked turkey and BBQ beef.

For the pork: smoke ring - nope, dry rub - nope, flavor - nope. I tried both the regular BBQ sauce and the North Carolina sauce. Both were about the least interesting sauces I have ever tried.

Turkey: smoke ring - nope, any hint of spices - nope, salty as all get out. I could not eat it at all. If you suffer from high blood pressure, do not get the turkey.

BBQ beef: you getting the theme. Seemed baked and had a strange unidentified taste. Not that it was but some times when you eat something your brain is telling you not to because it has gone bad. You know like the deli ham in your fridge that smells okay but when you take a bite your other voice is saying don't do this. That is kind of how I felt.

The sides were pretty standard although my wife said the mac & cheese had no cheese taste.

So I got suspicious about how a BBQ joint could serve food that had not hint of BBQ, no wood smoke smell in or around the place or in the food. So I went searching outside where one would expect to find a big ole smoker working away putting all that BBQ goodness into all manner of meats. The fenced area behind the restaurant had a gate that was left open. So I peeked in. To my surprise (or confirmation) there was not a smoker or grill to be seen back there. Just a bunch of junk.

So if I am guessing man, most of everything is baked, canned or processed. If you are looking for a real BBQ place, this is not it. A great disappointment.

BTW: I got a to go box for all the food I would not eat and then promptly threw it in the trash can once outside. I had my reasons for do that but it has nothing to do with any sort of statement. Bottom line, I didn't...

Overall terrible experience and we will not be back. Went on a Friday night and it wasn't very busy. We were seated promptly but were not greeted at our table for about 10 minutes. Our server came over and did not say hello or introduce herself she simply asked what we wanted to drink. I ordered wine and my husband asked if they had any beer from a local brewery. She said I'll check and walked away. She brought back a beer that he did not ask for nor did she ask if he wanted it and placed it on the table. It took another 5 or so minutes for her to come back to get our order. The only good thing about our visit was at the food came out pretty quickly. I was highly disappointed when I saw the pulled pork on the plate it honestly looked very bland and almost like cat food. It did not have any smoke to look to it or smell it honestly didn't look appealing at all. I got green beans and bake means as sides and those came out cold and honestly tasted like they came from I can. I ate most of the poor cat as I did not want to waste our money but it was tasteless and a huge disappointment. Lastly they only accept cash which I think is a little odd considering they have an ATM machine in the entrance...why not accept cards? Over all we were disappointed with our visit and we will not be back the food it wasn't were said to and the customer service was a...

So "Down-Home" you'll be looking for Granny in the corner knitting a blanket... Been wanting to try this place for the 3 years we've been in this area and finally made it happen. Now have to make up for lost time! Not much from the outside but then imagine walking into a rustic, clean cabin-type one-story room with a southern atmosphere and rolling chairs - Bingo - this is it. We stopped in for a late lunch and were cheerfully greeted and shown to table. Lots of outside tables available too if you are so inclined. The menu makes it hard to make a choice - the most amazing thing is they have a separate menu just for sides and there is OVER TWENTY of them which rotate daily/weekly. Some items you probably have never heard of but want to try! The three of us had Carolina pork BBQ, BBQ chicken and char-grilled pork shanks - all mouth-watering delights. The side were also amazing - I had roasted corn and peppers - delish ! And don't forget your black-eyed peas. A variety of sauces compliment the table ... and oh did I mention the comfortable rolling chairs. Come check it out, but you can only dig into this treasure 4 days a week - because they be closed Sunday, Monday...