I grew up in a town of 1500. My husband was raised in a trailer-house in East Texas. We met at law school in Waco, which is great town, but is not exactly the cultural center of the Western world. We are not fancy people; we are most comfortable at county fairs, pancake breakfast, and Coffee Stop in Crawford. That said, we felt at home at Hickory Hollow.
Atmosphere wise, Hickory Hollow can't be beat. The space is huge. The entrance is decorated with historic photographs, and the rest of the restaurant is decorated with neon signs and local artwork. There's an indoor gazebo and live music on Friday and Saturday nights. If you want a beer or a glass of wine, you help yourself from the large cooler before ordering at the counter. If you want a sweet tea, you'll drink it from a Mason jar. As soon as we walked in I told my husband that I really didn't care what the food tasted like, this place was perfect.
I guess I was having a bit of a premonition.
We went to Hickory Hollow on the advice of one of my husband's co-worker, who recommended we try the steak. We should have known better, since the menu is mostly composed of BBQ and fried items, but we went with the ribeye platters. We also got to help ourselves to the salad bar, which consisted of mixed greens, cheese, cucumbers, jalapenos, and two kinds of dressing. Not exactly gourmet -- and not exactly sanitary looking -- but not un-tasty either. We ate our little salads, drank our beer, and then the steaks were ready. This is what I got.
The good news: it didn't taste nearly as bad as it looked. The bad news: it didn't look too good. The steak was a well cooked, medium rare ribeye that had way too much gristle. My husband got the same platter, and his steak was much meatier and much more flavorful, so I guess it's hit or miss. The potatoes were serviceable but they didn't stay warm, and cold white gravy just isn't appetizing. My husband got the baked potato, and it was very good, so perhaps I just made a bad decision in a side dish. At the end of the day, this meal wasn't worth the $15 we paid for it.
Service was decent. The girl running the cash register seemed a little frazzled and may have overcharged us, though neither of us felt like arguing about it. You have to go get your food at the counter, but they do bus your tables for you, so that's a nice touch at a casual place like this.
I wouldn't discourage people from trying Hickory Hollow. The BBQ is supposedly very good, and the atmosphere is wonderful and welcoming. I just would discourage them from trying the steak. And the health department may discourage them from trying the salad bar.
